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Film Festivals and Film Fans Fielding the COVID Curves

BY KELLY MACCONOMY

In many ways the summer of 2020 was both long and lost. Pandemic protocols presented filmgoers with repeated disappointments. The options were to close, cancel, go virtual, or create a pop-up drive in. Or a combination of them all.

Movie theaters suffered the greatest hit, most being closed since March. Major theater chains had planned phased re-openings in July but the politicized mask-wearing melee and sudden surge in coronavirus infection numbers, especially in major theater markets, put that on hold.

AMC created quite a stir when it opened with select new and retro releases on August 20, with pricing a throwback to 1920. On that day only, all ticket prices were 15 cents, same as 100 years ago. Popular films such as Black Panther and showtimes for evening screenings sold out immediately.

Because each theater was limited to a 40 percent seating capacity, it was hard to score an astronomically discounted seat. Ticketing was tricky because of rigid social distancing. Seats are blocked out as they are selected so you compete simultaneously with other online buyers, kiosks, and ticket counters. CDC-approved masks are required. Bandanas, neck cowls, and scarves are not acceptable. But AMC has you covered with free masks for those without the right facial covering.

AMC’s Welcome Back to the Big Screen offered $5 “Bring Back Movies” tickets for most films last month. Fun family classics such as the Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Grease, and The Goonies and 1980s prices brought people back, if not back to the future of the new normal. As it happened Back to the Future was also back on the marquis recently, along with more contemporary screenings such as the Inception Tenth Anniversary Event.

Even Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) came back to share another most excellent journey: rescuing their teenage kids from their own bogus misadventures while saving the world with their song, and bringing peace and harmony

Courtesy photo

Above: A scene from Rebuilding Paradise, one year after the fire. The documentary by Ron Howard is available online now through the 2020 Alexandria Film Festival. At left: Educator and history and film buff David Kinsella in his signature field-trip adventurer hat. He is a big fan of Ava Gardner.

Photo: David Kinsella

to the universe Virtual screenings are in the long-awaited remostly $10 or $12. One nolease of Bill and Ted Face table and timely release is the Music. John Lewis: Good Trouble, a

Film and history buff tribute to the late legend, David Kinsella, a veteran including a supplemental educator at Patriot High interview Congressman School in Prince William Lewis gave to Oprah WinCounty, went to see Rusfrey just before his passing. sell Crowe in the wildThe Alexandria Film ride thriller Unhinged last Festival is in its 14th year month. “They did a great and also leaned into virjob with counter screens tual screening formats this and keeping the audience past summer, scoring the extremely small with evpremier release of Rebuilderyone wearing a mask,” ing Paradise. The film docuhe said. “I wore a mask ments the devastating fire all the time, save eatand partial recovery of Paring popcorn with no one adise, California, a town of ever within 50 feet of 48,000 that was obliteratme. There were no mask ed by wildfire in fall 2018. police, so everyone was Only some 4,000 residents very nice.” remained or returned.

When not at Z movRebuilding Paradise was ies, David can be found produced and directed by exploring battlefields, Academy Award winning historic sites, and attending literary book talks and educational lectures. He’ll Photo: Kelly MacConomy They’re baaAaack! Theaters reopened last month with steep discounts on tickets and concessions. filmmaker Ron Howard, director of Backdraft, a film about Chicago firebe wearing his signature fighters combating a homhat. Well, not inside the theater! eighth year of the festival is on the icidal pyromaniac. The documenta

September kicks off film festival calendar for October 15-18, but the ry uses video and stills from first reseason in the DMV. The Middleschedule for studio-supported docusponders’ body cameras, firefighter burg Film Festival has been offermentaries and narrative filmmaking crews, residents, and news footage ing virtual screenings of documenhas not been released yet. (The subtaries and indie films for weeks. This mission deadline was last month.) CONTINUED ON PAGE 50