*WJFF = Washington Jewish Film Festival

Afrikaans

An Act of Defiance
Directed by Jean van de Velde
(Netherlands, 2018, 123 min.)

In this riveting historical drama, 10 political activists, including Nelson Mandela and his inner circle of black and Jewish supporters, face looming death sentences after they are caught up in a raid by the apartheid South African government. Bram Fischer, a sympathetic lawyer, risks his career and freedom to defend these men (WJFF; Afrikaans and English).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Thu., May 3, 8:45 p.m.

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Tue., May 8, 8:15 p.m.

Burmese

Golden Kingdom
Directed by Brian Perkins
(Germany/U.S./Myanmar, 2015, 101 min.)

At their monastery nestled in the jungle hills of Myanmar, life cycles peacefully for four very young Buddhist monks. One day, the head abbot departs on a journey through the mountain pass. Alone and exposed, the four young boys must now fend for themselves (director in person).

Freer Gallery of Art
Fri., May 4, 7 p.m.

Catalan

Summer 1993
Directed by Carla Simón
(Spain, 2018, 97 min.)

After her mother’s death, 6-year-old Frida is sent to her uncle’s family to live with them in the countryside. But Frida finds it hard to forget her mother and adapt to her new life.

Landmark’s Theatres
Opens Fri., May 25

Dutch

The Hero
Directed by Menno Meyjes
(Netherlands, 2016, 95 min.)

Sara Silverstein is looking forward to returning to the Netherlands with her family after many years living as an expat in L.A. But her happiness about reuniting with her elderly parents and sister is overshadowed almost immediately by a series of anti-Semitic violent assaults, which reveal a dark family secret (WJFF).

Edlavitch DCJCC
Sat., May 12, 2:15 p.m.

AFI Silver Theatre
Sun., May 13, 3:30 p.m.

Dzongkha

Honeygiver among the Dogs
Directed by Dechen Roder
(Bhutan, 2016, 132 min.)

When a woman goes missing from a small village, policeman Kinley is put on the case, and his prime suspect is sexy Choden. But the missing woman is the abbess of a Buddhist nunnery, and there are some unexpected forces at work in this feminist twist on film noir.

Freer Gallery of Art
Sun., May 13, 2 p.m.

English

Back to the Fatherland
Directed by Kat Rohrer and Gil Levanon
(Austria/Germany/Israel, 2017, 77 min.)

Gil and Kat have been friends since college. Gil is from Israel, Kat from Austria; Gil is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Kat the granddaughter of a Nazi officer. Through them we meet Dan and Guy, who have decided to move to Austria and Germany respectively, decisions that gravely affect their relationships with their families (WJFF; English, Hebrew and German).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Mon., May 7, 6:15 p.m.

Edlavitch DCJCC
Wed., May 9, 6:15 p.m.

Beirut

Directed by Brad Anderson
(U.S., 2018)

A U.S. diplomat flees Lebanon in 1972 after a tragic incident. Ten years later, he is called back to war-torn Beirut by a CIA operative to negotiate for the life of a friend he left behind.

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema

Bye Bye Germany

Directed by Sam Garbarski
(Germany/Luxembourg/Belgium, 2018, 102 min.)

Frankfurt, 1946. David Bermann and a few Jewish friends have, against all odds, survived the murderous Nazi regime and are now dreaming of leaving for a new life in America. But how will they get the money in these tough postwar times — and can they overcome David’s shady past? (English and German)

Landmark’s Theatres
Opens Fri., May 18

The Cakemaker

Directed by Ofir Raul Graizer
(Germany/Israel, 2017, 105 min.)

German baker Tomas’s affair with Israeli businessman Oren ends abruptly when Oren dies. Without time to process, Tomas travels to Jerusalem and finds work in a cafe run by his lover’s widow, Anat, but keeps his identity a secret (WJFF; English, Hebrew and German).

Edlavitch DCJCC
Tue., May 8, 7:30 p.m.

AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., May 12, 4:30 p.m.

