Filmmakers To Discuss Their Documentary Shorts At Bethesda Film Fest

BETHESDA, MD — The 11th annual Bethesda Film Fest is coming to downtown Bethesda in March, with screenings of seven documentary shorts made by local filmmakers.

The two-day event will take place at the Imagination Stage on Friday, March 24 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 25 at 7 p.m. The documentaries cover topics such as courage, activism and social justice.

Films were chosen by the Bethesda Film Fest selection panel, consisting of Penny Lee, a producer, director, and film/video editor with more than 25 years of editing experience; G. Chelser, documentary filmmaker and professor of film at George Mason University; and Adele Schmidt, Artistic Director of Docs in Progress and co-owner of Zeitgeist Media LLC.

All films will be shown at both screenings and will include a discussion with the filmmakers after the screenings. Tickets are available at www.bethesda.org for $15. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door.

Imagination Stage is located at 4908 Auburn Ave. in downtown Bethesda.

The Bethesda Film Fest is organized and managed by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District. The festival is supported by Bruce and Leslie Lane; Bernard Family Foundation; The Donohoe Companies; Jane Fairweather Team; Suzanne Firstenberg; The Greenhill Companies; David Goldberg; Lerch, Early, and Brewer; Jan McNamara; Oxman Studios and Wendy Susswein.

The films selected for the screening are:

• "Amor," film by David Rochkind of Washington, D.C.
• "East of the River," a film by Amin El Siwi and Phillip Bouknight of Washington, D.C.
• "The Legacy of Lee's Flower Shop," a film by Kamilah Thurmon of California, Maryland.
• "Never Again Para Nadie," film by Justin Reifert and Dan Frank of Washington, D.C.
• "Portrait of MasVusi," a film by Lindsey Aranson of Bethesda
• "Rooted Wisdom: Nature’s Role in the Underground Railroad," a film by George Burroughs, Lauren Giordano and Anthony Cohen of Cordova, Maryland.
• "what if it wasn't a joke," a film by Grace Sutherland of Baltimore.