November 2017

Posted November 1, 2017. Additions to calendar made November 5, 8, 11, 22 and 23.

Contents

  • Coming Attractions Trailer Night Winter 2017
  • Arabian Sights Awards
  • The Cinema Lounge
  • Adam's Rib Asks if Hollywood Will be Different Post-Harvey Weinstein
  • The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival
  • We Need to Hear From You
  • Calendar of Events

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    Last 12 issues of the Storyboard.


    November 6

    Coming Attractions: Trailer Night Winter 2017

    The summer doesn’t seem to want to leave, but the fall will be here soon and bring with it the end-of-the-year movies to entertain us and compete during the upcoming awards season. Preview the trailers on tap at the Washington, DC Film Society’s twice-annual program, “COMING ATTRACTIONS TRAILER NIGHT, WINTER 2017.” We’ll highlight the winter blockbusters, indie faves, and awards hopefuls. We guarantee plenty of action and excitement.

    DC Film Society Director Michael Kyrioglou announced the date for COMING ATTRACTIONS will be Monday, November 6, 2017. Join us at Landmark’s E Street Cinema (E Street, NW between 10th & 11th) from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. DC Film Critics Tim Gordon and Travis Hopson will bring the movie buzz and lead discussion on the trailers. You, the audience, get to vote on the movies you want to see (or escape from); we’ll pass this information on to the studios.

    Some of the 30 trailers we’ll be showing may include Thor: Ragnarok, Greta Gerwig’s Ladybird, Murder on the Orient Express with an all-star cast, Wonder, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, animated films Coco and Ferdinand, Pitch Perfect 3, Woody Allen’s Wonder Wheel, The Greatest Showman with Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Aaron Sorkin’s Molly’s Game, Downsizing from Alexander Payne with Alec Baldwin and Matt Damon, All the Money in the World from Ridley Scott, Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water, the Tonya Harding biopic I, Tonya, Chappaquiddick, Justice League, Taraji P. Henson in Proud Mary, and much more.

    Tickets are only $3 for DC Film Socity Basic Members, FREE to Gold Members and $5.00 for the general public. We’ll also have movie promotional items, movie posters, and raffle prizes, including DVDs and movie tickets. For more information and an update on the trailers to be shown, check     the website.


    Arabian Sights Film Festival Awards

    The Audience Award at the 22nd Annual Arabian Sights Film Festival was given to Solitaire (Sophie Boutros, 2016) from Lebanon. The Cultural Ambassador Prize went to Foreign Body (Raja Amari, 2016) from Tunisia/France.

    The Cinema Lounge

    The Cinema Lounge meets Monday, November 20, 2017 at 7:00pm. Our topic is "Favorite Film Cast Ensembles." We know a great group of actors when we see one, in movies such as Nashville, The Godfather, Boogie Nights, or most Wes Anderson films. But what makes a great ensemble, where the actors form a seamless unit, while still making an impression individually? Is it an all-star cast, or it is a combination of stars and character actors?

    The Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, meets the third Monday of every month (unless otherwise noted) at 7:00pm at     Teaism in Penn Quarter, 400 8th St., NW in Washington, DC (closest Metro stop is Archives, also near Metro Center and Gallery Place). NOTE: We will meet in the downstairs area. You do not need to be a member of the Washington DC Film Society to attend. Cinema Lounge is moderated by Adam Spector, author of the DC Film Society's Adam's Rib column.


    Adam's Rib Asks if Hollywood Will be Different Post-Harvey Weinstein

    By Adam Spector, DC Film Society Member

    Harvey Weinstein is gone, at least for now. But Hollywood's problem with sexual abuse and harassment by those in power goes back to long before Weinstein was born. Will the current focus on the problem lead to a sea change or just a blip before business as usual resumes? I     explore that question in my new Adam's Rib column.


    The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival

    By Ron Gordner, DC Film Society Member

    The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was held from September 7-18, 2017 showcasing about 327 films (including 84 shorts, and 255 features, documentaries, and retrospectives) and 147 world premieres from approximately 83 countries, including 28 Canadian features and 29 Canadian shorts, shown on over 20 screens, chosen from over 6,933 submitted films. This was about 20% fewer films chosen than in 2016 in a purposely scaled down plan. It was attended by nearly 500,000 people, 5,400 industry personnel, and 1,200 journalists. Starting out as a collection of films from other festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival has now become one of the most beloved cinematic events in the world, universally regarded as an ideal platform for filmmakers to launch their careers and to premiere their new work, and one of the major film festivals where public screenings are held. TIFF has a large economic impact on Canada, Ontario and Toronto since it brings in over $170 million Canadian dollars annually and currently employs more than 100 full time staff, 500 part-time and seasonal staff and over 2,000 volunteers. The festival has become progressively more expensive per ticket depending on the venue and category, but is still one of the largest festivals offering public screenings. TIFF had an honorary video before screenings honoring TIFF co-founder Bill (William) Marshall who died early in 2017.

    Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF announced he would be retiring or stepping down at the end of 2018. He has been involved with TIFF for 35 years: first as a programmer, then an artistic director, and as director since 1994. He said the challenges of growing the TIFF Festival were many since it does not have as many juried awards as other films. Also the industry is changing with online players now like Amazon and Netflix. He hopes to write a book about cinema and stay somewhat connected to TIFF in the future.

