Film Schedule

In parched southern Tunisia, Aya (Fatma Sfar) still lives with her parents, whose debts she is forced to pay with a dead-end hotel job. Then a miracle happens: she dies. That is, she is assumed to have died in a fiery crash that kills her coworkers. Aya seizes the chance to escape to Tunis and a fresh start with a new identity. But freedom, and ultimately ... more

Aday is a carefree womanizer living a hedonistic and self-centered life in a small coastal town in the Canary Islands. His world is turned upside down when a woman from a brief, casual affair shows up, drops off their daughter, and leaves, making him responsible for the girl. At first, Aday intends to return her to her mother, but his attempts fail. Forced ... more

Known as the original singer of "Hound Dog," Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton was inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in October 2024.... more

Mega-talented keyboardist and songwriter Billy Preston was often referred to as "the best musician in the room." In this mesmerizing, music-rich documentary, Paris Barclay examines the late musician's extraordinary career and life. Raised in the Black church, Preston was a child prodigy who played organ on tour with Mahalia Jackson at 10. As a solo artist, ... more

This exquisite tale of friendship and forbidden love unfolds in Chocolate City–the nickname for the part of Guangzhou, China where exiled Africans gather, live, and connect. At its center is Aya, a young woman who, after astonishing everyone by saying "No" on her wedding day, leaves the Ivory Coast for a new life in China. There she finds a job in a tea boutique ... more

There is no actual line at the border, as most of us realize. But in Pamela Yates's new documentary we see there is no border because ICE is everywhere: the border lives within each individual who is subject to its control. Yates follows two journeys to this border: that of Guatemalan human rights worker Kaxh, who escapes local assassins only to become incarcerated ... more

The many cherry blossoms crowding the screen at the start of this period drama add a wistful quality to the tale of a dishonored samurai living in exile, but the story soon turns tense. Yanagida is behind on rent, although the former warrior spends his days quietly playing the ancient board game Go while his daughter, Kino, scrambles to keep the household ... more

Following on the success of Anora, Confidante focuses on another woman struggling in a high-pressure, male-dominated environment. In 1999 Turkey, Arzu (Saadet Aksoy, in a mesmerizing performance) works at a busy sex hotline where multiple phone lines are labeled with callers' particular kinks. After Arzu endures many calls, each more explicit than the last, ... more

Most of us appreciate that literacy is a door to civic and social engagement, one we expect to be open for all. But...math? Vicki Abeles's spirited film offers a compelling argument for math literacy as the key to understanding contemporary issues, from inequality to political polarization to climate change. In a world where data can determine our healthcare, ... more

In 1981, a historic event in the heart of Wisconsin became a transformative moment in American spirituality: His Holiness the Dalai Lama initiated over a thousand young Americans into the ancient Kalachakra Tantra, the Wheel of Time, at Deer Park Monastery. The incredible footage was tucked away in the Smithsonian vaults for over 40 years, until now. This ... more

Diamanti begins with a dinner party where a director (the actual director, Ferzan Özpetek) has gathered his favorite actresses to read the script for his next movie, which will celebrate women. We are then whisked into that film, set in 1970s Rome. An Oscar®-winning costume designer (Vanessa Scalera) has hired a high-profile shop to create dozens of elaborate ... more

Executive produced by renowned Lebanese director and actress Nadine Labaki, Disorder is a powerful anthology film featuring four darkly comedic stories exploring Lebanon's modern-day struggles following the 2019 economic crisis and resulting political strife that continued after the enormous Beirut port explosion of 2020. "The Group" focuses on a meeting of ... more

In the summer of 1955, just months before Morocco's independence, 11-year-old Kamal lives in the vibrant Medina of Fez. Together with his older friend Aïcha and her fellow students from Qaraouiyine University, he becomes drawn toward the fierce fight for freedom. This is Kamal's coming-of-age story, but it's also a passionate account of the rebirth of a nation. ... more

Winner of the Audience Award at the 2024 London Film Festival, this Irish twist on the Italian hit Mid-August Lunch follows Edward, a shy, commitment-phobic gay novelist who cares for his elderly mother. Seemingly out of the blue, his novel starts to become popular with young readers in the United States, causing Edward to feel torn between his love and care ... more

Frieda's Case is a historical drama by Academy Award® nominee Maria Brendle that exposes the deep injustices of a patriarchal society. In 1904, young seamstress Frieda Keller becomes the central figure of a high-profile legal battle after being accused of killing her child, who was born out of wedlock. But is that really true? And how much of a victim is the ... more

