AFI SILVER THEATRE
WEEKLY PROGRAMMING UPDATE
APRIL 28, 2017
TICKETS AND FULL CALENDAR AT AFI.com/Silver
AFI Silver Theatre Contact Information
8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: 301.495.6720, Fax: 301.495.6777
E-mail: silverinfo@afi.com, Recorded Program Information: 301.495.6700
Ticket Prices/Information
$13.00 General Admission; $9.50 AFI members (Two Star and higher); $10.00 Seniors (65+), Students and Military (with valid ID); $8.00 Children (12 and under); $10.00 Matinees, weekdays before 5:00 p.m.; Sat. and Sun. before noon. Holidays excluded.
Box Office: The Box Office opens 30 minutes before the first film. The theater is not open to the public before that time.
Online: You can purchase tickets online (AFI.com/Silver) for any regular show with no added fee. Tickets purchased online MUST be retrieved at the box office with the same credit card used to purchase the tickets. The AFI Silver accepts American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover. Both advance sale, and day-of-show purchases are available online or in person.
One show only!
ALPHAGO
Fri, May 28, 7:00 p.m.
Q&A with go commentators Michael Redmond and Chris Garlock
The ancient Chinese board game Go has long been considered the holy grail for artificial intelligence. Its simple rules but near-infinite number of outcomes make it exponentially more complex than chess. Mastery of the game by computers was considered by expert players and the AI community alike to be out of reach for at least another decade. But in 2016, Google's DeepMind team announced that they would be taking on Lee Sedol, the world's most elite Go champion. The match was set for a weeklong tournament in Seoul in early 2016, and there was more at stake than the $1 million prize. Director Greg Kohs' absorbing documentary chronicles Google's DeepMind team as it prepares to test the limits of its rapidly evolving AI technology. The film pits machine against man, and reveals as much about the workings of the human mind as it does about the future of AI. (Note courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.) DIR Greg Kohs; PROD Gary Krieg, Josh Rosen, Kevin Proudfoot. U.S., 2017, color, 90 min. NOT RATED
CURRENT FIRST RUN ENGAGEMENTS
Now Playing: THE LOST CITY OF Z
Based on author David Grann's nonfiction bestseller, THE LOST CITY OF Z tells the incredible true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam, PACIFIC RIM, SONS OF ANARCHY), who journeys into the Amazon at the dawn of the 20th century and discovers evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilization that may have once inhabited the region. Despite being ridiculed by the scientific establishment who regard indigenous populations as "savages," the determined Fawcett — supported by his devoted wife (Sienna Miller, FACTORY GIRL), son (Tom Holland, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR) and aide-de-camp (Robert Pattinson, TWILIGHT) — returns time and again to his beloved jungle in an attempt to prove his case, culminating in his mysterious disappearance in 1925. An epically scaled tale of courage and passion, told in writer/director James Gray's classic filmmaking style, THE LOST CITY OF Z is a stirring tribute to the exploratory spirit and a conflicted adventurer driven to the verge of obsession.
Now Playing: THEIR FINEST
With WWII London emptied of men now fighting at the Front, Catrin Cole (Gemma Arterton, GEMMA BOVERY) lands herself a job writing copy for propaganda films that need "a woman's touch." Her natural flair quickly gets her noticed by dashing movie producer Buckley (Sam Claflin, THE HUNGER GAMES) whose path would never have crossed hers in peacetime. With the country's morale at stake, Catrin, Buckley and a colorful crew work furiously to make a film that will warm the hearts of the nation. As bombs are dropping all around them, Catrin discovers there is as much drama, comedy and passion behind the camera as there is onscreen. This charming love-letter to filmmaking also stars Bill Nighy (LOVE ACTUALLY), Jack Huston (AMERICAN HUSTLE), Richard E. Grant (WITHNAIL & I), Jake Lacy (GIRLS) and Jeremy Irons (THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK); directed by Lone Scherfig (AN EDUCATION).
CURRENT SPECIAL EVENTS, SERIES & ENGAGEMENTS
APRIL 28–JULY 6
| 2016: A Second Look |
February 20–May 2 |
| Recent Restorations |
April 28–July 6 |
| Special Engagements |
April 28–July 6 |
| Encores |
April 29–July 3 |
| Stage & Screen |
April 30–June 11 |
| By Popular Demand |
April 30–June 29 |
| DC Labor FilmFest |
May 1–31 |
| Directed by David Lynch |
May 12–July 6 |
| Independent Stardom |
May 13 |
| Reinventing Realism — New Cinema from Romania |
May 14–June 14 |
| Washington Jewish Film Festival |
May 17–28 |
| Spanish Cinema Now |
June 2–4 |
| DC Caribbean FilmFest |
June 9–11 |
| Two By Seijun Suzuki |
June 19–22 |
2016: A SECOND LOOK
February 20–May 2
The year 2016 was prolific and varied for both independent cinema and studio mega-blockbusters. So prolific and varied, in fact, that we simply couldn't fit everything in. Our programmers have gone back to take a second look at some of the best films that never screened at AFI Silver in 2016. With award nominations, year-end best-of lists and hindsight as your guide, take a second look at some of the past year's most distinctive films.
Double Feature: EAT THAT QUESTION: FRANK ZAPPA IN HIS OWN WORDS with GIMME DANGER
EAT THAT QUESTION: FRANK ZAPPA IN HIS OWN WORDS
Tue, May 2, 7:15 p.m. – note new date and time!
An immensely talented musician and composer whose work freely combined elements of rock, pop, jazz and classical music in daring and provocative ways, Frank Zappa possessed an abiding belief in the virtues of individuality, freedom of thought and self-expression. This documentary compiles rare footage spanning more than 30 years in Zappa's career, with the musician holding forth persuasively on a number of political and philosophical topics — culminating in his celebrated 1985 Senate testimony against the censorship of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) — and performances of some of his most political and pointedly satirical music. DIR Thorsten Schütte; PROD Estelle Fialon. U.S., 2016, color, 93 min. RATED R
Followed by:
GIMME DANGER
Jim Jarmusch documents the story of The Stooges, led by charismatic frontman Iggy Pop, who exploded out of the late '60s counterculture of Ann Arbor, Michigan, with an eardrum-assaulting sound that powerfully blended psychedelic garage rock, rough-hewn R&B and even free jazz into what would become the progenitor of the next decade's punk rock. Interviews with The Stooges allows the story to be told in the band members' own words, while rare concert footage offers a glimpse of what an alarmingly wild ride it was. DIR/SCR Jim Jarmusch; PROD José Ibáñez, Carter Logan, Fernando Sulichin. U.S., 2016, color, 108 min. RATED R
Recent Restorations
April 28–July 6
This series rounds up a wide range of recent digital restorations of screen classics. Here's your chance to see them back on the big screen and looking better than they have in years, thanks to the efforts of dedicated film archivists and specialty distributors.
2K Restoration
#93 on AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies
#8 on AFI's 100 Years…100 Thrills
THE FRENCH CONNECTION
Fri, April 28, 4:30 p.m.; Sat, April 29, 7:00 p.m.; Sun, April 30, 5:30 p.m.; Thurs, May 4, 7:00 p.m.
This classic police drama stars Gene Hackman as New York City Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, who's working with his partner, Detective Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider), to intercept a large heroin shipment from France. Based on a true story, the film won five Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Hackman and Best Director for William Friedkin. DIR William Friedkin; SCR Ernest Tidyman, from the book by Robin Moore; PROD Phillip D'Antoni. U.S., 1971, color, 104 min. RATED R
4K Restoration
DONNIE DARKO – DIRECTOR'S CUT
Sun, April 30 7:45 p.m.; Mon, May 1, 9:20 p.m.; Thurs, May 4, 9:20 p.m.
Richard Kelly described his debut feature as "The Catcher in the Rye" told by Philip K. Dick, and the film delivers, combining coming-of-age woes with high-concept science fiction. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as troubled teen Donnie, whose imaginary friend — a six-foot tall rabbit — informs him that the world is about to end. Dealing with time travel, alternate dimensions and mental illness, Donnie must unravel the mystery and possibly save the world. With a supporting cast featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze and Drew Barrymore, and an evocative soundtrack of '80s hits, this modern classic is a must-see on the big screen. DIR/SCR Richard Kelly; PROD Adam Fields, Nancy Juvonen, Sean McKittrick. U.S., 2001/2004, color, 133 min. RATED R
2K Restoration
JAMAICA INN (1939)
Fri, May 5, 2:45 p.m.; Sat, May 6, 5:00 p.m.; Sun, May 7, 2:20 p.m.
Alfred Hitchcock's final British picture before departing for the U.S. and REBECCA, was, like that film, based upon a Daphne du Maurier novel. Eighteen-year-old Maureen O'Hara, having recently lost her mother in Ireland, travels to her aunt Patience in Cornwall seeking refuge, but instead finds gothic intrigue. Her uncle is involved with a pirate gang of "wreckers," their boss none other than local squire and justice of the peace Sir Humphrey Pengallan (Charles Laughton). After O'Hara assists Robert Newton, a member of the gang sentenced to hang for stealing, she's drawn into a dangerous intrigue. DIR Alfred Hitchcock; SCR Sidney Gilliat, Joan Harrison, from the novel by Daphne du Maurier; PROD Erich Pommer, Charles Laughton. UK, 1939, b&w, 105 min. NOT RATED
2K Restoration
KAMIKAZE 89
Mon, May 8, 9:45 p.m.; Thurs, May 11, 9:30 p.m.
In his final acting role, legendary auteur Rainer Werner Fassbinder (clad in an iconic leopard-skin suit) stars as hardboiled detective Jansen. In a neon-drenched futuristic dystopia ruled by a multimedia conglomerate called The Combine, Jansen is sent on a labyrinthine investigation when their headquarters is threatened with mass destruction by a phantom bomber. This essential cult classic features a hypnotic electronic score by Tangerine Dream's Edgar Froese as well as gleefully mind-bending production design. (Note courtesy of Film Movement.) DIR/SCR Wolf Gremm; SCR Robert Katz, from the novel "Mord på 31:a våningen" by Per Wahlöö; PROD Regina Ziegler. West Germany, 1982, color, 106 min. In German with English subtitles. NOT RATED
2K Restoration; 50th Anniversary
TITICUT FOLLIES
Fri, May 12, 3:00 p.m.; Sat, May 13, 1:05 p.m.
Frederick Wiseman presents a stark and graphic portrayal of the conditions at the State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. "TITICUT FOLLIES is a documentary film that tells you more than you could possibly want to know — but no more than you should know — about life behind the walls of one of those institutions where we file and forget the criminally insane. A society's treatment of the least of its citizens — and surely these are the least of ours — is perhaps the best measure of its civilization. The repulsive reality revealed in TITICUT FOLLIES forces us to contemplate our capacity for callousness." – Richard Schickel, Life. (Note courtesy of Zipporah Films.) DIR/SCR/PROD Frederick Wiseman. U.S., 1967, b&w, 84 min. NOT RATED
4K Restoration
THE LION IN WINTER (1968)
Fri, May 19, 4:20 p.m.; Sat, May 20, 11:00 a.m.; Mon, May 22, 4:20 p.m.; Tue, May 23, 4:20 p.m.; Wed, May 24, 4:20 p.m.; Thurs, May 25, 4:20 p.m.
Christmas, 1183: intrigue abounds at the court of England's Henry II (Peter O'Toole), convened at his preferred residence, un château in Anjou, France. With an eye toward succession, Henry backs his younger son, Prince John (Nigel Terry). His estranged wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn) — no less formidable for having spent recent years locked in Salisbury Tower at Windsor Castle — backs their eldest son, Richard the Lionheart (Anthony Hopkins, in his screen debut). Clever foxes all, the family's various schemes, ruses and machinations against each other launch a dizzying array of plots and counterplots. DIR Anthony Harvey; SCR James Goldman, from his play; PROD Martin Poll. UK, 1968, color, 134 min. NOT RATED
4K Restoration
PRIVATE PROPERTY (1960)
Sun, May 21, 9:40 p.m.; Tue, May 23, 9:40 p.m.; Thurs, May 25, 9:40 p.m.
In this long-lost film noir gem, written and directed by THE OUTER LIMITS creator and Orson Welles protégé Leslie Stevens, Warren Oates (THE WILD BUNCH) and Corey Allen (REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE) are Duke and Boots, two unhinged Californian drifters who follow an unhappy housewife (Kate Manx, then married to Stevens) into her seemingly perfect Beverly Hills home. Their plan: to snare her for a one-time sexual encounter with the virginal Boots. Made on the cusp of the sexual revolution, PRIVATE PROPERTY is both a taut psychological drama and a major rediscovery for noir and crime fans, restored from 35mm elements previously thought lost. DIR/SCR Leslie Stevens; PROD Stanley Colbert. U.S., 1960, b&w, 79 min. NOT RATED
2K Restoration; 45th Anniversary
SOLARIS (1972)
Fri, May 26, 2:00 p.m.; Mon, May 29, 7:00 p.m.; Tue, May 30, 7:15 p.m.
Winner of the Grand Jury and FIPRESCI prizes at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival and based on the novel by Polish sci-fi author Stanislaw Lem, SOLARIS is a cerebral, emotive space odyssey about memory, grief and love. When cosmonaut/psychologist Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) is sent to investigate the mysterious death of a doctor onboard a space station orbiting the planet Solaris, he initially believes the remaining crew to have lost their minds. Then, he begins to experience strange apparitions of his own, encountering his seven-years-dead wife (Natalya Bondarchuk) and gradually losing sight of the line between reality and the darkest recesses of his inner psyche. DIR/SCR Andrei Tarkovsky; SCR Fridrikh Gorenshtein, from the novel by Stanislaw Lem; PROD Vyacheslav Tarasov. USSR, 1972, color, 167 min. In Russian with English subtitles. RATED PG
4K Restoration
THE IRON GIANT – SIGNATURE EDITION
Fri, June 2, 5:00 p.m.; Sat, June 3, 11:00 a.m.; Mon, June 5, 5:00 p.m.; Wed, June 7, 5:00 p.m.; Thurs, Jun 8, 5:00 p.m.
