SILVER

Feb. 3–April 27
What makes a great film even greater? Seeing it at AFI Silver Theatre! Our programmers have rounded up an eclectic slate of critically acclaimed 2022 film releases — focused on films which did not screen at AFI Silver during their initial run — to give local cinephiles another chance to see some of 2022's best cinema on the big screen. With award nominations, year-end best-of lists and hindsight as your guide, take a second look at some of the past year's most distinctive films.

All tickets just $8!

Join us for a new monthly late-night series showcasing classic, soon-to-be classic and should-be-classic horror, sci-fi, action, fantasy and cross-genre gems hand-picked by the AFI Silver programming team. We promise deep cuts — sometimes literally — underrated classics, sneak peeks, new restorations and all-time favorites up on the big screen, the way late-night movies are meant to be seen!

Monthly selections will be announced on an ongoing basis and appear below.

Feb. 3–April 27
Oscar® and Tony Award®-winning stage and screen icon Dame Angela Lansbury (1925–2022) is perhaps best known for her role as mystery writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher in the hit TV series MURDER, SHE WROTE (1984–1996), but her career as one of Hollywood and Broadway's most endearing and enduring stars spanned eight decades, between her Oscar®-nominated screen debut in GASLIGHT (1944) and her final film appearance in GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (2022). This tribute to Lansbury showcases a selection of her many celebrated onscreen roles, from boisterous saloon girl in THE HARVEY GIRLS (1946) to mother-from-hell in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962), witch-in-training in BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS (1971), pirate queen in THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE (1983) and voice of the beloved Mrs. Potts in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991).

Feb. 3–April 26
In 2023, anime is mainstream. No longer relegated to hushed schoolyard chatter or online-only threads, it has turned into a box office and cultural phenomenon that sees fans of all ages flocking to visit lavishly animated worlds. This series explores a range of films across the decades that left a mark in the anime world, from landmark achievements such as Katsuhiro Otomo's AKIRA (1988) and Mamoru Oshii's GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995) to four rarely seen early works from auteur Makoto Shinkai. Whether you're venturing into this rich medium for the first time or revisiting these juggernauts on the big screen, this series is sure to delight and entertain.

Co-presented with the National Gallery of Art
Feb. 3–April 24

Renowned Italian director Federico Fellini (1920–1993) conjured a "cinema of dreams" that defined the style of post-war Italy. Postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic, a series of centennial tributes known as the "Federico Fellini 100 Tour" has since travelled to major museums and film institutions worldwide in a tour coordinated by Paola Ruggiero and Camilla Cormanni of Luce Cinecittà.

AFI Silver shares this retrospective with the National Gallery of Art, where the series is currently ongoing through January 28. For details, visit nga.gov.

Co-presented with the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
Jan. 28–April 10

Iranian filmmakers continue to create culturally vital and innovative films despite daunting challenges. This annual series provides a look at both the latest films from Iran and selected classics.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art will present selected films in person and online via the museum's video-on-demand platform beginning January 13; all films screening at AFI Silver starting January 28 will be presented in person.

Feb. 3–April 23
We’ve teamed up with Silver Spring-based author, producer and screenwriter George Pelecanos to present a selection of unsung gems of popular 1970s cinema, curated by Pelecanos, who will introduce select shows.

"If the 1970s was the last decade of artistic, renegade Hollywood filmmaking, as some believe it to be, it was also true that it was a time of quality, under-the-radar B pictures and 'programmers.' Our series explores films of the '70s that have enjoyed a growing reputation amongst film buffs, movies which were originally looked upon as disposable entertainment to many in the cinema's critical establishment. We'll look at prime examples of actioners, car films, Blaxploitation and populism that were made for the very working- and middle-class audiences who lived in the world that the films' characters inhabited. Like the Poverty Row noirs of decades past, out of low budgets and low expectations came a kind of tarnished art. Written by masters like Elmore Leonard and Paul Schrader, adapted from source material by respected authors such as Donald Westlake and Jack Schaefer and directed by now-revered helmers like Don Siegel, Phil Karlson, John Flynn and Michael Schultz, here is a group of films fondly remembered by audiences lucky enough to have seen them in movie theaters at the time of their release. Many of them were shown in the old Silver Theatre, long before AFI arrived. We're pleased to bring them back to the big screen." – George Pelecanos

June 15–18
AFI Silver is excited to host the inaugural Library of Congress Festival of Film and Sound, a new four-day film event celebrating the Library's rich moving image and recorded sound collections organized by the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center.

The festival will bring together film lovers with authors, historians, Library of Congress archivists, curators and staff in a fun-filled weekend showcasing recently restored and rediscovered silent and sound films from the 1920s through the early 1950s, presented from restored archival 35mm prints from the collections of the Library of Congress and other preeminent archives, as well 4K digital restorations. Alongside screenings, the festival will include presentations, lectures and Q&As with experts in the field of film preservation and history, including María Elena de las Carreras, Tracey Goessel, Jon Mirsalis, Steven C. Smith and David Stenn. All silent films will feature live musical accompaniment.

For more information and to see selected highlights, visit loc.gov/film-sound-festival. The full festival lineup will be announced in May.

All-access passes on sale now! Attend every screening and event in the 2023 Library of Congress Festival of Film and Sound for just $150! Click "Gifts & Passes" at the top of this page to purchase.

March 17–30
Now in its 19th year, the New African Film Festival (NAFF), presented by AFI and Africa World Now Project, brings the vibrancy of African filmmaking from all corners of the continent and across the diaspora to the Washington, DC, area.

Featuring 30 films from 22 countries, including six U.S. premieres, this year's festival opens with Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp's Venice-premiered documentary BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE'S PRESIDENT, a powerful portrait of the Ugandan opposition leader, former member of parliament, activist and national superstar musician. The festival closes with the Locarno-debuted PUBLIC TOILET AFRICA, a satirical, surreal road movie from Ghanaian director Kofi Ofosu-Yeboah.

See every film and save with the NAFF All-Access Pass -- on sale now!
The Pass grants you admission for one to every film in the 2023 New African Film Festival, including Opening Night. Click "Gifts & Passes" at the top of this page to purchase.

An ongoing slate of limited engagements, updated weekly.

Presenting an exciting selection of filmed performances ranging from one-of-a-kind concerts to stage productions from the National Theatre. Upcoming engagements will be announced on an ongoing basis.