Next week, the DC Shorts Film Festival opens with eleven days of short films from around the world. The festival will be spread between three different venues in Washington, DC and at the new Angelika Film Center and Café Mosaic in Fairfax, Va. It is in its ninth year and is the largest shorts film festival on the East coast.

This year, the festival will be showing 140 films from 27 countries. The films run the gamut in genre, style and subject, but are unified by their abbreviated run times of 1 – 20 minutes. These films will be grouped together into 16 unique, 90-minute showcases shown throughout the festival. The showcases range in content with something for everyone, including dramas, comedies, animation, sci-fi, documentaries and experimental films. Some films include well-known actors such as Christopher Lloyd, Kathy Bates, Jason Alexander, Judi Dench, Anna Paquin and Gerard Depardieu.

This year, DC Shorts will also be pairing chefs from across the DC region with food-themed films. Attendees at these screenings will enjoy a complimentary snack matched to the film and prepared by a local chef. Restaurants that have confirmed participation include: Rasika West End, Bibiana, the Inn at Perry Cabin, PS7, 701, Birch and Barley and Hank’s on the Hill (more restaurants TBD).

The Screenwriting Competition returns this year – with a live script read by local actors and actresses. The winner of the competition will have their film shown at next year’s DC Shorts Film Festival.