Academy Award®-winning director Brad Bird (THE INCREDIBLES, RATATOUILLE), evokes a nostalgic 1950s feel in this animated throwback to an era of Cold War paranoia, seen through the eyes of young Hogarth Hughes. When a giant metal machine falls to Earth in the woods near his home and sends the town into a panic, nine-year-old Hogarth enlists the help of a beatnik named Dean to try and save the Giant from the townspeople, the U.S. military and a federal agent who are out to get him. This restoration features an extended cut with brand new scenes previously storyboarded by Bird during the production but never finished due to time and budget constraints. DIR Brad Bird; SCR Tim McCanlies, from the book "The Iron Man" by Ted Hughes; PROD Allison Abbate, Des McAnuff. U.S., 1999, color, 90 min. RATED PG
2K Restoration
STALKER (1979)
Tue, June 6, 8:00 p.m.; Thurs, June 8, 7:15 p.m.
In a vaguely defined near-future dystopia, dissidents seeking a new life hire knowledgeable "stalkers" to guide them into the forbidden region called the Zone. Based on a story by the celebrated sci-fi writers the Strugatsky brothers, the trancey, atmospheric STALKER holds cult status within Tarkovsky's oeuvre, a subtle but powerful parable that makes use of contemporary architecture settings, disused industrial sites and evocative sound design to conjure up an all-too-recognizable future world. DIR Andrei Tarkovsky; SCR Arkady and Boris Strugatzky, from their novel "Roadside Picnic"; PROD Aleksandra Demidova. USSR, 1979, color/b&w, 161 min. In Russian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
4K Restoration
THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS
Fri, June 9, 5:00 p.m.; Sat, June 10, 1:00 p.m.; Mon, June 12, 9:00 p.m.; Tue, June 13, 7:00 p.m.; Wed, June 14, 9:00 p.m.
Filming on location in documentary style on the streets of Algeria with a cast of mostly nonprofessional actors, director Gillo Pontecorvo recreated the struggle for independence from the French occupiers so well that a disclaimer had to be added: "Not one foot of newsreel has been used." As the fervor of the community peaks in the film, everyone is implicated in the ongoing warfare, from children to soldiers. One of the most influential political films of all time, and still relevant today, the film features a pulsating score by maestro Ennio Morricone and Pontecorvo himself. Winner of the Venice Film Festival Golden Lion; Oscar® nominations for Best Director and Screenplay. DIR Gillo Pontecorvo; SCR Franco Solinas; PROD Yacef Saadi, Antonio Musu. Algeria/Italy, 1966, b&w, 121 min. In French and Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED
2K Restoration; 50th Anniversary
#57 on AFI's 100 Years…100 Passions
TWO FOR THE ROAD (1967)
Mon, June 19, 4:40 p.m.; Tue, June 20, 7:00 p.m.; Wed, June 21, 4:40 p.m.; Thurs, June 22, 7:00 p.m.
This road movie par excellence crisscrosses the 10-year marriage of Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney — via flashback and flash-forward — through good times and bad, during the couple's five road trips to the south of France. An editing marvel, remarkably fluent for its daring construction, the film rhymes its time-traveling cuts to visual, verbal and emotional themes shared in the life of the couple. It is director Stanley Donen's most passionate film, with entrancing turns by the stars and great comic support from William Daniels, Eleanor Bron and a zesty Jacqueline Bisset. DIR/PROD Stanley Donen; SCR Frederic Raphael. UK, 1967, color, 111 min. NOT RATED
4K Restoration
UGETSU (雨月物語 UGETSU MONOGATARI)
Mon, June 19, 7:00 p.m.; Tue, June 20, 5:00 p.m.; Wed, June 21, 7:00 p.m.; Thurs, June 22, 5:00 p.m.
During the 16th-century civil wars in Japan, ambitious potter Masayuki Mori leaves his wife Kinuyo Tanaka to sell his wares in town, only to be seduced by the ghost princess Machiko Kyô. But when Kyô's spell is finally broken, Mori returns to a devastated village. The illusory nature of ambition and desire is reinforced by the superb photography of Kazuo Miyagawa and powerful acting from the star trio. Winner of the Silver Lion at the 1953 Venice Film Festival, and number four on the British Film Institute's 1962 Top Ten Poll. DIR Kenji Mizoguchi; SCR Yoshikata Yoda, from stories by Akinari Ueda; PROD Masaichi Nagata. Japan, 1953, b&w, 96 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. NOT RATED
"No one will ever make a better ghost story than UGETSU." – Bruce Bennett, The New York Sun
4K Restoration
FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES [薔薇の葬列 BARA NO SÔRETSU]
Mon, June 19, 9:00 p.m.; Tue, June 20, 9:25 p.m.; Wed, June 21, 9:00 p.m.; Thurs, June 22, 9:25 p.m.
Toshio Matsumoto's shattering, kaleidoscopic masterpiece is one of the most subversive and intoxicating films of the late 1960s: a headlong dive into a dazzling Tokyo night-world of drag queen bars and fabulous divas, fueled by booze, drugs, fuzz guitars, performance art and mascara. Stanley Kubrick cited the film as a direct influence on his own dystopian classic A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. An unknown club dancer at the time, transgender actor Peter (RAN) gives an astonishing performance as Eddie, a hostess at Bar Genet — where she's ignited a violent love triangle with reigning drag queen Leda (Osamu Ogasawara) for the attentions of the club's owner. (Note courtesy of Cinelicious Pics.) DIR/SCR Toshio Matsumoto; PROD Mitsuru Kudo, Keiko Machida. Japan, 1969, b&w, 107 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. NOT RATED
4K Restoration; 30th Anniversary
MAURICE
Fri, June 23, 2:00 p.m.; Sat, June 24, 11:00 a.m.
Like HOWARDS END, MAURICE is based on an E. M. Forster novel set amid the repressive constrictions of Edwardian England. In an era in which homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment, Cambridge students Maurice Hall (James Wilby) and Clive Durham (Hugh Grant) keep their romance a secret. When Clive renounces his past, marries and moves to his wealthy wife's rural estate, Maurice continues to visit his former love, attracting the attention of the couple's gamekeeper, Alec Scudder (Rupert Graves). As a new forbidden love blossoms, Maurice is faced with heart-wrenching choices. The supporting cast includes Ben Kingsley, Simon Callow, Billie Whitelaw and Denholm Elliott. DIR/SCR James Ivory; SCR Kit Hesketh-Harvey, from the novel by E. M. Forster; PROD Ismail Merchant. UK, 1987, color, 140 min. RATED R
2K Restoration
PANIQUE
Fri, June 23, 7:15 p.m.; Tue, June 27, 7:15 p.m.; Thurs, June 29, 7:15 p.m.
"If I were an architect and I had to build a monument to the cinema," wrote Jean Renoir, "I would place a statue of Julien Duvivier above the entrance." Duvivier made 70 films between 1919 and 1967, many of them landmarks of French cinema. His first postwar-WWII project, a noir adaptation of Georges Simenon's "Mr. Hire's Engagement" stars Michel Simon as a reviled voyeur framed for a murder by the girl he adores. Now widely considered the finest Simenon adaptation, but criticized at the time for its bleakness, the long unseen PANIQUE has finally been given the vivid restoration it deserves. (Note courtesy of Rialto Pictures.) DIR/SCR Julien Duvivier; SCR Charles Spaak, from the novel by Georges Simenon; PROD Pierre O'Connell, Jose Bosch. France, 1946, b&w, 91 min. In French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
4K Restoration; 25th Anniversary
HOWARDS END
Fri, June 30, 1:30 p.m.; Sat, July 1, 11:15 a.m.
Merchant Ivory's adaptation of E. M. Forster's classic 1910 novel about British class relations in turmoil won three Academy Awards®, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actress (Emma Thompson). It follows the fortunes of the Schlegel sisters (Thompson and Helena Bonham Carter), who become involved with two couples: a wealthy, conservative industrialist (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife (Vanessa Redgrave), and a working-class man (Samuel West) and his mistress (Nicola Duffet). All connected to the ownership of Howards End, a beloved country home, the families' interwoven fates serve as a metaphor for shifting class distinctions at the dawn of the modern era. DIR James Ivory; SCR Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, from the novel by E. M. Forster; PROD Ismail Merchant. UK, 1992, color, 140 min. RATED PG
4K Restoration
MONTEREY POP
Sat, June 24, 8:30 p.m.; Sun, June 25, 7:30 p.m.
On a beautiful June weekend in 1967, at the height of the Summer of Love, the Monterey International Pop Festival captured a decade's spirit and ushered in a new era of rock and roll. A high-energy, iconic event in music history, the festival featured a wildly diverse mix of talent that included Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Simon and Garfunkel, the Mamas and the Papas, the Who, the Byrds and the extraordinary Ravi Shankar. With his characteristic vérité style, D. A. Pennebaker captured it all, immortalizing moments that have become legend: Pete Townshend destroying his guitar, Jimi Hendrix burning his and a career-making performance for Janis Joplin. DIR D. A. Pennebaker; PROD Lou Adler, John Phillips. U.S., 1968, color, 78 min. NOT RATED
4K Restoration
ONE-EYED JACKS
Fri, June 30, 4:10 p.m.; Sat, July 1, 4:10 p.m.
The only film directed by Marlon Brando combines classic midcentury Hollywood Western tropes with moody Method-style acting, resulting in a brawny, baroque, one-of-a-kind entertainment. A gang of bank robbers splits up after a heist gone wrong in Sonora, Mexico. Years later, one of the former outlaws, Dad Longworth (Karl Malden), is now a sheriff in Monterey, California. One day, a man rides into town who knows about Dad's criminal past: Rio (Brando), recently escaped from prison in Mexico and intent on revenge. The colorful cast includes Katy Jurado; Ben Johnson; Slim Pickens; Elisha Cook, Jr.; and Timothy Carey. DIR Marlon Brando; SCR Guy Trosper, Calder Willingham, from the novel "The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones" by Charles Neider; PROD Frank P. Rosenberg. U.S., 1961, color, 141 min. NOT RATED
4K Restoration
HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1943)
Sun, July 2, 12:00 p.m.; Tue, July 4, 12:00 p.m.; Wed, July 5, 12:00 p.m.; Thurs, Jul 6, 12:00 p.m.
Recently deceased New York dandy Henry Van Cleve (Don Ameche) arrives at the gates of Hell, where he presents his credentials for eternal damnation to a bemused, but not particularly impressed, Satan (Laird Cregar). Van Cleve may have lived a long life of wooing the fairer sex, despite his long and happy marriage to Martha (Gene Tierney), but he's no ladykiller. Ernst Lubitsch's late-career charmer features a colorful cast of character actors, including Charles Coburn, Marjorie Main, Spring Byington, Eugene Pallette, Signe Hasso and Louis Calhern. DIR/PROD Ernst Lubitsch; SCR Samson Raphaelson, from the play "Birthday" by Leslie Bush-Fekete. U.S., 1943, color, 112 min. NOT RATED
2K Restoration; 70th Anniversary
THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI
Sun, July 2, 4:45 p.m.; Mon July 3, 4:45 p.m.; Tue July 4, 4:45 p.m., 9:00 p.m.; Wed July 5, 4:45 p.m.,9:00 p.m.; Thurs, July 6, 4:45 p.m.
Footloose Irish sailor Orson Welles gets mixed up in a murder with crooked lawyer Everett Sloane and his sultry wife, Rita Hayworth (then Mrs. Welles). Byzantine plot twists and hypnotic spectacles ensue, including would-be lovers discussing a murder plot as an aquarium's shark swims behind them, and culminating in the now-legendary hall-of-mirrors shootout finale. DIR/SCR/PROD Orson Welles; SCR from "If I Die Before I Wake" by Sherwood King. U.S., 1947, b&w, 87 min. NOT RATED
Special Engagements
April 28–July 6
AFI's 100 Years…100 Thrills
THE EXORCIST: EXTENDED DIRECTOR'S CUT
Fri, April 28, 9:30 p.m.; Sat April 29, 9:15 p.m.; Wed, May 3, 9:00 p.m.
Forty-four years after it was made, this Oscar®-winning classic remains one of the scariest movies ever to darken the silver screen. When her daughter (a split-pea soup-spewing Linda Blair) starts to exhibit some demonic behavior, Georgetown mother (Ellen Burstyn) is forced to turn to a young priest for advice. His diagnosis: demonic possession. The cure: an exorcism, performed by Father Merrin (Max von Sydow). AFI Silver presents "The Version You've Never Seen," the 2000 re-issue including the famous "spider walk" sequence. DIR William Friedkin; SCR/PROD William Peter Blatty, from his book. U.S., 1973, color, 122 min. RATED R
IN MEMORIAM: William Peter Blatty (1928–2017)
WATERSHIP DOWN (1978)
Fri, May 26, 5:15 p.m.; Mon, May 29, 11:00 a.m.; Wed, May 31, 5:00 p.m.; Thu, June 1, 5:00 p.m.
Martin Rosen's adaptation of the late Richard Adams' novel remains a classic of 20th-century animation, voiced by a fine cast of British stars, including John Hurt, Richard Briers, Ralph Richardson and Denholm Elliott. Adams' stark, often harsh, vision of a community of rabbits driven to search for a new home in the wake of impending destruction and violence is brought to life by naturalistic hand-drawn animation, bucolic watercolor backgrounds and expressionistic flourishes which underscore the film's religious and political subtext. As much an allegory about overcoming tyranny and fear as an adventure tale, WATERSHIP DOWN continues to delight and inspire. DIR/SCR/PROD Martin Rosen, from the novel by Richard Adams. UK, 1978, color, 91 min. RATED PG
IN MEMORIAM: John Hurt (1940–2017), Richard Adams (1920–2016)
THE ADVENTURES OF BIFFLE AND SHOOSTER
Sat, June 3, 1:00 p.m.; Sun, June 4, 1:00 p.m.
Filmmaker Michael Schlesinger crafts an inspired valentine to the vaudeville-schooled comedy teams of the 1930s, and the breezy short subjects that Hollywood once produced to showcase them. Featuring the uncanny, old-school comedic skills of Nick Santa Maria (Biffle) and Will Ryan (Shooster), this compilation of four shorts is a classic comedy lover's dream. The program includes THE BIFFLE MURDER CASE, IMITATION OF WIFE, SCHMO BOAT and BRIDE OF FINKELSTEIN. DIR/SCR/PROD Michael Schlesinger, from characters by Will Ryan and Nick Santa Maria; PROD Michael DeMeritt. U.S., 2015, b&w, 103 min. NOT RATED
THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER
Sun, June 4, 9:15 p.m.; Mon, June 5, 9:15 p.m.
