Czech |
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Korean | Polish | Russian | Swiss-German | ||||
Mandarin | Portuguese | Spanish |
*EFF = Environmental Film Festival
*FCF = Francophonie Cultural Festival
Czech
All for the Good of the World and Nosovice
(Vse Pro Dobro Sveta a Nosovic)
Directed by Vít Klusák
(Czech Republic, 2010, 82 min.)
In the small Czech village of Nošovice, a UFO has landed in the form of a kilometer-long factory: a Korean Hyundai automobile plant. (EFF)
Embassy of the Czech Republic
Thu., March 22, 7 p.m.
Mamas & Papas
Directed by Alice Nellis
(Czech Republic, 2010, 110 min.)
The fates of four couples intertwine in a critical moment of their lives, as they deal with questions of planned, unplanned, desired or thwarted parenthood in parallel stories.
The Avalon Theatre
Wed., March 14, 8 p.m.
English
Barcelona
Directed by Whit Stillman
(U.S., 1994, 101 min.)
Taylor Nichols is an innocent abroad, posted to the Barcelona office of his Chicago manufacturing firm, when his cousin, a Navy Lieutenant, comes to town to scout for trouble ahead of the Sixth Fleet’s upcoming shore leave. (English and Spanish)
AFI Silver Theatre
March 25 to 27
Blindsight
Directed by Lucy Walker
(U.K., 2006, 104 min.)
Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Himalayas, “Blindsight” follows the gripping adventure of six blind Tibetan teenagers who set out to climb the north side of Mount Everest. (EFF)
AFI Silver Theatre
Mon., March 19, 7:45 p.m.
Cane Toads: The Conquest
Directed by Mark Lewis
(Australia, 2010, 85 min.)
Shot against the harsh landscape of northern Australia, this is a comic account of Australia’s most notorious environmental blunder, the introduction of cane toads from Hawaii to control the beetles decimating Queensland’s sugar cane crops. (EFF)
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Wed., March 21, 6 and 8 p.m.
Charlotte Rampling: The Look
Directed by Angelina Maccarone
(Germany/France, 2011, 98 min.)
This fascinating biographical study of legendary actress Charlotte Rampling is told through her own conversations with artist friends and collaborators. (English, French and German)
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Opens Fri., March 2
Chandani: Daughter of the Elephant Whisperer
Directed by Arne Birkenstock
(Germany/Sri Lanka, 2010, 88 min.)
The profession of mahout (elephant whisperer) in Sri Lanka has traditionally been reserved for men, so when young Chandani becomes determined to follow in her father’s footsteps, she has to show extraordinary dedication to prove herself. (EFF; in English and Sinhala)
National Gallery of Art
Sat., March 17, 10:30 a.m.
Coriolanus
Directed by Ralph Fiennes
(U.K., 2011, 122 min.)
A banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city.
Theater TBA
Opens Fri., Feb. 17
Dreams of Dust
Directed by Laurent Salgues
(Burkina Faso/France/Canada, 2006, 86 min.)
A Nigerian peasant journeys to a dusty gold-mining village in Burkina Faso, where he hopes to forget his past — encountering a mother struggling to raise her daughter after her own tragedy. (FCF)
S. Dillon Ripley Center
Wed., March 14, 7 p.m.
The Hunter
Directed by Daniel Nettheim
(Australia, 2011, 100 min.)
A mercenary scientist is sent into the wilds of Australia by a mysterious European biotech company to search for the last Tasmanian tiger in this psychological drama. (EFF)
AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., March 24, 7:30 p.m.
The Last Dogs of Winter
Directed by Costa Botes
(New Zealand, 2011, 97 min.)
For the past 40 years, in a harshly beautiful corner of northern Manitoba, Brian Ladoon has devoted his life to preserving and breeding an endangered species: the Qimmiq, Canada’s indigenous Eskimo dog. (EFF)
AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., March 17, 1 p.m.
Play Time
Directed by Jacques Tati
(France/Italy, 1967, 120 min.)
Monsieur Hulot has to contact an American official in Paris, but he gets lost in the maze of modern architecture that is filled with the latest technical gadgets. (English, French and German)
AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., March 3, 1:20 p.m.,
Sun., March 4, 1 p.m.
Radioactive Wolves
Directed by Klaus Feichtenberger
(Austria, 2011, 50 min.)
After the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in 1986, around 340,000 people were displaced from the exclusion zone. In the absence of humans, a profusion of wild species has taken over, and at the top of this ecosystem is the wolf. (EFF)
Embassy of Austria
Thu., March 15, 7:30 p.m.
Return to Aeolian Islands
Directed by Giovanna Taviani
(Italy, 2011, 82 min.)
