Calendar of Events
FILMS
American Film Institute Silver Theater
"Looney Tunes in 35mm" (July 27-September 8) presents seven separate programs of Warner Brothers Looney Tunes in 35mm. See Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester and Tweety, Speedy Conzales, Pepe Le Pew, The Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote in classics such as What's Opera Doc and One Froggy Evening as well as more obscure cartoons.
"United Artists Centennial" (May 10-September 11) is a months-long retrospective of films from United Artists. Titles in August are Across 110th Street, Being There, Carrie, Electra Glide in Blue, The Great Escape, A Hard Day's Night, In the Heat of the Night, The Long Goodbye, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Manchurian Candidate, Midnight Cowboy, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, One Two Three, Rocky, A Shot in the Dark, Odds Against Tomorrow, The Pink Panther, Smile, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Tom Jones, The Thomas Crown Affair and the director's cut of New York, New York. More in September.
A sidebar to the United Artists Centennial is a "007" series (July 19-September 11). Titles in August are You Only Live Twice, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and Diamonds Are Forever. Three more in September.
"Denzel Washington: AFI Life Achievement Award Retrospective" (July 21-September 3). Titles in August are Devil in a Blue Dress, Training Day, Glory and American Gangster. Two more in September.
"The New Hollywood" (July 19-September 9) is a series of films made by a new generation of directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, making both small budget films and blockbusters. Titles in August includeAlien, All That Jazz, American Graffiti, Badlands, Chinatown, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Days of Heaven, Death Race 2000, Deliverance, Diary of a Mad Housewife, Dog Day Afternoon, Easy Rider, The French Connection, The Godfather, The Godfather II, Harold and Maude, The Heartbreak Kid, Jaws, The Last Detail, The Last Picture Show, Mean Streets, Nashville, A New Leaf, Play It As It Lays, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, THX 1138, Two-Lane Blacktop, What's Up Doc? and Phantom of the Paradise with a pre-show cabaret and live shadowcast during the screening by Bloody Mayhem Theatrical. Some are in 35mm. More in September.
"Flickering Treasures" (July 20-August 24) features movie theater-related themes. In August is Have You Seen My Movie (2016) made with found footage; The Blob (1958) The Tingler (1959); and Matinee (1993) with Amy Davis, author of "Flickering Treasures: Rediscovering Baltimore's Forgotten Movie Theaters."
Special Events in August include "Captain 20 Returns Again," a program of cartoons and kid-show favorites with a guest introduction and door prizes; the documentary Every Other Day Is Halloween with filmmaker C.W. Prather and Dick Dyszel; and House on Haunted Hill presented by Count Gore De Vol.
Freer Gallery of Art
A series of Japanese classic films continues at the Freer. On August 7 at 2:00pm is the great classic film High and Low (Akira Kurosawa, 1963) starring Toshiro Mifune.
The Hong Kong Film Festival (July and August) concludes in August. Titles are Project Gutenberg (Felix Chong, 2018) starring the great Chun Yun-Fat on August 4 at 2:00pm; The Leakers (Herman Yau, 2018) on August 9 at 7:00pm; Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (Yuen Woo-ping, 2018); Full Contact (Ringo Lam, 1992) in a 35mm archive print; and a restored Police Story (Jackie Chan, 1985).
National Gallery of Art
"Essential Cinema: Jonas Mekas" (August 3-September 1) looks at films by the founder of the Anthology Film Archives. On August 3 at 2:00pm is Guns of the Trees (1962) followed by The Brig (1964) with Oona Mekas, Sebastian Mekas and MM Serra in person. On August 4 at 4:00pm is Walden (1964-69). On August 10 at 2:00pm is Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania (1972) preceded by the short films Notes on the Circus (1966) and Time and Fortune (1968) introduced by David James. On August 10 at 4:00pm is Paradise Not Yet Lost (1979) preceded by Self-Portrait (1980) with an introduction by David James. On August 11 at 4:00pm is Lost Lost Lost (1976). On Augusts 17 at 2:00pm is He Stands in a Desert Counting the Seconds of His Life (1969-1985). On August 18 at 4:30pm is a program of short films (1982-1996). On August 25 at 4:30pm is Birth of a Nation (1997) preceded by This Side of Paradise: Fragments of an Unfinished Biography (1999). On August 31 at 2:00pm is Sleepless Night Stories (2011). Two more in September.
"Thomas Edison Black Maria: Selections from the Festival" features films from the annual festival. Short films are shown in two separate programs on August 24 at 1:00pm and August 24 at 3:30pm.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
On August 1 at 12:30pm is "Short Films by Nancy Holt," a program of two short films introduced by Lisa Le Feuvre. The program is repeated August 3 at 2:00pm.
