What's New for Reel Affirmations 18
New venues, new online community for your old friend
Big changes are ahead this year at Reel Affirmations.
We listened to you — our audience — and
made changes in the way RA18 will play out.
From our audience surveys to focus groups and quiet conversations,
we've been tallying the needs and desires of our fans.
The first change: an online community that gives you the Reel Affirmations experience before the festival opens. Click FILM SCHEDULE in our navigation list and you'll be directed to b-side, where you can drill down through a daily schedule of films or a list of all films to find information, trailers and ticketing links for RA18 programs. You can do that without joining b-side, but when you sign up for the RA18 b-side community you can also:
• Create
a personal calendar of films you'll attend;
• Share that calendar with your friends;
• Encourage everyone you know to attend with you;
• Rate and comment on RA18 films.
• Share that calendar with your friends;
• Encourage everyone you know to attend with you;
• Rate and comment on RA18 films.
It's a wonderful, rich environment for film fans and their friends,
and it's a perfect virtual venue for hanging out and organizing
your RA18 experience.
Our longtime home, the Lincoln
Theatre — that
glamorous grande dame of U Street — is still the centerpiece of
Reel Affirmations. Our biggest and best films, including our fabulous
Opening Night Film, Breakfast With Scot, will play
at the Lincoln. And our Opening Night party — at town — will
be the best ever!
It's wonderful to see hundreds of
folks lining up at the Lincoln — and we'll continue the festival
there for years to come. But we'll save her for special occasions
and weekend screenings — our big studio films and the crowd-pleasing
blockbusters.
We've also noticed a shift in our audience’s
Zip Codes — to
Silver Spring, downtown, and neighborhoods beyond. LGBT
entertainment is no longer focused in any one DC neighborhood.
With this change, we'll change, too: we're coming to
you!
We’ve engaged the AFI Silver
Theater — a
state-of-the-art house in the heart of downtown Silver
Spring and home to American Film Institute, the crown jewel
of the the DC film community. With the Silverdocs festival,
retrospectives by filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman and Martin
Scorcese, classic film series, and more, AFI is the most
innovative film programmer in the DC area. Driving? The
Silver has free parking. Taking the Metro? It’s on the
Red Line. With a number of restaurants in the area, AFI is sure to
be the smash hit of the festival, and we have a number of parties and
events planned for you at the renowned Jackie's and down home tavern
The Quarry House.
AFI offers a number of exciting options for us — luxurious theatres, state—of—the—art equipment, and a number of programming partnerships throughout the year. In October alone, we are able to partner with AFI to screen a rare, archival print of Parting Glances — in partnership with the Outfest Legacy Program and UCLA. The ability to forge partnerships like this is what will keep Reel Affirmations one of the greatest LGBT film festivals in the country.
Sixth and I Synagogue — the
historic building right in the heart of Chinatown — has quietly
built a reputation for cutting-edge programming.
From Salman Rushdie to Nancy Pelosi, from the DC premiere of The
Kite Runner to musical acts and bands from all over the world — Sixth
and I has it all! Seating over 600 people in the soaring arena,
this is the perfect venue for our weekday screenings — not
too big and not too small. We know you.ll come to love it as much
as we have.
And let's not forget the brand new Harman
Center for the Arts at the Shakespeare Theatre!
Our Closing Night Film, Were The World Mine, fits right in with this magical space. A truly glamorous fit for our most sophisticated and glamorous Reel Affirmations yet!
When you get a chance, let us know what you think of these changes. After all, Reel Affirmations belongs to the community — without you, there would be no festival.
