Calendar of Events
FILMS
American Film Institute Silver Theater
A few days remain for the Latin American Film Festival (September 13-October 3). More than forty films from Latin American countries plus Spain and Portugal will be shown, many of which are US premieres and some of which will have special guests participating in Q&As after their films. See the website for schedule, tickets and passes.
The 13th "Spooky Movie International Horror Film Festival" (October 4-7) showcases mostly new horror films from around the world. The Opening Night film is Phantasm: Remastered (1979) with filmmaker Don Coscarelli present for Q&A. Other film titles are The Eyeslicer: Halloween Special, Blood Paradise from Sweden, Mandy, Scary Stories, Luz from Israel, The Ranger, You Might Be the Killer, The Field Guide to Evil from New Zealand, Lords of Chaos, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Ascension, Lost in Apocalypse from China, and Best F(r)iends Volume I shown with Best F(r)iends Volume II with actor/writer/producer Greg Sestero present for Q&A. Many feature films are preceded by shorts; a festival pass is available.
"Noir City DC" (October 12-25) returns noir with Film Noir Foundation founder Eddie Muller introducing selected films. Titles are The Blue Dahlia shown with Night Edition; Shadow of a Doubt shown with Address Unknown; This Gun For Hire shown with Quiet Please, Murder; The Underworld Story shown with Southside 1-1000; The Accused shown with The Threat; This Gun for Hire shown with The Threat; The Killers (1946) shown with The Killers (1964); The Man Who Cheated Himself shown with Roadblock; I Wake Up Screaming shown with Among the Living; The Big Heat shown with Wicked Woman; I Walk Alone shown with Bodyguard; The Unsuspected shown with High Tide; Destiny shown with Flesh and Fantasy; and Inferno shown with Man in the Dark. Some films are shown in 35mm. A festival pass is available.
"Films Across Borders: Stories of Women" (October 29-November 21) is a series shown at the AFI, National Gallery of Art, Goethe Institute, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and other locations. Titles shown at the AFI in October are Wanda and Watermelon Woman. More in November.
"Halloween on Screen" (October 26-31) includes old classics, restorations, live music, and hosted films. Titles are Frankenstein (1931) with live music accompaniment by the US Navy Band; Halloween (1978) presented by Count Gore De Vol and co-host Wes Johnson; Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) with music accompaniment by the Silent Orchestra; Suspiria (1977) in a 4K restoration; Witchfinder General on its 50th anniversary; and a 4K restoration of Zombie (1979).
The 11th "Kids Euro Festival" (October 20-November 4) is a two-week long festival of European arts and culture, with films and other activities at various locations. Films at the AFI are Cloudboy from Belgium; Ghost in the Swamp from Croatia; Paddington 2 from the UK; and Shamer's Daughter from Denmark. More in November.
Freer Gallery of Art
A series of Japanese classic films continues at the Freer. On October 3 at 2:00pm is Woman of the Dunes (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1964), one of the great art-house films of the 1960s.
"Films from the Arab World" (October 3-21) is a series of five films. On October 5 at 7:00pm is the restored The Mummy (Shadi Abdel Salam, 1969); on October 7 at 2:00pm is In the Last Days of the City (2016) with filmmaker Tamer El Said in person for discussion. On October 12 at 7:00pm is A Civilized People (Randa Chahal Sabbagh, 1999), restored to its original length; on October 14 at 1:00pm is 3000 Nights (Mai Masri, 2015); on October 21 at 2:00pm is the documentary El Gusto (Safinez Bousbia, 2011), about an Algerian band. On October 14 at 4:00pm is a discussion "New Currents in Saudi Cinema" with filmmakers Meshal Al Jaser and Ali Al Sumayin present to discuss their work and screen their short films.
On October 3 at 7:00pm is the "African Diaspora Heritage Screening and Talk" documentary Guangzhou Dream Factory (2018) with filmmaker Christiane Badgley present for discussion.
On October 26 at 7:00pm the Freer hosts a screening as part of the Smithsonian African American Film Festival and in conjunction with "Fridays at Freer Sackler."
National Gallery of Art
Special events in October include four films from the "Films Across Borders: Stories of Women" film festival which also takes place at the AFI Silver Theater, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Goethe Institute, and other locations. On October 6 at 2:00pm is the documentary The Two Faces of a Bamiléké Woman (Rosine Mbakam, 2017) from Cameroon. On October 6 at 4:00pm is Ava (Sadaf Foroughi, 2017) from Iran. On October 13 at 2:00pm is Jamila (Aminatou Echard, 2018) from Kyrgyzstan, based on the classic novel by Chyngyz Aitmatov. On October 13 at 4:00pm is DeDe (Mariam Khatchvani, 2017) from Georgia.
Other special events include the documentary The Shadow Line (2017), about the Spanish photographer Alberto Garcia-Alix on October 7 at 4:30pm. Filmmaker Nicolas Combarro will be present for discussion. On October 14 at 4:00pm is the restored The Atomic Cafe (Kevin Rafferty, Jayne Loader, Pierce Rafferty, 1982) preceded by the short film The Atomic Soldiers (Morgan Knibbe, 2018). On October 20 at 2:00pm is The Big Country (William Wyler, 1958) shown in 35mm and introduced by William Wyler's daughter Catherine. On October 21 at 4:00pm is "Correspondences: The Silent Cinema of Helga Fanderl," with the German artist Helga Fanderl in person to present her short films.
