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Beginning Friday evening, the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District will spotlight local and regional filmmakers by screening five short documentaries over a two-day span at its second annual festival. Entries include Doing It for Me, a sympathetic examination of high-school dropouts; The Bottom Line, which chronicles the precautions a Howard County firefighter takes prior to the birth of his first child; and Line of Sight (pictured), D.C.-based Emmy nominee Stephen Menick’s feature about brilliant blind painter John Bramblitt. Read more >>>The films screen at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda. $10. (301) 215-6660. bethesda.org. (Julian Kimble)
EAT THIS
Dolcezza opens its Union Market gelato factory and coffee lab to the public today. The factory has been producing gelato and sorbetto since December 2013, but guests can now visit the factory and taste co-owner Robb Duncan’s freshly spun creations. The tasting room features a 20-person bar where guests can enjoy the five to six flavors in production at any given time. As part of the opening weekend festivities, Duncan is debuting new flavors, including Thai coconut milk with chocolate chili crumble and Singing Dog vanilla with rosemary sugar walnuts. Dolcezza is offering free public tours today and throughout the weekend at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Guests can also buy half-priced pints for $5.25 this weekend. Dolcezza. 550 Penn St. NE. (202) 333-4646. dolcezzagelato.com. (Raphaella Baek)
OH AND ALSO
Friday: Arena Stage begins performances of Camp David, Lawrence Wright‘s stage adaptation of the heated peace negotiations between Jimmy Carter, Anwar Sadat, and Menachem Begin. 8 p.m. at 1101 6th St. SW. $90.
Friday: D.C. post-R&B group Laughing Man plays The Dunes with groovy Brooklyn band Ava Luna and Boston garage pop group Krill. More details on Facebook. 8 p.m. at 1402 Meridian Place NW. $10.
Friday and Saturday: Head to Woolly Mammoth Theatre for Dan Savage’s Hump! Tour, showcasing the best amateur porn from around the nation. 8 and 10 p.m. Friday and 4, 6, 8, and 10 p.m. Saturday at 641 D St. NW. $20.
Saturday: As How to Dress Well, Tom Krell has made a name for himself as an oddball R&B minimalist, toggling from faded-sepia coos to emotive wails over his own sparse, invariably eerie beats. He’ll brighten his usual disposed palette a little tonight with backing players on piano and violin as well as moody light displays. Setting the downcast mood—and sharing How to Dress Well’s affinity for icy, mid-to-late-’90s hip-hop—will be Forest Swords, the project of English producer Matthew Barnes. Read more >>> How to Dress Well performs with Forest Swords at 7 p.m. at U Street Music Hall, 1115 U St. NW. $15. (202) 588-1880.ustreetmusichall.com. (Jordan-Marie Smith)
Saturday: Magician and entertainer Max Majors attempts to hypnotize audiences when he brings his show, THINK, to Atlas Performing Arts Center. 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. at 1333 H St. NE. $32–$49.
Saturday: Malian desert dwellers Tinariwen perform traditional music at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. Read more in our Spring Arts Guide. 7 p.m. at 600 I St. NW. $25.
Saturday: Local funk group Betsy and the Bicycles plays an album release show at Velvet Lounge with Exit Vehicles, an indie quartet also celebrating the release of its debut album. 9 p.m. at 915 U St. NW. $8.
Sunday: Man and nature have always had a complex relationship: You can see it any time a logging company flattens another stretch of rainforest, when Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, or whenever Batman fights Poison Ivy. Alternatively, it’s also the theme of Jessica Van Brakle’s latest exhibition, “Industrial Paradise.” On canvases bedecked with pencil drawings, ink, and acrylics, Van Brakle juxtaposes colorful manmade structures and heavy machinery with monochromatic flora. Read more >>> The exhibition is on view Wednesdays to Fridays 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays noon to 11 p.m., and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. to June 7 at Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Free. (703) 875-1100. artisphere.com. (Tim Regan)
Sunday: Bearded songwriter Adam Faucett performs with his group, The Tall Grass, at the Black Cat Backstage. 8 p.m. at 1811 14th St. NW. $10–$12.
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