    The usual very long lines around the block were seen for the Winter Garden and Elgin screening rooms, or the Princess of Wales huge theatre, but if you have VISA Signature or equivalent level card in Canada you go in first in a separate line, and those in the front of that line may get to go into a holding area in the theatre with free drinks, popcorn and candy and get their seats first. The VISA screening room, usually at Elgin, was moved this year to the larger Princess of Wales theatre. The physical lines to pick up, switch or buy tickets seemed better than other years, since many people were using the online ticketing system. The online system seemed to work fine this year and lines for ticket pickup were not long this year, since you were given the option to print out your own tickets at home.

    TIFF has sections or categories of films and also has some art installations. Sections this year were: Gala Presentations, Masters, Special Presentations, TIFF for free (some free films publicly screened outdoors and a free additional screening of the Audience Award winner on the last Sunday), Discovery (first and second time filmmakers), TIFF DOCS (documentaries), Contemporary World Cinema, Canadian Programming, TIFF KIDS, Visions (filmmakers who challenge our notions of mainstream cinema), Primetime (TV movies), Wavelengths (avant garde cinema), and their famous Midnight Madness section (primarily horror and black comedy films screening at Midnight with usually an appreciative and rowdy crowd). The Wavelengths category described as: daring, visionary, and autonomous voices. Two programs dropped this year were City to City and Vanguard. Platform, named for Jia Zhang-ke’s film, is a juried section spotlighting the next generation of film masters and a chance to discover new visionary cinema. Primetime included serial television storytelling that shows how recent tv films are blurring the line between big screen and small screen viewing experiences.

    There was lots of swag or free food the first week on the blocked King St. including the McDonalds van (free coffee and McCafe drinks), Air France’s Eiffel Tower popup café with free bonbons and raspberry champagne, L’Oreal lipstick, Saba hummus and chips, Canadian Cheese tidbits and grilled cheese sandwiches, and Pure Leaf tea samples.

    TIFF has become a major market and sales stop for films to North America. There is a small market at the Venice Festival but it is really Toronto where they are primarily sold. Over 5,400 industry delegates from over 80 countries came to Toronto this year. Some of the deals made in a slow but healthy sales climate in TIFF 2017 included The Children’s Act, and I, Tonya. I thought the selections this year were very good but not as many wow factor films that I saw last year and I stayed for two fewer days. This may be the first year in many that I have not walked out of a single film or see anything awful. There were a few that bordered on being duds.



    There is usually an actor or actress that is in several high-profile films at the Festival. This year it was Irish actress Saoirse Ronan who had the lead actress role in two fine films: Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird and Dominic Cooke’s On Chesil Beach. Jessica Chastain was also in a few films: Molly's Game and Woman Walks Ahead. Alicia Vikander was also in two films: Euphoria and Submergence. Actor Michael Shannon was in two films: The Current War and The Shape of Water.

    I found that a number of reliable or master filmmakers made good films this year instead of great films including Haneke, Kore-eda, Haynes, and Wenders.


    MUST SEE FILMS: (A few not listed here but seen at later festivals or in DC or highly regarded by other reliable sources were: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; The Florida Project; Mudbound,; Downsizing; Faces, Places; and Breathe).

  • Ana, Mon Amour (Calin Peter Netzer, Romania/Germany/France, 2017). The director of the critically appraised Child’s Pose. Toma and Ana meet as university students but the film moves forwards and backwards in their married life and Ana’s journey from anxiety to self-confidence.

  • Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino, Italy/France, 2017). From the director of I Am Love; A Bigger Splash comes thsis lauded film from Sundance with a script by James Ivory. Attractive 24 year old doctoral student Oliver (Armie Hammer) joins an American family at their Italian vacation home for part of the summer. Elio (Timothee Chalamet), the family’s 17 year old son finds his attraction for Oliver and also his girlfriend puzzling against the beautiful golden Italian summer. Lauded as one of the big films for Oscar awards.

  • A Fantastic Woman (Sebastian Lelio, Chile, 2017). From the director of awarded film Gloria comes a film about Marina (Daniela Vega), a transgender woman who finds herself in a difficult position after her older lover has an accident. This is Chile’s Oscar contender for best foreign language film.

  • Foxtrot (Samuel Maoz, Israel/Germany/France/Switzerland, 2017). Maoz's debut feature Lebanon won the 2009 Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. A family receives notice their son in the army has been killed but the father needs to know more information in this twisting plot of the realm of grieving families and fate. Another strong Oscar contender for Israel for best foreign language film this year.

  • The Insult (Ziad Doueri, France/Lebanon, 2017). A hot Beirut summer day altercation between Tony, a Christian mechanic and Yasser, a Palestinian construction worker over a broken drainpipe gets carried out of proportion and brings in many others in this tinderbox story. This is Lebanon’s submission for best language film.

  • Journey’s End (Saul Dibb, United Kingdom, 2017). An updated version of James Whale’s 1930 film based on R.C. Sheriff’s play about World War I and the classes in British society. Asa Butterfield plays the very young Second Lieutenant Raleigh who thinks it would be neat to request to be in the same regiment as Captain Stanhope (Sam Clafin) but soon realizes the realities of war.

