The Cinema Lounge
On Monday, September 18, 2023 at 8:00pm please join the Cinema Lounge, the DC Film Society's monthly film discussion group. We will be online again.
TOPIC: Preview/Review
It's our annual look back at the best and worst of the summer movies, and what to expect from the upcoming fall/winter season. Did the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon give theaters the boost they needed? Are we looking forward to the rest of what 2023 has to offer? Will the writers' and actors' strikes change what we can see?
Please RSVP to atspector@hotmail.com and you'll get the Zoom link 1-2 days before the discussion.
The Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, meets the third Monday of every month (unless otherwise noted) at 8:00pm 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. WE ARE MEETING ONLINE THIS MONTH. 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.
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 Festivl, the Locarno Film Festival, The Nitrate Picture Show, and the Chicago Critics 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
The 34th Latin American Film Festival (September 21-October 11). International film festival favorites, award winners, local box office hits and debut works by promising new talents are shown from Latin American countries plus Spain and Portugal. The Opening Night film is Totem (2023 from Mexico followed by Q&A with actor Mateo Garcia Elizondo. The Closing Night film is Pictures of Ghosts (2023) from Brazil followed by Q&A with filmmaker Kleber Mendonca Filho. Many other films have Q&As or receptions. A festival pass is available.
Special Events in September include Boogie Nights (1997) in 70mm; the documentary Desperate Souls and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy (2022) followed by Q&A with director Nancy Buirski and author Glenn Frankel; Midnight Cowboy (1969); the anime Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time (2021); the documentary Married to Comics (2023) followed by Q&A with filmmaker John Kinhart and artist Carol Tyler; the documentary Mutiny in Heaven: The Birthday Party (2023); the anime Perfect Blue (1997); and "The Cramps and the Mutants: the Napa State Tapes," a series of short music documentaries followed by Q&A with Mike Plante.
"Warner Bros. Centennial" Part 2 (July 14-September 2). Titles in September are Amadeus (1984); Dirty Harry (1971); Goodfellas (1990); Cleopatra Jones (1973); Malcolm X (1992) in a new 4K DCP; Heat (1995); Mad Max: Fury Road (2015); Risky Business (1983); Performance (1970); Space Jam (1996); Super Fly (1972); The Dark Knight (2008); The Departed (1996); The Goodbye Girl (1977); The Iron Giant (Signature Edition, 1999); Wonder Woman (2017); and the director's cut of Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music (1970/1994).
"AFI Silver After Dark" is a new series of midnight-style movies. The September film is Game of Death (1978) which is also in the Bruce Lee series.
"Sight and Sound: The Top 10" (July 16-September 20) is a series of the top ten films from BFI's Sight and Sound Magazine Critics' Poll. The series ends with Citizen Kane (1941), Vertigo (1958) and Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles (1975).
"AFI's Night at the Movies with ArcLight Cinemas" (July 28-September 13) is a series of films presented at the ArcLight Cinemas' famed Cinerama Dome. One remaining title in the series is Unforgiven (1992).
"Looney Tunes" (July 15-September 3) is back by popular demand. Warner Bros. classic Looney Tunes cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety and more. The last program in the series is "Bugs Bunny: Years of the Rabbit" which includes eight of Bugs' popular films including his 1938 debut.
"Jean-Luc Godard Remembered" (July 14-September 10). French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard (1930-2022) was one of the most influential and groundbreaking filmmakers with more than 100 films to his credit. This tribute series includes several new 4K restorations. September's titles are First Name: Carmen (1983), Hail Mary (1985), and For Every Mozart (1996).
"The Furious Fists of Bruce Lee" (August 21-September 18) is a short retrospective of kung fu legend Bruce Lee. Three titles remain: Enter the Dragon (1973), Game of Death (1978) and The Way of the Dragon (1972).
Freer Gallery of Art
On September 13 at 2:00pm is the sci-fi film The Face of Another (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1966) starring the great Tatsuya Nakadai. Part of the "Japanese Classics" series.
In the series "Activism Onscreen" are three films. On September 10 at 2:00pm is Blue Island (Chan Tze Woon, 2022) from Hong Kong. On September 15 at 7:00pm is Writing With Fire (Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, 2021) from India. On September 17 at 2:00pm is the animated documentary Aurora's Sunrise (Inna Sahakyan, 2022) about Aurora Mardiganian who escaped the Armenian genocide.
On September 24 at 2:00pm is Descended, a part chamber music, part media art, part film work about Lafcadio Hearn. Part of the series "Multi-Media Performances."
