Czech
Dark Blue World (Tmavomodry Svet) Directed by Jan Sverák (Czech Republic/U.K./Germany/Denmark/Italy, 2001, 112 min.) Two young men escape Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia and reach England, where they join the Royal Air Force and fall in love with the same woman. (Czech, German, English and Slovak) Avalon Theatre Wed., Oct. 8, 8 p.m.
English
Against the Grain: An Artist’s Survival Guide to Peru Directed by Ann Kaneko (Peru, 2008, 65 min.) (English, Spanish and Japanese) Ann Kaneko examines Peru’s counterculture, finding inspiration in four artists who willfully express their views of identity, gender, social class and politics through contemporary artwork. (Screens with “Noh-Chim” (2006, 8 min.) and “Sita Sings the Blues”) National Museum of Women in the Arts Wed., Oct. 1, 6:45 p.m.
Battle in Seattle Directed by Stuart Townsend (U.S./Canada/Germany, 2007, 100 min.) Activists arrive in Seattle, Washington, in 1999 en masse to protest a meeting of the World Trade Organization, which is stopped when riots and chaos ensue. Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Behind Forgotten Eyes Directed by Anthony Gilmore (U.S./South Korea/Japan, 2007, 86 min.) This emotionally and politically charged documentary sheds light on the more than 200,000 Korean women who were forcefully used as sex slaves by the Japanese army during World War II. (English, Korean and Japanese) U.S. Navy Memorial Thu., Oct. 2, 8:45 p.m.
Blindness Directed by Fernando Meirelles (Canada/Brazil/Japan, 2008, 120 min.) In a city ravaged by an epidemic of instant “white blindness,” those first afflicted are quarantined by the authorities in an abandoned mental hospital where the newly created “society of the blind” quickly breaks down. (English and Japanese) Theaters TBA Opens Fri., Oct. 3
Bird’s Nest: Herzog and de Meuron in China Directed by Christoph Schaub and Michael Schindhelm (Switzerland, 2008, 88 min.) Switzerland’s star architects, Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, travel to their celebrated sites in China: the 2008 Olympics National Stadium in Beijing and a neighborhood in the provincial town of Jinhua. (English, German and Mandarin) National Gallery of Art Sat., Oct. 11, 2 p.m.
The Duchess Directed by Saul Dibb (Denmark/U.S./U.K./Italy/France, 2008, 105 min) The Duchess of Devonshire, an 18th-century aristocrat who was the original “it girl” (played by Keira Knightley), is reviled for her extravagant political and personal life. Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Filth and Wisdom Directed by Madonna (U.K., 2008, 81 min.) Madonna directs this comedy centered on three flatmates living desperate lives in London. (English and Russian) Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Oct. 24
Flow: For the Love of Water Directed by Irena Salina (U.S., 2008, 93 min.) This documentary confronts the disturbing reality that the world’s most crucial resource is dwindling and greed just may be the cause. Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Happy-Go-Lucky Directed by Mike Leigh (U.K., 2008, 118 min.) The optimism of Poppy, a cheery, colorful, North London schoolteacher, tends to exasperate those around her. Theaters TBA Opens Fri., Oct. 17
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People Directed by Robert B. Weide (U.K., 2008, 110 min.) A British writer struggles to fit in at a high-profile magazine in New York. Theater TBA Opens Fri., Oct. 3
The Killing of a Chinese Cookie Directed by Derek Shimoda (U.S., 2007, 75 min.) What does the tradition of the Chinese fortune cookie, which is virtually unknown in China, really represent? Is it merely a small diversion that can be taken as a joke or could it hold the key to one’s future? (Screens with “The House of Sharing” and “Vincent Who?”) U.S. Navy Memorial Sat., Oct. 4, 8:30 p.m.
The Last Days of Pompeii Directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack (U.S., 1935, 96 min.) In the doomed Roman city, a gentle blacksmith becomes a corrupt gladiator, while his son leans toward Christianity. (Screens with “The Last Days of Pompeii” (Gli Ultimi Fiorni di Pompeii) about two love triangles intersecting in ancient Pompeii (Italy, 1913, 88 min.), with a discussion following both screenings) National Gallery of Art Oct. 25, 2 p.m.
The Lucky Ones Directed by Neil Burger (U.S., 2008, 115 min.) Three soldiers who return from the Iraq war after suffering injuries end up on an unexpected road trip across the U.S. and learn that life has moved on without them. Theaters TBA
Man Push Car Directed by Ramin Bahrani (U.S., 2005, 87 min.) A once-famous pop singer in Pakistan, Ahmad struggles with is past and self-worth as he drags his coffee and bagel cart through Manhattan traffic every morning. AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Oct. 10, 6:45 p.m.
