‘Supreme’, ‘Terry Schiavo’s Story’ To Premiere At DC/DOX Festival; ‘Anthem’ And ‘The Body Politic’ Among Special Screenings On Slate For June Event
By Ted Johnson
May 15, 2023
Peter Nicks’ Anthem and Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough’s The Body Politic are among the non-fiction highlights in this year’s DC/DOX documentary film festival in Washington, D.C. next month.
The event also will include the world premieres of Nick Capote’s Between Life & Death: Terri Schiavo’s Story, from MSNBC Films, and an episode of Dawn Porter’s Showtime series Supreme.
The full slate — read it here — includes 31 features and 21 shorts from eight countries. The event, to be held from June 15-18, also will feature the opening night event screening of Joan Baez I Am A Noise, with Baez scheduled to attend, and closing night Space Race, with astronauts Ed Dwight and Leland Melvin.
The festival launched last year after the AFI announced that it would merge AFI Docs, which had long been held in the D.C. area in June, into its annual AFI Film Festival, held in November in Los Angeles.
Anthem will have the festival’s Centerpiece screening on June 16, followed by a conversation with Nicks. The film spotlights composer and pianist Kris Bowers and producer Dahi as the create a new national anthem written for today.
The Body Politic will be the Spotlight screening, to be held on June 18, followed by a conversation with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Goodenough. The project follows Scott’s first year as mayor of the city as he deals with the pandemic and a reckoning on race and policing.
Between Life & Death: Terri Schiavo’s Story will have its world premiere on June 17, followed by a conversation with Capote. The project looks at Schiavo’s story, which elevated the issues of right-to-die, faith and politics and government intervention into the national consciousness early this century
Supreme will premiere on June 18 followed by a conversation with Porter. The film looks at the history of the Supreme Court and the role in has played in shaping society. The backdrop is last year’s confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The four screenings will take place at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.
Other world premieres include the shorts Nicholas Mihm’s Bubjan, about a progressive member of the Iranian parliament who was forced to flee the country; and The Silent Witness, from George and Teddy Kunhardt, a first-person recollection of atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Sky Sitney, co-founder and festival director, said in a statement, “These films represent the very best the art form has to offer, while addressing important social and political issues or highlighting extraordinary individuals — an intersection that perfectly captures the spirit of this festival.” Co-founder Jamie Shor said, “DC/DOX is providing a critical launch pad for passionate, talented filmmakers from around the world to have their films seen and discussed by film lovers and thought leaders.”
