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MARYLAND
FILM FESTIVAL
APRIL 29—MAY 3, 2020
STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION
PARKWAY THEATRE
Moviemaker Magazine has named
this festival one of the world’s 25
coolest, and there’s good reason why.
JUSTIN TSUCALAS
Every spring for the past 20 years,
Baltimore’s film community has hosted a
five-day, non-competitive festival celebrating
film and video work from all over the world.
About 50 feature and 80 short films are
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presented during the festival, in categories
that range from animation and experimental
to documentary and narrative. A selection
of forward-thinking international features is
presented alongside contemporary American
films. The Maryland Film Festival is meant
to give a voice and a launchpad to new and
visionary filmmakers—leading The New
Yorker’s Richard Brody to call it “one of the
crucial showcases for independent films.”
The festival draws some major names, too—
past events have featured presentations from
movie makers like Kathryn Bigelow, Barry
Levinson, Jonathan Demme, Greta Gerwig,
Lisandro Alonso and so many more. A host
of celebrity musicians are typically invited
to present favorite films, and past years
have welcomed the Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra’s Marin Alsop, local-turned-
JUSTIN TSUCALAS
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JUSTIN TSUCALAS
national musicians Animal Collective and
Beach House, Harry Belafonte, Dan Deacon,
Ian MacKaye and more. ■
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The Senator
At the Senator Theatre (5904 York Rd.) in Govans,
the Art Deco landmark has retained its original
terrazzo flooring, sunburst decor detailing, gold
screen curtain, and a “Walk of Fame” in the concrete outside
the entrance. These days, the Senator screens classic revivals
like The Princess Bride and a small selection of new releases,
plus an anime series. ■
JUSTIN TSUCALAS
BALTIMORE.ORG
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