Calendar of Events
FILMS
American Film Institute Silver Theater
For most of January the AFI shows first-run films. Five Iranian films are shown as part of the January-February 23rd Annual Iranian Film Festival (see below). One film in January Sly shown January 29 and 31, with the rest in February.
Special events include the documentary Led Zeppelin Played Here (Jeff Krulik, 2014) with the filmmaker present for Q&A, shown with the short film Led Zeppelin Treasure Chest (2017). Shown on January 20 at 8:00pm. On January 21 at 11:00am is King in the Wilderness (Peter W. Kunhardt, 2018), a documentary about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s leadership in the civil rights movement.
On January 13 at 2:00pm is I Was Born But... (Yasujiro Ozu, 1932) with music accompaniment and demonstration of the process for creating live scores for silent films by Andrew Simpson. NOTE: This show has been moved from the Freer due to government shutdown.
Freer Gallery of Art
A series of Japanese classic films continues at the Freer. On January 2 at 2:00pm is Street of Shame (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1956). On January 13 at 2:00pm is I Was Born But... (Yasujiro Ozu, 1932) with music accompaniment and demonstration of the process for creating live scores for silent films by Andrew Simpson. NOTE: This show has been moved to the AFI.
The 23rd annual Iranian Film Festival (January 18-February 24) begins January 18 at 7:00pm with The Graveless (Mostafa Sayari, 2018), inspired by a William Faulkner story. On January 20 at 2:00pm is the political spoof Sly (Kamal Tabrizi, 2018). On January 27 at 2:00pm is A Man of Integrity (Mohammad Rasoulof, 2017). More in February. See also AFI Silver Theater for more screenings.
National Gallery of Art
"The Films of Gordon Parks" (January 12-February 10) accompanies the exhibition "Gordon Parks: The New Tide, Early Work 1940-1950." On January 12 at 1:00pm is a program of short films "Films on the New Deal," government-sponsored documentaries that influenced Parks. On January 12 at 3:30pm is Louisiana Story (Robert Flaherty, 1948). On January 13 at 4:00pm is "Gordon Parks: Documentaries," a program of short films. On January 19 at 4:00pm is Parks' first feature film The Learning Tree (Gordon Parks, 1969). On January 26 at 2:00pm is Shaft (Gordon Parks, 1971); and on January 26 at 4:00pm is Shaft's Big Score (Gordon Parks, 1972). More in February.
Special events in January include On the Wings of Brancusi (Edgar Howard and Susan Wald, 2018), a documentary about the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi shown on January 2, January 4 and January 10 at 12:30pm. On January 5 at 2:30pm is the Washington Premiere of Gray House (Austin Jack Lynch and Matthew Booth, 2017), with the two filmmakers present to discuss the film. On January 6 at 4:00pm is Personal Problems (Ishmael Reed and Bill Gunn, 1980) with Ishmael Reed in person. On January 11 and January 19 at 1:00pm is Rosenwald (Aviva Kempner, 2015), a documentary about philanthropist Julius Rosenwald and educator Booker T. Washington who built 5,000 schools during the Jim Crow era in the south. The filmmaker will be present for discussion. On January 27 at 4:30pm is Godard's The Image Book (Jean-Luc Godard, 2018).
National Museum of African American History and Culture
On January 11 at 7:00pm is a 25th anniversary screening of Sankofa (1993) with filmmaker Haile Gerima and others present to discuss the film.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
On January 6 at 2:15pm is Woodshock (Kate and Laura Mulleavy, 2017). The costumes for the film are on view in the museum's Rodarte exhibition.
Washington Jewish Community Center
The JCC will be renovating its space and programs are shown at other locations. On January 9 at 7:30pm is Razzia (Nabil Ayouch, 2017) from Morocco, shown at Landmark's E Street Cinema. On January 17 at 7:30pm is Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People (Oren Rudavsky, 2018), a documentary about Pulitzer's rise from a penniless Jewish immigrant to a baron of the press. The filmmaker will be present for discussion. At Landmark's Bethesda Row Cinema.
Goethe Institute
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 began in October and continues on January 14 at 6:30pm with the GDR film Goya (Konrad Wolf, 1971). Sky Sitney will discuss the film.
National Geographic Society
On January 23-26 at 7:00pm and January 30-February 2 at 7:00pm are programs from the annual Banff Mountain Film Festival.
French Embassy
"Focus on Clouzot" (January 8-February 5) explores the work of the avant-garde thriller master: Henri-Georges Clouzot. On January 8 at 7:00pm is a documentary Le Scandale Clouzot (Pierre-Henri Gibert, 2017). On January 22 at 7:00pm is The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (1942). One more in February.
