[Archived] City of Alexandria Announces Film Selection Committee for the First Annual International Film Festival

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	August 17, 2007 PIO# 199-07/sjm	Steve Mason, Director of Communications, at 703.838.4300

City of Alexandria Announces Film Selection Committee for the
First Annual International Film Festival

The City's Commission for the Arts has chosen a cross section of the community, to vet and select the best films to present at the City's First Annual International Film Festival scheduled for September 27 to 30. The Festival will be held at the Patent and Trademark Office's Madison Building located at 600 Dulany St.

The Film Selection Committee includes:

Sylvia Saborio, Chair, fiber artist and treasurer of the Alexandria Commission for the Arts,

Allan Abramson, a 20-year Alexandria resident and life-long film lover with a son who works in Hollywood as a director and editor,

James W. Cocco, Director and founder of the San Gennaro Foundation of Virginia, Alexandria,

Ken Hill, a long-time resident of Alexandria and chair of the Alexandria-Gyumri Sister City Committee that cosponsors the Annual Armenian Festival,

John S. Jenkins, partner at Spurgeon-Lewis Antiques in Alexandria and 10-year City resident,

J.J. Kelly, Colonel, U.S. Army, retired, serves as secretary of the Ballyshaners, who cosponsor the annual Irish Festival and St. Patrick’s Day Parade,

Vola Lawson, retired Alexandria City Manager, with a life-long passion for the movies who has received numerous civic awards including induction into the Virginia Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993,

Kathleen Lawton-Trask, writer and editor with an MFA in fiction writing,

Christine Lusk, 17-year resident of Alexandria who is an avid international traveler and film enthusiast,

Jane and Jim McCabe, owners of Video Vault in Alexandria for 22 years,

Paul Andrew Morton, actor, jazz dancer and vocalist who has played numerous roles in productions of the Little Theatre of Alexandria, Metrostage, Aldersgate, Roundhouse, Port City Playhouse and the Tapestry Theatre,

Gale B. Nemec, actor, producer and teacher who has been heard or seen in feature films on PBS, The Discovery Channel, Fox affiliates, Armed Forces Radio and in numerous theatrical productions,

Dana Padgett, Cherokee/Ho-Chunk/Lakota and women’s traditional dancer who is Vice President of the American Indian Inter Tribal Cultural Organization who cosponsors the annual American Indian Festival,

Nancy Lavalle Perkins, long-time resident of Alexandria who was Executive Director of the Alexandria United Way for 15 years and currently serves as administrative aide to Councilman Paul Smedberg,

Michelle Saylor, long-time film and book enthusiast who loves the idea of establishing an International Film Festival,

Taki Sidley, teacher of Photography and Documentary Studies at T.C. Williams High School, who holds a MFA in Creative Writing and has written three feature-length screenplays,

Allison Silberberg, author, screenwriter, consultant, and photographer, who holds a BA in International Relations and History and an MFA in Playwriting,

Randy Stephens, founder of the Alexandria African Heritage and Cultural Festival and the Youth Alternative Coalition who has volunteered in the Alexandria for more than 40 years,

Andrew Trask, a lawyer and novelist who lives in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria,

Boran Tum, Chairman of the Cambodian Community Day Committee who has cosponsored the Cambodian Festival raising awareness of Cambodian culture and traditions, and

Pamela Hochschartner Viola, Alexandria resident and 15-year veteran of independent and studio film industry who works as an art publisher and photographer.

The Alexandria International Film Festival also features a youth component providing students with the opportunity to produce "shorts" entitled "Alexandria: My Hometown."

For additional information, call Patti North-Rudin, International Film Festival Coordinator, with the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities at 703-838-5095, extension 307 or by email at Patti.North-Rudin@alexandriava.gov.

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