Georgia O'Keeffe is widely revered as the mother of American modernism and one of the greatest female artists of the 20th century. O'Keeffe became famous in the 1920s for her paintings of flowers, bones, and the beauty of nature, but she denied the widespread belief that her paintings depicted sexual imagery. In the 1970s, living in her beloved New Mexico, ... more

In this droll comedy, a beleaguered classical chamber orchestra (actually a string sextet) has been playing to smaller and less-enthusiastic audiences when it learns that the Culture Committee plans to withdraw its funding. The group is already dealing with interpersonal issues—is the violin player cheating on the violist with the bass player?—when news breaks ... more

This intricate family drama set in Haifa centers on the secrets young people keep from their parents and each other. Rami and his sister, Fifi, each have relationships and indiscretions best kept from their long-suffering but canny mother (the wonderful Wafaa Aoun). But as the secrets spiral out in wide-reaching ways, so does the drama. A look at contemporary ... more

In the months leading up to the 2020 election, well before January 6, 2021, filmmaker Michael Premo had the foresight and courage to embed with the Proud Boys for this intimate exploration of the far-right pro-Trump movement through three of its acolytes. Premo lets his subjects speak for themselves, and he does not judge. We meet a thoughtful Hispanic vet ... more

Costa-Gavras, the famed director of Z, State of Siege, and Missing, would seem to be the definition of a filmmaker with nothing left to prove. But at age 91, he is conquering "a new continent," namely, looking at death clear-eyed, in Last Breath. Acclaimed actor and theater director Denis Podalydès stars as Fabrice Toussaint, a widely known French intellectual ... more

The Last Republican begins and ends with a progressive filmmaker and his conservative subject ribbing each other; obviously, no political differences were harmed during the making of this film. Adam Kinzinger was a dyed-in-the-wool Republican; as a child, he had a pretend campaign headquarters in his bedroom. Then came the January 6, 2021, insurrection against ... more

Lion's Heart is one of the most successful Argentinian comedies of all time. Ivana Cornejo is finally starting to embrace the single life after her divorce. But when she gets an exasperating call from her ex-husband, she does what any rational person would do: she throws her cell phone away. Enter León Godoy, a prominent and charming architect. He finds the ... more

Access to the minerals that power the batteries in our cellphones and other devices has emerged as a vital geopolitical, economic, and social concern. Where does the lithium, the nickel, and the cobalt come from? And who controls their supply?... more

We first meet Mielensäpahoittaja when his two feckless sons are trying to get him to move into a retirement home that lists "watching television" as its main feature. He storms out and ends his day, as usual, eating alone in the kitchen in front of a photo of his late wife. To say Mielen is set in his ways is an understatement. "House, car, missus" has been ... more

The Marching Band is an irresistibly heartwarming dramedy that follows the crossed paths of two protagonists: Thibaut, a world-renowned conductor living a seemingly charmed life, and Jimmy, an ordinary factory worker who plays the trombone in a local marching band. When Thibaut learns of his potentially life-threatening illness, a blood compatibility test ... more

Part 1 of the eighth edition of our popular program of films from the vibrant, creative community of filmmakers in D.C. and the immediate metro area: Black Printmakers of Washington DC (Susan J. Goldman), Small Steps (Christopher McGuinness), and Anacostia Portraits (Yev K'banchik, Elena Volkova).... more

Part 2 of the eighth edition of our popular program of films from the vibrant, creative community of filmmakers in D.C. and the immediate metro area: Back to the Sky (Amin El Siwi), Door of No Return (Sylvia Solf, Suzanne Smith), Rain (Vasilios Papaioannu), Bad Survivor (Alex Dvorak, Katie North), Foxhole (Nick Dugan), Mainspring Harbor: the Oyster Farmers ... more

In 1960s Peru, the glamorous life of Norma, a privileged Franco-Peruvian trophy wife, unravels after her husband leaves her for another woman and she is ostracized from elite society. Facing financial ruin, Norma's chauffeur, Oscar, a man whose own talents have been constricted by race and class, suggests she revive a long-dormant dream to open an upscale ... more

Monsieur Aznavour is a rise-to-stardom biography of a man who became one of France's best-loved entertainers and personified French culture to the rest of the world. Born into poverty, Charles Aznavour is heavily influenced by his parent's love for music. Ridiculed for his short stature and raspy tenor voice, his early attempts at a showbiz career falter. ... more

