Comedy and Politics At Silverdocs Festival

· "Murderball," also opening commercially, Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro's film about the machismo, smash-mouth game of the U.S. Paralympic Rugby Team, whose members play rugby in wheelchairs. June 17 at 7:15.

Thursday at 7, the swing band Radio King Orchestra will warm up an outdoor crowd at the Silver Plaza (behind the Silver Theatre) before a 9:30 screening of "Pucker Up: The Fine Art of Whistling," Kate Davis and David Heilbroner's film about, well, whistling (also screens June 18 at 12:15); and June 17 at 7, Walter Washington and Big Sam's Funky Nation will perform outside, before the 9:30 showing of "Make It Funky!," Michael Murphy's film about the New Orleans influence on rhythm and blues. ("Funky" also screens June 18 at 3:15).

June 18 is comedy night, big time, with a 5:30 screening of "The Comedians of Comedy" (about crude-code stand-up comedians) at 5:30, and then at 8, Gottfried, Fred Willard, Judy Gold and others will participate in a bawdy panel, titled "God Save the Dirty Joke" (admission $15), at the Roundhouse Theatre. After that, at 10 in the Silver's main theater, will be a screening of "The Aristocrats," Paul Provenza's blue-language documentary about the dirtiest joke ever told.

Closing the festival June 18 at 7 will be "James Dean: Forever Young," Michael J. Sheridan's documentary about the ill-fated, legendary actor. It will be followed by a gala reception with live music at the grandiloquently named Discovery Communications World Headquarters at One Discovery Place, across from the Silver. Admission for this film-and-gala event is $25. Admission for all movies is $9. For information and ticketing, visit http://www.silverdocs.com or call 866-758-7327.

Incidentally, as an overture to Silverdocs, Saturday and Sunday at 3, you can hear the Post-Classical Ensemble perform works by Virgil Thomson (no relation); the live ensemble accompanies Pare Lorentz's brilliant late 1930s documentaries "The Plow That Broke the Plains" and "The River," which were made for the federal Resettlement Administration. Admission is $25.

For information, visit http://www.AFI.com/silver or call 301-495-6720.

-- Desson Thomson