The National Gallery of Art hosts part of the Smithsonian African American Film Festival. On October 25 at noon is "Making a Way Out of No Way," a program of short films. On October 25 at 3:00pm is "Power of Place," a program of short films. A filmmaker will be present at both programs.
"Lifting Traces: Memories of London" (October 27-November 11) is a series of films by London-based filmmakers. On October 27 at 2:00pm is "The Houseless Shadow and Other Shorts" with filmmaker William Raban in person to introduce two of the programs. On October 28 at 4:00pm is "Time and the Wave: Documenting Civil Space," also short films introduced by William Raban. More in November.
Museum of American History
As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Coco will be shown and members from Disney Pixar's "Coco" team will be present. Times TBA.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
See below for the Smithsonian African American Film Fest.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
On October 4 at 7:00pm is Pollock (Ed Harris, 2000), a biographical film about American painter Jackson Pollock.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
On October 9 at 6:30pm is Most Beautiful Island (Ana Asensio, 2017), part of the "Films Across Borders: Stories of Women" film festival. Other films in this series are shown at the National Gallery of Art, the Goethe Institute and the AFI Silver Theater.
Washington Jewish Community Center
The JCC will be renovating its space and programs are shown at other locations. On October 3 at 7:30pm is The Interpreter (Martin Sulik, 2018) from the Slovak Republic. Location: Landmark's E Street Cinema.
On October 18 at 7:30pm is Promise at Dawn (Eric Barbier, 2017), based on Romain Gary's autobiographical novel and starring Charlotte Gainsbourg. Location: Landmark's Bethesda Row Cinema.
Goethe Institute
The Goethe Institute takes part in the "Films Across Borders: Stories of Women." On October 18 at 6:30pm is Fukushima, mon Amour (Doris Dorrie, 2016) about a young German woman who goes to Fukushima to help survivors of the 2011 nuclear disaster. On October 25 at 6:30pm is 24 Weeks (Anne Zohra Berrached, 2016) about a cabaret performer who learns that her unborn child will be disabled.
On October 26 at 6:30pm is Bornholmer Street (Christian Schwochow, 2014), a comedy set in November 1989 when the border was opened.
Landmark's West End Cinema hosts a new film series "Wunderbar Films: German Cinema 101" - Film and Discussion with Hester Baer, Associate Professor and Head of Germanic Studies at the University of Maryland. Films will be shown once a month and are divided into four categories: contemporary German film, films of the German Democratic Republic (DEFA Studio), films of the Weimar Republic (1920s), and New German Cinema (1970s). The series begins on October 8 at 6:30pm with Victoria (Sebastian Schipper, 2015).
National Geographic Society
On October 11 at 7:30pm is the documentary Into the Okavango (Neil Gelinas, 2018), about scientists exploring the river in hopes of saving the Okavango Delta, one of earth's few setland wildernesses.
French Embassy
"Paris: A Hundred Villages" (September 11-October 23) is a four-part film series focusing on one of the many Parisian localities. On October 9 at 7:00pm is the animated film The Triplets of Belleville (Sylvain Chomet, 2003); and on October 23 is Hôtel du Nord (Marcel Carne, 1938).
"Best of French TV Shows" introduces the first and second episodes of Baron Noir on October 4 at 7:00pm. A vengeful French politician betrayed by a former mentor tries to save his presidential campaign.
The Japan Information and Culture Center
On October 24 at 6:30pm is the award-winning Tremble All You Want (Akiko Ooku, 2017), about an office clerk's unrequited love.
On October 26 at 6:30pm is Mary and the Witches Flower (Hiromasa Yonebayashi, 2018), an anime film. Wear your Halloween costume and trick or treat at the JICC.
The Textile Museum at GWU
On October 6 at 2:30pm is The Gospel According to André (Kate Novack, 2018), a documentary about fashion icon André Leon Talley.
On October 18 at 5:30pm is Shipibo: The Movie of Our Memories (2011), a documentary about the Shipibo people of southern Peru.
National Archives
On October 11 at 7:00pm is Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow (Rory Kennedy, 2018), a documentary about NASA's accomplishments in space.
Bethesda Row
"Cinema Arts Bethesda" is a monthly Sunday morning film discussion series. On October 21 at 10:00am is White Sun (Deepak Rauniyar, 2016) from Nepal. 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.
The Avalon
On October 3 at 8:00pm is Kusama: Infinity (Heather Lenz, 2018), a documentary about Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama; part of the "Avalon Docs" series.
On October 10 at 8:00pm is Family Friend (Jan Hrebejk, 2017) set in early 1940s German occupation and the first film in Hrebejk's Garden Store trilogy. Part of the "Czech Lions" series.
On October 17 at 8:00pm is School of Life (Nicolas Vanier, 2017), this month's "French Cinematheque" series.