  • Loveless (Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia/France/Belgium/Germany, 2017). Winner of the Grand Jury Award at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival deals with another story of a loveless marriage and the effect it has on their young son Alyosha. This is a haunting tale that mirrors some of the problems of modern Moscow society and joins his earlier excellent films Elena and Leviathan. Despite its criticism of society it has been submitted by Russia to be its foreign language nominee.

  • The Other Side of Hope (Aki Kaurismaki, Finland/Germany, 2017). Kaurimaki, as always, has a wonderful deadpan style with a moralistic story. This time he involves Khaled, a Syrian refugee trying to survive and stay in Finland. The film won the Silver Bear at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival.

  • The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro, United States, 2017). One of the top films touted for Oscars from the director of Pan’s Labyrinth comes another visually stunning film made in Toronto and with shots from the Elgin Theatre where all of its screenings were shown at TIFF. Sally Hawkins as Elisa, a mute cleaner in a U.S. government laboratory with co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) who witnesses the new acquisition being mistreated by federal agent (Michael Shannon).

  • The Wife (Bjorn Runge, United Kingdom/Sweden, 2017). A tour-de-force acting showcase for Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce as a couple going to Stockholm to accept his Nobel Prize for Literature. Another film about the dynamics of a long marriage unfold. Close would be a strong contender for best actress in a very loaded field but the film will not be released until 2018.


    VERY GOOD FILMS:

  • 120 Battements par Minute – BPM Beats Per Minute (Robin Campillo, France, 2017). The submission for France for best foreign language film recalls the Act Up and AIDS crisis in the early 1990s. The struggle of the group and some of its individuals and will show at Landmark theatres in the near future.

  • Angels Wear White (Vivian Qu, China/France, 2017). From the director of Trap Street another story of a young girl working without proper identification papers, as a motel receptionist in a seaside town. A fascinating sculpture or model on the sand is a giant Marilyn Monroe that adds symbolism to this timely tale of seeing and reporting abuse.

  • The Children Act (Richard Eyre, United Kingdom 2017). Excellent acting by Emma Thompson as British High Court Judge Fiona Maye, who must weigh the rights of religious tolerance against the life of a 17 year old boy to receive medical care. She has her own personal conflicts also with husband played by Stanley Tucci.

  • The Disaster Artist (James Franco, United States, 2017). A rousing satire on the cult favorite film The Room and its director/star Tommy Wiseau played by Franco. His brother Dave and Seth Rogan are also in the cast. It received a standing ovation and the real Tommy was at the Midnight Madness screening.

  • Euphoria (Lisa Langseth, Sweden/Germany, 2017). An English language film with Vikander and Eva Green as distant sisters who go on a strange trip to an enclosed European setting where Charlotte Rampling is the head of a community that accepts the wishes of ill visitors.

  • First Reformed (Paul Schrader, United States, 2017). A tense film that has you guessing where it is going. Ethan Hawke is outstanding as a country Calvinist Christian Reformed minister dealing with the loss of his child and trying to help the few remaining members of his flock. Some reflection can be seen in Bresson’s The Diary of a Country Priest. Amanda Seyfried is the wife in a couple contemplating having a child, while her husband, an environmental crusader is conflicted about bringing another child into this imperfect world.

  • Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (Sophie Fiennes, United Kingdom/Ireland, 2017). Although I found the editing and some of the cinematography problematic, Grace Jones as a subject is mesmerizing in concert and with her trips to her family in Jamaica providing a backdrop to this larger than life star.

  • Never Study, Never Still (Kathleen Hepburn, Canada, 2017). British actress Shirley Henderson is stirring as the mother with Parkinson’s disease surviving in outer Canadian landscape while her son tries to adjust to a job on an Alberta oil rig.

  • Villa-House by the Sea (Robert Guediguian, France, 2017). Guediguian works with his usual cast: wife Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Gerard Meylan in this this small town near Marseille where three adult children of a patriarch who has suffered a stroke meet to discuss their past and future and it seems the future of the small town also.

  • Wajib (Annemarie Jacir, Palestine/France/Germany/Colombia/Norway/Qatar/United Arab Emirates, 2017). Shadi returns to Palestine after years of being in Italy to attend his sister’s wedding but finds things have changed and all are not welcoming to him, including some difficulties with his father. This is Palestine’s submission for best foreign language Oscar.


    GOOD FILMS:

  • The Black Kite (Tarique Qayum, Canada/Afghanistan, 2017). A family drama told across generations about a son of a kite-maker and his father’s wish that he be educated. Later as an adult Arian tells his daughter about the magic of kite flying, which he finds is banned and even more so for young girls.

  • Disobedience (Sebastian Lelio, United Kingdom, 2017). Lelio, also the director of the Chilean A Fantastic Woman this year, directs his first film outside Chile about Ronit (Rachel Weisz) who returns to Londom from New York for the Orthodox Jewish funeral of her estranged Rabbi father. She is surprised to find that her childhood friend Esti (Rachel McAdams) is now married to her father’s heir Dovid (Alessandro Nivola).

  • Happy End (Michael Haneke, France/Austria/Germany, 2017). An odd film about the clashes within a family and also in society. Isabelle Huppert is the head of the family business with a dysfunctional family including her ill father played by Jean-Louis Trintignant. This is Austria’s Oscar submission for best foreign language film.

  • The Lodgers (Brian O’Malley, Ireland, 2017). A gothic thriller that reminds one of The Fall of the House of Usher. Rachel and her twin brother Edward live an old rundown mansion trying to survive nightmares, the towns folk, and a possible family curse.

