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Czech
Golden Sting
Directed by Radim Špaček
(Czech Republic/Slovakia, 2018, 106 min.)
Young lawyer and athlete Franta takes over coaching the Czechoslovak men’s basketball team after his coach is arrested during World War II. Following the liberation of Czechoslovakia, Franta leads the team to the European Basketball Championships in Geneva, where they miraculously win gold in 1946. But with the communist coup in February 1948, they find that their fiercest competitor remains off the court (part of the Czech That Film Festival; includes Q&A with the director).
The Avalon Theatre
Wed., April 10, 8 p.m.
Patrimony
Directed by Jiří Vejdělek
(Czech Republic, 2018, 90 min.)
Fashion designer Eva unexpectedly becomes a widow. Surprises continue to abound when she discovers an unknown child’s drawing in her late husband’s possessions. Even though Eva would like to ignore the discovery, her daughter Tereza latches onto the idea of an estranged stepbrother and the two set out in her late husband’s vintage car to find out more about the hidden family secret (part of the Czech That Film Festival; an embassy reception takes place at 7 p.m. in the main theater).
The Avalon Theatre
Thu., April 11, 5:15 p.m.
Suitor
Directed by Jan Hřebejk
(Czech Republic, 2017, 113 min.)
Set in the late 1950s, the communist regime controls Czechoslovakia, and a gap has opened between the prewar and postwar generations. City girl Daniela meets country boy Mirek while staying at the garden store run by her aunt and uncle. Love begins to bloom, but Daniela’s father is furious. He has other plans for his daughter, intent on making the perfect match with an educated catch (part of the Czech That Film Festival; an embassy reception takes place at 7 p.m. in the main theater).
The Avalon Theatre
Thu., April 11, 8 p.m.
English
The Aftermath
Directed by James Kent
(U.K./U.S./Germany, 2019, 108 min.)
Following World War II, a British colonel and his wife are assigned to live in the ruins of Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German widower who previously owned the house. In this charged atmosphere, enmity and grief give way to passion and betrayal.
Angelika Mosaic
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Apollo 11
Directed by Todd Douglas Miller
(U.S., 2019, 93 min.)
Crafted from a newly discovered trove of 65mm footage, and more than 11,000 hours of uncatalogued audio recordings, Apollo 11takes us straight to the heart of NASA’s most celebrated mission—the one that first put men on the moon, and forever made Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin into household names.
Atlantic Plumbing Cinema
The Brink
Directed by Alison Klayman
(U.S., 2019)
“The Brink” follows Steve Bannon through the 2018 midterm elections in the United States, shedding light on his efforts to mobilize and unify far-right parties in order to win seats in the May 2019 European Parliamentary elections. To maintain his power and influence, the former Goldman Sachs banker and media investor reinvents himself — as he has many times before — this time as the self-appointed leader of a global populist movement.
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
The Chaperone
Directed by Michael Engler
(Australia/U.K./U.S., 2019, 103 min.)
A slice of pre-Hollywood history comes to light in this coming-of-age story centering on the relationship between the young, free-spirited and soon-to-be international screen starlet Louise Brooks and her tee-totalling chaperone. On their journey from the conservative confines of Wichita, Kansas, to the flash and sizzle of New York City, both women are driven by a kindred desire for self-discovery and liberation from the past.
Landmark’s Theatres
Opens Fri., April 12
The Favourite
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
(Ireland/U.K./U.S., 2018, 119 min.)
In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah governs the country in her stead. But when a new servant Abigail arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Gloria Bell
Directed by Sebastián Lelio
(Chile/U.S., 2019, 102 min.)
Gloria (Julianne Moore) is a free-spirited divorcée who spends her days at a straight-laced office job and her nights on the dance floor, joyfully letting loose at clubs around Los Angeles.
Angelika Mosaic
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
High Life
Directed by Claire Denis
(Germany/France/U.K./Poland/U.S., 2018, 110 min.)
