'Swell Season' to Open AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Fest

The documentary The Swell Season will open AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival, which will run from June 20 - 26 in the Washington, DC area. Revenge of the Electric Car has been chosen as the closing night film.

our editor recommends

The Swell Season: Film Review

Directed by Nick August-Perna, Carlo Mirabella-Davis and Chris Dapkins, Season follows musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Oscar winners for their song "Falling Slowly" from Once, on a two-year tour.

Car is a follow-up film to Chris Paine's 2006 film Who Killed the Electric Car?

The festival will present 108 films from 52 countries that were selected from 2,011 submissions.

The program will include the world premieres of G.J. Echternkamp's Never Make It Home, a doc about the farewell tour of the Kansas alt-bluegrass band Split Lip Rayfield, and Chris Rufo's Age of Champions, which looks at octogenarian athletes.

Steve James' The Interrupters, about reformed gang members, will occupy the Centerpiece Screening slot.

Also on tap is a special screening of Constance Mark's Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey.

This year's Charles Guggenheim Symposium will focus on the work of Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker. There will be an outdoor screening of Pennebaker's Monterey Pop, about the 1967 music festival.

The fest will also include a five-day International Documentary Conference.