  • Makala (Emmanuel Gras, France, 2017). A beautifully photographed documentary about a man in the Democratic Republic of the Congo who rises early and makes charcoal that he laboriously takes to the city to sell. The film won the grand prize at Cannes Critics week for its personal portrayal and cinematography.

  • Number One (Tonie Marshall, France, 2017). Emmanuelle Blachey (Emmanuelle Devos) is a high ranking female executive who may have the chance to be the CEO of an important water company. The constraints of business and family life are shown and the extra work an ambitious woman must do to achieve her goals.

  • The Poet and the Boy (Kim Yang-hee, South Korea, 2017). A poet in this late 30’s lives in the remote Jeju Island and lives off his working wife. The timid poet slowly has emotions that he cannot understand and that change his life.

  • The Racer and the Jailbird (Michael R. Roskam, Belgium/France, 2017). Gigi (Matthias Schoenaerts) is a member of an elite robbery gang, but works for an imported car dealer as a cover and meets race-car driver Bibi (Adele Exarchopoulos). The story becomes a sexy, high octane nourish thriller with very stylish cinematography. This is Belgium’s submission for best foreign language film.

  • Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (Matt Tynauer, United States, 2017). A tell all documentary based on Scotty Bowers bestselling memoir Full Service tells more than may be needed in this outing of some of Hollywood’s most famous stars including Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Charles Laughton, Ava Gardner, etc. Scotty, in his 90s, was at the screening and there is some vetting of the stories by others in the film, but he seems a bit too joyous to recount all the dirt. Full Service refers to the gas station that served as the center of Scotty’s empire of providing escorts or private enclaves for the rich and famous to meet.

  • Soldiers, Story from Ferentari (Ivana Mladenovic, Romania/Serbia/Belgium, 2017). A fascinating tale that looks like a documentary of two men: Aidi, an anthropologist doing research near the Roma area of Bucharest who meets the obese, but funny Alberto and very odd relationship follows.

  • A Season in France (Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France, 2017). Haroun directed festival favorites like Aboun and A Screaming Man in his homeland of Chad. This is another immigrant tale of Abbas (Eriq Ebouaney)who has fled the Central African Republic with his son for safety after his wife was murdered. He meets Carole (Sandrine Bonnaire) and the film demonstrates the French bureaucracy of finding a job and trying to stay in France.

  • Submergence (Wim Wenders, France/Germany/Spain, 2017). A love story between two strong personalities in an enclosed environment: James (James McAvoy) a water engineer who travel abroad, and Danielle (Alicia Vikander) a bio-mathematician who researches the deep sea. Maintaining love at a distance including the shores of Normandy and Somalia is never easy. Excellent cinematography by Benoit Debie.

  • The Swan (Asa Helga Hjorleifsdottir), Iceland, 2017). A young shoplifter, nine year old Sol, is sent to the country to visit her aunt and must adapt to the farm and rustic rural Icelandic landscape. Her older cousin Asta returns from college and she realizes she is part of a very dysfunctional family and that adults have many of their own demons and problems.

  • Thelma (Joachim Trier, Norway/Sweden/France/Denmark, 2017). From the director of famous films like Oslo, August 31 and Louder than Bombs this time enters the world of Carrie or Raw with Thelma going off to college as a very protected young woman by her parents. She finds that she has strange behaviors and possibly very interesting powers.

  • Under the Tree (Hafteinn Gunnar Sigurosson, Iceland/Denmark/Poland/Germany, 2017). A wonderful very black comedy about the building frictions between two neighboring families. One family is an older couple, the other a younger man with his second wife who is not fond of the neighbor’s tree shading her ability to get a tan. This is Iceland’s submission for best foreign language Oscar.


    DISAPPOINTING FILM (I nearly walked out of but didn’t expecting more):

  • If You Saw His Heart (Joan Chemia, France, 2017). The film starred Gael Garcia Bernal and Marine Vacth, so how bad could it be? It’s never quite clear where the rundown hotel they stay in and can’t seem to escape the town really is? The film is full of losers of many kinds, small-time burglars and con-artists who seem to go nowhere, as does the film.


    THE OFFICIAL TIFF 2017 AWARDS:

    People's Choice Award: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Runners-up: I, Tonya and Call Me By Your Name.

    People's Choice Award For Documentary: Faces, Places. Runners-up: Long Time Running; Super Size Me2: Holy Chicken.

    Toronto Platform Prize: Sweet Country. Honourable Mention: Dark River.

    People's Choice Award For Midnight Madness: Bodied. Runners-up: The Disaster Artist; Brawl in Cell Block 99.

    Best Canadian Feature Film: Ravenous (Les Affames). Honourable Mention: The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches.

    Best Canadian First Feature Film: Luk'Luk'I.

    Prizes of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Special Presentations Section: The Motive.

    Prizes of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery Section: Ava.

    NETPAC Award For Best Asian Film: The Great Buddha.

    Award For Best Canadian Short Film: Pre-Drink. Honourable Mention: The Tesla World Light.

    Award For Best International Short Film: The Burden.

    Check local theater listings and upcoming festivals such as AFI’s European Union Film Festival and the DC Jewish Film Festival which may have some of these and other films in the coming months.

    Other Reviews and Awards: Indiewire’s     criticWire survey of top film critics and bloggers selected their favorite films, directors, and performances at TIFF2017.