A father and his daughter struggle to survive in deep space where a group of criminals have become the subjects of a human reproduction experiment.
Angelika Mosaic
Opens Fri., April 12
Hotel Mumbai
Directed by Anthony Maras
(Australia/U.S., 2019, 125 min.)
Based on the true story of the 2008 terrorist attack on the famed Taj Hotel in Mumbai, hotel staff risk their lives to keep everyone safe as people make unthinkable sacrifices to protect themselves and their families (multiple languages).
Angelika Mosaic
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
The Hummingbird Project
Directed by Kim Nguyen
(Belgium/Canada, 2019, 111 min.)
A pair of high-frequency traders go up against their old boss in an effort to make millions in a fiber-optic cable deal.
Angelika Mosaic
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Little Woods
Directed by Nia DaCosta
(U.S., 2019, 105 min.)
In a North Dakota fracking boomtown well beyond its prime, Ollie is trying to survive the last few days of her probation after serving jail time for smuggling prescription pills over the Canadian border. But when her mother dies, she is thrust back into the life of her estranged sister Deb, who is facing her own crisis with an unplanned pregnancy and a deadbeat ex.
Landmark’s Theatres
Opens Fri., April 19
The Mustang
Directed by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
(France/U.S., 2019, 96 min.)
Roman Coleman, a violent convict, is given the chance to participate in a rehabilitation therapy program involving the training of wild mustangs.
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
The Wedding Guest
Directed by Michael Winterbottom
(U.K., 2019, 97 min.)
Jay is a man with a secret who travels from Britain to Pakistan to attend a wedding — armed with duct tape, a shotgun and a plan to kidnap the bride-to-be. Despite his cool efficiency, the plot quickly goes off course, sending Jay and his hostage on the run across the border and through the railway stations, back alleys and black markets of New Delhi — as attractions simmer, loyalties shift and explosive secrets are revealed.
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
West End Cinema
German
The Invisibles
Directed by Claus Räfle
(Germany, 2017, 110 min.)
Berlin, February 1943: The Nazi regime declares the Reich’s capital “free of Jews.” But some 1,700 Jews managed to survive the war living in Berlin, hiding in plain sight: “invisible.” Claus Räfle’s gripping docudrama traces the desperate and ingenious adventures of four real-life survivors who seemed to be ordinary German youths trying to navigate the scarcities and prohibitions of Berlin at the height of World War II.
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Transit
Directed by Christian Petzold
(Germany/France, 2019, 101 min.)
a German refugee named Georg flees to Marseille, assuming the identity of a recently deceased writer whose papers he is carrying. There he delves into the delicate and complex culture of the refugee community, becoming enmeshed in the lives of a young mother and son and falling for a mysterious woman named Marie.
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
West End Cinema
Hungarian
Sunset
Directed by László Nemes
(Hungary/France, 2019, 142 min.)
In 1913 Budapest, as World War I approaches, the young Irisz Leiter arrives in the Hungarian capital with high hopes to work at Leiter, the legendary hat store that once belonged to her late parents. But she is quickly sent away by the new owner. Refusing to leave the city, Irisz embarks on a quest that brings her through the dark, dusty streets of Budapest, where only the Leiter hat store shines, into the turmoil of a civilization on the eve of its downfall (Hungarian and German).
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Icelandic
Woman at War
Directed by Benedikt Erlingsson
(Iceland/France/Ukraine, 2019, 101 min.)
Halla is a 50-year-old independent woman with a quiet routine as a popular choir director in a small country town. But she leads a double life as a passionate environmental activist, engaged in secret warfare against the giant power company that is (in her opinion) desecrating the countryside and hastening global warming (Icelandic, Spanish, English and Ukrainian).
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Japanese
100 Yen Love
Directed by Masaharu Take
(Japan, 2014, 113 min.)
A 32-year-old slacker still lives with her parents, without a job or any ambition in life. After a blowout fight with her sister, she leaves home and lives hand-to-mouth working at a 100-yen “dollar store.” When she becomes enamored with a local boxer, she starts a life-changing journey of redemption and empowerment.