Giovanna Taviani looks at the stunning Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily, which have inspired generations of legendary Italian filmmakers. (EFF)
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Wed., March 14, 7 p.m.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Directed by Lasse Hallström
(U.K., 2011, 107 min.)
In this inspirational romance, a British fisheries expert is approached by a consultant to help realize a sheik’s ambitious vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert.
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Opens Fri., March 9
Silent Show: The Invisible Poisoning of the World
Directed by Jan van den Berg
(The Netherlands, 2010, 71 min.)
The Arctic plains are an eminent example of nature’s untouched beauty, but chemical residues from all over the world accumulate here invisibly, poisoning both humans and animals. (EFF)
Royal Netherlands Embassy
Thu., March 15, 6:30 p.m.
Some Kind of Funny Porto Rican: A Cape Verdean American Story
Directed by Claire Andrade-Watkins
(Cape Verde/U.S., 2006, 83 min.)
This indie documentary portrays the fate of the Cape Verdean community from the Providence neighborhood of Fox Point after being displaced by urban renewal projects in the 1950s. (FCF)
S. Dillon Ripley Center
Wed., March 28, 7 p.m.
The Trial
Directed by Orson Welles
(France/Italy/W. Germany, 1962, 118 min.)
Orson Welles renders Franz Kafka’s unfinished novel into a satisfying cinematic whole, adding a bookended parable that finds the fractured fairy tale within.
AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., March 10, 1 p.m.
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
Directed by Lucy Walker
(U.K., 2011, 40 min.)
Oscar- nominated director Lucy Walker set out to make “a visual haiku about cherry blossoms” in Japan but changed her plans radically following the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 2011. (EFF)
AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., March 17, 7:45 p.m.
Turtle: The Incredible Journey
Directed by Nick Stringer
(U.K./Austria/Germany, 2009, 81 min.)
This is the story of a loggerhead turtle as she follows the path of her ancestors on one of the most extraordinary journeys in the natural world. (EFF)
Town Hall Education Arts & Recreation Campus (THEARC)
Tue., March 20, 10:30 a.m.
Waste Land
Directed by Lucy Walker
(U.K./Brazil, 2010, 99 min.)
Renowned artist Vik Muniz travels from Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, where he photographs an eclectic band of “catadores” — self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. (EFF)
AFI Silver Theatre
Mon., March 19, 3 p.m.
Wild Scandinavia: Finland
Directed by Oliver Goetzl and Ivo Nörenber
(Germany, 2011, 52 min.)
This film shows animal behavior never filmed before from various species in Finland, home to rare animals such as bears, wolves, lynx, wolverines and Siberian Flying squirrel. (EFF)
Embassy of Finland
Thu., March 22, 6 p.m.
You’ve Been Trumped
Directed by Anthony Baxter
(U.K., 2011, 95 min.)
In this David and Goliath story for the 21st century, a group of proud Scottish homeowners take on celebrity tycoon Donald Trump as he buys up one of Scotland’s last wilderness areas to build a golf resort. (EFF)
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Tue., March 13, 7 p.m.
Finnish
Moomins and the Comet Chase
(Muumi Ja Punainen Pyrstötähti)
Directed by Maria Lindberg
(Finland, 2010, 75 min.)
In this animated adventure, Moomintroll notices that something strange has happened in the Moomin Valley: Everything is grey — not just the sky and the river, but the trees, the ground, and even the Moominhouse, too! (EFF)
The Avalon Theatre
Sat., March 24, 10:30 a.m.
French
Les Anges du Péché
Directed by Robert Bresson
(France, 1943, 100 min.)
A novice in the Sisters of Bethany convent has to confront her own bourgeois background and immature moral character when she takes on the rehabilitation of a delinquent woman imprisoned for crimes committed by a lover.
National Gallery of Art
Sat., March 3, 2 p.m.
Crazy Horse
Directed by Frederick Wiseman
(U.S./France, 2011, 134 min.)
Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman goes inside Paris’s Crazy Horse cabaret, the most famous nude dance show in the world.
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne
Directed by Robert Bresson
(France, 1945, 90 min.)
Hélène, doubting her lover’s devotion, plots a bitter revenge by enticing him into a relationship with a prostitute, taking pains to disguise the true occupation of her innocent decoy.
National Gallery of Art
Sat., March 10, 4:30 p.m.
The Devil, Probably
(Le Diable Probablement)
Directed by Robert Bresson
(France, 1977, 90 min.)
Anxious over the world’s problems and growing greed, a student begins in protest to plan his own death.
National Gallery of Art
Sat., March 24, 2 p.m.