    See the TIFF website.


    We Need to Hear From YOU

    We are always looking for film-related material for the Storyboard. Our enthusiastic and well-traveled members have written about their trips to the Cannes Film Festival, Karlovy Vary Film Festival, London Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Palm Springs Film Festival, the Reykjavik Film Festival, the Munich Film Festival, and the Locarno Film Festival. We also heard about what it's like being an extra in the movies. Have you gone to an interesting film festival? Have a favorite place to see movies that we aren't covering in the Calendar of Events? Seen a movie that blew you away? Read a film-related book? Gone to a film seminar? Interviewed a director? Taken notes at a Q&A? Read an article about something that didn't make our local news media? Send your contributions to Storyboard and share your stories with the membership. And we sincerely thank all our contributors for this issue of Storyboard.


    Calendar of Events

    FILMS

     American Film Institute Silver Theater
    "Silent Cinema Showcase" (October 27-November 26) is an ambitious series of silent films all with live music accompaniment including the Alloy Orchestra, the Columbia Orchestra, Ben Model, Andrew Simpson, the Not So Silent Cinema, Christine Niehaus, the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, Gabriel Thibaudeau, Coupler, and Stephen Horne. Titles include Variety (E.A. Dupont, 1925) with music by the Alloy Orchestra; A Page of Madness (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1926) with music by the Alloy Orchestra; The Lost World (Harry Hoyt, 1925) with music by the Alloy Orchestra; Strike (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925) with music by the Alloy Orchestra; The Gold Rush (Charles Chaplin, 1925) with music by the Columbia Orchestra; Children of Divorce (Frank Lloyd, 1925), starring Clara Bow and Gary Cooper with music by Andrew Simpson; "Slapstick Divas," a program of five short films with music by Ben Model and with an introduction by Steve Massa, author of the recently published Slapstick Divas: The Women of Silent Comedy; The Lodger (Alfred Hitchcock, 1927) with music by the Not So Silent Orchestra; "Keaton and Arbuckle Comedy Shorts Program," on the occasion of Buster Keaton's centenary screen debut with music by Ben Model and introduced by Steve Massa; Blackmail (Alfred Hitchcock, 1929) with music by the Not So Silent Orchestra; a free screening of Wings (William Wellman, 1927) with music by Christine Niehaus; The Kid Brother (Ted Wilde, 1927) with music by the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra; Humoresque (Frank Borzage, 1920) with music by Gabriel Thibaudeau; Our Heavenly Bodies (Hanns Walter Kornblum, 1925) with music by Coupler; Behind the Door (Irvin Willat, 1919) with music by Stephen Horne; Prix de Beaute (Augusto Genina, 1930) with music by Stephen Horne; Casanova (Alexandre Volkoff, 1927) with music by Stephen Horne; A Modern Musketeer (Allen Dwan, 1917) with music by Stephen Horne; Chicago (Frank Urson, 1927) with music by Andrew Simpson; Kid Boots (1926) with music by Donald Sosin; The Dixie Flyer (1926) with music by Donald Sosin; It (1927) with music by Makia Matsumura; and Get Your Man with music by Makia Matsumura. A series pass is available.

    "Revolutionary Rising: Soviet Film Vanguard," co-sponsored by the National Gallery of Art does double duty as part of the Silent Cinema. Music accompaniement for this series is by the Alloy Orchestra. Titles are Strike (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925); The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks (Lev Kuleshov, 1924); Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925) and Outskirts (1933). See also the National Gallery of Art.

    "Films Across Borders: Stories of Migration" is a series of films about migration shown at various locations. At the AFI in November is Pelle the Conqueror (Bille August, 1988); La Pirogue (Moussa Toure, 2012); and the animated An American Tail (Don Bluth, 1986).

    The Joan Fontaine Centennial continues in November with Jane Eyre, Letter from an Unknown Woman, Rebecca and Suspicion.

    The AFI and Freer Gallery of Art are locations for the 11th "Korean Film Festival DC 2017." At the AFI: Okja (Bong Joon-Ho, 2017); The Villainess (Jung Byung-gil, 2017); Bluebeard (Lee Soo-yeon, 2017); and The Merciless (Byun Sung-hyun, 2017). More at the Freer.

    A special event in November is a documentary about Indian-American actor Omi Vaidya Big in Bollywood (Bill Bowles, 2001) and one of Vaidya's films Three Idiots (Rajkumar Hirani, 2009). Actor Omi Vaidya will introduce both films, with a Q&A after the documentary.

    Other special events include a 50th anniversary showing of In the Heat of the Night (Norman Jewison, 1967); Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976); Wise Blood (John Huston, 1979) featuring an introduction and Q&A with writer and producer Michael Fitzgerald; "CatVideoFest 2017;" and the 19th "Animation Show of Shows" featuring 16 internationally acclaimed animated short films.

    On November 13 is the "Meet the Press Film Festival," 16 short political documentaries, shown at Landmark's Atlantic Plumbing Cinema. Q&As will follow the films. Times vary, see the website.

    Freer Gallery of Art
    A new series of Japanese classic films starts this month. On November 1 at 2:00pm is the great Japanese classic Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950).