A child's angelic face conceals a budding sociopath in the audacious, senses-shattering feature directing debut from actor Brady Corbet, with a cast led by Robert Pattinson and Bérénice Bejo. Set amid the turmoil of WWI and its aftermath, this dark domestic nightmare follows the young son of an American diplomat living in France as he learns to manipulate the adults around him — a monstrous coming of age that ominously parallels the rising tide of fascism in Europe. The stylistically fearless tour-de-force reaches fever-pitch delirium thanks to Lol Crawley's ravishing cinematography and a thunderous score by legendary musician Scott Walker. (Note courtesy of IFC Films.) DIR/SCR/PROD Brady Corbet; SCR Mona Fastvold, from the novel by Jean-Paul Sartre; PROD Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Chris Coen, Helena Danielsson, István Major. UK/France, 2015, color, 113 min. In English and French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
CHILDREN OF MEN
Mon, June 5, 7:00 p.m.; Wed, June 7, 9:00 p.m.
"The world has collapsed; only Britain soldiers on," blares the TV propaganda in 2027 London, a crumbling city host to riot-squad brutality, terrorist bomb attacks and immigrant concentration camps. Cynical self-preservationist Clive Owen, a government paper-pusher with an activist past, is pressured by a group of underground insurgents to forge transport papers for a very special person: a woman who may hold the key to the future. Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Danny Huston contribute memorable supporting turns, as does Michael Caine as Owen's old hippie friend and confidant. DIR/SCR Alfonso Cuarón; SCR Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, from the novel by P.D. James; PROD Mark Abraham, Eric Newman, Hilary Shor, Iain Smith, Tony Smith. Japan/UK/U.S., 2006, color, 109 min. RATED R
65th Anniversary
HIGH NOON
Sun, June 11, 1:00 p.m.*; Mon, June 12, 5:10 p.m.; Tue, June 13, 5:10 p.m.; Wed, June 14, 5:10 p.m.
*Introduction by Glenn Frankel, author of “High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic.” on Sun, June 11. The book will be available on site for sales and signing.
Gary Cooper won the Oscar® for Best Actor for his turn as a New Mexico Territory marshal, newly married to Grace Kelly and about to retire, who's forced to defend himself against a vengeful nemesis recently let out of jail on a technicality. This classic Western unfolds in real time, as the minutes count down to a duel at high noon. Penned by the blacklisted Carl Foreman, HIGH NOON also serves as an allegory of the terror that paralyzed Hollywood during McCarthyism. The film was nominated for seven Oscars® and won four: Best Actor, Editing, Score and Song. DIR Fred Zinnemann; SCR Carl Foreman, from a story by John W. Cunningham; PROD Stanley Kramer. U.S., 1952, b&w, 85 min. NOT RATED
TYRUS
Mon, June 19, 5:30 p.m.; Wed, Jun 21, 7:20 p.m.*; Thurs, Jun 22, 5:30 p.m.
*Q&A with filmmaker Pamela Tom on Wed, June 21
When former Disney animator and painter Tyrus Wong died in December 2016 at 106, obituaries told of a man whose life reads like an epic of the 20th century. From his birth in China in 1910 to a difficult immigration experience as a small boy and penurious upbringing in Los Angeles' Chinatown, Wong worked his way through art school and eventually found work in Disney's animation studio. When pre-production on BAMBI bogged down due to problems with overcrowding in the background of the early artwork, it was Wong's new landscape sketches — modeled on Song Dynasty-style landscape painting — that took the film in a bold new direction. DIR/SCR/PROD Pamela Tom; PROD Tamara Khalaf, Gwen Wynne. U.S., 2015, color, 77 min. NOT RATED
IN MEMORIAM: Tyrus Wong (1910 – 2016)
#3 on AFI's Top 10 Westerns
#45 on AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies
SHANE
Fri, June 23, 4:45 p.m.; Sun, June 25, 2:30 p.m.
James Mangold's Marvel blockbuster LOGAN features an extended homage to George Stevens' Western SHANE, a testament to the classic's powerful meditation on violence and society across the years. Young Brandon De Wilde watches wide-eyed as his farmer father Van Heflin, with the help of hired gun Shane (Alan Ladd), squares off against Jack Palance and his band of gunmen who have been terrorizing their town. The film features the final big-screen appearance by Jean Arthur, who gave one of her best performances in Stevens' THE MORE THE MERRIER 10 years earlier, but who had largely abandoned movies over the ensuing decade. DIR/PROD George Stevens; SCR A.B. Guthrie, Jr., from the novel by Jack Schaefer. U.S., 1953, color, 118 min. NOT RATED
VINCE GIORDANO: THERE'S A FUTURE IN THE PAST plus live concert
Sat, June 24, 3:00 p.m.
Q&A with Vince Giordano and live musical performance by Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks
Tickets $40 | No passes, no refunds
Co-presented with the Art Deco Society of Washington
Vince Giordano is responsible for the period music in Todd Haynes' CAROL, Martin Scorsese's THE AVIATOR, Francis Ford Coppola's THE COTTON CLUB, Terry Zwigoff's GHOST WORLD, half-a-dozen Woody Allen films and HBO's Grammy®-winning BOARDWALK EMPIRE soundtrack. Who is the eccentric musician who has kept the past alive with his 11-piece big band The Nighthawks, a collection of 60,000-plus band arrangements and a houseful of vintage instruments? Giordano's dedication has kept this cultural phenomenon on life support through hard times, and a new generation of hot jazz virtuosos are laying claim to this joyful, energetic music. (Note courtesy of Hudson West Productions.) DIR/SCR/PROD Dave Davidson, Amber Edwards. U.S., 2016, color, 90 min. NOT RATED
"As a bandleader, Mr. Giordano takes standards back to their roots and infuses them with a quick-stepping effervescence that strips away any tendencies toward ceremonial grandiosity." – The New York Times
75th Anniversary
#3 on AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies
CASABLANCA
Fri, June 30, 7:00 p.m.; Sat, July 1, 7:00 p.m.; Mon, July 3, 2:30 p.m.; Tue, July 4, 2:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m.; Wed, July 5, 2:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m.; Thurs, July 6, 2:30 p.m.
Why is he in Casablanca? "I was misinformed," explains nightclub owner/war refugee Humphrey Bogart, who won't "stick his neck out for nobody" — until Ingrid Bergman walks in. The film evolved from an unproduced play to a Warner Bros. "B" melodrama to a Bogart/Bergman star vehicle to a multiple Oscar® winner — and finally, to the cultural icon it remains today. Dialogue was often handed to the cast minutes before shooting, and "As Time Goes By" almost didn't make it in. Just another movie — until the Allied invasion of North Africa right before the premiere made CASABLANCA a prequel to history. An American classic. DIR Michael Curtiz; SCR Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch, from the play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison; PROD Hal B. Wallis. U.S., 1942, b&w, 102 min. NOT RATED
CINEMA'S EXILES: FROM HITLER TO HOLLYWOOD
Sun, July 2, 2:30 p.m.
Following Adolph Hitler's election as Chancellor, and the subsequent banning of Jews from the country's celebrated film industry, more than 800 film professionals escaped from Germany to Hollywood between 1933 and 1939. Among them are some of classic Hollywood's most famous names and celebrated artists: directors Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, Fred Zinnemann and Henry Koster; actors Peter Lorre, Paul Henreid, Hedy Lamarr, Conrad Veidt and Felix Bressart; composers Franz Waxman, Max Steiner, Frederick Hollander, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold; and cinematographer/director Rudolph Maté. Their many films now number among the greatest in American cinema. DIR/SCR/PROD Karen Thomas. U.S., 2009, color, 90 min. NOT RATED
DON'T THINK I'VE FORGOTTEN: CAMBODIA'S LOST ROCK AND ROLL
Sat, April 29, 4:45 p.m.; Sun, April 30, 3:15 p.m.
During the '60s and early '70s, as the war in Vietnam threatened its borders, a new music scene emerged in Cambodia that took Western rock and roll and stood it on its head, creating a sound like no other. But as Cambodian society — young musicians in particular — embraced Western culture, the country was rapidly moving to war. After taking over the country on April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge began eliminating all traces of modernity and Western influence. This documentary tracks the twists and turns of Cambodian music as it morphed into rock and roll, blossomed and was nearly destroyed along with the rest of the country. DIR/PROD John Pirozzi; PROD Andrew Pope. U.S./Cambodia/France, 2014, color/b&w, 105 min. In English, French and Khmer with English subtitles. NOT RATED
NERUDA
Fri, May 5, 5:00 p.m.; Tue, May 9, 9:25 p.m.; Wed, May 10, 9:25 p.m.
Filmmaker Pablo Larraín (THE CLUB, NO) constructs a mesmerizing postmodern portrait of the Nobel Prize-winning poet and politician Pablo Neruda (1904–1973). Forced into hiding in 1948 when Chile's political winds shifted, Neruda (Luis Gnecco) travels across Chile with his Argentinian wife (Mercedes Morán) and minders from Chile's Communist party, staying in safe havens. Neruda's movements are tracked by inspector Oscar Peluchonneau (Gael García Bernal), a dogged gumshoe who loves detective fiction and relishes his role as the poet's nemesis. As the two engage in a cat-and-mouse game, fact and fiction begin to merge. DIR Pablo Larraín; SCR Guillermo Calderón; PROD Renan Artukmac, Peter Danner, Fernanda Del Nido, Juan Pablo García, Axel Kuschevatzky, Juan de Dios Larraín, Ignacio Rey, Gastón Rothschild, Jeff Skoll, Alex Zito. Chile/Argentina/France/Spain, 2016, color, 107 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
2K Restoration
DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST
Fri, May 5, 7:15 p.m.; Sat, May 6, 7:15 p.m.; Sun, May 7, 4:30 p.m.; Mon, May 8, 4:30 p.m; Wed, May 10, 4:30 p.m.
AFI Conservatory alumna Julie Dash's 1991 film was the first feature by a black female to receive a wide release in the U.S. The story centers on the Peazant family, living on the Sea Islands off of South Carolina at the turn of the century. Part of a Gullah community — former West African slaves who preserved their ancestors' Yoruba traditions — the family struggles to maintain their cultural heritage while contemplating a migration to the mainland. Shot by Arthur Jafa (who oversaw color-grading on the restoration), DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST won the Cinematography Award at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival, and its visuals have influenced countless filmmakers and artists, including Beyoncé with "Lemonade." DIR/SCR/PROD Julie Dash; PROD Arthur Jafa, Steven Jones. U.S., 1991, color, 112 min. NOT RATED
Academy Award® Best Foreign Language Film
THE SALESMAN (2016) [FORUSHANDE]
Fri, May 12, 5:00 p.m.; Sat, May 13, 3:00 p.m.; Sun, May 14, 2:30 p.m.
Asghar Farhadi (A SEPARATION) directs this "finely cut gem of neorealist suspense" – Owen Gleiberman, Variety. Shahab Hosseini (ABOUT ELLY, A SEPARATION) won Best Actor at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival for his performance as Emad, first seen fleeing a collapsing apartment building with his wife, Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti, ABOUT ELLY, FIREWORKS WEDNESDAY). When an intruder attacks Rana in their new home, Emad attempts to find the assailant and soothe his wife's nerves. Farhadi's screenplay, also awarded at Cannes, weaves its plot around Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" as the onscreen couple stars in an amateur production of the play. (Notecourtesy of Freer|Sackler.) DIR/SCR/PROD Asghar Farhadi; PROD Alexandre Mallet-Guy. Iran/France, 2016, color, 125 min. In Persian with English subtitles. RATED PG-13
TONI ERDMANN
Mon, May 29, 3:30 p.m.
Maren Ade's (EVERYONE ELSE) outrageous oddball dramedy has wowed audiences the world over since its Cannes debut. Winfried (Peter Simonischek) is a newly retired teacher and free spirit who decides to pay a surprise visit to his daughter Ines (Sandra Hüller, in a gutsy performance) in Romania. The workaholic Ines does not welcome Winfried's sudden intrusion into her busy life. Undeterred, the fun-loving father crashes his daughter's work event in a flashy suit, false teeth and a wig, having adopted the alter-ego of Toni Erdmann, life coach. Ines, surprisingly, plays along. Escalating hijinks ensue, with Ines rediscovering her sense of play in life and work. Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® nominee. DIR/SCR/PROD Maren Ade; PROD Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski, Michel Merkt. Germany/Austria, 2016, 162 min. In German and Romanian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
HIERONYMUS BOSCH: TOUCHED BY THE DEVIL
Sun, June 25, 12:30 p.m.; Mon, June 26, 5:00 p.m.; Wed, June 28, 5:00 p.m.
In 2016, the Noordbrabants Museum in the Dutch city of Den Bosch held a special exhibition devoted to the work of Hieronymus Bosch, who died 500 years ago. This late-medieval artist lived his entire life in the city, causing uproar with his fantastical and utterly unique paintings in which hell and the devil always played a prominent role. In preparation for the exhibition, a team of Dutch art historians crisscrosses the globe to unravel the secrets of his art. They use special infrared cameras to examine the sketches beneath the paint, in the hope of discovering more about the artist's intentions. They also attempt to establish which of the paintings can be attributed with certainty to Bosch himself, and which to his pupils or followers. The experts shuttle between Den Bosch, Madrid and Venice, cutting their way through the art world's tangle of red tape, in a battle against countless egos and conflicting interests. Not every museum is prepared to allow access to their precious artworks. (Note courtesy of Kino Lorber.) DIR/SCR/PROD Pieter van Huystee. Netherlands, 2015, color, 86 min. In Dutch, English, Spanish, Italian and German with English subtitles. NOT RATED
2K Restoration
KING OF JAZZ
Sat, July 1, 2:00 p.m.; Mon, July 3, 12:20 p.m.