Diary of a Country Priest
(Journal d’un Curé de Campagne)
Directed by Robert Bresson
(France, 1950, 114 min.)
A naive priest, settling into his first assignment after seminary, dedicates himself to his local parishioners who, in turn, often mock him and fail to appreciate his work.
National Gallery of Art
Sun., March 11, 4:30 p.m.
The Field of Enchantment
(La Clé des Champs)
Directed by Claude Nuridsany and Marie Perennou
(France, 2011, 81 min.)
As two lonely children silently prowl around a pond, creating a small kingdom of dreaming and playing, the filmmakers depict their passion for nature by closely observing plant and animal life and then adding a charming story with human characters. (EFF)
AMC Loews Georgetown
Tue., March 20, 6:30 p.m.
Four Nights of a Dreamer
(Quatre Nuits d’un Rêveur)
Directed by Robert Bresson
(France, 1972, 91 min.)
An artist who dreams of finding an idyllic love discovers a young woman who has just lost her lover in this reimaging of Dostoyevsky’s 1948 “White Nights.”
National Gallery of Art
Sat., March 17, 4:30 p.m.
The Kid with a Bike
(Le Gamin au Velo)
Directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
(Belgium/France/Italy, 2011, 87 min.)
A 12-year-old has only one plan: find the father who temporarily left him in a children’s home. Along the way, he meets a hair salon owner who calms his rage. (FCF)
Letelier Theatre
Thu., March 8, 7 p.m.
Lancelot du Lac
Directed by Robert Bresson
(France, 1974, 95 min.)
The knights return to King Arthur’s court after their failed quest for the Holy Grail, their fellowship in decline in this deconstruction of the legend.
National Gallery of Art
Sat., March 31, 4 p.m.
A Man Escaped
(Le vent)
Directed by Robert Bresson
(France, 1956, 95 min.)
A French Resistance activist is imprisoned by the Nazis and devotes his waking hours to planning an elaborate escape. (French and German)
National Gallery of Art
Sun., March 25, 4:30 p.m.
Pickpocket
Directed by Robert Bresson
(France, 1959, 75 min.)
The all but lost art of the pickpocket — an occupation dependent on a perpetrator’s economy of gesture and expressionless face — was the subject of one of Robert Bresson’s most memorable works.
National Gallery of Art
Sat., March 3, 4:15 p.m.
Titeuf
Directed by Zep
(Switzerland/Belgium, 2011, 87 min.)
Based on Europe’s bestselling comic character, “Titeuf, the film” is the feature debut of Swiss comic book artist Zep, chronicling a boy whose childlike view of the adult world is equal parts naiveté and early-teen rebelliousness. (FCF)
The Avalon Theatre
Sat., March 17, 10 a.m.
The Trial of Joan of Arc
(Procès de Jeanne d’Arc)
Directed by Robert Bresson
(France, 1962, 65 min.)
Court transcripts from Joan of Arc’s 15th-century heresy trial are presented without pretext or emotion in this direct, unadorned recreation. (French and English)
National Gallery of Art
Sat., March 31, 2:30 p.m.
German
The Fatherless
(Die Veterlosen)
Directed by Marie Kreutzer
(Austria, 2011, 104 min.)
When the charismatic former leader of a sexually liberated commune in the Austrian countryside dies, his four adult children reunite for his funeral and thrash out their complicated feelings about their childhood. (FCF)
The Avalon Theatre
Wed., March 21, 8 p.m.
Greek
My Sweet Canary
Directed by Roy Sher
(Israel/Greece/France/Germany, 2011, 89 min.)
In this documentary, three young musicians embark on a musical journey to tell the story of Roza Eskenazi, Greece’s beloved rebetiko singer. (Multiple languages)
The Avalon Theatre
Wed., March 7, 8 p.m.
Hebrew
Footnote
(Hearat Shulayim)
Directed by Joseph Cedar
(Israel, 2011, 105 min.)
A father and son are rival professors in the Talmudic studies department of Hebrew University, a rivalry that escalates when the father is chosen for a prestigious national award.
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Opens Fri., March 16
Japanese
Eatrip
Directed by Yuri Nomura
(Japan, 2009, 80 min.)
This contemporary Japanese food culture documentary explores our connection to food and to each other, both as an interaction among people and between people and nature. (EFF)
Japan Information and Culture Center
Wed., March 14, 6:30 p.m.
The Secret World of Arrietty
(Kari-gurashi no Arietti)
Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Gary Rydstrom
(Japan, 2010, 95 min.)