    The "Korean Film Festival DC 2017" begins November 3 at 7:30pm with Okja (Bong Joon-Ho, 2017) Come early at 5:30pm for exclusive curator tours of the newly opened gallery of Korean art plus Korean food and a cash bar. Stay after the film for a live video Q&A with Bong Joon-ho. Other films in the series: the corruption story Asura: The City of Madness (Kim Sung-su, 2016) on November 5 at 2:00pm; the documentary Bamseom Pirates Seoul Inferno (Jung Yoon-suk, 2017) on November 10 at 7:00pm; the political thriller The Truth Beneath (Lee Kyoung-mi, 2016) on November 12 at 2:00pm with the director appearing in person; a social critique Come, Together (Shin Dong-il, 2016) on November 17 at 7:00pm; Picture of Hell (Park Ki-young, 2016) on November 19 at 1:00pm and the comedy A Quiet Dream (Zhang Lu, 2016) on November 19 at 3:30pm. A few more in December. See the AFI for more Korean films in this series.

    Special events in November include Crossing the Empty Quarter (Simon Gallimore, 2017) with discussion by explorer Mark Evans and a reception following the film.

    National Gallery of Art
    "Lateral Time: John Akomfrah and Smoking Dogs Films" (November 5-December 10) is a series of films and TV work by Ghanian-British filmmaker John Akomfrah. On November 5 at 4:30pm is The Nine Muses (2011); on November 11 at 2:30pm is a program of four short films including The Genome Chronicles (2008), Memory Room 451 (1997), All That Is Solid (Melts into Air) (2015) and The Call of Mist Redux (2016). On November 18 at 2:30pm is Tropikos (2016) preceded by Peripeteia (2012) with an introduction by Aboubakar Sanogo. On November 18 at 4:00pm is The Stuart Hall Project (2013) with an introduction by Aboubakar Sanogo. More in December.

    "The Warrior, the Reader, the Writer: Fantasy Figures in French Period Film" (November 25-December 1) is a three-film series complementing the Gallery's exhibition "Fragonard: The Fantasy Figures." On November 25 at 3:30pm is Fanfan la Tulipe (Christian-Jaque, 1952); on November 26 at 4:00pm is Farewell, My Queen (Benoit Jacquot, 2012) and on December 1 at 2:30pm is Beaumarchais, l'insolent (Edouard Molinaro, 1996).

    "Revolutionary Rising: Soviet Film Vanguard" (October 13-November 12) is a series of some of the most important Soviet films from the 1920s. The series concludes in November with two "cine-concerts." On November 4 at 2:30pm is The General Line (Sergei Eisenstein and Grigori Aleksandrov, 1929) with piano accompaniment by Andrew Simpson and on November 12 at 4:00pm is Earth (Alexander Dovzhenko, 1930) shown with Fragment of an Empire (Fridrikh Ermler, 1929) with piano accompaniment by Andrew Simpson. Also see the AFI for more films in this series.

    Special events in November include Immortality for All (Anton Vidokle, 2014-17), a trilogy about the now-forgotten 20th century philosophy known as cosmism, a doctrine that motivated many Soviet-era artists and thinkers on November 19 at 4:00pm, introduced by Anton Vidokle. There are two "cine-concerts" The Crowd (King Vidor, 1928) on November 24 at 2:30pm with Stephen Horne accompanying the film on piano; and Blue Jeans (John Hancock Collins, 1917) on November 25 at 1:00pm with accompaniment by Donald Sosin and Joanna Seaton.

    Renwick Gallery
    On November 18 at 5:30pm is Murder in a Nutshell: The Frances Glessner Lee Story (Susan Marks, 2017), about the forensics pioneer whose dollhouse-sized dioramas of true murder scenes can be seen in the new exhibition "Murder Is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death." A Q&A with the filmmaker follows the screening in the Renwick's Grand Salon.

    National Museum of African American History and Culture
    On November 10 at 3:00pm is Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light, about African-Americans in Paris and Europe during the post-WWI period. Filmmakers David and Joanne Burke will join other panelists for a discussion after the film.

    On November 30 at 6:30pm is Mudbound (2017) with filmmaker Dee Rees and members of the cast present to discuss the film.

    National Portrait Gallery
    On November 30 at 6:00pm is The Blue Angel (Josef von Sternberg, 1930) starring Marlene Dietrich. A reception follows the screening.

    Smithsonian American Art Museum
    On November 18 at 3:00pm is !Women Art Revolution (Lynn Hershman Leeson, 2010), a documentary about the feminist art movement from the 1960s to the present.

    Goethe Institute
    New films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland are part of the 2017 "Film | Neu" film festival. The Opening Night film is The Young Karl Marx (Raoul Peck, 2017) from Germany and the Closing Night film is The Divine Order (Petra Volpe, 2017) from Switzerland. Other titles include LOMO-The Language of Many Others (Julia Langhof, 2017) from Germany; Beuys (Andreas Veil, 2017) from Germany; Western (Valeska Grisebach, 2017) from Austria/Germany; Welcome to Germany (Simon Verhoeven, 2016) from Germany; Night of a 1000 Hours (Virgil Widrich, 2016) from Austria; Hanna's Sleeping Dogs (Andreas Gruber, 2016) from Austria; In Times of Fading Light (Matti Geschonneck, 2017) from Germany; Marija (Michael Koch, 2016) from Germany; and a program of short films. All are shown at Landmark's E Street Cinema.