Bandleader Paul Whiteman, the biggest name in American popular music in 1930, leads this lavish music and comedy revue, featuring star players John Boles, Laura LaPlante, Jeanette Loff and a young Bing Crosby, singing in the Rhythm Boys trio. The film makes for a fascinating curio: strained humor; a giant rotating stage; a bizarre animated sequence (by Walter Lantz, later of Woody Woodpecker fame); novelty dance acts like contortionists Stattler & Rose and the comedic "Rubber Legs" Al Norman; and the elephant in the room of race, as the musicians are exclusively white, and the finale's "Melting Pot" number includes only European countries. DIR John Murray Anderson; SCR Edward T. Lowe, Jr., Charles MacArthur; PROD Carl Laemmle, Jr. U.S., 1930, color, 98 min. NOT RATED
Stage & Screen
April 30–June 11
AFI Silver presents an exciting selection of stage performances from the National Theatre, captured on camera and presented on the big screen.
$15/$13 AFI Members. No passes accepted.
"Twelfth Night" from the National Theatre, London
Written by William Shakespeare; directed by Simon Godwin; starring Tamsin Greig.
Sun, April 30, 11:00 a.m.
Tamsin Greig (TV's BLACK BOOKS, EPISODES, FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER) is Malvolia in a new twist on Shakespeare's classic comedy of mistaken identity. A ship is wrecked on the rocks. Viola is washed ashore, but her twin brother Sebastian is lost. Determined to survive on her own, she steps out to explore a new land. So begins a whirlwind of mistaken identity and unrequited love. The nearby households of Olivia and Orsino are overrun with passion. Even Olivia's upright housekeeper Malvolia is swept up in the madness. Where music is the food of love, and nobody is quite what they seem, anything proves possible. Simon Godwin (National Theatre Live's "Man and Superman" and "The Beaux' Stratagem") directs this joyous new production with an ensemble cast that includes Daniel Rigby (TV's FLOWERS), Tamara Lawrence (TV's UNDERCOVER), Doon Mackichan (TV's SMACK THE PONY) and Daniel Ezra (TV's THE MISSING). (Note courtesy of By Experience.) Written by William Shakespeare; directed by Simon Godwin; starring Tamsin Greig, Oliver Chris, Daniel Rigby, Tamara Lawrence, Doon Mackichan, Daniel Ezra, Tim McMullan, Niky Wardley, Adam Best. UK, 2017, color, 180 min, incl. one 20-min intermission. NOT RATED
"The Deep Blue Sea" from the National Theatre, London
Written by Terence Rattigan; directed by Carrie Cracknell; starring Helen McCrory and Tom Burke.
Sun, May 7, 11:00 a.m.
Helen McCrory (TV's PEAKY BLINDERS) returns to the National Theatre in Terence Rattigan's devastating masterpiece in one of the greatest female roles in contemporary drama. Tom Burke (TV's THE MUSKETEERS) also features in Carrie Cracknell's critically acclaimed new production. A flat in Ladbroke Grove, West London, 1952. When Hester Collyer is found by her neighbours in the aftermath of a failed suicide attempt, the story of her tempestuous affair with a former RAF pilot and the breakdown of her marriage to a High Court judge begins to emerge. With it comes a portrait of need, loneliness and long-repressed passion. Behind the fragile veneer of post-war civility burns a brutal sense of loss and longing. (Note courtesy of By Experience.) Written by Terence Rattigan, from his story; directed by Carrie Cracknell; starring Helen McCrory, Tom Burke, Marion Bailey, Hubert Burton, Yolanda Kettle, Nick Fletcher, Peter Sullivan, Adetomiwa Edun. UK, 2016, color, 150 min, incl. one 20-min intermission. NOT RATED
"No Man's Land" from Wyndham's Theatre, London
Written by Harold Pinter; directed by Sean Mathias; starring Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart.
Sat, May 13, 11:00 a.m.
Following their hit run on Broadway, British super-thespians Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart return to the West End stage in Harold Pinter's "No Man's Land." One summer evening, two aging writers, Hirst and Spooner (McKellen and Stewart), meet in a Hampstead pub and continue their drinking into the night at Hirst's stately house nearby. As the pair become increasingly inebriated, and their stories increasingly unbelievable, the lively conversation soon turns into a revealing power game, further complicated by the return home of two sinister younger men. Don't miss this glorious revival of Pinter's comic classic. The play will be followed by an exclusive taped Q&A with the cast and director Sean Mathias. (Note courtesy of By Experience.) Written by Harold Pinter; directed by Sean Mathias; starring Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Owen Teale, Damien Molony. UK, 2016, color, 150 min, incl. one 20-min intermission. NOT RATED
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" from The Old Vic, London
Sun, May 14, 11:00 a.m.
Daniel Radcliffe (HARRY POTTER films), Joshua McGuire (MR. TURNER) and David Haig (FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL) star in Tom Stoppard's brilliantly funny situational comedy, performed at the Old Vic in London. David Leveaux's new production marks the 50th anniversary of the play that made a young Tom Stoppard's name overnight. Against the backdrop of "Hamlet," two hapless minor characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, take center stage. As the young duo stumble their way in and out of the action of Shakespeare's iconic drama, they become increasingly out of their depth as their version of the story unfolds. (Note courtesy of By Experience.) Written by Tom Stoppard; directed by David Leveaux; starring Daniel Radcliffe, Joshua McGuire, David Haig. UK, 2017, color, 200 min, incl. one 20-min intermission. NOT RATED
"Obsession" from the Barbican Theatre, London
Mon, May 29, 1:00 p.m.
Jude Law (THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY) stars in the stage production of "Obsession" from the Barbican Theatre in London. Ivo van Hove (National Theatre Live's "A View from the Bridge" and "Hedda Gabler") directs this new stage adaptation of Luchino Visconti's 1943 film. Gino is a drifter, down-at-the-heel and magnetically handsome. At a roadside restaurant he encounters a husband and wife, Giuseppe and Giovanna. Irresistibly attracted to each other, Gino and Giovanna begin a fiery affair and plot to murder her husband. But, in this chilling tale of passion and destruction, the crime only serves to tear them apart. The stage production of "Obsession" is produced by Barbican Theatre Productions Limited, London, and Toneelgroep Amsterdam; co-commissioned by Wiener Festwochen and Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg; co-produced by Holland Festival and David Binder Productions; and supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. (Note courtesy of By Experience.) Written by Tom Stoppard, from Luchino Visconti's film; directed by Ivo van Hove; starring Jude Law. UK, 2017, color, 120 min. NOT RATED
"Hedda Gabler" from the National Theatre, London
Sun, Jun 4, 11:00 a.m.
"I've no talent for life." Just married. Bored already. Hedda longs to be free. Hedda and Tesman have just returned from their honeymoon and the relationship is already in trouble. Trapped but determined, Hedda tries to control those around her, only to see her own world unravel. Tony Award®-winning director Ivo van Hove (National Theatre Live's "A View from the Bridge") returns to National Theatre Live screens with a modern production of Henrik Ibsen's masterpiece. Ruth Wilson (TV's THE AFFAIR, JANE EYRE) plays the title role in a new version adapted by Patrick Marber (CLOSER, NOTES ON A SCANDAL). (Note courtesy of By Experience.) Written by Henrik Ibsen, in a new version by Patrick Marber; directed by Ivo van Hove; starring Ruth Wilson. UK, 2017, color, 210 min, incl. one 20-min intermission. NOT RATED
"Amadeus" from the National Theatre, London
Sat, Jun 10, 11:00 a.m.
Music. Power. Jealousy. Lucian Msamati (TV's GAME OF THRONES, LUTHER; National Theatre Live's "The Comedy of Errors") plays Antonio Salieri in Peter Shaffer's iconic play, performed at the National Theatre, and with orchestral accompaniment by Southbank Sinfonia. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a rowdy young prodigy, arrives in Vienna, the music capital of the world — and he's determined to make a splash. Awestruck by his genius, court composer Salieri has the power to promote his talent or destroy his name. Seized by obsessive jealousy he begins a war with Mozart, with music and, ultimately, with God. After winning multiple Olivier and Tony Awards® when it had its premiere at the National Theatre in 1979, "Amadeus" was adapted into an Academy Award®-winning film. (Note courtesy of By Experience.) Written by Peter Shaffer; directed by Michael Longhurst; starring Lucian Msmati, Adam Gillen. UK, 2017, color, 195 min, incl. one 20-min intermission. NOT RATED
"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" from the Harold Pinter Theatre, London
Sun, Jun 11, 11:00 a.m.
Sonia Friedman Productions present Imelda Staunton (VERA DRAKE), Conleth Hill (TV's GAME OF THRONES); Luke Treadaway (National Theatre Live's "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time") and Imogen Poots (JANE EYRE) in James Macdonald's new production of Edward Albee's landmark play, performed at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London. In the early hours of the morning on the campus of an American college, Martha, much to her husband George's displeasure, has invited the new professor and his wife to their home for some after-party drinks. As the alcohol flows and dawn approaches, the young couple is drawn into George and Martha's toxic games, until the evening reaches its climax in a moment of devastating truth-telling. (Note courtesy of By Experience.) Written by Edward Albee; directed by James Macdonald; starring Imelda Staunton, Conleth Hill, Imogen Poots, Luke Treadaway. UK, 2017, color, 210 min, incl. one 20-min intermission. NOT RATED
By Popular Demand
April 30–June 29
What makes a great film even greater? Seeing it at AFI Silver Theatre! These critically acclaimed recent releases originally opened elsewhere in the area and, in some cases, came and went from screens after too brief a run — but now you can see them back on the big screen at AFI Silver.
MUSTANG (2015)
Sun, April 30, 1:10 p.m.; Mon, May 1, 4:45 p.m.; Tue, May 2, 4:45 p.m.; Wed, May 3, 4:45 p.m.; Thurs, May 4, 4:45 p.m.
Deniz Gamze Ergüven's Oscar®-nominated debut is a powerful portrait of female empowerment set in modern-day Turkey. After five free-spirited sisters are spotted by a neighbor on the beach with their male classmates, the girls' guardians (their hyper-traditional grandmother and uncle) overreact to what they perceive as illicit behavior, banishing all contact with the outside world, and beginning preparations for them all to become obedient brides and good wives. As the eldest sisters are married off, the younger siblings band together to avoid the same fate. The fierce love between sisters engenders the strength to rebel and chase a future where they can determine their own lives. DIR/SCR Deniz Gamze Ergüven; SCR Alice Winocour; PROD Charles Gillibert. France/Turkey/Germany, 2015, color, 97 min. In Turkish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
GET OUT
Fri, May 5, 9:35 p.m.; Sat, May 6, 9:35 p.m.
Can an impeccably crafted horror film tackle issues of racism and white privilege in America while also inspiring sold-out audiences to laugh and clap in unison? Yes it can, and Jordan Peele's (KEY & PEELE) feature debut does so with style, wit and humor. When Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) embarks on a weekend trip to meet his girlfriend's (Allison Williams) parents, he has minor reservations. At first, Chris reads the family's accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's newly revealed interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries leads Chris to a terrifying truth. DIR/SCR/PROD Jordan Peele; PROD Jason Blum; Edward H. Hamm, Jr.; Sean McKittrick. U.S., 2017, color, 103 min. RATED R
I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO
Fri, May 12, 7:30 p.m.; Sat, May 13, 11:05 a.m.; Sun, May 14, 5:00 p.m.
The writings of James Baldwin from his unfinished book on the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., are brought to life in this searing, Academy Award®-nominated documentary. Samuel L. Jackson narrates Baldwin's words with a mix of archival footage and contemporary images depicting the black experience in America, then and now. Footage of Baldwin holding forth in various speaking engagements — THE DICK CAVETT SHOW, addressing the Oxford Union in the UK and various news and public affairs programs — reminds the viewer what an important voice he was as one of America's greatest public intellectuals. DIR/PROD Raoul Peck; SCR James Baldwin, from his book "Remember This House"; PROD Rémi Grellety, Hébert Peck. U.S., 2016, color, 93 min. RATED PG-13
THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN (2016)
Mon, June 26, 7:00 p.m.; Tue, June 27, 4:45 p.m.; Wed, June 28, 9:30 p.m.; Thurs, Jun 29, 4:45 p.m.
The first honest, coming-of-age film for the millennial generation is a hilarious and heartfelt gem from debut director/writer Kelly Fremon Craig. The film stars the unlikely comic duo of Hailee Steinfeld (TRUE GRIT) as high-school junior Nadine and Woody Harrelson as her sardonic history teacher. This raunchy look at growing up in a broken home hits all of the classic tropes with panache — living in the shadow of an older sibling, an absentee mother, nursing a crush on the high-school bad boy and the student-teacher friendship. DIR/SCR Kelly Fremon Craig; PROD Julie Ansell, James L. Brooks, Richard Sakai. U.S., 2016, color, 104 min. RATED R
DC Labor FilmFest
May 1–31
Organized and presented by the Metropolitan Washington Council of the AFL-CIO, the Debs-Jones-Douglass Institute and the AFI Silver, the DC Labor FilmFest features a wide-ranging selection of films about work, workers and the wider issues affecting workers' lives.
For more information, visit dclabor.org/dc-laborfest.
Union members who present their member cards will receive the AFI member discount.
Opening Night:
IN DUBIOUS BATTLE
Mon, May 1, 7:00 p.m.
James Franco is a fiery union organizer who sets out to rally apple pickers in central California during the 1930s with his young protégé (Nat Wolff). Based on the first major work of Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Steinbeck, this rousing tale of farm laborers fighting for a few more dollars a day takes on modern relevance as workers across the U.S. continue the struggle for a living wage. The cast includes Vincent D'Onofrio, Selena Gomez, Robert Duvall, Bryan Cranston, Ed Harris, Josh Hutcherson, Sam Shepard and Zach Braff. DIR/PROD James Franco; SCR Matt Rager, from the novel by John Steinbeck; PROD Monica Bacardi, Andrea Iervolino, Vince Jolivette, Scott Reed, Ron Singer, Iris Torres. U.S., 2016, color, 114 min. RATED R
SACCO AND VANZETTI (2006)
Wed, May 3, 7:00 p.m.