The Death of Stalin

Directed by Armando Iannucci
(U.K./Canada/France/Belgium, 2018, 107 min.)

Moscow, 1953: when tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin drops dead, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to be the next Soviet leader in this uproarious, wickedly irreverent satire.

AFI Silver Theatre
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema

Disobedience

Directed by Sebastián Lelio
(Ireland/U.K./U.S., 2018, 114 min.)

Disobedience. Rachel Weisz stars as a woman who returns to the orthodox Jewish community that shunned her for decades earlier because of her attraction to a childhood friend (Rachel McAdams). Once back, passions between the two women reignite as they explore the boundaries of faith and sexuality.

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Opens Fri., May 4

Find Me

Directed by Tom Huang
(U.S., 2018, 102 min.)

Joe is an accountant who is on a downward spiral after a painful divorce. His only solace is his co-worker and “office wife” Amelia, who tries to get Joe to get out again and live life, which he can’t yet bring himself to do. It’s only when Amelia mysteriously disappears for weeks that he finally gets himself out of his shell to try to find her through clues she leaves for him in National Parks across the West (part of the Asian Pacific American Film Festival).

U.S. Navy Memorial Burke Theatre
Sun., May 13, 4 p.m.

Finding Your Feet

Directed by Richard Loncraine
(U.K., 2018, 111 min.)

On the eve of her retirement, a middle-class, judgmental snob discovers her husband has been having an affair with her best friend and is forced into exile with her bohemian sister who lives on an impoverished inner-city council estate.

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema

Ghost Stories

Directed by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman
(U.K., 2018, 97 min.)

Paranormal skeptic professor Phillip Goodman embarks upon a terror-filled quest when he stumbles across a long-lost file containing details of three cases of inexplicable “hauntings,” each of which seems to have a connection to Goodman’s life.

Landmark’s E Street Cinema

Godard Mon Amour

Directed by Michel Hazanavicius
(France/Myanmar/Italy, 2018, 107 min.)

Actress Anne Wiazemsky finds herself juggling political protests and artistic challenges in her married life with the much older renowned filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard. As 1960s France undergoes enormous cultural change, so too does Anne’s dynamic with her husband (English, French and Italian).

Landmark’s Theatres
Opens Fri., May 11

Hannah Senesh: Blessed Is the Match

Directed by Roberta Grossman
(U.S., 2008, 86 min.)

In 1944, 22-year-old Hannah Senesh parachuted into Nazi-occupied Europe with a small group of Jewish volunteers from Palestine. Theirs was the only military rescue mission for Jews that occurred in World War II (WJFF).

AFI Silver Theatre
Sun., May 6, 5:45 p.m.

Isle of Dogs

Directed by Wes Anderson
(U.S./Germany, 2018, 101 min.)

This animated adventure follows Atari Kobayashi, a 12-year-old ward to corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When, by executive decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump called Trash Island, Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies across the river in search of his bodyguard-dog.

AFI Silver Theatre
Angelika Mosaic
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema

The Judge

Directed by Erika Cohn
(U.S., 2018, 76 min.)

When she was a young lawyer, Kholoud Al-Faqih walked into the office of Palestine’s Chief Justice and announced she wanted to join the bench. He laughed at her. But just a few years later, Kholoud became the first woman judge to be appointed to the Middle East’s religious courts.

West End Cinema
Opens Fri., May 4

Lean on Pete

Directed by Andrew Haigh
(U.K., 2018, 121 min.)

Fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson arrives in Oregon with his single father Ray, both of them eager for a fresh start after a series of hard knocks. While Ray descends into personal turmoil, Charley finds acceptance and camaraderie at a local racetrack where he lands a job caring for an aging Quarter Horse named Lean On Pete.

Angelika Mosaic
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
West End Cinema

The Legend of King Solomon

Directed by Albert Hanan Kaminski
(Hungary/Israel, 2017, 80 min.)

In this animated family adaptation of the Biblical story, the young Solomon must save the kingdom of Jerusalem from the evil devil Asmodeus (WJFF).

