Swallowing the MainstreamThe DC Underground Film Festival brings to the city two days of movies you won't find at the local cinema multiplex. Filmmakers from all over the US, Europe, Asia, and Canada present works that challenge the "Hollywood mindset" and prove that creative minds working on shoestring budgets can totally rock your world.
The films were shot on everything from 8mm to mini digital video. Styles range from animation to documentary to experimental. Subjects include art-machine rebel painter Steve Keene (Over 36,000 Sold), exploding record players (Revolutions Per Minute), the Catonsville 9 activists (Investigation of a Flame), in-your-face political street theater with a fake priest and choir (Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping), postmodern consumer landscapes (Strip Mall Trilogy), a suburban war story (Cul de Sac) and an homage to 1950s B-horror movies (The Human Beeeing).
The festival takes place Saturday, May 17, from 2 to 11 p.m., and Sunday, May 18, from 1 to 10 p.m., at the Carnegie Institute, 1530 P St. NW. Tickets are $6.