Howard Zinn, Arlo Guthrie and Studs Terkel provide contemporary interviews for this insightful documentary about two Italian immigrants and anarchists — Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco — who were accused of murder and ultimately executed in Boston in 1927. Their landmark case, which still resonates today, created an international outcry of injustice and brought attention to the plight of immigrants in America. (Note courtesy of Rochester Labor Film Series.) DIR/PROD Peter Miller; PROD Amy Carey. U.S., 2006, color, 80 min. NOT RATED
90th Anniversary
METROPOLIS
Sat, May 6, 1:00 p.m.
Live musical accompaniment by Alloy Orchestra
Tickets $20/$18 AFI Members, card-carrying union members
Incorporating more than 25 minutes of recently discovered footage, the 2010 restoration of METROPOLIS is the definitive edition of Fritz Lang's science-fiction masterpiece. Like puzzle pieces, these scenes and subplots, long thought lost, help to complete the picture of the dizzyingly intricate plot. In a fabulous city of the future, penthouse-dwelling capitalist bureaucrats hold sway over a subterranean working class, but a prophet from the masses foresees the coming of a new world order. Inspired by New York's skyscrapers, the production design exaggerates verticality, using modernist architecture to reinforce the extreme separation of the classes. DIR/SCR Fritz Lang; SCR Thea von Harbou, from her novel; PROD Erich Pommer. Germany, 1927, b&w, 148 min. Silent with English intertitles and live musical accompaniment. NOT RATED
DEEPWATER HORIZON
Wed, May 10, 7:00 p.m.
Peter Berg's gripping big-budget dramatization of the events surrounding the explosion of BP/Transocean oil rig Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010, chronicles the human cost of a tragedy that killed 11 workers and caused the largest oil spill in U.S. history. The courage and heroism of the men and women working on the rig at the time of the disaster is thrown into sharp relief by the fact that not a single employee of either Transocean or BP was ever prosecuted. The cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Gina Rodriguez and Kate Hudson. Nominated for two Oscars®. DIR Peter Berg; SCR Matthew Michael Carnahan, Matthew Sand, from the book "Deepwater Horizon's Final Hours" by David Barstow, David Rohde and Stephanie Saul; PROD Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Stephen Levinson, Qiuyun Long, Mark Vahradian, Mark Wahlberg, David Womark. U.S., 2016, color, 107 min. RATED PG-13
NO GOD, NO MASTER
Mon, May 15, 7:00 p.m.
When package bombs appear on the doorsteps of prominent politicians and businessmen in the summer of 1919, FBI agent William Flynn (David Strathairn) is tasked with finding those responsible. Retelling the story of famed anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti — both Italian immigrants — filmmaker Terry Green explores the disintegration of civil liberties during an era in which immigrants were labeled undesirables and detained for weeks, even months. A timely thriller with eerie parallels to the contemporary war on terrorism, Green calls his film, "a tribute to those who have stood tall for human rights in the face of adversity." DIR/SCR/PROD Terry Green. U.S., 2013, color, 94 min. RATED PG-13
75th Anniversary
NATIVE LAND
Mon, May 22, 7:15 p.m.
Filmmakers Leo Hurwitz and Paul Strand enlisted multi-hyphenate actor turned civil rights activist Paul Robeson to narrate NATIVE LAND, a mix of dramatization and archival footage based on the findings of the La Follette Committee's 1938 investigation into the repression of labor organizing during the Great Depression. The beautifully shot and edited film exposes violations of Americans' civil liberties and is a call to action for exploited workers around the country. "Suppressed for 20 years…today its depiction of capitalism's war on the common man makes it fresh and extremely relevant." – Charles Silver, MoMA Film Department. DIR/SCR/PROD Leo Hurwitz, Paul Strand; SCR Ben Maddow. U.S., 1942, b&w, 89 min. NOT RATED
30th Anniversary
MATEWAN
Tue, May 16, 7:00 p.m.
Q&A with filmmaker John Sayles
This American labor classic is based on the 1920 showdown between West Virginia coal miners and coal company agents hired to prevent them from unionizing. As organizer Joe Kenehan (Chris Cooper, in his film debut) explains, "They got you fightin' white against colored, native against foreign, hollow against hollow, when you know there ain't but two sides in this world — them that work and them that don't. You work, they don't. That's all you got to know about the enemy." The cast includes James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell, David Strathairn and Will Oldham; with Oscar®-nominated cinematography by Haskell Wexler. (Note courtesy of Rochester Labor Film Series.) DIR/SCR John Sayles; PROD Peggy Rajski, Maggie Renzi. U.S., 1987, color, 135 min. RATED PG-13
THE MEASURE OF A MAN (2015) [LA LOI DU MARCHÉ]
Wed, May 24, 7:15 p.m.
Iconic French actor Vincent Lindon won Best Actor at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival for his performance as unemployed family man Thierry, an everyman subjected to a demoralizing employment search after losing his factory job. Weathering futile retraining schemes, a dead-end Skype interview, criticism from fellow job seekers and the condescension of his unemployment officer, Thierry finally lands work as a supermarket security guard. Tasked with the dubious assignment of surveilling both customers and fellow employees on video monitors, however, Thierry faces a moral dilemma that pushes him slowly to the edge. DIR/SCR Stéphane Brizé; SCR Olivier Gorce; PROD Philip Boëffard, Christophe Rossignon. France, 2015, color, 93 min. In French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
HIDDEN FIGURES
Wed, May 31, 7:00 p.m.
Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) were three brilliant African-American women working for NASA in the early 1960s, who overcame institutional racism and sexism to help achieve one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence in the Space Race. The film is a window into the growth of the federal workforce pursuant to President Roosevelt's Executive Order 8802, which banned "discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries or government because of race, creed, color or national origin." Nominated for three Oscars®, including Best Picture. DIR/PROD Theodore Melfi; SCR Allison Schroeder, from the book by Margot Lee Shetterly; PROD Peter Chernin, Donna Gigliotti, Jenno Topping, Pharrell Williams. U.S., 2016, color, 127 min. RATED PG
Directed by David Lynch
May 12–July 6
Described by Pauline Kael as "the first populist surrealist — a Frank Capra of dream logic," David Lynch has forged a singular path through American filmmaking. Although it took many years to complete, Lynch began his first feature film ERASERHEAD while attending the AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles. This groundbreaking film, which he directed, wrote and produced, became an instant cult classic. Lynch followed this success with THE ELEPHANT MAN and received his first Oscar® nomination for Best Director. Next, with BLUE VELVET, Lynch masterfully blended elements of a nostalgic American pastoral with film noir's urban anomie, plus an occasional touch of kinkiness more typically found in the grindhouse. This has since come to be regarded as the filmmaker's signature style, and the film earned Lynch his second Oscar® nomination for Best Director. WILD AT HEART, the network television sensation TWIN PEAKS and its tricky film prequel TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME as well as LOST HIGHWAY and MULHOLLAND DR. — recently recognized as the best film of the 2000s by Film Comment, and of the 21st century in a BBC poll — all capitalized on his favorite themes: memory, identity and duality.
Lynch's fearless, intensely personal quest has resulted in a body of work that audiences around the world are richer for having seen: strange and beautiful films that are thought-provoking and at times awe-inspiring. With the much-anticipated third season of TWIN PEAKS about to debut on Showtime, the time is ripe to revisit some of Lynch's greatest films on the big screen.
4K Restoration; 40th Anniversary
ERASERHEAD
Fri, May 12, 9:30 p.m.; Sat, May 13, 9:45 p.m.; Sun, May 14, 9:30 p.m.; Mon, May 15, 9:00 p.m.; Wed, May 17, 9:30 p.m.
David Lynch began filming this surrealist horror-fantasy, his first feature-length film, as an AFI Fellow. Featuring a man who lives on the moon, a mutant baby and a girl who lives in a radiator, the film obsessively concerns itself with stark, strange allegories. Lynch's favorite character actor Jack Nance is Henry, who leads a quiet, desperate life until his girlfriend gives birth to a strangely deformed baby. ERASERHEAD's influence is vast, from John Waters and Darren Aronofsky to H.R. Giger; Stanley Kubrick told Lynch it was his favorite film, and he screened it for the cast and crew of THE SHINING before filming, to "put them in the mood." DIR/SCR/PROD David Lynch. U.S., 1977, b&w, 89 min. NOT RATED
25th Anniversary
TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME
Fri, May 19, 1:30 p.m., 9:15 p.m.; Mon, May 22, 9:00 p.m.; Wed, May 24, 9:30 p.m.
A prequel to the popular television series, this film chronicles the last days of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). Laura spends her days as a popular high school student and her nights as a prostitute. Her two worlds viscously collide when the murderous "Bob" escapes from the cracks of this tenuously balanced, dreamlike world. Kyle MacLachlan reprises his role as the intrepid Agent Cooper while David Bowie and Chris Isaak make appearances as FBI agents who also become entangled in the bizarre goings-on. DIR/SCR David Lynch; SCR Robert Engels, from the TV series TWIN PEAKS by David Lynch and Mark Frost; PROD Francis Bouygues, Gregg Fienberg. U.S./France, 1992, color, 134 min. RATED R
WILD AT HEART (1990)
Fri, May 26, 10:00 p.m.; Sun, May 28, 9:00 p.m.; Wed, May 31, 9:35 p.m.; Thurs, June 1, 9:00 p.m.
Absurdist humor punctuates this thriller cum road movie cum love story cum perverse homage to THE WIZARD OF OZ. Laura Dern and Nicolas Cage ignite the screen as Southern-fried, star-crossed lovers Lula and Sailor. David Lynch vets Jack Nance, Sheryl Lee, Sherilyn Fenn, Isabella Rossellini and Harry Dean Stanton are along for the ride, with Oscar®-nominated Diane Ladd as Dern's vengeful mother and Willem Dafoe as ne'er-do-well Bobby Peru. Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival. DIR/SCR David Lynch, from the novel by Barry Gifford; PROD Steve Golin, Monty Montgomery, Sigurjon Sighvatsson. U.S., 1990, color, 124 min. RATED R
DAVID LYNCH – THE ART LIFE
Mon, June 12, 7:00 p.m.; Tue, June 13, 9:30 p.m.
This documentary looks at the iconic filmmaker's art, music and early films, shining a light into the dark corners of his unique world. As Lynch says, "I think every time you do something, like a painting or whatever, you go with ideas, and sometimes the past can conjure those ideas and color them. Even if they're new ideas, the past colors them." We're invited into and given private views from Lynch's compound and painting studio in the hills above Hollywood, as he tells personal stories that unfold like scenes from his films. Strange characters come into focus only to fade again into the past, all leaving an indelible mark. (Note courtesy of Janus Films.) DIR/PROD Jon Nguyen; DIR Rick Barnes, Olivia Neergaard-Holm; PROD Jason S., Sabrina S. Sutherland. U.S./Denmark, 2016, color/b&w, 93 min. NOT RATED
#96 on AFI's 100 Years…100 Thrills
BLUE VELVET
Fri, June 23, 9:15 p.m.; Sat, June 24, 10:15 p.m.; Sun, June 25, 9:15 p.m.; Mon, June 26, 9:15 p.m.; Tue, June 27, 9:15 p.m.; Thurs, June 29, 9:15 p.m.
David Lynch's unsettling masterpiece blends disparate elements — coming-of-age drama, detective story, an ambiguous 1980s setting with 1950s trappings and midnight movie-style madness — into a uniquely Lynchian whole, equal parts seductive and nightmarish. After discovering a severed ear, Kyle MacLachlan begins an investigation, perhaps to impress his police detective neighbor's daughter, Laura Dern. MacLachlan's amateur sleuthing plunges him into a dangerous underworld populated by sad-eyed nightclub singer Isabella Rossellini and her psychotic tormentor, Dennis Hopper, lover of PBR, nitrous oxide, kinky sex and Roy Orbison. DIR/SCR David Lynch; PROD Fred Caruso. U.S., 1986, color, 120 min. RATED R
THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980)
Sun, June 25, 5:00 pm.m; Wed, June 28, 7:00 p.m.
"I am not an animal! I am a human being! I…am…a man!" John Hurt gives a moving and powerful performance as John Merrick, a young man in Victorian England afflicted with grievous physical deformations caused by a hereditary condition. Having eked out a miserable existence for years as a circus freak dubbed "The Elephant Man," Merrick is rescued by Dr. Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins), who restores Merrick's dignity and provides him material comfort he's never known — but Treves' altruism contains shades of professional exploitation as well. Nominated for eight Academy Awards®. DIR/SCR David Lynch; SCR Eric Bergren, Christopher De Vore, from the memoir of Sir Frederick Treves and the book by Ashley Montagu; PROD Jonathan Sanger. UK/U.S., 1980, b&w, 124 min. RATED PG
IN MEMORIAM: John Hurt (1940–2017)
4K Restoration
MULHOLLAND DR. (2001)
Fri, June 30, 9:15 p.m.; Sat, July 1, 9:15 p.m.; Sun, July 2, 6:45 p.m.; Mon, July 3, 6:45 p.m.; Thurs, July 6, 6:45 p.m.
Amnesiac actress Laura Harring wanders into Hollywood-hopeful Naomi Watts' apartment after surviving an assassination attempt, with no recollection of who tried to kill her or why. Playing detective, the two discover some shady doings in the movie biz, a volcanic attraction to one another and the idea that they may just be two characters in someone else's dream. In many ways the culmination of David Lynch's oeuvre, masterfully revisiting his signature themes of identity, desire and dream logic, this surrealistic film noir's subject is nothing less than the allure and danger of Hollywood itself. DIR/SCR David Lynch; PROD Neal Edelstein, Tony Krantz, Michael Polaire, Alain Sarde, Mary Sweeney. France/U.S., 2001, color, 147 min. RATED R
20th Anniversary
LOST HIGHWAY
Sun, July 2, 9:45 p.m.; Mon, July 3, 9:45 p.m.; Thurs, July 6, 9:45 p.m.