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Sun., May 6, 10:30 a.m.

AFI Silver Theatre
Sun., May 13, 10:15 a.m.

Love After Love

Directed by Russell Harbaugh
(U.S., 2018, 91 min.)

What happens when you lose the foundation of your family? In the wake of a husband and father’s death, the family members he leaves behind find themselves adrift — and in danger of drifting apart — as they each try to find meaning in a world without the man who held them together.

West End Cinema

My Dear Children

Directed by LeeAnn Dance and Cliff Hackel
(U.S., 2018, 70 min.)

The pogroms that followed on the heels of the Russian Revolution killed tens of thousands of Jews. Feiga Shamis, a Jewish mother of 12, wrote about those years in a rare first-hand account. Decades later, her granddaughter set out from South Africa to explore the family’s roots in Ukraine, where dhe finds a world virtually stripped of its Jewish past (WJFF).

Edlavitch DCJCC
Sat., May 5, 6:30 p.m.

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Sun., May 6, 4:15 p.m.

My Son Tenzin

Directed by Tsultrim Dorjee and Tashi Wangchuk
(U.S., 2017, 70 min.)

In this warm-hearted, clear-eyed look at life in exile for a new generation of Tibetans separated from their homeland, a monk arrives in the United States to search for his grown son, Tenzin, who had been sent away to get an education.

Freer Gallery of Art
Sun., May 6, 1 p.m.

An Open Door: Holocaust Rescue in the Philippines

Directed by Noel Izon
(U.S., 2018)

“An Open Door” is a feature-length documentary on the uplifting story of how a small Asian nation was able to save over 1,300 Jews as they fled the pogroms of Nazi Germany (opening night film of the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival).

U.S. Navy Memorial Burke Theatre
Fri., May 11, 5 p.m.

RBG

Directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West
(U.S., 2018, 97 min.)

At the age of 84, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. But without a definitive Ginsburg biography, the unique personal journey of this diminutive, quiet warrior’s rise to the nation’s highest court has been largely unknown, even to some of her biggest fans—until now.

Angelika Mosaic
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Opens Fri., May 4

The Seagull

Directed by Michael Mayer
(U.S., 2018, 98 min.)

An aging actress named Irina Arkadina pays summer visits to her brother Pjotr and her son Konstantin on a country estate. On one occasion, she brings Boris, a successful novelist, with her. Nina, a free and innocent girl on a neighboring estate, falls in love with Boris. As he lightly consumes and rejects Nina, so the actress all her life has consumed and rejected her son, who loves Nina.

Angelika Mosaic
Opens Fri., May 25

Shalom Bollywood: The Untold Story of Indian Cinema

Directed by Danny Ben-Moshe
(Australia/India, 2017, 100 min.)

A celebration of the all-singing, all-dancing history of the world’s largest film industry, “Shalom Bollywood” reveals the unlikely story of the 2,000-year-old Indian-Jewish community and its formative place in shaping Indian cinema (WJFF).

Edlavitch DCJCC
Mon., May 7, 8:30 p.m.

AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., May 12, 12:15 p.m.

Spiral

Directed by Laura Fairrie
(U.S., 2017, 79 min.)

Anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial, and physical and verbal assaults against Jews are on the rise throughout Europe, particularly in France. Director Laura Fairrie presents an alarming look at the impact of this free reign of hatred on the lives of ordinary people (WJFF; English and French).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Thu., May 3, 8:15 p.m.

Edlavitch DCJCC
Sat., May 12, 4:30 p.m.

The Strangest Stranger

Directed by Magnus Bärtus
(Japan/Sweden, 2017, 73 min.)

The charismatic and talkative Waka is a true chameleon in Tokyo — a self-proclaimed outsider, a homosexual, the center of any party, and a descendant from an age-old Jewish lineage, if you believe his claims (WJFF; English, Japanese and French).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Sat., May 5, 12:15 p.m.

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Sun., May 6, 8:15 p.m.

