‘Genius of Hitchcock’ focus of Avalon Theatre festival and fundraiser

The Avalon Theatre is the only non-profit movie theater in DC – and it’s just up Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase. You’re invited to support this valuable community resource by attending its annual fundraiser on Sunday, May 8th.

Avalon Theatre’s Annual Fundraiser Will Celebrate Hitchcock’s Legacy

On Sunday, May 8 at 5 p.m., the Avalon Theatre will hold its sixth annual spring benefit to support the theater. The theme of this year’s event is “The Genius of Hitchcock,” a celebration of director Alfred Hitchcock and his enduring legacy.

In 1962, a young French film director, writer and critic named Francois Truffaut spent a week interviewing Alfred Hitchcock at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. Truffaut had recently upended the film world with his new style of filmmaking and his bold assertion (now commonly accepted) that directors are the true “auteurs” – or authors – of a film.

At the time, Hitchcock was judged to be nothing more than an entertaining director of popular studio films. All that changed when Truffaut published his transformative book, Hitchcock/Truffaut. The detailed account of Hitchcock’s filmmaking process revealed the genius behind the “Master of Suspense,” elevating Hitchcock’s reputation to one of the world’s great artists.

The special evening at the Avalon Theatre will feature a presentation of the acclaimed 2015 documentary Hitchcock/Truffaut, which digs deeper into this once-in-a-lifetime conversation between filmmakers, with audio from the original interviews, film clips, and commentary from award-winning directors like Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson and David Fincher.

After the film, Arch Campbell and Hitchcock/Truffaut director Kent Jones will discuss why audiences around the world continue to appreciate the genius of Hitchcock. The evening begins at 5 p.m. with an hors d’oeuvres reception, followed at 7 p.m. by the screening and post-film conversation. For additional details and to purchase tickets, visit www.theavalon.org/2016benefit.

On May 5-7, in conjunction with the benefit, the Avalon will present a festival of film classics directed by Hitchcock and Truffaut, including Rear Window,Psycho, Jules and Jim and more. Underwriters and $250 ticket holders will receive FREE admission to all festival films.