National Museum of the American Indian
On August 19 at 1:00pm is Play Your Gender (Stephanie Clattenburg, 2016), a documentary about the lack of gender parity in the fields of songwriting, music production and live sound. Part of "Movie Music Monday."
On August 26 at 1:00pm is SUMÉ - Mumisitsinerup Nipaa/SUMÉ: The Sound of a Revolution (Inuk Silis Hoegh, 2014), a documentary about the Greenlandic rock band Sumé. Part of "Movie Music Monday."
The National Postal Museum
On August 3 at 2:00pm is Detroit 48202: Conversations Along a Postal Route (Pam Sporn, 2017), a documentary following the rise and demise of Detroit through the lens of mail carrier Wendell Watkins. A Q&A with the director Pam Sporn and colleague Matt Birkhold follows the screening.
Museum of American History
The Warner Brothers theater has an "Animation Exploration" series of stop-motion animation films August 10-11. Titles include Corpse Bride, Wallace and Grommet-Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Isle of Dogs and Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Goethe Institute
Landmark's West End Cinema hosts a new film series "Wunderbar Films: German Cinema 101." 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). Sky Sitney introduces the film and a discussion follows. On August 12 at 6:30pm is The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979).
"Kino-Q: The AIDS Trilogy" (July 18-August 17) is part of the "Queer as German Folk" series. On August 27 at 6:00pm is The Fire Under Your Ass (Rosa von Praunheim, 1990). A discussion follows the film.
The Japan Information and Culture Center
On August 14 at 6:30pm is Neko Atsume House (Masatoshi Kurakata, 2017), based on the mobile game "Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector."
The Textile Museum at GWU
On August 15 at noon is The Machinists (2010), a documentary about garment factories in Bangladesh. On August 22 at noon is Tears in the Fabric (Hannan Majid and Richard York), a documentary about the plight of garment workers in Bangladesh. Both programs are shown in conjunction with the exhibit "Fast Fashion/Slow Art."
The Avalon
For the "Exhibition on Screen" series is Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse (David Bickerstaff, 2016) on August 4 at 10:30am, August 6 at 10:30am, and August 11 at 10:30am (just added). Phil Grabsky will participate in Q&A at the August 4 show.
On August 7 at 8:00pm is Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes (Sophie Huber, 2018), part of the "Avalon Docs" series.
On August 14 at 8:00pm is Hastrman (Ondrej Havelka, 2018), about a mysterious nobleman who returns home to his ancestral Bohemian village in the early 1800s. Part of the "Czech Lions" series of films.
On August 21 at 8:00pm is In Safe Hands (Jeanne Herry, 2018), about an abandoned baby. Part of the "French Cinematheque" series.
On August 28 at 8:00pm is The Other Story (Avi Nesher, 2018) for "Reel Israel."
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 August 15 at 7:00pm is Duffy (Robert Parrish, 1968), a caper film starring James Coburn, James Mason, James Fox and Susannah York.
The Library shows films outdoors during August. On August 1 is Jaws; on August 8 is E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial; and on August 15 is Jurassic Park.
Anacostia Community Museum
On August 16 at 7:00pm is Amazing Grace (Sydney Pollack, 2019), a filmed gospel concert in 1972. Location: Allen Chapel AME Church, 2498 Alabama Ave, SE. A short discussion will follow the screening. Part of the Smithsonian Year of Music 2019.
Wolf Trap
On August 2 at 8:30pm is E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982) with the National Symphony performing John Williams' score.
On August 24 at 7:40pm is a "Sing Along" The Sound of Music (Robert Wise, 1965). A costume contest at 7:15pm precedes 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 August 7 is Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959); on August 14 is The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942); on August 21 is Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet, 1975); and on August 28 is Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995).
Hill Center
On August 7 at 6:30pm is LIKE (Scilla Andreen, 2019), a documentary about the impact of social media on our lives. A discussion follows.
Reel Affirmations XTra
On August 22 at 7:00pm is Last Ferry (Jaki Bradley, 2019) and on August 22 at 9:00pm is End of the Century (Lucio Castro, 2019). Location: Landmark's E Street Cinema.
Busboys and Poets
On August 1 at 7:00pm is Crown and Confidence (Bukky Adeyokunnu), a short documentary about black women's hair. At the Brookland location.
On August 20 at 5:00pm is No Limits, a short film about the friendship between two disabled athletes. A discussion and Q&A will follow with the film's stars. At the K Street location.
The Phillips Collection
On August 3 at 1:00pm is After Spring (Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez, 2016), a documentary about the Syrian refugee crisis. On August 17 at 1:00pm is Illegal (Olivier Masset-Depasse, 2010), about a single mother from Belarus seeking refuge in Belgium. Both films are shown in conjunction with the exhibit The Warmth of Other Suns: Stories of Global Displacement.
FILM FESTIVALS