    As part of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's "95 Theses" is a program of films introduced by Anna Maria Boss of the Germany Historical Institute. On November 8 at 6:30pm is Bear Ye One Another's Burden (Lothar Warneke, 1988) from the GDR, set in the 1950s and preceded by an animated short film Copyright by Luther (Lew Hohmann, 1983) also from the GDR. On November 16 at 6:30pm is Luther and I (Julia von Heinz, 2017) preceded by a short documentary The Winged Serpent: Lucas Cranach the Elder (Lothar Barke, 1971) with an introduction by Amy Leonard of Georgetown University.

    The "Germany Movie Night" film for November is Greetings from Fukushima (Doris Dorrie, 2016) on November 17 at 6:30pm.

    National Air and Space Museum
    "Hollywood Goes to War: World War I on the Big Screen" is a series of WWI films commemorating the entry to the US in 1917. The last film in this series is The Grand Illusion (Jean Renoir, 1937) on November 11 at 7:00pm.

    National Geographic Society
    "Mountainfilm on Tour" is a selection of films from this year's annual festival. Two separate programs on November 3 and 4 at 7:00pm.

    French Embassy
    On November 6 at 6:30pm is a program of two short films: The American in Paris: The True Story of the American Hospital of Paris in WWI (Antony Easton, 2017) followed by At Home and Over There: American Women Physicians in World War I (Jack Klink, 2017). A reception and opening of the exhibit about the American Hospital in Paris follows the film program. Reserve online.

    Two films are shown as part of the "Films Across Borders: Stories of Migration." On November 14 at 7:00pm is Hope (Boris Lojkine, 2015) and on November 28 at 7:00pm is Welcome (Philippe Lioret, 2009). Reserve online.

    The Japan Information and Culture Center
    On November 8 at 6:30pm is Sweet Bean (Naomi Kawase, 2015).

    The "animizing" film this month is Castle in the Sky (Hayao Miyazaki, 1986) on November 17 at 6:30pm.

    The Textile Museum at GWU
    On November 9 at noon is Craft in America: Origins (2015) a documentary about contemporary crafts and their historical counterparts.

    National Archives
    On November 11 at 2:00pm is We Were Soldiers (Randall Wallace, 2002) about a major battle between the US and North Vietnamese forces starring Mel Gibson. The film isintroduced by Joseph Galloway, co-author of the book We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young.

    Bethesda Row
    "Cinema Arts Bethesda" is a monthly Sunday morning film discussion series. On November 12 at 10:00am is the award-winning Frantz (Francois Ozon, 2016), set during WWI. Breakfast is at 9:30am, the film is at 10:00am and discussion follows, moderated by Adam Spector, host of the DC Film Society's Cinema Lounge and author of the column "Adam's Rib." A season pass is available.

    National Museum of Natural History
    "Recovering Voices Ethnographic Film Series" is a series of documentaries mostly from the 1960s and 1970s. Discussion follows each program. On November 3 at 2:30pm is A Weave of Time (Susan Fanshel, 1986), about four generations of change in a Navajo family. On November 10 at 2:30pm is Photo Wallahs (David and Judith McDougall, 1991) about photographers of Mussoorie, a hill station in te Himalayan foothills of northern India. On November 17 at 2:30pm is Bontoc Eulogy (Marlon Fuentes, 1995), a mockumentary about a trip from the Philippines to the St. Louis World's Fair.

    On November 30 at 6:30pm is How to Survive a Plague, about HIV survivors. A discussion afterwards features Peter Staley, AIDS activist and a figure in the film; Anthony S. Fauci and Vanessa M. Hirsch from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and Juan Carlos Loubriel from Whitman-Walker Heath.

    The Avalon
    On November 1 at 8:00pm is Aida's Secrets (Alon Schwarz, 2016), a documentary about brothers separated while in displaced person camps after WWII and their discovery of each other and reunion with their elderly mother. Following the film is a Q&A with Alon Schwarz. Part of the "Films in Focus" series.

    On November 15 at 8:00pm is the semi-fictional biopic Django (Etienne Comar, 2017), about the guitarist and composer Django Reinhardt, for this month's "French Cinematheque" film.

    On November 29 at 8:00pm is The Happiness of the World (Michal Rosa, 2016) set just before WWII, part of the "cine Polska" series.

    On November 30 at 7:30pm is Score: A Film Music Documentary (2017), with Q&A after the film with writer/director Matt Schrader. Part of the Avalon's "Film Studies" programs.

    A new documentary series "Exhibition on Screen" begins with the award-winning Vincent Van Gogh: A New Way of Seeing (David Bickerstaff) on November 12 and 14 at 10:30am.

    Italian Cultural Institute
    On November 13 at 6:00pm is Pizza, the Heart of Naples (Luca Verdone, 2017), a short documentary followed by a pizza tasting.

    New York University Abramson Family Auditorium
    On November 1 at 6:00pm is a selection of five short LGBT films from the "five Films4Freedom" film festival, followed by a panel discussion. Titles ae Crush (Rosie Westhoff); Bridging the Gap: Women Where We Are now (Lucie Rachel); Still Burning (Nick Rowley); Jamie (Christopher Manning); and Heavy Weight (Jonny Ruff). All are from the UK.

    Two films are from the N.I.C.E. (New Italian Cinema Events) film series: Children of the Night (Andrea De Sica, 2017) on November 7 at 6:30pm and Lucky (Sergio Castellitto, 2017) on November 8 at 6:30pm.

