>> One of the funniest comedic performers out there today, Amy Sedaris is at the Historic Sixth and I Synagogue tonight to promote her recent book, I Like You, at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are no longer available, but a few seats can apparently still be had at the door for $25 -- a small price to pay to be entertained by the woman who brought us the wonder that is Jerri Blank. >>... more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Foreign: 2007 Washington Jewish Film Festival The Washington D.C. Jewish Community Center’s annual film festival has become one of the largest and longest running of the local festivals. This year’s program encompasses over 40 films, from 11 countries. Nearly half of the selections are films from Israel, in recognition of the nation’s 60th year. The event... more ›

Jake Gyllenhaal was frequently quoted this week when, in an interview, he declared that he "Hates preachy message films." No one's going to think twice about something like that coming from Dwane "The Rock" Johnson, but from someone doing press junkets for a film raising awareness about a U.S. government practice it clearly finds abominable, it's bound to elicit a ringing chorus of, "Say What?!?!?". Rendition is a movie so focused on its message that... more ›

>> Send off Three Starsand Unbuckled vets The Vita Ruins as they set off on a mini east coast tour tonight at Iota, with New York's Jaguar Club and Faster Faster Harder Harder. 8:30 p.m., $10 more ›

>> The 3rd annual Can A Sista Rock A Mic? Festival kicks tonight off at the Rock and Roll Hotel. Bahamadia and Emoni Fela among others will be performing tonight, stay tuned for a full preview from us later. 9 p.m., $12. >> Like we mentioned in the jazz agenda, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim is one of the most influential jazz musicians to come out of South Africa, and tonight he'll be at Blues Alley... more ›

FRIDAY: >> What, you mean you don't already see enough of Ian Svenonius around town? The DJ, Internet talk show host and former head of Nation of Ulysses and The Make-Up is giving you another chance to eyeball his annoying multitalentedness with a slide show presentation in conjunction with the release of "The Psychic Soviet", a collection of essays he's recently published. 7 p.m. tonight at Crooked Beat Records. SATURDAY: >> There is an open... more ›

>> The DC Independent Film Festival (DCIFF) opens tonight with a special tribute to Academy Award winning Executive Producer John Daly (Terminator, Platoon), and DCist will be there. Daly will be presented a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the film industry. Having trouble choosing between which of the 139 films being offered this year? DCist will have a slew of reviews over the course of the festival. We're especially excited about DCIFF's move... more ›

Hopes are high for the Baltimore Symphony and Marin Alsop, the first woman to be appointed Music Director of a major American orchestra. Last night at Strathmore, Washington got a taste of the adventurous programming we may expect from Alsop, who has made a name conducting contemporary music, especially by American composers. In a brief introduction to this program devoted to the music of Philip Glass, born in Baltimore 70 years ago this year, Alsop... more ›

Written by DCist contributor Cynthia Rockwell Most coffee drinkers are by now aware that for a few extra pennies you can buy beans labeled "Fair trade" and feel a warm glow knowing that you are helping Third world farmers by paying a "fair" price for their crop. In their new documentary Black Gold, British filmmakers Marc and Nick Francis hope to illuminate the complexities of the issue. The film follows the efforts of Tadesse Meskela,... more ›

Bernardo Bertolucci’s Il Conformista is a monument in the history of cinema. The chance to see it on the big screen of the attractively retro main hall of the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring certainly makes a trip to one of the least hospitable corners in the Washington suburbs, Colesville Rd. and Georgia Ave., worth the aggravation. more ›

Acclaimed film director Martin Scorsese was recognized last night as the 2006 Guggenheim Honoree at the SILVERDOCS festival. The award, named after the late 4-time Academy Award winning (longtime D.C. resident) Charles Guggenheim, was presented in a ceremony highlighting Scorsese's contributions to documentary film. more ›

Think nonfiction is a dish best served on celluloid? Then you'll want to take note of a number of unique opportunities to catch these screenings of new documentary films in the area. more ›

It has recently come to my attention that it is pretty hard to eavesdrop on Metro during an afternoon rush hour unless volume of the conversation is particularly loud. Of course, it might be easier if I weren't listening to my iPod. However, it also seems that many of our submissions come from people on, entering, or exiting the Metro. So, we ask you, fair people of D.C., please do not pay attention to the people writing things in little notebooks. Continue to carry on your sometimes inappropriate personal conversations at top volume. You may get some dirty looks from fellow commuters, but we here at DCist love what comes out of it. more ›

For today's Monument feature, we thought we'd do another installment in our Embassy Row series, which so far has included the Letelier/Moffitt memorial and statues honoring Ukrainian icon Taras Shevchenko and Czecho-Slovak president Tomas Masaryk. This time, though, we decided to ease off the obscure figures for a moment and talk about the Mahatma himself, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Now, is it really necessary for DCist to summarize his life and accomplishments? Of all the foreign... more ›

DCist is feeling both excited and overwhelmed by the amount of independent film screenings around town this week. Two new ones kick off tonight: Black Maria Film Festival at the Hirshhorn and the 13th Annual DC Environmental Film Festival. more ›