Martha Argerich: Evening Conversations Directed by Georges Gachot (France/Germany/Switzerland, 2003, 63 min.) Argentine pianist Martha Argerich, reputedly uncompromising and unwilling to sustain interviews, agreed to a few exchanges with Swiss filmmaker Georges Gachot in an evening chat that became filled with music and discourse. (Screens with “Maria Bethânia: Music Is Perfume”; English, French and German) National Gallery of Art Sun., Oct. 12, 5:45 p.m.
Miracle at St. Anna Directed by Spike Lee (U.S./Italy, 2008, 160 min.) In 1944 Italy, four black American soldiers get trapped in a Tuscan village during World War II after one of them risks his life to save an Italian boy. Theaters TBA
Mister Foe Directed by David Mackenzie (U.K., 2007, 95 min.) A troubled young man’s knack for voyeurism paradoxically reveals his darkest fears and peculiar desires as he searches the rooftops of Edinburgh for love. Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Oct. 10
Phaedra Directed by Jules Dassin (France/Greece/U.S., 1962, 115 min.) Inspired by Euripides’ “Hippolytus,” the wealthy wife of a Greek shipping magnate has an affair with her younger stepson, played by Anthony Perkins in a tour-de-force performance. (English and Greek) National Gallery of Art Oct. 18, 2:30 p.m.
Religulous Directed by Larry Charles (U.S., 2008, 101 min.) Political humorist and author Bill Maher travels around the globe interviewing people about God and religion. (English, Hebrew, Arabic, Farsi and Spanish) Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Oct. 3
Sita Sings the Blues Directed by Nina Paley (U.S., 2008, 82 min.) In this animated tale, Sita is a Hindu goddess living blissfully in exile with her husband, but when she is kidnapped by a lustful king, she finds her devotion put to the test. (Screens with “Against the Grain: An Artist’s Survival Guide to Peru”) National Museum of Women in the Arts Wed., Oct. 1, 8:30 p.m.
Towelhead Directed by Alan Ball (U.S., 2007, 124 min.) A young Arab-American girl struggles with her sexual obsession, a bigoted Army reservist and her strict father during the Gulf War. Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Trouble the Water Directed by Carl Deal and Tia Lessin (U.S., 2008, 93 min.) An aspiring rap artist and her streetwise husband, armed with a video camera, show what survival is all about when they are trapped in New Orleans by deadly floodwaters. Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Vincent Who? Directed by Tony Lam (U.S., 2008, 40 min.) In 1982, Chinese American Vincent Chin was brutally murdered in Detroit by white autoworkers who mistakenly thought he was Japanese, but today, how many people actually remember this tragedy that sparked the Asian American civil rights movement? (Screens with “The House of Sharing” and “The Killing of a Chinese Cookie”) U.S. Navy Memorial Sat., Oct. 4, 7 p.m.
W. Directed by Oliver Stone (U.S./Hong Kong, 2008) Oliver Stone chronicles the life and presidency of George W. Bush, from Texas to Iraq. Theaters TBA Opens Fri., Oct. 17
French
2 Days in Paris Directed by Julie Delpy (France/Germany, 2007, 96 min.) Delpy’s smart comedy about how opposites attract and then drive each other to distraction, is a brilliant and bitingly funny dissection of contemporary relationships. Marion and Jack take a Parisian getaway at the end of a holiday in Venice, but this high-strung New York couple have anything but a romantic experience in the City of Love. Washington DCJCC Tue., Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.
Blame It On Fidel! (La Faute a Fidel!) Directed by Julie Gavras (Italy/France, 2006, 99 min.) A 9-year-old girl weathers big changes in her household when her parents become radical political activists in early 1970s Paris. Cinema Art Bethesda Sun., Oct. 12, 10 a.m.
A Girl Cut in Two (La Fille Coupée en Deux) Directed by Claude Chabrol (France/Germany, 2007, 115 min.) This black comedy from Claude Chabrol centers on a perky TV weather girl who’s pursued by two very different men — a married literary ladies man and a handsome young but spoiled scion with schizophrenic tendencies. Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Rififi (Du Rififi Chez les Hommes) Directed by Jules Dassin (France, 1955, 122 min.) Four men plan a technically perfect heist but human elements interfere in Jules Dassin’s famously detailed and wordless gangster thriller. (French and Italian) National Gallery of Art Oct. 26, 4:30 p.m.