    Three film programs from the human rights film festival "Echoes of One World" Documentary Film Series are Arms Ready and Normal Autistic Film on November 13 at 6:30pm; and Lost in Lebanon and Nowhere to Hide on November 14 at 6:00pm and 8:00pm; and Plastic China on November 15 at 6:30pm.

    Library of Congress
    The Mary Pickford Theater at the Library of Congress starts a new series of films showcasing the Library's collection and including newly preserved films. In November are two films starring Kirk Douglas who celebrated his 100th birthday last year. On November 2 at 7:00pm is The Devil's Disciple (Guy Hamilton, 1959) based on the play by George Bernard Shaw. On November 30 at 7:00pm is Last Train from Gun Hill (John Sturges, 1959), one of Douglas' finest Westerns.

    Anacostia Community Museum
    On November 16 at 11:30am is I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck, 2016), a documentary about James Baldwin.

    "Capital Classics" at Landmark's West End Cinema
    Classic films are shown at the West End Cinema on Wednesdays at 1:30pm, 4:30pm and 7:30pm. On November 8 is 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968); on November 15 is Gigi (Vincente Minnelli, 1958); on November 22 is The Adventures of Robin Hood (Michael Curtiz, 1938) and on November 29 is The Women (George Cukor, 1939).

    Kennedy Center
    On November 24 at 7:00pm and November 26 at 2:00pm is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Chris Columbus, 2002) in concert with the NSO performing John Williams' score.

    Hill Center
    "Davis & Crawford: A Fabulous Rivalry" is a series of four films starring Bette Davis or Joan Crawford. The two remaining films in November are In This Our Life (John Huston, 1942) with Bette Davis and co-star Olivia de Havilland as sisters. On November 12 at 4:00pm is Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945) with Joan Crawford as a single mother. Join New Yorker writer Margaret Talbot and movie critic Nell Minow as they explore Bette and Joan's rivalry and some of their best performances.

    Alden Theater
    On November 3 at 7:00pm is Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (M. Jay Roach, 1997) part of the audience-participation "Quote Along" (Yeah, baby!) series of films. Shown at the Old Firehouse, 1440 Chain Bridge Rd.

    National Academy of Sciences
    On November 14 at 6:30pm is Chasing Coral with filmmaker Jeff Orlowski present to introduce the film. A panel discussion follows. Come early at 5:30pm for a reception. Location: Keck Center, 500 5th Street NW.

    Reel Affirmations XTra
    On November 10 at 7:00pm is Cold Breath (Abbas Raziji, 2017) from Iran, about a woman living as a man.

    Busboys and Poets
    On November 26 at 5:00pm is the documentary Chasing Trane (John Scheinfeld, 2016) at the 14th and V location.

    George Mason University
    On November 2 at 4:30pm is a "Visiting Filmmakers" program Whose Streets?, a documentary about Ferguson with co-director Sabaah Folayan present for discussion. On November 7 at 7:30pm is another "Visiting Filmmakers" program Fail State, a documentary about predatory for-profit colleges with film director Alex Shebanow present for Q&A.


    FILM FESTIVALS

    Gala Hispanic Theater Film Festival
    The 6th annual film festival "Reel Time at Gala" (November 29-December 3) is a series of films from Mexico, Dominican Republic and Chile. Titles are Refuge, The Salinas Project, Site of Sites, Tales of an Immoral Couple, Jeffrey, Family Life, The Mischievous Guys, and Jesús. Many films have discussions and receptions. A festival pass is available.

    The Korean Film Festival DC 2017
    This festival takes place at two locations during November and December. Titles are Okja, Asura: The City of Madness, Bamseon Pirates Seoul Inferno, The Truth Beneath with director Lee Kyoung-mi in person, Come Together, The Villainess, Picture of Hell, A Quiet Dream, Bluebeard, The Merciless and three more in December. See the individual theaters Freer Gallery and the AFI Silver Theater.

    Film|Neu
    The 25th annual "Film | Neu" takes place November 2-5 films are shown from German speaking countries: Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Documentaries, dramas, comedies and short films are part of the festival. See above for titles. Location: Landmark's E Street Cinema.

    Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival
    This film festival is celebrating its 20th year and runs from November 2-12. American and international films will be shown, including features, documentaries and shorts. See the website for locations, titles, schedule, tickets and passes.

    Alexandria Film Festival
    The 11th Annual Alexandria Film Festival will be held November 9-12, presenting feature-length films, documentaries, animation and short films. Films are shown at AMC's Hoffman 22 and the Beatley Library. See the website for films, tickets and passes.

    Kids Euro Festival
    The Kids Euro Festival takes place October 21-November 5. Films and performing arts events are part of the festival. Locations vary; see the website for more information. Check the website, not all are open to the public.

    The Virginia Film Festival
    The 30th annual Virginia Film Festival takes place November 9-12 at the University of Virginia. See the website for film titles, schedule and locations.

    The Immigration Film Festival
    Immigrant-themed films are shown October through December at various area venues. Locations include the AFI Silver Theater, the National Gallery of Art, the Goethe-Institut Washington, American University and more. Titles include Havarie, Limpiadores, From the Land of Gandhi and Risking it All: Children at the Border. See the website for information about locations, passes and tickets.


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