Summer in the Forest

Directed by Randall Wright
(U.K./France/Palestine, 2018, 108 min.)

Like countless others, Philippe, Michel, Andre and Patrick were labeled “idiots,” locked away and forgotten in violent asylums, until the 1960s, when the young philosopher Jean Vanier took a stand and secured their release. Together they created a commune at the edge of a beautiful forest near Paris and a quiet revolution was born.

West End Cinema

French

Les amants réguliers

Directed by Philippe Garrel
(France, 2005, 178 min.)

A participant observer in the events of May ’68, Philippe Garrel used his son Louis as his leading actor and the classically trained Parisian cinematographer William Lubtchansky to shoot this poetic evocation of the era (preceded by “Actua 1” (France, 1968, 8 min.)).

National Gallery of Art
Sat., May 19, 2:30 p.m.

Détruisez-vous

Directed by Serge Bard
(France, 1968, 75 min.)

A student of sociology, Serge Bard was dissatisfied with his university life and decided to drop out. In the process, he began experimenting with a movie camera. Foreshadowing the growing spirit of revolt, Bard cast in this early film the artist and activist Alain Jouffroy who plays a professor lecturing to a nearly empty classroom on the necessity of revolution.

National Gallery of Art
Sat., May 12, 2:30 p.m.

A Memoir of War
(La douleur)

Directed by Emmanuel Finkiel
(Belgium/France, 2017, 127 min.)

Marguerite Duras and her husband, writer Robert Antelme, were members of the Resistance living in Nazi-occupied Paris. Desperate for news of Robert, who has been arrested and sent to Dachau, Marguerite enters into a high-risk game of psychological intrigue with French Nazi collaborator Rabier (WJFF).

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Thu., May 3, 8:30 p.m.

AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., May 5, 1 p.m.

Mr. and Mrs. Adelman

Directed by Nicolas Bedos
(France, 2017, 120 min.)

A French couple is consumed with and defined by each other in life and work: he, an accomplished writer; she, his editor and occasional muse (WJFF).

AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., May 5, 3:40 p.m.

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Wed., May 9, 8:15 p.m.

Racer and the Jailbird

Directed by Michaël R. Roskam
(Belgium/France/Netherlands, 2018, 131 min.)

Keeping his identity as a member of a notorious Brussels gang renowned for their expertly executed robberies a deep secret, Gigi tends to his front, a luxury automobile import-export business, in his downtime. Sparks fly when he meets glamorous and affluent race car driver Bibi, and despite their wildly different backgrounds, the pair fall instantly and tragically in love (French and Dutch).

Landmark’s Theatres
Opens Fri., May 11

The Starry Sky Above Me

Directed by Ilan Klipper
(France, 2017, 76 min.)

Laurent Poitrenaux delivers a tour-de-force performance as the neurotic and wounded Bruno in the charmingly odd film that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival (WJFF).

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Mon., May 7, 8:30 p.m.

AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., May 12, 8:50 p.m.

The Two of Us
(Le vieil homme et l’enfant)

Directed by Claude Berri
(France, 1967, 86 min.)

When an 8-year-old Jewish boy living in Nazi-occupied France is sent by his parents to live in the country with the Catholic parents of their friends, he is faced with a culture clash both religious and generational (WJFF).

AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., May 5, 11 a.m.

German

The Invisibles

Directed by Claus Räfle
(Germany, 2017, 110 min.)

In June 1943, Germany infamously declared Berlin “judenfrei” — “free of Jews.” But at that moment there were still 7,000 Jews living in the Nazi capital: hiding in attics, basements, and warehouses, protected by courageous Berliners while desperately trying to avoid deportation. Only 1,700 lived to liberation. “The Invisibles” tells the stories of four survivors (WJFF closing night film).

Edlavitch DCJCC
Sun., May 13, 7 p.m.

The Last Supper

Directed by Florian Frerichs
(Germany, 2018, 83 min.)