On October 24 at 8:00pm is The Testament (Amichai Greenberg, 2017), about a Holocaust researcher; part of the "Reel Israel" series of films.
On October 30 at 8:00pm is Lullaby Killer (Krzysztof Lang, 2017), a crime drama based on the 1950s notorious Polish serial killer Wladyslaw Mazurkiewicz. Part of the "Cine Polska" series.
On October 2 at 10:30am is "Girl With a Pearl Earring," a film about the painting and its creator, Johannes Vermeer. Part of the "Exhibition on Screen" series.
Italian Cultural Institute
On October 15 at 6:00pm is a documentary Ferrante Fever (Giacomo Durzi, 2017) about the "faceless writer" Elena Ferrante, followed by a panel discussion with the film's director.
New York University Abramson Family Auditorium
On October 3 at 6:45pm is 50 Years Fighting Against Poverty (Caroline Glorion and Gerard Lemoine), a documentary following the work of nonprofit ATD Fourth World. Dave Meyer from ATD Fourth World will be present to discuss the film.
On October 5 at 6:30pm is Condemned to Remember (Gerry Gregg, 2017) about Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental who will be present for discussion after the film along with director Gerry Gregg. A reception follows.
Library of Congress
The Mary Pickford Theater
at the Library of Congress continues its series of films showcasing the Library's collection and including newly preserved films. On October 4 at 7:00pm is Hospital (Frederick Wiseman, 1970), about New York City's Metropolitan Hospital, preceded by a reception at 5:30pm and a Q&A at 6:30pm. On October 18 at 7:00pm is Only Yesterday (John Stahl, 1933) starring Margaret Sullavan in her film debut. On October 26 at 7:00pm is Frankenstein 1970 (Howard W. Koch, 1958) with Boris Karloff starring as a descendant of Baron Frankenstein.
"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 October 3 is North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958). More TBA.
Kennedy Center
On October 23 at 7:00pm, October 24 at 8:00pm and October 25 at 8:00pm is Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1979) with the National Symphony Pops playing John Williams' Oscar-nominated score.
Atlas Performing Arts Film Series
On October 16 at 7:00pm is Holden On (2017), about teen mental ilness. Filmmaker Tamlin Hall will be at a meet-and-greet before the film and will take part in a panel discussion after the screening.
On October 28 at 4:00pm is The Fall of the House of Usher (Jean Epstein, 1928), a combination of two Poe tales. Andrew Simpson will provide music accompaniment.
Hill Center
"Reel Architecture: The Built Environment on the Silver Screen" is a three-part series of films in which architecture is the star. On October 21 at 4:00pm is Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) with a dystopian city divided between the working class and city planners. On October 28 at 4:00pm is Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967) featuring Tati's own extravagant "Tativille." Both films are presented by Philip Kennicott, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post Senior Art and Architecture Critic. One more in November.
Alden Theater
On October 12 at 7:00pm is Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993). Location The Old Firehouse, 1440 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean VA 22101
Angelika Film Center Mosaic
Angelika's annual "Hitcocktober" includes Rear Window (1954); Shadow of a Doubt (1943); Strangers on a Train (1951); The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935); and Psycho (1960). See the website for dates and times.
Angelika Popup
Angelika's annual "Hitcocktober" includes Rear Window (1954); Shadow of a Doubt (1943); Strangers on a Train (1951); The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935); and Psycho (1960). See the website for dates and times.
Smithsonian Associates
See Film-Related Lectures below.
Reel Affirmations XTra
On October 19 at 7:00pm is The Breeding (Daniel Armando, 2018).
Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse
On October 17 at 7:30pm is Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (F.W. Murnau, 1922) with live music accompaniment by the Austin TX ensemble.
On October 27 at 3:00pm is "Silent Scream: Early Masterpieces of Horror & Suspense" – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Laurel and Hardy in Habeas Corpus (1928). Live music accompaniment by Andrew Simpson and Tina Chancey.
Theatre at the Arts Barn
On October 26 at 6:00pm is Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (F.W. Murnau, 1922) with live music accompaniment by Andrew Simpson.
Busboys and Poets
On October 14 at 5:30pm is Dawnland (Adam Mazo and Ben Pender-Cudlip, 2018) about the first truth and reconciliation commission for Native Americans, investigating the impact of Maine's child welfare practices on Native American communities. At the 14th and V location.
George Mason University
On October 10 at 7:30pm is the documentary about Cairo In the Last Days of the City (Tamer El Said, 2016) with the filmmaker present to discuss the film. Open to the public.
On October 30 at 4:30pm is Dark Money (Kimberly Reed, 2018), a documentary about how elections are influenced by untraceable money. The filmmaker will be present for discussion. Open to the public.
The Phillips Collection
A Nordic film series accompanies the exhibition "Nordic Impressions." On October 18 at 6:00pm is Hold Me Down (Niclas Gillis, 2017) followed by discussion with the filmmaker. On October 25 at 6:00pm is Big Time (Kaspar Astrup Schröder, 2017) from Denmark. More in November and December.
FILM FESTIVALS