German
The Ascent of the Chimborazo (Die Besteigung des Chimborazo) Directed by Rainer Simon (East and West Germany/Ecuador, 1989, 110 min.) In 1802, Alexander von Humboldt led a scientific expedition up Ecuador’s highest summit, Chimborazo, at great risk to his own life, as well as those of his companions. Goethe-Institut Fri., Oct. 31, 6:30 p.m.
Chinese Roulette (Chinesisches Roulette) Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder (W. Germany/France, 1976, 86 min.) A couple says goodbye to one another, each claiming to have a business trip over the weekend, but they inadvertently meet again at their country house — each accompanied by a different partner. Goethe-Institut Wed., Oct. 8, 6:30 p.m.
Lenz Directed by Thomas Imbach (Germany/Switzerland, 2006, 92 min.) A middle-age filmmaker leaves his city life behind to live in the Hautes-Vosges to research the works of a19th-century novelist and romantic poet — all of whose turbulent inner lives mirror the jagged beauty of the landscape. (Screens with “I Was a Swiss Banker”) National Gallery of Art Sat., Oct. 11, 4 p.m.
Love is Colder than Death (Liebe ist kälter als der Tod) Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder (W. Germany, 1969, 88 min.) Rainer Werner Fassbinder directs and stars in his first film as a pimp who has refused to join a local crime syndicate. Goethe-Institut Mon., Oct. 6, 6:30 p.m.
Till Eulenspiegel Directed by Rainer Simon (E. Germany, 1974, 100 min.) In medieval Germany, the rebellious trickster Till Eulenspiegel fools and cheats citizens, becoming the royal fool at the emperor’s court — an influential but dangerous position. Goethe-Institut Thu., Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m.
Wengler & Sons, A Legend (Wengler & Söhne. Eine Legende) Directed by Rainer Simon (E. Germany, 1986, 139min.) A story spanning three generations, Gustav returns from the Franco-Prussian war in 1871 and goes to work for a company that eventually gains a worldwide reputation and supports the Third Reich. Goethe-Institut Mon., Oct. 27, 6:30 p.m.
Hebrew
9 Star Hotel (Malon 9 Kochavim) Directed by Ido Haar (Israel, 2007, 78 min.) Thousands of Palestinians have illegally crossed borders into neighboring Israel, seeking work as day laborers — fleeing from police, risking their lives and sleeping in hovels at night to build luxury housing by day. AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Oct. 12, 1 p.m.
Kippur Directed by Amos Gitai (France/Israel, 2000, 121 min.) Amos Gitai’s autobiographical story is a stunning — though difficult — chronicle of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Washington DCJCC Mon., Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m.
Hindi
The Bamboo Flute Directed by Kumar Shahani (India, 2000, 84 min.) Kumar Shahani depicts the flute — from its bamboo form to the classical metal instrument — as a primordial interpreter of natural sounds used throughout Indian civilization. Freer Gallery of Art Fri., Oct. 31, 7 p.m.
Khayal Gatha Directed by Kumar Shahani (India, 1988, 103 min.) This documentary weaves together the many legends and stories surrounding the vocal tradition of the khayal, a major element of Indian classical music. Freer Gallery of Art Fri., Oct. 24, 7 p.m.
The Pool Directed by Chris Smith (U.S., 2007, 95 min.) A hotel worker who becomes obsessed with a swimming pool in the opulent hills of Panjim, Goa, in India has his life turned upside down when he attempts to meet the mysterious family that arrives at the house. Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Oct. 10
The Wave (Tarang) Directed by Kumar Shahani (India, 1984, 171 min.) “The Wave” explores themes of conflict and betrayal when different worlds collide as a result of India’s industrialization. Freer Gallery of Art Sun., Oct. 26, 2 p.m.
Korean
The House of Sharing Directed by Hein Seok (South Korea, 2008, 84 min.) As young girls in Korea, they were forced into a violent world of torture and sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army in World War II. Now in their 80s and 90s, these “comfort women” live together at the House of Sharing, a communal home founded as a place of healing and strength in 1992. (Screens with “Vincent Who?” and “The Killing of a Chinese Cookie”) Sat., Oct. 4, 4:30 p.m. U.S. Navy Memorial
Italian
Days and Clouds (Giorni e Nuvole) Directed by Silvio Soldini (Italy/Switzerland, 2007, 115 min.) The degeneration of a lifestyle when the husband of well-off Genoa couple loses his job spurs the regeneration of the couple’s marriage. Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Oct. 17
The Missing Star (La Stella che non c’è) Directed by Sergio Castellitto (Italy/France/Switzerland/Singapore, 2006, 103 min.) When an Italian steel mill’s refurbished blast furnace is sold to a Chinese broker despite warnings of a potentially fatal design flaw, an Italian engineer sets off for China to find the furnace, embarking on a journey that will take him deep into a strange country and into himself. AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Oct. 11, 12:45 p.m.
