Film on Fate of D.C. ‘Dreamers’ to Premiere on Barracks Row

The D.C. Independent Film Festival kicks off today, with more than a dozen movies showing across the District — including on Barracks Row.

The world premiere of the documentary “Southeast 67” will be held Friday night at Barracks Row Theater Church (535 8th St. SE). The documentary tracks the lives of 67 Anacostia students who were promised college scholarships in the early ’90s by the I Have a Dream Foundation. Twenty years after the rising seventh graders — who came to be known as “Dreamers” — were given a leg up, director Betsy Cox found them and told the stories of their lives.

“‘Southeast 67′ focuses on the students’ struggles to reconcile the dream of college with daily survival in a community rife with violence, poverty and addiction,” a summary of the film says.

The documentary will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets cost $5 each and are available online and at the door.

The film festival runs through March 1. For the full list of films, see the website for the event.

Video via Vimeo/Southeast 67