When saxophonist Bill Pullman finds a videotape on his doorstep that depicts him standing over the murdered body of his wife Patricia Arquette, he is utterly confused and has no recollection of the events. Eventually jailed for the crime, he suffers an intense headache and wakes the next morning as a young auto mechanic named Pete (Balthazar Getty). Then things really start to get strange. Lynch used his own self-designed and ultra-modern Hollywood Hills house as the couple's home turned crime scene in this surreal thriller, described by the director as a "Möbius strip of a movie." DIR/SCR David Lynch; SCR Barry Gifford; PROD Deepak Nayar, Tom Sternberg, Mary Sweeney. France/U.S., 1997, color, 134 min. RATED R
Independent Stardom
May 13
Professor Emily Carman, author of "Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System." will introduce two of the films discussed in her critical re-evaluation of women's labor and celebrity in studio-era Hollywood. Sales and signing of the book will take place in the lobby before and after TWENTIETH CENTURY.
4K Restoration
TWENTIETH CENTURY
Sat, May 13, 5:30 p.m.
Carole Lombard ascended to comedic stardom opposite an exquisitely hammy John Barrymore in this fast-paced screwball comedy. Broadway impresario Oscar Jaffe (Barrymore) recasts lingerie model Mildred Plotka (Lombard) as "Lily Garland," making her the star in a hit play and soon his love interest. But the tempestuous relationship between svengali and star leads to an acrimonious split, with Garland cashing in out in Hollywood while Jaffe suffers a string of expensive flops minus his leading lady. A chance meeting on the Twentieth Century Limited transcontinental train offers Jaffe a chance to woo Garland back. Histrionic hilarity ensues!
DIR/PROD Howard Hawks; SCR Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur, from the play "Napoleon of Broadway" by Charles Bruce Millholland. U.S., 1934, b&w, 91 min. NOT RATED
THE LADY EVE
Sat, May 13, 7:45 p.m.
"I need him like the axe needs the turkey." In Preston Sturges' masterpiece of amour fou, boyish herpetologist/brewery heir Henry Fonda seems like an easy mark for father-and-daughter con artists Charles Coburn and Barbara Stanwyck. But Stanwyck wasn't supposed to fall in love with Fonda after fleecing him. Now spurned by the burned Fonda, Stanwyck takes on the persona of "Lady Eve Sidwich" to win his heart again. DIR/SCR Preston Sturges; PROD Paul Jones. U.S., 1941, b&w, 94 min. NOT RATED
Reinventing Realism — New Cinema from Romania
May 14–June 14
Since the late 1990s, a group of intellectually adventurous filmmakers have galvanized Romania's post-communist production with a steady stream of nuanced screenplays and robustly realistic films that tackle moral issues and ethical ambiguities, creating taut allegories from banal circumstances. At the same time, these filmmakers, sometimes working collaboratively, have constructed a discourse on societal and civil issues hovering over Europe. Directors involved in the movement include Cristian Mungiu, Cristi Puiu, Corneliu Porumboiu, Radu Muntean and Cătălin Mitulescu, as well as a group of younger artists who continue to garner acclaim at international events.
AFI Silver Theatre is proud to host this series in conjunction with the National Gallery of Art, the Embassy of Romania and the Romanian National Film Center. For films screening at the NGA, visit nga.gov.
CHILD'S POSE [POZITIA COPILULUI]
Sun, May 14, 7:00 p.m.
Detained by police after being involved in a fatal traffic accident, intoxicated thirtysomething Barbu (Bogdan Dumitrache) is bailed out by his mother, the formidable Cornelia (Luminița Gheorghiu, in a tour-de-force performance). Bursting onto the scene with her pal Olga (Natasa Raab) in tow, Cornelia takes charge of the situation, letting the cops know she is not to be trifled with. Over the coming days, Cornelia bullies and cajoles everyone involved in deciding her son's fate, but the impassive Barbu, increasingly resentful of her domination, realizes he has a say in the matter, too. FIPRESCI Prize, 2013 Berlin Film Festival; Official Selection, Toronto Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Cãlin Peter Netzer; SCR Răzvan Rădulescu; PROD Ada Solomon. Romania, 2013, color, 112 min. In Romanian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFERIM!
Fri, May 19, 7:00 p.m.
Q&A with actor Toma Cuzin
In the principality of Wallachia, life is more Dark Ages than Age of Enlightenment, even in 1835. Constable Costandin and his son have been dispatched by a nobleman to track down a runaway slave accused of seducing the landowner's wife. Foul-mouthed and quick-tempered, Costandin rides roughshod on the local peasantry in his search, explaining to his teenaged son that he's upholding the social order. Radu Jude won Best Director at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival for this visionary historical epic — a European "eastern" counterpoint to the American Western. DIR/SCR Radu Jude; SCR Florin Lazarescu, PROD Ada Solomon. Romania/Bulgaria/Czech Republic/France, 2015, color, 108 min. In Romanian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
DOGS (2016) [CÂINI]
Fri, May 26, 7:15 p.m.
Q&A with actor Gheorghe Visu
Bogdan Mirică won the FIPRESCI Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival for this intense drama that has been described as a Romanian NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. City boy Roman (Dragoș Bucur) inherits a large piece of undeveloped land from his grandfather. Beginning with the discovery on the property of a severed foot still in its shoe, and followed by various hints dropped by local police chief (Gheorghe Visu) and his grandfather's former employee (Vlad Ivanov), the criminal past of Roman's grandfather comes to light, and it has a fearsome, far-reaching influence that not even the grave can contain. DIR/SCR Bogdan Mirică; PROD Marcela Ursu. Romania/France/Bulgaria/Qatar, 2016, color, 104 min. In Romanian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
10th Anniversary
4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS [4 LUNI, 3 SĂPTĂMÂNI ȘI 2 ZILE]
Tue, May 30, 7:00 p.m.
Awarded the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, Cristian Mungiu's powerful drama about personal choices and political repression during the late Ceaușescu regime put the nascent new wave of Romanian filmmaking on the world map. With her friend Găbița (Laura Vasiliu) desperately in need of an abortion, strictly illegal at the time, Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) must navigate a shadowy underworld of black market deal-making, brokered by the intimidating Mr. Bebe (Vlad Ivanov). DIR/SCR/PROD Cristian Mungiu; SCR Răzvan Rădulescu; PROD Oleg Mutu. Romania, 2007, color, 113 min. In Romanian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
BOX (2015)
Thurs, June 1, 7:00 p.m.
In a gritty gym in the city of Sibiu, 19-year-old Roma boxer Rafael (newcomer Rafael Florea) trains for a big fight. Elsewhere, in a more picturesque part of the Transylvanian town, thirty-something actress Cristina (Hilda Péter, KATALIN VARGA) rehearses for a new Hungarian-language play for a demanding director (filmmaker Cãtãlin Mitulescu). After a chance passing in the street, Rafael begins following the alluring Cristina around town on a daily basis, seemingly content to just watch her from a distance. But after Cristina notices and confronts him, their interaction goes in a surprising new direction. FIPRESCI Critics' Prize, 2015 Karlovy Vary Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Florin Șerban. Romania/France/Germany, 2015, color, 93 min. In Romanian and Hungarian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
WHEN EVENING FALLS ON BUCHAREST OR METABOLISM [CÂND SE LASÃ SEARA PESTE BUCURESTI SAU METABOLISM]
Wed, June 14, 7:00 p.m.
From renowned director Corneliu Porumboiu (POLICE, ADJECTIVE; THE TREASURE), comes a contemplative and characteristically dry-humored tale of a narcissistic director on the edge. With two weeks left before wrapping on his latest project, Paul is falling apart, complaining about his supposed "ulcer" and insisting that an actress with a small role in the film (with whom he has been romantically engaged throughout shooting) do a nude scene. When the subject isn't the immediate film shoot, characters are inclined to discourse on and debate various historical and philosophical ideas. "Romanian cinema in its purest form." – Eric Kohn, Indiewire. DIR/SCR Corneliu Porumboiu; PROD Marcela Ursu. Romania/France, 2013, color, 89 min. In Romanian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
STUFF AND DOUGH [MARFA SI BANII]
Wed, June 7, 7:00 p.m.
Cristi Puiu's (THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU, SIERANEVADA) debut feature is a delightfully deadpan road movie that inaugurated the Romanian New Wave. When twenty-something slacker Ovidiu (Alexandru Papadopol) decides to launch a snack-selling business, he takes a dubious transporter job from a local crime boss in order to earn startup cash. Hitting the road with his girlfriend (Ioana Flora) and best friend (Dragos Bucur), Ovidiu has no idea what he's gotten into. Puiu's darkly funny take on the American road movie is both low-key buddy comedy and a sharp critique of life in Romania at the dawn of the 21st century. DIR/SCR Cristi Puiu; SCR Răzvan Rădulescu; PROD Cornel Carjan. Romania, 2001, color, 90 min. In Romanian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Washington Jewish Film Festival
May 17–28
Screenings taking place at AFI Silver Theatre are listed below. For complete listings, and to purchase tickets and festival passes, visit wjff.org. No AFI Silver passes accepted.
Opening Night
THE WOMEN'S BALCONY [ISMACH HATANI]
D.C. Premiere
Wed, May 17, 7:00 p.m.
Post-screening party, catered by Provisions
An accident during a bar mitzvah celebration leads to a gender rift in a devout Orthodox community in Jerusalem in this rousing, gold-hearted tale about women speaking truth to patriarchal power. When the women's balcony in an Orthodox synagogue collapses, leaving the current Rabbi in shock and his wife in a coma, the congregation falls into crisis. Charismatic newcomer Rabbi David appears to be a savior after the accident, but slowly starts pushing his fundamentalist ways, to the outrage of the female congregants. These changes test the women's friendships and create an almost Lysistrata-type rift between the community's women and men. DIR Emil Ben-Shimon; SCR Shlomit Nehama; PROD Osnat Handelsman-Keren, Talia Kleinhendler, Leon Edery, Moshe Edery. Israel, 2016, color, 96 min. In Hebrew with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Mid-Atlantic Premiere
ANGEL WAGENSTEIN: ART IS A WEAPON – Free screening!
Thurs, May 18, 7:00 p.m.
Q&A with filmmaker Andrea Simon
As a teenager in wartime Bulgaria, Angel Wagenstein commanded a daredevil Jewish partisan brigade, surviving capture and torture by fascist police. When postwar dreams of a socialist utopia turned to dust, his films became a kind of covert resistance against the brutality of the Stalinist era. This is one of the great untold stories of world cinema: at 94, Wagenstein is still a man of massive charm and ferocious intelligence, a passionate witness to history and an influential voice in the debate on Europe's rocky post-Communist future. Intimate conversations, excerpts from his films and rare archival materials inform this visually striking and provocative documentary on a remarkable artist. DIR Andrea Simon. Bulgaria/U.S., 2017, color, 84 min. In English, German, Russian and Bulgarian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
WJFF Visionary Award: Barry Levinson
The WJFF's Annual Visionary Award recognizes creativity and insight in presenting the full diversity of the Jewish experience through moving image. The 2017 honorees are two titans of independent cinema: Polish director Agnieszka Holland and the iconic American auteur Barry Levinson.
LIBERTY HEIGHTS
Thurs, May 18, 7:15 p.m.
Q&A with filmmaker Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson dips back into his youth with the final edition of his semi-autobiographical Baltimore Quartet that began with the films DINER (1982), TIN MEN (1987) and AVALON (1990). In 1954, Ben Kurtzman (Ben Foster), a Jewish teen from Baltimore, is intrigued by new classmate Sylvia (Rebekah Johnson), one of the first African-American students to attend his school. While Ben and Sylvia pursue a forbidden friendship, Ben's older brother Van (Adrien Brody) is smitten with Dubbie (Carolyn Murphy), a beautiful and wealthy WASP who may as well live in another world. Levinson's sure direction keeps us focused on the maturation and evolution of a tight family unit, all while seismic cultural and societal shifts — the influx of automobiles, rock-and-roll and desegregation — shake their hometown, and forever alter America's course. DIR/PROD/SCR Barry Levinson; PROD Paula Weinstein. U.S., 1999, color, 126 min. In English. NOT RATED
About the Honoree
Academy Award®-winning director, screenwriter and producer Barry Levinson has crafted an enviable reputation in the film industry as a director who blends literate and intelligent visions into films. Levinson was awarded the Best Director Oscar® for the multiple Academy Award®-winning RAIN MAN (1988), starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. In 1987, Levinson directed Robin Williams in the comedy GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM, which went on to become one of the year's most acclaimed and popular movies. He directed and produced 1991's BUGSY, which was nominated for ten Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Director. Born and raised in Baltimore, MD, Levinson has used his hometown as the setting for four widely praised features: DINER, the semi-autobiographical comedy/drama that marked his directorial debut; TIN MEN starring Danny DeVito and Richard Dreyfuss as warring aluminum siding salesmen; AVALON, in which his native city takes center stage through the recollections of an immigrant family; and LIBERTY HEIGHTS.
East Coast Premiere
OMG, I'M A ROBOT!
Thurs, May 18, 9:20 p.m.
Dumped by his sweetheart on account of being too sensitive, Danny is overwhelmed with sadness and decides to cut himself — only to discover that instead of blood, sparks shoot out and spliced wires protrude — turns out he's a robot! Newly armed with the self-confidence of an indestructible killing machine, he sets about winning back his love, who meanwhile appears to have been kidnapped. The way-out-there sci-fi plot makes for pure giddy entertainment and escapism, with surprising depth to boot. DIR/SCR Tal Goldberg, Gal Zelezniak; PROD Amir Manor. Israel, 2016, color, 90 min. In Hebrew with English subtitles. NOT RATED
STARS (1959) [STERNE]
Sat, May 20, 12:00 p.m.
Based on the personal experiences of screenwriter Angel Wagenstein during the Holocaust in the Balkans, this gripping drama sheds light on the Sephardic experience of World War II. Stationed in a secluded Bulgarian village in 1943, Walter, an artist and sergeant in the Wehrmacht, lives an almost idyllic life far away from the war. Soon, a transit camp is set up for Jews arriving from Greece. When Ruth, one of the Greek Jews, asks Walter to help a pregnant woman in the camp, the two form an unlikely bond. DIR Konrad Wolf; SCR Angel Wagenstein. Bulgaria/East Germany, 1959, b&w, 88 min. In German, Bulgarian, Yiddish and Ladino with English subtitles. NOT RATED
DC Premiere
CLOUDY SUNDAY (2015) [OUZERI TSITSANIS]
Sat, May 20, 2:00 p.m.