On the day Hitler assumes power, an affluent German-Jewish family comes together for dinner. Most of them—like many Germans at the time—do not take the Nazis seriously. When Leah announces her plans to emigrate to Palestine, her family talks her down. But when Michael indicates he’s actually an admirer of the National Socialist Movement, the family is on the brink of being torn apart (WJFF).

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Sat., May 5, 4:30 p.m.

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Sun., May 6, 2:45 p.m.

Hebrew

The Cousin

Directed by Tzahi Grad
(Israel, 2017, 92 min.)

Naftali, an open-minded Israeli, begins to question his liberal convictions when the Palestinian day laborer he hires is accused of a heinous crime against a local teenage girl (WJFF).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Sat., May 5, 6:30 p.m.

Edlavitch DCJCC
Thu., May 10, 8:30 p.m.

Don’t Forget Me

Directed by Ram Nehari
(France/Germany/Israel, 2017, 87 min.)

Tom dreams of being a model and suffers from an eating disorder. Neil is a tuba player who plans for his European tour while being treated at a psychiatric clinic. Recognizing themselves in each other, they forge a tender and desperate bond in this clever, satirical, incisive film (WJFF).

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Sat., May 5, 12:30 p.m.

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Sun., May 6, 7:30 p.m.

Driver
(Lifney Hazikaron)

Directed by Yehonatan Indursky
(Israel, 2018, 90 min.)

In this intimate exploration of lives at the fringes of Bnei Brak’s ultra-Orthodox community, Nahman drives beggars to affluent homes and coaches them to spin tall tales that inspire generosity, enjoying a cut of the take. But when his wife suddenly leaves, Nahman is faced with the responsibility of taking care of his 9-year-old daughter alone (WJFF).

AFI Silver Theatre
Thu., May 3, 7:30 p.m.

Edlavitch DCJCC
Thu., May 10, 6:30 p.m.

Foxtrot

Directed by Samuel Maoz
(Israel/Switzerland/Germany/France, 2017, 108 min.)

Michael and Dafna are devastated when army officials show up at their home to announce the death of their son. While his sedated wife rests, Michael becomes increasingly frustrated by overzealous mourning relatives and well-meaning army bureaucrats. He spirals into a whirlwind of anger, only to experience one of life’s unfathomable twists — a twist that can only be rivaled by the surreal military experiences of his son.

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema

Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel

Directed by Seth Kramer, Jeremy Newberger, Daniel Miller
(Israel/Japan/South Korea/U.S., 2018, 91 min.)

“Heading Home” follows an underdog Israeli national baseball team that qualifies—for the first time ever—for the World Baseball Classic (WJFF).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Sun., May 6, 12:30 p.m.

Edlavitch DCJCC
Sun., May 13, 4:30 p.m.

In Her Footsteps

Directed by Rana Abu-Fraiha
(Israel, 2017, 70 min.)

In the middle of the night, Rana’s parents left the house her father had built in their Bedouin village and moved to Omer, a bourgeois Jewish town located only three miles away. After 10 years of dealing with breast cancer, her mother’s only wish was to be buried in Omer, but the town never dealt with the issue of where to bury its Arab residents (WJFF; Hebrew and Arabic).

Edlavitch DCJCC
Sun., May 6, 1 p.m.

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Tue., May 8, 8:45 p.m.

Longing

Directed by Savi Gabizon
(Israel, 2017, 104 min.)

In this achingly funny and bittersweet tragicomedy, a contented, well-off bachelor whose comfortable life is thrown into disarray when he learns that he is a father — and has been for nearly two decades (WJFF).

Edlavitch DCJCC
Mon., May 7, 6:15 p.m.

AFI Silver Theatre
Wed., May 9, 7:15 p.m.

Maktub

Directed by Oded Raz
(Israel, 2017, 105 min.)

Guy Amir and Hanan Savyon play chummy partners in crime in this hilarious, politically incorrect caper comedy, which they also wrote (WJFF).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Sat., May 5, 8:30 p.m.

Edlavitch DCJCC
Sat., May 12, 12 p.m.