The Clock family are four-inch-tall people who live anonymously in another family’s residence, but life changes for the Clocks when their daughter, Arrietty, is discovered. (Japanese and English)
Theater TBA
Opens Fri., Feb. 17
Korean
Anyang, Paradise City
(Dasi taeernago sipfiryo, Anyangae)
Directed by Park Chan-kyong
(South Korea, 2011, 102 min.)
This blend of documentary and fiction journeys through the history that has shaped the city of Anyang, South Korea, from a tragic fire that killed 22 female workers during the 1988 Olympics to the painstaking excavation of a 1,000-year-old temple. (EFF)
Freer Gallery of Art
Fri., March 16, 7 p.m.
Cyrano Agency
Directed by Kim Hyun-seok
(South Korea, 2010, 117 min.)
A troupe of poor actors takes inspiration from “Cyrano de Bergerac” and starts a business to help the lovelorn via meticulous surveillance, extreme makeovers and elaborately stage-managed “chance meetings.”
Freer Gallery of Art
Sun., March 18, 2 p.m.
My Dear Desperado
(Nae Kkangpae Gateun Aein)
Directed by Kim Kwang-sik
(South Korea, 2010, 105 min.)
She’s a recent college graduate; he’s a grouchy gangster. As she struggles to find work and he considers getting out of the crime game, these neighbors in a crummy Seoul apartment building become an adorably odd couple.
Freer Gallery of Art
Sun., March 25, 2 p.m.
Foxy Festival
Directed by Lee Hae-young
(South Korea, 2010, 110 min.)
When the police announce a campaign to rid their precinct of sleaze, they run into a problem: It seems every citizen has a skeleton in the closet — or, more accurately, a blowup doll or set of handcuffs.
Freer Gallery of Art
Sun., March 11, 2 p.m.
Mandarin
Happy Together
(Chun gwong cha sit)
Directed by Wong Kar-wai
(Hong Kong, 1997, 96 min.)
Male lovers Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Leslie Cheung leave Hong Kong for Buenos Aires to seek a fresh start, but instead break up and become roommates, but can the former lovers be friends?
AFI Silver Theatre
March 2 to 7
Polish
In Darkness
(W Ciemnosci)
Directed by Agnieszka Holland
(Poland/Germany/France/Canada, 2011, 145 min.)
A sewer worker and petty thief in the Nazi-occupied Polish city of Lvov hides a group of Jews for money in the labyrinth of the town’s sewer system, but what starts out as a cynical business arrangement turns into something unexpected. (Polish, Ukrainian, Yiddish and German)
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Portuguese
5X Favela, Now By Ourselves
(Agora Por Nós Mesmos)
Multiple directors
(Brazil, 2010, 103 min.)
The culmination of a years-long project to cultivate talented young filmmakers from the hillside favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro, “5X Favela’s” five short episodes offer a rare glimpse of the vigorous culture emerging from these communities. (EFF)
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Thu., March 15, 7 p.m.
Russian
Khodorkovsky
Directed by Cyril Tuschi
(Germany, 2011, 112 min.)
This documentary chronicles the true rags-to-riches-to-rags story of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former Russian oil oligarch who spoke out against state corruption, only to be arrested and convicted on tax and embezzlement charges. (Russian, English and German)
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Spanish
Chico & Rita
Directed by Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal and Tono Errando
(Spain/U.K., 2010, 94 min.)
This epic animated story of love and heartbreak celebrates the music and culture of Cuba as a gifted songwriter and beautiful singer chase their dreams — and each other — across the globe in the 1940s and ’50s.
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Opens Fri., March 16
Rebellion at Dawn
(Awka Liwen)
Directed by Mariano Aiello and Kristina Hille
(Argentina, 2010, 77 min.)
This film tells of the massacres against the indigenous peoples of northern Argentina at the turn of the 20th century in the eternal fight for land and distribution of wealth. (EFF)
Embassy of Argentina
Fri., March 16, 6:30 p.m.
The War for Other Media
(La Guerra por Otros Medios)
Directed by Emilio Cartoy Díaz and Cristian Jure
(Argentina, 2010, 74 min.)
Thanks to laptops, speakers, radios, newspapers, video cameras, cell phones, etc., indigenous people have been integrating mass media to strengthen their claims and the recognition of their rights. (EFF)
Embassy of Venezuela
Sat., March 24, 6:30 p.m.
Swiss-German
Weather Grazers
(Wätterschmöcker)
Directed by Thomas Horat
(Switzerland, 2010, 98 min.)
In central Switzerland, the spry old men who live in the mountains are famous for predicting the weather using the ancient signs of animal behavior, plant growth, winds and clouds — participating in a competition where they are judged by both the accuracy of their forecast and the flourishes in their prose. (EFF)
Embassy of Switzerland
Mon., March 19, 7 p.m.