A smash box-office hit in Greece, CLOUDY SUNDAY tracks a tumultuous wartime romance between a Jewish girl and Christian resistance fighter during WWII in Greece. The sweeping epic brings to the big screen the untold story of Thessaloniki's Sephardic community and the drama of a love torn asunder by the cruel realities of war; and acts as a testament to the indomitability of the human spirit. Set to the haunting music of legendary Sephardic composer Vassilis Tsitsanis. DIR Manousos Manousakis; SCR Ada Gourbali, Vasilis Spiliopoulos, from the book by Giorgios Skabardonis. Greece, 2015, color, 118 min. In Greek with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Mid-Atlantic Premiere
THE HISTORY OF LOVE
Sat, May 20, 4:30 p.m.
Based on Nicole Krauss' bestseller, THE HISTORY OF LOVE is a sprawling saga of undaunted ardor and merciless twists of fate. Spanning decades and continents, the film begins in prewar Poland and follows Leo and Alma, neighbors and sweethearts whose romance is thwarted by the rise of fascism. Aided by a brilliant cast that includes Gemma Arterton, Derek Jacobi and Elliott Gould, director Radu Mihăileanu deftly weaves the many threads of Krauss' novel into a soaring epic that touches on the duties of Jewishness, literature and love. (Note courtesy of the Miami International Film Festival.) DIR/SCR/PROD Radu Mihăileanu; SCR Marcia Romano, from the novel by Nicole Krauss; PROD Xavier Rigault, Marc-Antoine Robert. Canada/France/Romania/U.S., 2016, color, 134 min. In English. NOT RATED
DC Premiere
THE EXCEPTION (2016) aka THE KAISER'S LAST KISS
Sat, May 20, 7:00 p.m.
Filled with espionage and romance in equal measure, this riveting World War II thriller follows German soldier Stefan Brandt (Jai Courtney) as he investigates exiled German monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II (Christopher Plummer). The kaiser lives in a secluded mansion in the Netherlands, and as Germany invades Holland, there's concern that Dutch spies are watching him. As Brandt infiltrates the kaiser's life, he finds himself drawn into a passionate romance with Mieke (Lily James), one of the kaiser's maids, whom he discovers is secretly Jewish. DIR David Leveaux; SCR Simon Burke, from the novel "The Kaiser's Last Kiss" by Alan Judd; PROD Lou Pitt, Judy Tossell. UK, 2016, color, 107 min. In English. RATED R
DC Premiere
HARMONIA
Sat, May 20, 9:15 p.m.
This contemporary adaptation of the biblical tale of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar unfolds within the world of the Jerusalem Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor Abraham and his wife Sarah, the orchestra's harpist, cannot have children. A beautiful, young horn player from East Jerusalem, Hagar offers to have a baby with Abraham for the couple, but over time the child grows estranged from Sarah. Through this ancient story, HARMONIA presents a poignant metaphor to the modern-day challenges facing Israel's sibling religions. Nominated for four Ophir (Israeli Academy) Awards. DIR/SCR Ori Sivan; PROD Moshe Danon. Israel, 2016, color, 98 min. In Hebrew with English subtitles. NOT RATED
DC Premiere
BAL EJ: THE HIDDEN JEWS OF ETHIOPIA
Sun, May 21, 11:30 a.m.
Q&A with filmmaker Irene Orleansky
Following a 100-year-old account of the prominent Jewish scholar Jacques Faitlovitch, filmmaker and distinguished ethnomusicologist Irene Orleansky travels to Africa to discover and explore a small and secretive group of Ethiopian Jews known as Bal Ej (craftsmen). Frequently persecuted by their neighbors and deprived of land ownership rights, they outwardly disguise themselves as Christians and practice Judaism in strict secrecy. This documentary offers a fascinating investigation of the history, religious practice and cultural (especially musical) contributions of this previously unrecorded community. DIR Irene Orleansky. Israel, 2016, color, 97 min. In English, Hebrew and Amharic with English subtitles. NOT RATED
THE HOURGLASS SANATORIUM [SANATORIUM POD KLEPSYDRA]
Sun, May 21, 2:15 p.m.
Post-screening talk and book signing with Columbia professor Annette Insdorf
A special presentation of Polish director Wojciech Jerzy Has' restored art-house masterpiece, based on the writings of Polish author Bruno Schulz and winner of the Jury Prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival. A young man (Jan Nowicki) visits his ailing father in a crumbling sanatorium where time collapses and death never comes. THE HOURGLASS SANATORIUM conjures a surrealist fantasia in which past and present — from the Three Wise Men to the Holocaust — collide in a mind-bending phantasmagoria. DIR/SCR Wojciech Jerzy Has, from the novel "Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass" by Bruno Schulz. Poland, 1973, color, 125 min. In Polish, Yiddish, Hebrew and Latin with English subtitles. NOT RATED
DC Premiere
THE FREEDOM TO MARRY (2016)
Sun, May 21, 5:15 p.m.
Over the last four decades, the concept of same-sex marriage went from a "preposterous notion" to the national law. The Freedom to Marry movement is now known as one of the most successful civil rights campaigns in modern history — a victory that was carefully coordinated over decades. THE FREEDOM TO MARRY takes us on a riveting ride alongside Evan Wolfson and Mary Bonauto — the architect and the main litigator of the movement — with key colleagues from the earliest days of their journey to their final frenetic dash to the U.S. Supreme Court. DIR Eddie Rosenstein; PROD Jenni Olson, Amie Segal, Sidney Sherman, Todd Robinson. U.S., 2016, color, 86 min. In English. NOT RATED
DC Premiere
MENASHE
Sun, May 21, 7:45 p.m.
Q&A with director Joshua Z. Weinstein and actor Menashe Lustig
In this runaway hit from the recent Sundance and Berlin film festivals, Menashe is a kind, hapless grocery store clerk living in the heart of New York's ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community. He struggles to make ends meet and responsibly raise his young son Rieven, following the death of his wife Leah. Tradition prohibits Menashe from raising his son alone, so Rieven's strict uncle adopts him, leaving Menashe heartbroken. Meanwhile, though Menashe seems to bungle every challenge in his path, his Rabbi grants him one special week with Rieven before Leah's memorial. DIR/SCR/PROD Joshua Z. Weinstein; SCR Musa Syeed; SCR/PROD Alex Lipschultz; PROD Traci Carlson, Daniel Finkelman, Yoni Brook. Israel/U.S., 2017, color, 81 min. In Yiddish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Mid-Atlantic Premiere
DOING JEWISH: A STORY FROM GHANA
Mon, May 22, 7:00 p.m.
When Gabrielle Zilkha — a Canadian filmmaker working in Accra, Ghana — gets a call from her mother telling her that she's found Jewish people to celebrate Rosh Hashanah with, Zilkha sets off to find the tiny but vibrant Sefwi Jewish community. Filming for five years, she observes this small African community, and through this warm, personal and often humorous documentary, offers a fascinating investigation of identity and connection while shedding light on what it means to belong to the Jewish people. DIR/SCR/PROD Gabrielle Zilkha; PROD Jenn Mason. Canada/Ghana/U.S., 2016, color, 84 min. In English, Twi and Sefwi with English subtitles. NOT RATED
DC Premiere
PARADISE (2016) [PAŇ or RAY]
Tue, May 23, 7:00 p.m.
Shot with a classic film elegance in luminous black-and-white, Russia's Oscar® submission PARADISE follows the lives of three souls that intertwine in Nazi Europe: a Russian member of the French resistance arrested for hiding Jews; the French collaborator who entraps her; and an idealistic, if naïve, SS officer assigned to root out corruption in the concentration camps. Each recounts their story as we flash back to the moments when their lives fatefully intersected. (Note courtesy of the Chicago International Film Festival.) DIR/SCR/PROD Andrei Konchalovsky; SCR Elena Kiseleva; PROD Florian Deyle. Germany/Russia, 2016, b&w, 131 min. In Russian, French, German and Yiddish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Mid-Atlantic Premiere
THE BLOOM OF YESTERDAY [DIE BLUMEN VON GESTERN]
Wed, May 24, 7:00 p.m.
A self-serious, dour, German Holocaust researcher — and grandson of a prominent Nazi war criminal — is struggling with his family history, career and a general state of misanthropy. At the height of his personal and professional crisis, he's assigned a new intern who might be his exact opposite. She's young, passionate, Jewish and eccentric. As she mows down the measured academic's staid defenses, both of them begin to reveal long-kept secrets, and a surprising romance emerges — albeit one with a serious message. DIR/SCR Chris Kraus; PROD Danny Krausz, Kathrin Lemme. Austria/Germany/France, 2016, color, 125 min. In German with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Mid-Atlantic Premiere
FOG IN AUGUST [NEBEL IM AUGUST]
Thurs, May 25, 7:00 p.m.
Director Kai Wessel's first feature film addresses one of the greatest taboos of German history: the Nazis' euthanasia program. Based on Robert Domes' 2008 historical novel, FOG IN AUGUST concerns the fate of 13-year-old Ernst Lossa, who is committed to a mental hospital in 1942 not due to actual illness, but because of his Roma origins. He soon discovers the truth behind the hospital's facade and sets about sabotaging its euthanasia program with the help of other patients, at great personal risk. Starring Ivo Pietzcker, Sebastian Koch and Thomas Schubert. DIR Kai Wessel; SCR Holger Karsten Schmidt, from the novel by Robert Domes; PROD Ulrich Limmer. Austria/Germany, 2016, color, 126 min. In German with English subtitles. NOT RATED
DC Premiere
JERRY LEWIS: THE MAN BEHIND THE CLOWN
Sat, May 27, 11:00 a.m.
Since his early days, Jerry Lewis (in the grand tradition of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Stan Laurel) had the masses laughing with visual gags, pantomime sketches and his signature slapstick humor, yet American critics typically derided his output as simple and abrasive. His groundbreaking and controversial career — with film credits such as THE BELLBOY (1960) and THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (1963) in addition to edgy standup material — is considered here in interviews with film luminaries such as Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Rosenbaum, alongside appearances by Jean-Luc Godard and Louis Malle. DIR/SCR Gregory Monro; PROD Eric Ellena. France/U.S., 2016, color/b&w, 61 min. In English and French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
45th Anniversary
#63 on AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies
CABARET (1972)
Sat, May 27, 12:30 p.m.
Winner of eight Oscars®, including Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor (Joel Grey, as the Kit Kat Klub's reptilian Master of Ceremonies). In decadent 1930s Berlin, impulsive and morally liberal agent provocateur Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) meets the scholarly and handsome Brian (Michael York), and the two develop an intimate relationship while unknowingly sharing a bisexual lover. DIR Bob Fosse; SCR Jay Presson Allen, from the musical by Joe Masteroff and the play by John Van Druten; PROD Cy Feuer. U.S., 1972, color, 123 min. In English and German with English subtitles. RATED PG
East Coast Premiere
A JEW MUST DIE [UN JUIF POUR L'EXEMPLE]
Sat, May 27, 3:00 p.m.
Popular myth holds that Switzerland remained an innocent bystander during World War II. Famed writer Jacques Chessex powerfully repudiates this notion when, after a lengthy period of silence, he shares what he witnessed as a young boy. In the small Swiss town of Payerne, Nazi sympathizers singled out a Jewish scapegoat — a wealthy livestock dealer (Bruno Ganz) — to serve as an "example" in honor of Hitler's birthday. The film boldly conflates past and present (don't be surprised to see a modern car on 1942 roads) suggesting that the two are, and always will be, dangerously intertwined. (Note courtesy of Palm Springs International Film Festival.) DIR/SCR Jacob Berger; SCR Michel Fessler, Aude Py, from the novel by Jacques Chessex. Switzerland, 2016, color, 73 min. In French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Mid-Atlantic Premiere
1945
Sat, May 27, 4:40 p.m.
It's August, 1945: the war is over, and an uneasy, humid stillness pervades a small Hungarian village longing for a return to normalcy. The young pharmacist prepares to marry, train station workers busy themselves with a changeover and men huddle in pubs, gruffly drinking away petty disputes. Two strangers arrive — they wear serious, withdrawn expressions and thick, black clothes. They are father and son; they are Holocaust survivors. The town eyes them with immediate suspicion: are they here to reclaim stolen land? To open a competing pharmacy? Will they expose the villagers' wartime crimes and complicit silence? DIR/SCR/PROD Ferenc Török; SCR Gábor T. Szántó; PROD Péter Reich, Iván Angelusz. Hungary, 2017, b&w, 91 min. In Hungarian and Russian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
WJFF Visionary Award: Agnieszka Holland
The WJFF's Annual Visionary Award recognizes creativity and insight in presenting the full diversity of the Jewish experience through the moving image. The 2017 honoree is Agnieszka Holland, who will join us for a special extended Q&A and Award ceremony. The award will be presented alongside a screening of her Oscar®-nominated film ANGRY HARVEST.
ANGRY HARVEST [BITTERE ERNTE]
Sat, May 27, 7:00 p.m.
Q&A with filmmaker Agnieszka Holland
This remarkable Academy Award®-nominated film tells a compelling story of love and desire during World War II. Middle-aged, lonely farmer Leon (Armin Mueller-Stahl, AVALON) rescues Rosa, a young upper-class Jewish refugee, as she is fleeing the Nazis. While he nurses her back to health, their relationship gradually grows more intimate, but disintegrates into a cat-and-mouse power struggle as Leon's mixed motives for hiding Rosa emerge. DIR/SCR Agnieszka Holland; SCR Paul Hengge, from the novel by Hermann H. Field and Stanislaw Mierzenski; PROD Artur Brauner, Klaus-Dieter Lehmann, Klaus Riemer. West Germany, 1985, color, 105 min. In German with English subtitles. NOT RATED
About the Honoree
Agnieszka Holland is a Polish film director and screenwriter. She began her career working with Krzysztof Zanussi as an assistant director and with Andrzej Wajda as her mentor. Her debut feature PROVINCIAL ACTORS (1978) was heralded as a leader of the "cinema of moral disquiet" movement and won the International Critics Prize at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival. In 1981, after martial law was instituted in Poland, Holland emigrated to France. Among her impressive and prolific catalog of films made in the West, highlights include ANGRY HARVEST, EUROPA EUROPA (1990) and IN DARKNESS (2011), all of which were nominated for Academy Awards®. Holland is actively involved in TV production, having directed seminal episodes of major U.S. TV series including HOUSE OF CARDS, THE KILLING, TREME and THE WIRE. Her latest film, SPOOR, premiered at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival, where it was awarded the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize.