The New Black
(Shababniks)

Directed by Eliran Malka and Daniel Paran
(Israel, 2018, 85 min.)

The latest hit Israeli TV comedy centers on four misfit Haredi students studying at a yeshiva in Jerusalem (WJFF).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Sun., May 6, 8:15 p.m.

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Thu., May 10, 8:15 p.m.

Outdoors

Directed by Asaf Saban
(Israel, 2018, 80 min.)

Tel Aviv inhabitants Gili and Yaara decide to leave the city for a fresh start in the countryside of the Galilee. As house construction progresses around them, family, professional, and money troubles gnaw at their union’s very foundations (WJFF).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Sat., May 5, 12:30 p.m.

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Thu., May 10, 6:20 p.m.

The Promised Band

Directed by Jen Heck
(U.S., 2016, 89 min.)

This is the story of a fake rock band comprised of Israeli and Palestinian women who decide that — despite their limited artistic ability — a music group offers them a useful cover under which to meet and interact (WJFF; Hebrew, Arabic and English).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Sat., May 5, 8:45 p.m.

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Tue., May 8, 6:15 p.m.

Saving Neta

Directed by Nir Bergman
(Israel, 2016, 90 min.)

In a series of affecting vignettes, four women at fragile stages in their lives have chance encounters with a drifter named Neta. A lesbian musician struggles with pregnancy; a single mother can’t get through to her teenage daughter; a wife finds her seemingly idyllic marriage fraying; and a successful businesswoman reckons with her sister’s mental disability (WJFF).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Thu., May 10, 6:15 p.m.

Eldavitch DCJCC
Sun., May 13, 2:15 p.m.

Scaffolding

Directed by Matan Yair
(Israel/Poland, 2017, 90 min.)

While his strict and demanding father sees him as a natural successor to the family’s scaffolding business, Asher finds a different sort of role model in Rami — a teacher whose class assignments inspire him to forge a new identity. When an unexpected tragedy occurs, however, Asher crosses a line of no return (WJFF).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Sun., May 6, 5:15 p.m.

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Wed., May 9, 8:30 p.m.

Shelter

Directed by Eran Riklis
(Israel, 2018, 93 min.)

Naomi is a Mossad agent sent to Germany to protect Mona, a Lebanese informant. Together for two weeks in a quiet Hamburg apartment, the two women develop a tense relationship that is by turns complicated, dangerous and alluring (WJFF).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Thu., May 10, 8:30 p.m.

AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., May 12, 2:30 p.m.

The Testament

Directed by Amichai Greenberg
(Austria/Israel, 2017, 96 min.)

Holocaust researcher Yoel is in a legal battle with powerful forces in Austria, concerning a World War II massacre of Jews in the village of Lensdorf (WJFF; Hebrew, English, German and Yiddish).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Tue., May 8, 6:20 p.m.

Edlavitch DCJCC
Sat., May 12, 6:30 p.m.

Hindi

Shree 420

Directed by Raj Kapoor
(India, 1955, 177 min.)

One of the masterpieces of 1950s Bombay cinema, Raj Kapoor directs and stars as an honest country youth who comes to Bombay in search of work and quickly discovers that honesty is not much of an asset in the big city (WJFF).

AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., May 12, 2:15 p.m.

Hungarian

Budapest Noir

Directed by Éva Gárdos
(Hungary, 2017, 94 min.)

Set in the politically fraught autumn of 1936, this mystery follows hard-boiled reporter Zsigmond Gordon as he probes the murder of a young prostitute (WJFF; Hungarian and English).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Sat., May 5, 4:15 p.m.

AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., May 12, 6:45 p.m.

Japanese

Tampopo

Directed by Juzo Itami
(Japan, 1985, 114 min.)

An enigmatic band of ramen ronin guide a noodle shop owner’s widow on her quest for the perfect recipe.

Freer Gallery of Art
Wed., May 2, 2 p.m.

Zen for Nothing

Directed by Werner Penzel
(Germany/Japan, 2016, 100 min.)

