March, 2001.

It's the Next Best Thing to Being There!

Ninth Annual Capital Oscars Party

by L'Tonya Davis

Has your invitation to this year's Academy Awards somehow been lost in the mail? Looking for a fun-filled, classy, exciting venue to watch the Awards? Join the DC Film Society for our 9th Annual Capital Oscars Party on Sunday, March 25, 2001 at 8pm at the historic Arlington Cinema 'N' Drafthouse (a twin to last year's great venue in Bethesda). Doors open at 7:15pm.

The nominees are in! Oscar-hopefuls and film-lovers around the world wait in anticipation of the broadcast of the 73rd Annual Academy Awards. With first-time host Steve Martin, and presenters such as Jennifer Lopez, Anthony Hopkins, and Angelina Jolie, this year's Oscars ceremony is sure to be a fun, classy, exciting event!

Whether you want to root for Gladiator or Julia Roberts or just care to watch all of the excitement of exclusive interviews and features on the hottest fashions, you can do so on three big screens. Bring your family and friends for a fun-filled night including local filmmakers, affordable food and drinks, a fabulous silent auction (don't forget your checkbook, we'll be accepting bids for the official Academy Awards poster, a signed script for The West Wing, movie and theatre passes, dinners for two, and more surprises!), great door prizes (including two tickets to the gala opening of Filmfest DC, Washington's own international film festival), on-site web coverage by Washingtonpost.com, free movie and promotional items, Godiva chocolates, and much more! Bring cash or checks! Credit cards are not accepted for auction items, food, or drink.

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to kick back, relax and enjoy the broadcast in the spacious comfort of the drafthouse's cafe tables and chairs. You'll enjoy great company, conversation (shhh-not during the show, of course), food, and drink, fun film stuff while supporting the Washington, DC Film Society and Filmfest DC.

Arlington Cinema 'N' Drafthouse, located at 2903 Columbia Pike in Arlington, Virginia, is a converted vintage movie house that artfully blends movies with food-including a menu that consists of lasagna, sandwiches, hot dogs, soda, and, of course, popcorn. Beer and wine are available, too. (I.D. required. You must be 21 to enter unless accompanied by an adult.)

The cost is $15 for Film Society members and $20 for non-members. You may purchase tickets in advance. This event will sell out! Send your check payable to:

Washington DC Film Society
Attn: Capital Oscars
P.O. Box 65992
Washington, DC 20035-5992

for guaranteed tickets held at the door.

With its towering neon sign blazing above Columbia Pike, the Arlington Cinema 'N' Drafthouse will make you feel like a star! Join us for our 9th Annual Capital OscarsParty. It's the next best thing to being there!

For more information, call our hotline at 202-554-3263.

Cinema Lounge Predicts the Oscars

by Brian Niemiec

On Monday, February 12, the evening before the Oscar nominations were announced, Cinema Lounge met to try to outguess the Academy.and we did extremely well.

Our proudest moment was being five for five in the Best Supporting Actor category. We chose Dafoe, Del Toro, Finney, Phoenix and even Bridges, which was a good call. In the Best Supporting Actress category, we guessed that the Academy would nominate Dench, Hudson and McDormand. Julie Walters took us by surprise as we thought Zhang Ziyi would get the nod for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. No one in our group even suspected Pollock and the power of Marcia Gay Harden's performance. We chose Catherine Zeta-Jones for Traffic instead.

Our roll continued in the Best Actress category. We correctly predicted the Academy would nominate Roberts, Linney, Burstyn and Binoche. We thought Gillian Andersen would get the nod for The House of Mirth, but it went to Joan Allen for The Contender instead. In Best Actor, we were right about Crowe, Hanks and Rush. Once again, we ignored Pollock and Ed Harris got the nod. We thought Jamie Bell might be nominated for Billy Elliot. We argued over Javier Bardem, but in the end, we chose Michael Douglas for Wonder Boys.

In the Best Director category, we didn't suspect that Soderbergh would be nominated twice. We were right about Ridley Scott and Ang Lee. We chose Robert Zemeckis and Lasse Hallstrom, but the academy gave nods to Stephen Daldry for Billy Elliot and Soderbergh. For Best Picture, we were four for five. We correctly guessed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, Gladiator and Traffic. We debated over Billy Elliot and Chocolat. In the end, we voted for Billy Elliot while the Academy voted for Chocolat.

Join us for our next meeting of Cinema Lounge on Monday, March 12th, at Borders Books, 5333 Wisconsin Ave. NW, at 7:30 p.m. in the Café Espresso on the 2nd floor. The topic will be Indie Superstars. We will discuss independent directors who have gone Hollywood and Hollywood actors who have gone indie. Suggested viewing: sex, lies and videotape (Steven Soderbergh, 1989), Erin Brockovich (Steven Soderbergh, 2000), Affliction (Paul Schrader, 1997), The Apostle (Robert Duvall, 1997), Blood Simple (Joel Coen, 1984), The Big Lewbowski (Joel Coen, 1998). See you there.

The Ninth Environmental Film Festival

The Environmental Film Festival, in the Nation's Capital, now in its ninth year, will screen over 100 documentary, feature, archival, animated, and children's films selected to provide fresh perspectives on environmental issues around the globe. Winners from Germany's Okomedia International Environmental Film Festival, Britain's Wildscreen Film Festival, and Mountainfilm in Telluride will be among the highlights of the 2001 Environmental Film Festival. The Festival will take place March 15 through 25 at museums, embassies, universities, libraries, environmental organizations, and international agencies in Washington, D.C.

This year's Festival features 51 Washington, D.C. premieres, including Director George Butler's The Endurance about Captain Ernest Shackleton's harrowing 1914 attempt to cross Antarctica; the ravishing and romantic Swedish documentary, Lighthouse; David Vassar's The Spirit of Yosemite, a stunning introduction to the scenic beauty and natural wonders found within this national park; and Maureen Gosling's Blossoms of Fire about the legendary women of Juchitan, Oaxaca, Mexico.

On the Festival's opening day, March 15, Andrea Torrice's Global Warming and the Fate of the Pacific Islands puts a human face on global warming while taking viewers on a fascinating journey to some of the world's smallest island nations. Closer to home, Growing Smart, Building Green explores the unique features and design considerations that made the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's new Philip Merrill Center "the greenest office building." Filmmaker Alison Nichols of Walkabout Productions, Inc. will discuss the film with conservationists and architects after the screening.

On the Festival's closing day, March 25, Jasmina Bojic, Founder and Executive Director of the United Nations Association Film Festival, will introduce a selection of films from this Festival, including Rachel Freedman's Back from the Brink: End the Nuclear War Now and Mary Maguire's Guardians of the Forest, documenting the struggle of Malaysia's indigenous people to retain their old ways of life.

Other highlights of the Environmental Film Festival follow. Filmmaker Christopher McLeod will screen his latest film, Sacred Land-In the Light of Reverence about Native American struggles to protect lands of spiritual significance in the West. Michael Apted's film, Me & Isaac Newton, spotlights the visions of seven exceptional scientists who are trying to solve centuries-old mysteries. In his film, Save Our Lands, Save Our Towns, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tom Hylton explores how America can rebuild its towns, protect its environment, and preserve its countryside from suburban sprawl.

Environmental Film Festival films are open to the public and most are free. For a complete schedule see the website www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org or call 202-342-2564.

Membership Renewal Coming Up Soon

Membership expires March 31, 2001, so keep your eyes open for a special members-only mailing, explaining the renewal process and including your renewal form. And we're back to day-glo membership cards, so no more fumbling in your wallets to find your card. It will practically jump out!

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