"Mother Superior: Let There Be Lead" is among the offerings at this year's festival.
The District is a familiar host to numerous film festivals, but only one lives up the city’s moniker as “Spy City.” The Thrillspy International Film Festival is returning to DC this month with its second festival focused on thriller and spy films. This year’s festival will be screened at the Naval Heritage Theater in Penn Quarter beginning Sept. 30 and ending Oct. 3.
According to Will Gorham, the festival’s founder and director, it is the first and only film festival in the world that celebrates thriller and spy films. And although films of this kind are popular on the big screen, Gorham said smaller-scale thriller and spy productions don’t garner the same interest as their Hollywood blockbuster counterparts.
“We hope directors and producers will come here and see talent,” said Gorham. “We want to support the DC acting community and to continue to grow in our presence and support.”
In its first year the festival received film submissions from all over the world, and this year it continues to receive submissions from across the globe. “It’s interesting how much it’s grown internationally,” said Gorham.
This year’s slate features more than 20 films ranging from detective, political, murder, suspense and romantic thrillers to other topics. Among the submissions is “Of Dolls and Murder,” a documentary narrated by local filmmaker John Waters. The movie examines the Nutshell Studies and their use of dollhouses to study crime scenes, the development of forensic pathology, and insight from Naren Shankar, producer of CSI, among others. “Mindfulness and Murder” makes its world premiere at the festival and tells the story of a Buddhist monk in Thailand who must use the skills he acquired as a detective to solve the homicide of a youth slain at a Buddhist monastery. “Clandestine,” is in part a documentary on the history of spy radio broadcasts and also the fictional story of the bond between a man and his father. “Mother Superior: Let There Be Lead,” tells the story of a nun who takes on a gun smuggling priest from her church.
To close the festival on Oct. 2, there will be an awards ceremony and gala, as well as a free public screening of the film “Green Zone,” starring Matt Damon at the Navy Memorial.
The festival is partnered with the Crime & Punishment Museum and Madame Tussauds, and three-day festival passes can be purchased on the Thrillspy site for $12. It will also showcase actors performing monologues, a thriller/spy hero look-alike contest and more. “My goal is for the festival to be about fun,” said Gorham. “It’s the home of law enforcement, the intelligence community, the justice department—Washington is the conspiracy capital of the world—it’s the perfect place for this type of festival.”
US Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center: 701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW ; www.thrillspy.org for ticket information.