Freer Gallery of Art
Sun., April 7, 2 p.m.
Dragnet Girl
Directed by Yasujiro Ozu
(Japan, 1933, 100 min.)
This formally accomplished and psychologically complex gangster tale pivots on the growing attraction between Joji, a career criminal, and Kazuko, the sweet-natured sister of a young hoodlum.
Freer Gallery of Art
Fri., April 12, 7:30 p.m.
The Makioka Sisters
Directed by Kon Ichikawa
(Japan, 1983, 140 min.)
Structured around the changing seasons, “The Makioka Sisters” follows four siblings as they run their family’s kimono-manufacturing business in the years before the Pacific War.
Freer Gallery of Art
Wed., April 3, 2 p.m.
The Ramen Shop
Directed by Eric Khoo
(Singapore/Japan/France, 2019, 89 min.)
An aspiring young Ramen chef leaves his hometown in Japan to embark on a culinary journey to Singapore to find out the truth about his past. His parents are dead, and he knows little about his Chinese mother’s family in Singapore. Arriving alone in the busy unfamiliar city, he meets his uncle, a chef who specializes in the popular Chinese dish of pork ribs soup, and pleads to be tutored in his cooking secrets. But his formidable grandmother proves harder to approach (Japanese, English and Mandarin).
Landmark’s Theatres
Opens Fri., April 5
Korean
Crying Fist
Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan
(South Korea, 2005, 134 min.)
Former silver-medalist boxer Kang Tae Shik sells himself as a human punching bag on the streets of Seoul while ducking loan sharks and trying to keep his marriage together. Fresh out of jail, young ruffian Yoo Sang-hwan runs around town wreaking havoc until he finds boxing to be a perfect vent for his untenable aggression. These two desperate men’s paths meet when an amateur boxing competition offers a major cash prize.
Freer Gallery of Art
Sun., April 28, 2 p.m.
Mandarin
Ash Is Purest White
Directed by Jia Zhang-Ke
(China/France/Japan, 2018, 136 min.)
This epic tale of love and crime set in contemporary China spanning nearly two decades follows a quick-witted woman named Qiao, who is in love with Bin, a local mobster. During a fight between rival gangs, she fires a gun to protect him. Qiao gets five years in prison for this act of loyalty, and upon her release she goes looking for Bin to pick up where they left off.
West End Cinema
Fly by Night
Directed by Zahir Omar
(Malaysia, 2018, 101 min.)
This gripping heist-thriller centers on four taxi drivers running a low-key extortion racket that targets the well-off passengers they drive from the airport (Mandarin, Bahasa Malay and English).
Freer Gallery of Art
Sun., April 14, 2 p.m.
Have a Nice Day
Directed by Liu Jian
(China, 2017, 77 min.)
When a gangster’s driver absconds with one million yuan to pay for his girlfriend’s plastic surgery mistakes, a wild chase ensues over one rainy night. Peppered with wry dark humor, this animated film’s labyrinthine pitfalls and double-crosses are headlined by a motley crew straight out of central casting.
Freer Gallery of Art
Fri., April 19, 7 p.m.
Polish
Cold War
Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski
(Poland/U.K./France, 2018, 89 min.)
“Cold War” is a passionate love story between a man and a woman who meet in the ruins of postwar Poland. With vastly different backgrounds and temperaments, they are fatefully mismatched and yet condemned to each other. Set against the background of the Cold War in 1950s Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris, it’s the tale of a couple separated by politics, character flaws and unfortunate twists of fate — an impossible love story in impossible times (Polish, French, German, Russian, Italian and Croatian).
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Portuguese
10 Seconds to Victory
(10 segundos para vencer)
Directed by José Alvarenga Jr.
(Brazil, 2018, 122 min.)