Beginning in 1980, the brutal 12-year, U.S.-backed war in El Salvador brought tens of thousands of refugees to Washington, D.C. This mass migration leant vibrancy to the city's culture and made the corner of 15th and Irving Streets in NW D.C. the epicenter of an artistic movement that continues to inspire succeeding generations of "Wachintonian" artists. Famed ... more

Astrid Thompson finally succeeds in fulfilling her father's dream: to bring together four Stradivarius for a unique concert, eagerly expected by music lovers around the world. But Lise, George, Peter, and Apolline, the four virtuosos recruited for the occasion, are incapable of playing together. The rehearsals are one ego crisis after another. With no solution ... more

On the cold northwest coast of Iceland, Hjalti runs a maritime museum and a faltering seasonal fish restaurant. Although days are filled with hard physical labor, the seafaring community is a tight-knit group despite Hjalti's often dour attitude. Both the fishermen and the restaurant employees pull together to make things work. This is especially true of the ... more

The larger Black community around Minneapolis's East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, the intersection where George Floyd was murdered in May 2020, were no strangers to violence at the hands of the police. Rather, monumentalizing the historic corner was a way of saying, "This is our reality." This film follows three women activists who mine that moment of cultural ... more

In a much-anticipated adaptation of Azar Nafisi's best-selling memoir, Reading Lolita in Tehran, Golshifteh Farahani (About Elly) shines as a professor of American classics in post-revolutionary Iran who must resort to teaching her female students clandestinely at home. In the warm light of her living room, they shed their hijabs and explore the power and ... more

To make ends meet, struggling actor Stéphane reluctantly agrees to join his former troupe for one final performance in a popular comedy at the Avignon Theatre Festival, a vibrant stage where all genres of theatre exist side by side. At the festival, Stéphane crosses paths with Fanny, a former intern and colleague who is now starring in a Victor Hugo classic. ... more

Salad Days is a documentary that examines the early DIY punk scene in the Nation's Capital. For LA and New York, punk was a fashion but in Washington, D.C., it was a lifeline. The tiny not-quite-state produced some of the most furious bands in the nation: Teen Idles, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, Government Issue, and Fugazi. Former fanzine creator ... more

In his newest film, Ali Samadi Ahadi (The Green Wave, FFDC 2011) delves into the personal sacrifices that are made in the fight for human rights. After six years in prison, Iranian human rights activist Maryam is granted seven days of medical leave. In secret, her husband and brother plan a risky escape over snow-capped mountains to reunite her with her family ... more

A kaleidoscopic lens on our world today: A Summer's End Poem (Lam Can-zhao), The Sentry (Jack Wachtel), Today I Will Only Come Home Tomorrow (Diego Lacerda), Gold Status (Charles Haine), Moon Crab (Leah Clare Michaels), Becoming Air (Alisi Telengut, Diego Galafassi), and Forward is a Pace (Team Milk Productions).... more

A second kaleidoscopic lens on our world today: Public Freakout (Julia Bales), Butterfly Kiss (Zohar Dvir), Heaven Doesn't Know My Name (Carol AÓ), Don't Forget to Say Goodbye (Alexander Zimmer & Jeremy Handrup), Tsuru (Pedro Anias), Rediscovering Home (Jay Gearing), and sansedai (Kayli Kimura).... more

Winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and the Performance Prize at Cannes, this film is a topical and emotionally immersive portrait of a young man whose story is simultaneously singular yet shared by the many undocumented laborers whom urban centers rely on yet constantly seek to restrict. Souleymane is a Guinean immigrant in Paris whose every waking ... more

Director Yeo Siew Hua's film presses a lot of hot buttons. At first, it seems to be a story about a young couple whose child has disappeared; then Stranger Eyes becomes a tense examination of the modern surveillance state. We meet grieving young parents—husband Junyang and wife Peiying—poring through home movies of happier times and looking for clues about ... more

Visiting Hours is a gripping drama that explores the unexpected bond between two women from vastly different social backgrounds. Alma (Oscar®-nominated and César winner Isabelle Huppert), from the bourgeois class, and Mina (César winner Hafsia Herzi), a young mother from the working class, first meet in the waiting room of a prison where ... more

When filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter lost her Palestinian mother, she lost her connection to Gaza. In pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, Areeb sees a video of a parkour team that uses the ruins of Gaza's bombed buildings as obstacle courses, laughing for joy against a background of explosions. Longing to reconnect with her past, Areeb contacts ... more