Provocatively titled, this film is a masterly immersion into life at a Japanese Zen monastery over three seasons. Swiss novice Sabine arrives at Antaiji and, after a brief welcome, she begins to learn the monastery rules. But there’s more to life there than meditation, farming and maintenance — there are picnics, music and Wi-Fi. And after the last snow has melted away, the nuns and monks travel to Osaka, where they recite sutras in front of subway entrances as they solicit offerings in their traditional monk’s robes (Japanese, German and English).

Freer Gallery of Art
Fri., May 11, 7 p.m.

Romanian

The Dead Nation

Directed by Radu Jude
(Romania, 2017, 83 min.)

Radu Jude investigates the roots of the Romanian Holocaust through a Jewish doctor’s diary, stills from a rural photo studio and chilling patriotic anthems (WJFF).

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Wed., May 9, 6:15 p.m.

AFI Silver Theatre
Sun., May 13, 5:30 p.m.

Russian

Closeness

Directed by Kantemir Balagov
(Russia, 2017, 118 min.)

In this controversial Cannes award-winner set in the small Russian town of Nalchik, a Jewish family’s ties fray when son David and his fiancé Lea are kidnapped (WJFF).

Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Sat., May 5, 8:40 p.m.

AFI Silver Theatre
Tue., May 8, 7:15 p.m.

Tevye’s Daughters

Directed by Vladimir Lert
(Ukraine, 2017, 120 min.)

Filmed on the actual locations which inspired Sholem Aleichem’s famous folk tale, this uproariously funny and buoyant cinematic sendup centers on a downtrodden milkman (WJFF).

Edlavitch DCJCC
Sat., May 5, 4 p.m.

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Tue., May 8, 8:35 p.m.

Spanish

Cuba’s Forgotten Jewels: A Haven in Havana

Directed by Judy Kreith and Robin Truesdale
(U.S., 2017, 45 min.)

After allowing in a wave of Jewish refugees in the 1920s and ’30s, Cuba shut its doors to immigrants, most notably to the Jews aboard the St. Louis in 1939. In 1940, Cuba changed course and took in 6,000 Jewish refugees, including hundreds of Jewish diamond cutters who turned the tropical island into one of the world’s major diamond-polishing centers (WJFF).

AFI Silver Theatre
Sat., May 5, 6:10 p.m.

The Last Suit
(El ultimo traje)

Directed by Pablo Solarz
(Argentina/Spain, 2017, 92 min.)

Abraham Burszte’s kids have sold his Buenos Aires residence and planted him a retirement home. But Abraham survived the Holocaust, made a successful life in a foreign land and isn’t about to fade away so quietly. Instead, he’s planned a one-way trip to the other side of the world to find the man who years earlier saved him from certain death (WJFF).

AFI Silver Theatre
Sun., May 6, 8 p.m.

The Third Place

Directed by Nejemye Tenenbaum
(Mexico, 2017, 88 min.)

One hundred years after the establishment of the Syrian-Jewish community in Mexico City, its history is relived through a number of compelling and touching stories (WJFF).

Edlavitch DCJCC
Thu., May 3, 8:30 p.m.

Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema
Sun., May 6, 1:45 p.m.

Thai

The Three Marks of Existence

Directed by Gunparwitt Phuwadolwisid
(Thailand, 2012, 114 min.)

A young Thai man, M, goes on the classic Buddhist pilgrimage tour in India and Nepal. As any good road movie requires, M meets interesting people along the way and slowly begins to understand the secret of pilgrimage (Thai and English).

Freer Gallery of Art
Sun., May 6, 3 p.m.

Yiddish

The Dybbuk

Directed by Michael Waszynski
(Poland, 1937, 123 min.)

In this tale of star-crossed lovers, ill-fated vows, and supernatural possession, two friends tempt fate by betrothing their unborn children. Years later when the pledge is broken and the couple’s love is thwarted, Channon turns to the mystical Kabbalah to win back his love (WJFF).

AFI Silver Theatre
Sun., May 13, 12:30 p.m.