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You might think that spooky season comes to a close when light breaks on Nov. 1, but I implore you to think outside the constraints of October. Local filmmaker Alyscia Cunningham certainly is.
On Sunday, Cunningham will host a special screening of her Caribbean folklore horror film Douen at AFI Silver. Shot on location in Trinidad and Silver Spring, Douen is the award-winning filmmaker’s latest work exploring Cunningham’s signature interests: her Caribbean heritage, ancestral mythology, supernatural elements, and historical legacy.
“Like a lot of folk horror, Douen draws inspiration from things that go bump in the night,” writes City Paper critic Alan Zilberman for this week’s City Lights events roundup. “In this case, a Douen is a creature from Trinidadian folklore that is said to be children who died before they were baptized. No doubt the creature is misunderstood, a metaphor for tragedy or trauma, and Cunningham will find a fresh way to explore how it teaches something to her young characters, just not before scaring the living crap out of them.”
Stick around for a post-screening discussion between Cunningham and Claudia Avril Carter, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Washington, DC, moderated by Cécile Accilien, Ph.D., professor of French and Francophone Studies at University of Maryland, College Park.
Other event highlights for the week/end ahead include West Coast punk pioneers Flipper at the Fridge, a screening of Ken Russell’s 1971 “grand X-rated movie about sadistic, horny clergy,” and a timely and timeless exhibit on salsa music. Intrigued? Head to our website for the full details, and if you’re not already, sign up for our biweekly City Lights newsletter with our handpicked selection of concerts, lit events, theater productions, dance performances, and more.
Net gain? D.C. businessman Mark Ein (who also owns City Paper) is reportedly in advanced stages to secure a long-term lease agreement for Rock Creek Tennis Center, which sits on federal land and requires an extensive facility renovation. That work is expected to cost around $25 million; the city has preserved $9.6 million in its budget for the tennis center, which is home to Ein’s DC Open. City officials argue that a spruced-up center would draw tourists and tournaments; critics worry the project is being fast-tracked and advanced without sufficient public input and that public access could become limited. Minus two points for fast-tracking and keeping the public out of the process. –2 [Post]
Big spender: Convicted felon and President Donald Trump’s Iran war has cost American taxpayers an estimated $47.1 billion thus far, per a Pentagon estimate. The massive price tag for the unpopular war and its impact on gas, food, travel, and energy prices will likely impact next week’s midterm elections. It has dragged on for eight months despite Trump’s initial promise it would last a few weeks. At least 21 service members have been killed and 865 wounded. Congress is considering a proposed $1.5 trillion military budget along with a $95 billion war package, but voters want Congress to prioritize ending the conflict, per a recent AP-NORC poll. Minus two points for wasting our tax dollars and failing to listen to the people. -2 [AP News]
Meaningful: As the future of the Kennedy Center is waiting to be determined in the courts, WAMU asked DMV residents what the institution means to them. Plus two points for a beloved community hub, arts center, and grand icon of D.C. +2 [WAMU]
A day at the breach: A massive data breach has reportedly exposed the names, cell numbers, and email addresses of more than 40,000 DHS employees, including those at ICE, CBP, HSI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. A website called Distributed Denial of Secrets said Wednesday it leaked the data. The leaked info provides a map of how DHS is organized and how it operates, including job titles, email groups, assignments, locations, surveillance jobs, computer forensics, and undercover work. This is the third major government data leak in recent months: In September, FBI data was breached and this month the Defense Department was hit with a class action lawsuit over exposed data of millions of military personnel. Minus one point for letting DOGE sack all the cybersecurity experts but plus one point for exposing the bad guys. 0 [US News, Wired]
Mo butts about it: Is it us or is Trump talking more about butts lately? The Washington Sun analyzed 4,600 transcripts of the president’s rallies and events, and yes, he really is. In addition to being obsessed with Ohio Sen. Jon Husted and Nicki Minaj’s bootays, Trump dramatically increased the number of comments he’s made about bodies on the campaign trail. The comments get laughs (perhaps because crowds are so bored hearing endless monologues about the ballroom). David Hamermesh, a University of Texas professor who wrote a book on the economics of physical attractiveness, tells the Sun: “He’s not insulting people for a change. The president shouldn’t be doing this. It has nothing to do with the job.” Minus one point for creepy Trump. -1 [Washington Sun]
Chef Matt Price—aka YouTube star Mr. Make it Happen—plans to open his second D.C. restaurant near Lafayette Square. [WBJ]
Pro–Animal Future, the Oregon-based group behind the foie gras ban, has spent nearly $378,000 to get the initiative on the ballot, according to Bloomberg. D.C. residents have donated less than $5,000 to the cause. [Bloomberg]
If the foie gras ban passes, it could face legal challenges from major producers and local restaurateurs. [Axios]
Saving an icon from commercialization, Frida ponders where one soul ends and another begins.
A year ago, Transmission opened its doors in the space where Rock & Roll Hotel once stood. It’s one of the few nightclubs in the world with trans women at the helm and its existence is part of a larger cultural phenomenon: In the electronic music and club scene, trans nightlife is flourishing, reports (former City Paper arts editor) Christina Cauterucci. “Transmission came out of a desire to create something that wasn’t there,” Kelli Kerrigan says. [Slate]
The Baltimore Museum of Art is celebrating the city’s local artists this fall. “It has been my strategic focus ever since I took the helm to have a drumbeat of the artistic excellence that you find here in Baltimore and the region,” says Asma Naeem, the museum’s first director in its 112-year history to be raised in Baltimore. [NYT]
