October 9-13, 2025

October 9-13, 2025
  • About
  • Sponsors
  • FAQ
  • Volunteer
  • Sign Up
  • Submit a Film
  • Schedule + Tickets
  • Films
  • Giving Back
  • Join the Story
    • Attend
    • Volunteer
    • Intern
    • Sponsor the Festival
    • Donate
    • Spread the Story
    • Become a Member
    • Student Showcase
  • Donate

Apocalypse

With no companions, food, or shelter, a young Rohingya girl finds solace in a little ant inside a small sugar jar as she embarks on a journey of life or death, in hopes that together they will find a safe haven. Inspired by true events.

A film screening of Apocalypse will be followed by an open discussion with its award-winning directors: Samah Safi Bayazid and Muhammad Bayazid.

The Bayazids will discuss the challenges they faced producing a professional narrative film on a budget. They will share some anecdotes from their filming set in the remote jungles of Kuala Selangor. They will be also sharing some of their secret formulas to create visually stunning and award-winning films without breaking the bank.

Beach Day

Lexi and Sam’s normal day at the beach takes a dark turn when Sam suspects Lexi may have more sinister motives.

Max Silver (Director, Writer, Producer) and Rachel Sklar (Producer) will participate in a Q&A following each screening.

100% of ticket sales from each screening will be donated to Kids in the Spotlight.

Miss Virginia

A struggling inner-city mother sacrifices everything to give her son a good education. Unwilling to allow her son to stay in a dangerous school, she launches a movement that could save his future — and that of thousands like him.

100% of ticket sales from this screening will be donated to Kids in the Spotlight.

Oh Baby!

Oh Baby! is an entertaining and imaginative interpretation of what goes into the making of a human being. Start with a dash of Busby Berkeley dance spectacle, add a pinch of wacky Rube Goldberg engineering, top it off with a sprinkle of serendipity and behold, here comes the little bundle of joy.

Oh Baby! uses a mix of live action, stop motion, and visual effects to tell its fantastic story. The result is a beautiful world where intricate choreography, a metaphorical machine, and a cosmic trip all combine in a feast for the eyes, the ears and the heart.

This is a family-friendly film.

Westfalia

A couple embarks on an epic road trip in an attempt to gain more followers after their Instagram rival’s fame doubles overnight.

Haley Finnegan (Director, Writer, Producer, Cast) and Montana Loran (Editor) will participate in a Q&A following each screening.

100% of ticket sales from each screening will be donated to Kids in the Spotlight.

Shorts Program: Get Creative

Stop motion, marionettes, visual effects, and live action are just some of the methods used to tell these stories in the most creative way.

This is a free, family-friendly program.

Christine Papalexis (Amaterasu) will participate in a Q&A following the screening.

Burden

Ku Klux Klansman Mike Burden opens the Redneck Shop and KKK museum in historic Laurens, South Carolina. He subsequently falls in love with a single mom, and, under her influence, quits the Klan and is taken in by an African American Reverend.

100% of ticket sales from this screening will be donated to Kids in the Spotlight.

Standing Up, Falling Down

A struggling stand-up comedian at a crossroads in his life returns to his hometown and finds an unlikely kindred spirit in his pot-smoking dermatologist.

Matt Ratner (Director, Producer) will participate in a Q&A following the screening.

100% of ticket sales from this screening will be donated to Kids in the Spotlight.

55 Steps

55 Steps is based on the inspiring true story of the unlikely relationship between an outrageous and wickedly smart psychiatric patient and her workaholic patients’ rights attorney. The patient, Eleanor Riese (Helena Bonham Carter), has been mistreated in the psychiatric unit of a hospital and as a result, her attorney, Colette Hughes (Hilary Swank), takes on the uphill battle of representing Eleanor against the psychiatric establishment. In this heartfelt tale told with humor and emotion, Eleanor makes it her mission to mentor Colette whether Colette likes it or not! The film features an award-winning cast including Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech, Alice in Wonderland, Suffragette, and Harry Potter franchise) and Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby, P.S. I Love You, and Logan Lucky).

 

 

Widows (Closing Night)

From Academy Award®-winning director Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) and co-writer and bestselling author Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) comes a blistering, modern-day thriller set against the backdrop of crime, passion and corruption. Widows is the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica (Oscar® winner Viola Davis), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms. Widows also stars Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Daniel Kaluuya, Lukas Haas and Brian Tyree Henry.

Robert Duvall (Cast) will participate in a Q&A following the screening.

Join Our Mailing List

We’re doing big things. Make sure you don’t miss any of it.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Support

  • Donate
  • Sponsors
  • Volunteer

Engage

  • Contact Us
  • Press Kit

Follow

© 2025 Washington West Film Festival. All rights reserved.

Website by Atmosphere