The Unknown Woman (La Sconosciuta) Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore (Italy/France, 2006, 120 min.) A Ukrainian woman calculatedly insinuates herself into the lives of a young, affluent Italian family, stopping at nothing to become the couple’s trusted maid and the beloved nanny to their fragile young daughter. Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Oct. 24
Malay
Flower in the Pocket Directed by Liew Seng Tat (Malaysia, 2007, 97 min.) Liew Seng Tat’s debut feature presents two endearing but troublesome young boys and their workaholic single dad. (Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese and English) Freer Gallery of Art Fri., Oct. 3, 7 p.m.
Mandarin
62 Years and 6500 Miles Between Directed by Anita Chang (Taiwan, 2005, 52 min.) Through family interviews, historical footage and personal memories, Taiwanese-American filmmaker Anita Chang weaves together an intimate view of her 100-year-old grandmother “Ama,” a headstrong political activist who passionately fought for Taiwanese independence from authoritarianism. (Screens with “Love on the Rocks” shorts program) U.S. Navy Memorial Fri., Oct. 3, 7 p.m.
Ashes of Time Redux Directed by Kar Wai Wong (Hong Kong/China, 2008, 93 min.) A broken-hearted hit man moves to the desert where he finds skilled swordsmen to carry out his contract killings. (Mandarin and Cantonese) Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Oct. 24
A Thousand Years of Good Years Directed by Wayne Wang (U.S., 2007. 83 min.) In this collection of vignettes of life in modern China and the United States, a retired widower from Beijing visits his only daughter in Spokane when she gets a divorce. (Mandarin, Farsi and English) Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Oct. 3
Polish
Knife in the Water (Noz w Wodzie) Diected by Roman Polanski (Poland, 1962, 94 min.) A husband, a wife, a stranger, a knife: In his debut film, Roman Polanski sets them all adrift on a weekend filled with simmering resentments and gut-churning suspense in this seminal psychological thriller. AFI Silver Theatre Wed., Oct. 29, 6:30 p.m.
Portuguese
End of the Line (Fim da Linha) Directed by Gustavo Steinberg (Brazil, 2008, 76 min.) A World Bank official supposedly said that the only way to really share the wealth in Brazil would be to throw money from a helicopter. “End of the Line” takes this idea literally and spins it into a clever black comedy. AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Oct. 12, 7 p.m.
Estômago Directed by Marcos Jorge (Brazil/Italy, 2007, 100 min.) Just arrived in the big city, a country bumpkin takes a job in a dive bar, where he soon discovers a genuine talent for cooking. AFI Silver Theatre Wed., Oct. 1, 7 p.m.
Maria Bethânia: Music Is Perfume (Maria Bethânia: Música é Perfume) Directed by Georges Gachot (France/Switzerland, 2005, 82 min.) Documentarian Georges Gachot captures the charismatic Brazilian diva Maria Bethânia on stage and in private as her unique chemistry with audiences and other musicians is slowly unveiled. (Screens with “Martha Argerich: Evening Conversations”; Portuguese and French) National Gallery of Art Sun., Oct. 12, 4 p.m.
O Pai, O Directed by Monique Gardenberg (Brazil, 2007, 96 min.) In a small town in the historic district of Salvador, on the last day of Carnival, the tenement houses teem with riotous conversation, romance and lust. AFI Silver Theatre Thu., Oct. 2, 9:20 p.m., Sun., Oct. 5, 9:15 p.m.
Silent
Red Heroine (Hongxia) Directed by Yimin Wen (China, 1929, 94 min.) Made at the height of the martial arts craze in 1920s Shanghai, this lively tale about the rise of a female warrior features the genre’s then-characteristic blend of pulp and mystical derring-do. Freer Gallery of Art Wed., Oct. 8, 7 p.m.
Spanish Bad Habits (Malos Hábitos) Directed by Simón Bross (Mexico, 2007, 103 min.) A devout nun believes that as a little girl she saved her father from choking by reciting the Lord’s prayer, and now alternately starves and gorges herself as a way of beseeching God in this multilayered psychological thriller. AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Oct. 3, 8 p.m., Tue., Oct. 7, 9 p.m.