Brazilian boxer Éder Jofre, nicknamed “Golden Rooster,” who was world champion in the early 1960s and is ranked among the best fighters of all history, and father/trainer, Argentinian wrestler Kid Jofre, confront the limits between the dedication to the sport, family and personal wishes (part of the Ibero-American Film Showcase).
Embassy of Brazil
Thu., April 11, 6:30 p.m.
Everybody Knows
Directed by Asghar Farhadi
(Spain/France/Italy, 2019, 132 min.)
Laura, a Spanish woman living in Buenos Aires, returns to her hometown outside Madrid with her two children to attend her sister’s wedding. However, the trip is upset by unexpected events that bring secrets into the open (Spanish, English and Catalan).
AFI Silver Theatre
Angelika Mosaic
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Roma
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
(Mexico/U.S., 2018, 135 min.)
The most personal project to date from Academy Award-winning director and writer Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma” follows a young domestic worker for a family in the middle-class neighborhood of Roma in Mexico City. Delivering an artful love letter to the women who raised him, Cuarón draws on his own childhood to create a vivid and emotional portrait of domestic strife and social hierarchy amidst political turmoil of the 1970s.
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Spanish
The Delay
(La demora)
Directed by Rodrigo Plá
(Uruguay/Mexico/France, 2012, 84 min.)
A middle-age, single mother of three cares for her 80-year-old father, and both are pushed to the breaking point (part of the Ibero-American Film Showcase).
Embassy of Brazil
Wed., April 3, 6:30 p.m.
Everybody Knows
Directed by Asghar Farhadi
(Spain/France/Italy, 2019, 132 min.)
Laura, a Spanish woman living in Buenos Aires, returns to her hometown outside Madrid with her two children to attend her sister’s wedding. However, the trip is upset by unexpected events that bring secrets into the open (Spanish, English and Catalan).
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Los Exiliados Románticos
Directed by Jonas Trueba
(Spain, 2016, 80 min.)
Vito, Luis and Francesco are three Spanish friends who travel by van to Paris for no apparent reason other than looking for a reunion with their respective ancient, idyllic and yet ephemeral love affairs (part of the Ibero-American Film Showcase).
Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain
Tue., April 9, 6:30 p.m.
Plaza de la Soledad
Directed by
(Mexico/Netherlands, 2017, 78 min.)
Prostitutes Carmen, Lety, Raquel, and Esther, each ranging in age from 50 to 80 years old, work the streets of Mexico City. Age means nothing to these women, who still dance and seduce with the same energy they’ve held on to since youth. But with time comes a desire to seek out companionship and security, whether in the form of their fellow coworkers, older men or their own deeply ingrained sense of self-reliance (part of the Ibero-American Film Showcase).
Mexican Cultural Institute
Wed., April 10, 6:30 p.m.
A Talking Picture
(Um Filme Falado)
Directed by Manoel de Oliveira
(Portugal/France/Italy, 2003, 96 min.)
Friends wave as a cruise ship departs Lisbon for Mediterranean ports and the Indian Ocean. On board and on day trips in Marseilles, Pompeii, Athens, Istanbul and Cairo, a professor tells her young daughter about myth, history, religion and wars in this meditation on civilization (part of the Ibero-American Film Showcase).
Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain
Thu., April 4, 6:30 p.m.
September
(Septiembre)
Directed by Kenneth Muller
(Guatemala, 2017, 79 min.)
Based in real facts, this film narrates the story between a father and daughter and their struggle for survival during one of the most difficult times in the armed conflict in Guatemala (part of the Ibero-American Film Showcase).
Mexican Cultural Institute
Fri., April 5, 6:30 p.m.
Viejos Amigos
Directed by Fernando Villaran
(Peru, 2014, 93 min.)
Three octogenarian friends decide, in a redemptive act, to steal the urn with the ashes of their deceased companion to take him to his old neighborhood, El Callao, taking us on a journey of the places they’ve frequented in their lives (part of the Ibero-American Film Showcase).
Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain
Tue., April 2, 6:30 p.m.