It's Japanese Mortician Awareness Week

Ever get tricked into working as an undertaker? Yeah, well, probably not. But the Oscar-winning "Departures" focuses on Daigo, a musician who's just spent a fortune on a new cello only to have his orchestra abruptly disband. So he gets a gig in what he thinks is in international travel (hence, "Departures"), only to end up performing "encoffinments" for morticians. God, we hate it when we make that mistake.

FilmFest DC kicks off Thursday with opening night gala (7 p.m., $45) at the Harman Center for the Arts (610 F St. N.W.) and a showing of "Departures," the Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Film.

The film fest -- running April 16-26 -- focuses on Eastern Europe and Japan this year. Says the Web site: "Our festival has allowed quality films without over-marketed stars and huge promotional budgets to find their way to Washington screens." So OK, maybe no Angelina. So no massive explosions, but we're still holding out hope for some dead bodies.