On January 17 at 7:00pm is Theo's Choice (Thomas Cauvin, 2017), a documentary about preserving the French language in Louisiana. Filmmaker Thomas Cauvin will be present to discuss the film.
The Japan Information and Culture Center
On January 16 at 6:30pm is Her Sketchbook (Masaya Ozaki, 2017). On January 25 at 6:30pm is an anime film Fireworks (Akiyuki Shinbo and Nobuyuki Takeuchi, 2017).
National Archives
On January 3 at 7:00pm is the documentary Just Like Me: Vietnam War Stories from All Sides (2018). Filmmaker Ron Osgod and historian Marc Leepson discuss the film after the screening and answer audience questions. NOTE: check for government shutdown before attending.
Bethesda Row
"Cinema Arts Bethesda" is a monthly Sunday morning film discussion series. On January 13 at 10:00am is the award-winning film The Guilty (Gustav Möller, 2017) from Denmark.
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 January 16 at 8:00pm is The Sower (Marine Francen, 2017), set in 1851 for this month's "French Cinematheque."
On January 23 at 8:00pm is Azimuth (Mike Burstyn, 2017) for this month's "Reel Israel."
On January 30 at 8:00pm is 303 Squadron (Denis Delic, 2018) about Polish RAF pilots in WWII. Part of the "cinePolska" film series.
Italian Cultural Institute
On January 23 at 6:00pm is There's No Place Like Home (Gabriele Muccino, 2018) about a reunion set on the island of Ischia. On January 28 at 6:00pm is Diversi: 1938 (Giorgio Treves, 2018), a documentary in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2019. A panel discussion with the filmmaker and others will follow the film.
New York University Abramson Family Auditorium
On January 9 at 6:00pm is the Oscar-nominated documentary Last Men in Aleppo (Firas Fayyad, 2017). A panel discussion follows the film.
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 January 15 at 6:30pm is a pre-Code double feature of Hatchet Man (William Wellman, 1932) starring Loretta Young and Edward G. Robinson, shown with Hard to Handle (Mervyn LeRoy, 1933) starring James Cagney.
Music-themed films include All That Jazz (Bob Fosse, 1979) on January 10 at 7:00pm; Gold Diggers of 1933 (Mervyn LeRoy, 1933) on January 17 at 7:00pm; Staying Alive (Sylvester Stallone, 1983) on January 24 at 7:00pm, and Stepping Out (Louis Gilbert, 1991) on January 31 at 7:00pm.
Anacostia Community Museum
On January 26 at 2:00pm is the documentary What Happened 2 Chocolate City?, with filmmaker Mignotae Kebede and other guests taking part in a panel discussion after the film.
"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 January 2 is 42nd Street (Lloyd Bacon, 1933); on January 9 is Logan's Run (Michael Anderson, 1976); on January 16 is Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941); on January 23 is The Searchers (John Ford, 1956): and on January 30 is The Hunchback of Notre Dame (William Dieterle, 1939)
Kennedy Center
On January 22 at 7:00pm, January 23 at 8:00pm, and January 24 at 8:00pm is Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand, 1983) with John Williams' Oscar-nominated score performed by the National Symphony Orchestra.
Alden Theater
"New Disney Classics" is a series of 1990s Disney films, shown every second Wednesday January through June. On January 9 at 12:30pm is Beauty and the Beast (1991). "Midday Movies: Foreign-Lanuage Films" is a series of foreign films shown every fourth Wednesday through May. On January 23 is Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988).
Reel Affirmations XTra
On January 18 at 7:00pm is The Heiresses (Marcelo Martinessi, 2017) from Paraguay.
Busboys and Poets
On January 3 at 6:00pm is the documentary Scattered Africa: Faces and Voices of the African Diaspora. Filmmaker Sheila Walker will be present for discussion. Part of the Focus-In! Film Series.
The Wilson Center
A series in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, screenings and discussion, is at three different locations. On January 28 at 7:00pm is The Road to Babi Yar shown at the Jewish Community of Northern Virginia, with speakers Boris Maftsir, Israeli documentary filmmaker and Izabella Tabarovsky, Senior Associate, Kennan Institute. On January 29 at 3:00pm is Stalin and the Black Book of Soviet Jewry at the Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson Center with speakers Boris Maftsir, Israeli documentary filmmaker, Zvi Gitelman, Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science, University of Michigan and Joshua Rubenstein, Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University. On January 30 at 3:30pm is The Road to Babi Yar at George Washington University with speakers Boris Maftsir, Israeli documentary filmmaker and Walter Reich, Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Professor of International Affairs, Ethics and Human Behavior; Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University.
FILM FESTIVALS