National Gallery of Art
On September 2 at 2:00pm is the documentary Close to Vermeer (Suzanne Raes, 2023), about the work behind the Rijksmuseum's Vermeer exhibition. On September 9 at 2:00pm is Mono Lake (Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson, 1968/2004) and Last Things (Deborah Stratman, 2023), followed by a discussion with filmmaker Deborah Stratman. On September 10 at 2:00pm is Simple As Water (2021) followed by a discussion with filmmaker Megan Mylan and Sky Sitney, co-founder of DC/Dox Film Festival. On September 16 at 2:00pm is 100 Ways to Cross the Border (Amber Bemak, 2022) with the filmmaker present for discussion.
All are in the East Building Auditorium. Registration is required.
National Portrait Gallery
"1898 Film Series" is a two-day film program presented in conjunction with the exhibition "1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions." On September 24 at 2:00pm is the documentary War For Guam (Frances Negron-Muntaner, 2015), followed by a discussion with the film's director and others. Location: McEvoy Auditorium, registration is required. The second program in this series is in October.
Washington Jewish Community Center
On September 26 at 7:30pm is One Struggle (Rokhaya Diallo and David Rybojad, 2023), a documentary about the historic alliance between American Jews and Blacks in the Civil Rights Movement. On September 28 at 7:30pm is Women of Valor (Anna Shomershaf, 2021), a documentary about women in the ultra-Orthodox Haredi community. Followed by Q&A with the film's director and others.
Goethe Institute
On September 7 at 6:00pm is an interdisciplinary discussion and screening about the German-Chilean TV series "Dignity," based on Colonia Dignidad, a German-Chilean sect notorious for human rights violations. The producers and researchers will discuss the relationship between fiction and reality in the way the sect has been portrayed in this production.
On September 28 at 6:00pm is the documentary Agora: Six Stories of Resilience in Athens (Tony Silberfeld and Samuel George, 2023), about the 2009 financial crisis in Greece and how NGOs in Athens helped their neighbors to survive. A discussion with the directors follows the screening.
French Embassy
On September 6 at 7:30pm is a Cine-Concert with harpist Isabelle Olivier on women pioneers of silent cinema.
The Avalon
On September 6 at 8:00pm is the documentary Bobi Wine: The People's President (Christopher Sharp, 2022) part of the "Avalon Docs" series.
On September 13 at 8:00pm is Zatopek (David Ondricek, 2021), in the "Czech Lions" series.
On September 20 at 8:00pm is For My Country (Rachid Hami, 2022) for this month's "French Cinematheque" pick.
Library of Congress
The Mary Pickford Theater shows Page Miss Glory (Mervyn LeRoy, 1935) on September 21 at 7:00pm. Marion Davies stars with Pat O'Brien, Dick Powell, Mary Astor and others.
Anacostia Community Museum
On September 14 at 7:00pm is the rescheduled Dancing the Twist in Bamako (Robert Guédiguian, 2021) set in 1962 Mali. Shown outdoors at Anacostia Park, Park Field 7.
Landmark's E Street Cinema
"Retro Replay" is a series of classic films shown Tuesdays at 4:00pm and 7:30pm (note that the times may vary). This month's theme is "The Wonderful and Strange World of David Lynch." On September 5 is Blue Velvet (1986); on September 12 is Mulholland Drive (2001); on September 19 is Wild at Heart (1990); and on September 26 is Lost Highway (1997). Most are 4K restorations.
Landmark's E Street Cinema
"Movies You May Have Missed" is a series of films worthy of being seen on a big screen. September 1-7 is Blackberry and Joyland; September 8-14 is Linoleum and L'Immensita; September 15-21 is How to Blow Up a Pipeline and The Last Rider; and September 22-28 is RRR and Smoking Causes Coughing. See the website for times.
Landmark's E Street Cinema
A 4-film retrospective pairing filmmaker Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio starts September 23, 24, and 27 with Gangs of New York (2002). On September 30 and October 1 and 4 is Shutter Island (2010) and two more in October. See the website for times and more information.
Kennedy Center
On September 10 at 3:00pm is You Hurt My Feelings (Nicole Holofcener, 2023) and on September 24 at 3:00pm is Polite Society (Nida Manzoor, 2023). Both are shown at the Kennedy Center's Justice Forum.
Old Greenbelt Theater
On September 2 at 4:30pm and September 3 at 2:00pm is the animated film Toy Story 4 (Josh Cooley, 2019) for Labor Day weekend. The "Monday Matinees' film is the great classic Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942) on September 4 at 1:00pm and September 7 at 8:00pm.
Angelika Film Center Mosaic
The Harry Potter series continues in September with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I (2010) on September 30 at 11:00am.
"Classics in Black and White" features a classic B&W film on the third Monday of each month. On September 18 at 4:00pm and 7:00pm is Scarface (1932) starring Paul Muni and George Raft.
For the "Angelika Classic" series is Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) on September 4 at 7:00pm
FILM FESTIVALS