75th Anniversary
Special Screening
TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942)
Sun, May 28, 11:30 a.m.
Carole Lombard's last film is much more highly regarded today than at the time of its release. Cast as the wife of Jack Benny — a hammy Hamlet in an acting troupe stranded in wartime Poland — she was never more alluring or more in control of her craft. DIR/PROD Ernst Lubitsch; SCR Edwin Justus Mayer. U.S., 1942, b&w, 99 min. In English. NOT RATED
Mid-Atlantic Premiere
IN BETWEEN (2016) [BAR BAHR]
Sun, May 28, 1:45 p.m.
In Maysaloun Hamoud's remarkable feature debut, three Palestinian women sharing an apartment in the vibrant heart of Tel Aviv find themselves in a complicated balancing act between tradition and modernity, citizenship and culture, fealty and freedom. Arab-Israeli women often live in a country that considers them not Israeli enough, and yet are part of a culture that views them as not Palestinian enough. Layered onto their citizenship conundrum are the inevitable gendered tensions between contemporary and traditional family life. DIR/SCR Maysaloun Hamoud; PROD Shlomi Elkabetz. Israel/France, 2016, color, 96 min. In Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED
STEFAN ZWEIG, FAREWELL TO EUROPE [VOR DER MORGENRÖTE]
Sun, May 28, 4:00 p.m.
Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, New York, Petrópolis: stages in Stefan Zweig's life that could not replace his homeland despite hospitable receptions at each stop. The Austrian Jewish intellectual foresaw Europe's decline earlier than most, fleeing his native land in 1934, never to return from exile. Actress-turned-director Maria Schrader (the brilliant lead in 1999's AIMEE & JAGUAR) tells the story of Zweig's exile years in five lyrical chapters, bringing to light the liminal expatriate existence of one of the century's greatest minds. DIR/SCR Maria Schrader; SCR Jan Schomburg; PROD Stefan Arndt. Austria/Germany/France, 2016, color, 106 min. In German, English, Spanish, Portuguese and French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Mid-Atlantic Premiere
SCARRED HEARTS [INIMI CICATRIZATE]
Sun, May 28, 6:15 p.m.
Inspired by Jewish-Romanian author Max Blecher's acclaimed autobiographical novel, SCARRED HEARTS is reminiscent of an intellectually fiery THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (2007). During the summer of 1937 — as Romania rapidly descends into a far-right society — a man in his early 20s develops bone tuberculosis, and is committed to a sanatorium on the Black Sea coast. Despite being confined to a hospital stretcher bed, he continues to read, smoke, drink and even flirt, refusing to let his physical condition snuff out his desire to live life to the fullest. DIR/SCR Radu Jude, from the novel by Max Blecher; PROD Ada Solomon. Romania/Germany, 2016, color, 141 min. In Romanian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Spanish Cinema Now
June 2–4
AFI Silver Theatre and SPAIN arts & culture are proud to co-present Spanish Cinema Now, an annual festival of outstanding new films that reflect the breadth of styles and talents at work in Spain today. Some of the featured directors are established auteurs, while others have recently emerged on the international festival scene, earning top prizes and critical acclaim.
Organized and presented by AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center and SPAIN arts & culture. No passes accepted.
MARIA (AND EVERYBODY ELSE) [MARÍA (Y LOS DEMÁS)]
Fri, June 2, 7:30 p.m.; Sun, June 4, 5:30 p.m.
Q&A with filmmaker Nely Reguera on June 2
A struggling writer afraid to let anyone read her first novel, María is at a crossroads. Her father, with whom she still lives, is engaged to his nurse after a recent stint in the hospital. Her brothers have successful careers and are in long-term relationships. After 20 years of caring for her father and siblings following the death of her mother when she was 15, María must look inward and re-evaluate her own life. In her debut feature, director/writer Nely Reguera captures the experience of letting go with a stunning performance by Bárbara Lennie (MAGICAL GIRL, THE SKIN I LIVE IN) while exploring the nuances of complicated relationships with dark humor and emotional depth. Winner, Best Film (Ibero-American Feature Film Competition), 2017 Miami Film Festival; Official Selection, 2016 San Sebastián Film Festival. DIR/SCR Nely Reguera; PROD Luisa Romeo. Spain, 2016, color, 90 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
THE BAR (2017) [EL BAR]
Fri, June 2, 10:00 p.m.; Sat, June 3, 10:00 p.m.
Spanish genre master Álex de la Iglesia (THE DAY OF THE BEAST, WITCHING AND BITCHING) took inspiration from John Carpenter's ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 and Luis Buñuel's THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL to create his latest dark comedy — a high-concept thriller about a group of strangers trapped in a Madrid bar and forced to face some queasy truths. After a customer leaves the bar and is shot by an unseen gunman, the group left inside is stunned. When one brave soul ventures out to help the downed man, he promptly receives a bullet himself. The remaining patrons are glued to the spot, trying to determine why they're being targeted, and slowly eyeing one another for answers. As confusion and mystery unfold, one idea takes hold: What if the danger is inside? And what if the shots are to keep them from exiting the bar and endangering those outside? Official Selection, 2017 Berlin, Miami and Malaga film festivals. DIR/SCR/PROD Álex de la Iglesia; SCR Jorge Guerricaechevarría; PROD Carolina Bang, Kiko Martinez. Spain, 2017, color, 102 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
U.S. Premiere
DREAMING OF WINE [PRIORAT]
Sat, June 3, 3:30 p.m.
Q&A with filmmaker David Fernández de Castro
The viticultural roots of Priorat, Catalonia, run centuries deep, but by the late 1970s, wine production in the area was on the brink of extinction. The region's young people were fleeing to find work, and the region's four remaining wineries were reduced to producing cheap table wine. In the early 1980s, however, a handful of pioneers came to the area with high hopes of reviving the fading industry. At first dismissed as idealistic hippies, the budding winemakers persisted, refusing to let tradition die. Now known as "The Magnificent Five," these tenacious grape growers succeeded in turning Priorat into the most vibrant wine-producing region in Spain, boasting 150 wineries producing wines that are served in upscale restaurants across the globe. In this in-depth look at an incredible tale of regional revival, wine producers, critics and oenophiles tell the exceptional story of Priorat wine. Official Selection, 2016 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. DIR/SCR David Fernández de Castro; PROD Tono Folguera, Belén Sánchez. Spain, 2016, color, 68 min. In Spanish and Catalan with English subtitles. NOT RATED
THE FURY OF A PATIENT MAN [TARDE PARA LA IRA]
Sat, June 3, 5:30 p.m.
Actor Raúl Arévalo's (I'M SO EXCITED!, MARSHLAND) directorial debut is a modern-day revenge Western that garnered four Goya Awards and took the Spanish box office by storm. It's Madrid, August 2007, and small-time crook Curro (Luis Callejo, MY BIG NIGHT) is arrested as the getaway driver in a jewelry store hold-up that left a sales clerk dead. Fast-forward eight years, and Curro is preparing to leave jail, ready to pick up life with his girlfriend Ana (Ruth Díaz, THE APPEARED) and their young son. In the meantime, however, Ana has befriended the unassuming and mysterious José (Antonio de la Torre, MARSHLAND, UNIT 7), a solitary, reserved man who frequents the local bar in which she and her brother work. As Arévalo slowly reveals José's connections to Curro and his criminal past, a twisted tale of revenge plays out against the hot, dusty Castilian landscape. Winner, Best Actress (Ruth Díaz), 2016 Venice Film Festival; Official Selection, 2016 Toronto and London film festivals. DIR/SCR Raúl Arévalo; SCR David Pulido; PROD Beatriz Bodegas. Spain, 2016, color, 92 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
SMOKE AND MIRRORS (2016) [EL HOMBRE DE LAS MIL CARAS]
Sat, June 3, 7:30 p.m.
This smart spy thriller from acclaimed director Alberto Rodríguez (MARSHLAND, UNIT 7) tells the mind-boggling true story of Francisco Paesa (expertly played by Eduard Fernández, BIUTIFUL, THE SKIN I LIVE IN), an ex-secret agent framed by the Spanish government and forced to leave his homeland following an operation against the Basque terrorist group ETA. Rodríguez picks up the story as Paesa, finally back in Spain, receives a visit from Luis Roldan (Carlos Santos, EVEN THE RAIN), a powerful former commissioner of police. When Roldan offers Paesa a sizable sum to help safeguard money he embezzled while in office, the ex-spy seizes the opportunity to execute an intricate revenge plan that rocks the nation. Winner, 2017 Goya Awards for Best New Actor (Carlos Santos) and Best Adapted Screenplay; Official Selection, 2016 San Sebastian, London and Miami film festivals. DIR/SCR Alberto Rodríguez; SCR Rafael Cobos, from the book "Paesa, el espia de las mil caras" by Manuel Cerdán; PROD Antonio Asensio Mosbah, José Antonio Félez, Mercedes Gamero, Gervasio Iglesias, Mikel Lejarza, Francisco Ramos. Spain, 2016, color, 123 min. In Spanish and French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
ISLA BONITA
Sun, June 4, 3:15 p.m.
When aging filmmaker Fer (director Fernando Colomo) arrives in picturesque Menorca looking for work, he shacks up with an artist named Nuria (Nuria Román) and her daughter Olivia (Olivia Delcán) under the guise of making a documentary with the help of his old pal Miguel Ángel (Miguel Ángel Furones). Veteran Spanish director Colomo finds himself in front of the camera for the first time in his career in this hilarious slice of life comedy that harkens back to early Woody Allen. This small experiment of a film features a cast made up almost entirely of non-actors playing variations on themselves and improvising dialogue that captures the laid-back vibe of the island life. With a story that intertwines the lives of all of its disparate characters, the film manages to explore conceptions of modern romance across all generations. Official Selection, 2016 San Sebastián and Santa Barbara film festivals. DIR/SCR/PROD Fernando Colomo; SCR Olivia Delcán, Miguel Ángel Furones. Spain, 2015, color, 101 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
ROMANTIC EXILES [LOS EXILIADOS ROMÁNTICOS]
Sun, June 4, 7:30 p.m.
Director/writer Jonás Trueba's hyper-literate hipster sensibility finds room to play in this summertime road movie full of philosophical musings and casual romance. A group of friends hit the road traveling from Spain to Paris in their vintage burnt-orange VW Vanagon. In the waning days of their youth, the thirtysomethings set out to capture that ephemeral sense of vitality and idyllic passion that they all once possessed, and with nothing specific in mind, they wander off and stumble across little adventures and quiet epiphanies. Featuring an original soundtrack by Miren Iza (of the band Tulsa) and shot on a Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 (a camera primarily used for still photography) over the course of 14 days, this ultra low-budget film is a testament to the humorous and thoughtful collective artistic vision of the current indie filmmaking scene in Spain. Winner, Special Jury Award and Best Music, 2015 Málaga Film Festival; Official Selection, 2015 London Film Festival. DIR/SCR Jonás Trueba; PROD Javier Lafuente. Spain, 2015, color, 70 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
DC Caribbean FilmFest
June 9–11
In recognition of Caribbean Heritage Month in June, AFI Silver is proud to once again host screenings of the DC Caribbean FilmFest, now in its 16th year. The festival is co-presented by Caribbean Association of World Bank and IMF staff (CAWI), Caribbean Professional Network (CPN), Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) and Africa World Now Project. The full schedule will be announced in May; see website for listings. No passes accepted.
Two by Seijun Suzuki
June 19–22
TOKYO DRIFTER (1966) [東京流れ者 TÔKYÔ NAGAREMONO]
Mon, June 19, 7:15 p.m.*; Wed, June 21, 5:30 p.m.; Thurs, June 22, 7:15 p.m.
*Introduction by author Tom Vick on June 19. His book "Time and Place are Nonsense: The Films of Seijun Suzuki" will be available on site for sales and signing.
There is no film more emblematic of the late great director Seijun Suzuki's pedal-to-the-metal aesthetic than this. Color on color is the name of the game with the jazziest gangster film this side of Melville's LE SAMOURAÏ. Reformed hitman Tetsu is offered a spot in a rival gang just as he's leaving his life of crime. When he refuses the leader's offer, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues. A parody of the yakuza genre as well as an homage to Westerns and the avant-garde films of the time, the picture throws everything at the screen, and it all sticks. DIR Seijun Suzuki; SCR Kôhan Kawauchi; PROD Tetsuro Nakagawa. Japan, 1966, color, 82 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. NOT RATED
50th Anniversary
BRANDED TO KILL [殺しの烙印 KOROSHI NO RAKUIN]
Mon, June 19, 9:10 p.m.*; Wed, June 21, 9:45 p.m.; Thurs, Jun 22, 9:10 p.m.
*Introduction by author Tom Vick on June 19. His book "Time and Place are Nonsense: The Films of Seijun Suzuki" will be available on site for sales and signing.
This seminal work of the Japanese New Wave from the legendary Seijun Suzuki is an explosion of style that almost wasn't. Suzuki was hired last minute by the Nikkatsu production company to retool a script and was often coming up with ideas the night before the shoot or on set. When his film failed to connect with contemporary audiences of the day, he was told by the studio not to "make movies that make no sense and no money," and was promptly fired. The twisted story sees a yakuza assassin with a fetish for sniffing steamed rice botch a job and consequently place a target on himself. DIR Seijun Suzuki; SCR Hachiro Guryu; PROD Kaneo Iwai. Japan, 1967, b&w, 91 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. NOT RATED
IN MEMORIAM: Seijun Suzuki (1923–2017)
AFI SILVER BABIES: AFI Silver welcomes moms, dads and caregivers with babies to Silver Babies, special Friday morning screenings of current films. Admission for adults is only $8.50 (the regular weekday matinee price) and babies get in FREE. At Silver Babies screenings, theatre lights remain dimly lit throughout the show, and the volume won't exceed a comfortable level. There is plenty of nearby parking here, and FREE stroller parking in the Silver lobby. Please check the calendar for upcoming Silver Babies screenings.
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