Casual Day Directed by Max Lemcke (Spain, 2007, 97 min.) Only one week into his new job, an uncertain 20-something engaged to the boss’s daughter participates in a weekend retreat that could prove life changing. AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Oct. 3, 6 p.m., Mon., Oct. 6, 7:10 p.m.
Cyrano Fernandez Directed by Alberto Arvelo Mendoza (Venezuela, 2007, 90 min.) Transposing the swashbuckling romance “Cyrano de Bergerac” to the crowded slums of Caracas, Venezuela, a strong and sensitive Cyrano ghostwrites lyrics for a local rapper, but can’t bring himself to declare his love to the object of his affection. AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Oct. 5, 3 p.m., Mon., Oct. 6, 9 p.m.
I’m From the Andes (Soy Andina) Directed by Mitch Teplitsky (Peru/U.S., 2007, 72 min.) After 15 years in New York, Nélida Silva returns to her birthplace in the Andes to fulfill a lifelong dream of hosting the Fiesta Patronal honoring the town’s patron saint, only to find her village has dramatically changed. AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Oct. 4, 3 p.m., Sun., Oct. 5, 5:15 p.m.
Kill Them All (Matar a Todos) Directed by Esteban Schroeder (Uruguay/Argentina/Chile/Germany, 2007, 92 min.) A Montevideo prosecutor must investigate her own family’s involvement in Uruguay’s recently deposed military government when facts surrounding the covered-up kidnapping of a shady Chilean biochemist come to light. AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Oct. 5, 1 p.m., Tue., Oct. 7, 7 p.m.
Lies (Esto Huele Mal) Directed by Jorge Alí Triana (Colombia, 2007, 86 min.) Nothing threatens the secret, intimate life of Diego Bertie, an outstanding businessman, until the tragic night that a bomb explodes at a club in Bogotá and he has to weave a complex lie to explain his whereabouts to his wife. AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Oct. 3, 10:10 p.m., Sat., Oct. 4, 9 p.m.
Old Man Bebo Directed by Carlos Carcas (Spain, 2007, 111 min.) The winner of the Documentary Emerging Filmmaker Award at Tribeca profiles legendary Cuban mambo musician Bebo Valdés, whose career didn’t really take off until well after he turned 80. AFI Silver Theatre Thu., Oct. 2, 7 p.m.
The Other (El Otro) Directed by Ariel Rotter (France/Argentina/Germany, 2007, 83 min.) A Buenos Aires attorney on a business trip realizes that the man traveling next to him is dead and that he could adopt the stranger’s identity, leaving behind his pregnant wife and ailing father for good. AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Oct. 4, 1 p.m., Mon., Oct. 6, 7 p.m.
Used Parts (Partes Usadas) Directed by Aarón Fernández (U.S./Mexico, 2008, 90 min.) A 14-year-old in Mexico, under the friendly tutelage of his crooked uncle, begins stealing hubcaps and fenders to pay a “Coyote” for help with an illegal border crossing into the U.S. AFI Silver Theatre Wed., Oct. 1, 9:10 p.m., Sat., Oct. 4, 5 p.m.
Swiss-German Hardcore Chamber Music Directed by Peter Liechti (Switzerland, 2006, 72 min.) Three Swiss musicians (Hans Koch, Martin Schuetz, and Fredy Studer) condense a broad spectrum of musical compositions into a unique form they call “hardcore chamber music.” National Gallery of Art Sat., Oct. 11, 12:30 p.m.
I Was a Swiss Banker Directed by Thomas Imbach (Switzerland 2007, 75 min.) The career of a young Swiss banker becomes fodder for folk legend when, abruptly, he dives into Lake Constance with a bag full of money. (Screens with “Lenz”; Swiss-German, Danish, Swedish and English) National Gallery of Art Sat., Oct. 11, 4 p.m.
Roman Signer: Signer’s Koffer (Signers Koffer – Unterwegs mit Roman Signer) Directed by Peter Liechti (Switzerland, 1996, 80 min.) Controversial artist Roman Signer combines eccentric raw materials with brute physical forces to create sculpture that is both provocative and accessible. National Gallery of Art Fri., Oct. 10, 2 p.m.
Vietnamese The White Silk Dress (Ao Lua Ha Dong) Directed by Huynh Luu (Vietnam, 2006, 136 min.) A peasant woman tries to keep her family together through a dozen years of war and oppression during the waning years of the French occupation of Vietnam. Freer Gallery of Art Sun., Oct. 12, 2 p.m.
