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This '90s teen classic transports Shakespeare’s "The Taming of the Shrew" to the halls of Padua High School. It's love at first sight for new kid Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) when he spies the beautiful Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). But the object of his affection can't start dating until her thorny older sister, feminist riot grrrl fan Kat (Julia Stiles), goes on a date of her own. Cameron hatches a plot, bribing rebellious outcast Patrick (Heath Ledger) to woo the strong-willed Kat. Although their courtship begins on a false note, the two reluctantly realize that they might be made for each other. DIR Gil Junger; SCR Karen McCullah, Kirsten Smith, from the play by William Shakespeare; PROD Andrew Lazar. U.S., 1999, color, 97 min. RATED PG-13
Q: “Are you a mod or a rocker?” Ringo: “I'm a mocker.” Q: “Tell me, how did you find America?” John: “Turn left at Greenland.” In the band’s screen debut, the Beatles’ abundant charisma and American director Richard Lester’s effervescent style — a by now much-imitated amalgam of TV commercial-honed technique, French New Wave style and documentary-like immediacy — won over middle-aged film critics and a youthful fanbase alike, helping to dispel any lingering suspicions of the Fab Four’s passing faddishness. DIR Richard Lester; SCR Alun Owen; PROD Walter Shenson. UK/U.S., 1964, b&w, 87 min. RATED G
Mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. DIR/SCR/PROD Jesse Eisenberg; PROD Dave McCary, Ali Herting, Emma Stone, Jennifer Semler, Ewa Puszczyńska. U.S., 2024, color, 90 min. RATED R
On the verge of madness, Mabel (Gena Rowlands) struggles to maintain her relationship as wife to civil engineer Nick (Peter Falk) and mother to their three children. Director John Cassavetes' most searing, emotionally raw film features a legendary performance by his real-life wife Rowlands, with Falk extremely good as her long-suffering, temperamental and frustrated husband. A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE is a landmark film of the New Hollywood era and a masterclass in acting — Rowlands won several awards for her performance and received a Best Actress nomination at the 1975 Academy Awards®. DIR/SCR John Cassavetes; PROD Sam Shaw. U.S., 1974, color, 155 min. RATED R
In Memoriam: Gena Rowlands (1930–2024)
[TODO SOBRE MI MADRE]
In Pedro Almodóvar's Oscar® -winning homage to women, single mother Manuela (Cecilia Roth) watches her only son die on his 17th birthday while running to get a stage actress' autograph. As Roth embarks on her quest to find the boy's transgender mother, she befriends a richly diverse assortment of women, including the actress her son died pursuing and pregnant nun Rosa (Penélope Cruz). DIR/SCR Pedro Almodóvar. Spain, 1999, b&w/color, 101 min. RATED R
Plagued by jealousy of — and admiration for — his rival, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce), the mediocre court composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham, in an Oscar®-winning performance) narrates his encounters with the childish but sublimely gifted prodigy. This visually lavish period piece — which mixes fact and fiction, high art and vulgarity, meticulous detail and jarring anachronism — tears through the stuffy conventions of the genre with a swell of operatic emotions. Filmed in Prague, the production was director Miloš Forman's first return to his homeland since fleeing to the West a decade earlier. The film won eight Oscars®, including Best Picture and Best Director for Forman. DIR Miloš Forman; SCR Peter Shaffer, from his play; PROD Saul Zaentz. U.S./France, 1984, color, 160 min. RATED PG
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled. Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, ANORA is a kind-hearted and rollicking film from director Sean Baker (TANGERINE, THE FLORIDA PROJECT) that deftly balances blasts of jovial comedy with sincere, tear-inducing pathos — all anchored by a stunning performance from Mikey Madison in the title role. DIR/SCR/PROD Sean Baker; PROD Alex Coco, Samantha Quan. U.S., 2024, color, 138 min. RATED R
In April 2023, SU-METAL (Vocal, Dance), MOAMETAL (Scream, Dance) and MOMOMETAL (Scream, Dance) entered a new stage as the reborn BABYMETAL. They then embarked on their largest world tour, "BABYMETAL WORLD TOUR 2023–2024," which took them to 25 countries, including Japan. The headline tour, excluding festivals and guest acts, drew a cumulative audience of more than 280,000 people for a total of 98 performances. The final chapter of the world tour, the first Okinawa performance "TOUR FINAL IN JAPAN LEGEND-43," has been fully filmed. This live film allows viewers to experience the diverse music, unique worldview and high-quality production that only a tour final can offer, as well as the astonishing performance of BABYMETAL, which has evolved even further during their world tour. DIR Hiroya Brian Nakano. Japan, 2024, color, 100 min. NOT RATED
With her ravishingly sensual take on Herman Melville's "Billy Budd, Sailor," Claire Denis firmly established herself as one of the great visual tone poets of our time. Amid the azure waters and sunbaked desert landscapes of Djibouti, a French Foreign Legion sergeant (Denis Lavant) sows the seeds of his own ruin as his obsession with a striking young recruit (Grégoire Colin) plays out to the thunderous, operatic strains of Benjamin Britten. Denis and cinematographer Agnès Godard fold military and masculine codes of honor, colonialism's legacy, destructive jealousy and repressed desire into shimmering, hypnotic images that ultimately explode in one of the most startling and unforgettable endings in all of modern cinema. (Note courtesy of Janus Films.) DIR/SCR Claire Denis; SCR Jean-Pol Fargeau, from the novella "Billy Budd, Sailor" by Herman Melville; PROD Patrick Grandperret. France, 1999, color, 93 min. In French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
"Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich!" After making groundbreaking music videos for the Beastie Boys, Björk, R.E.M. and Weezer, director Spike Jonze graduated to feature filmmaking with this one-of-a-kind head trip — in the most literal sense — of a movie, scripted by Charlie Kaufman. Struggling puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) takes a temp job as a file clerk and makes an amazing discovery on the 7th-and-a-half floor of his office building: a tiny door that provides a portal into the mind of famous actor John Malkovich. Craig enjoys his brief visit inside the actor's cranium, which affords him the vicarious thrill of being a celebrity and experiencing life through Malkovich's eyes. But soon, others want in on the act. The excellent cast includes Catherine Keener, Cameron Diaz, Charlie Sheen and — who else? — John Malkovich. DIR Spike Jonze; SCR Charlie Kaufman; PROD Steve Golin, Vincent Landay, Sandy Stern, Michael Stipe. U.S., 1999, color, 113 min. RATED R
With a small film crew, Wim Wenders accompanied his old friend Ry Cooder — composer for Wenders' PARIS, TEXAS and THE END OF VIOLENCE — on a trip to Havana in 1998. Cooder wanted to record his material for singer Ibrahim Ferrer's solo album at a studio there, following the recording of the first album by the band Buena Vista Social Club (which had not yet been released). Over the course of several months, Wenders immersed himself in the world of Cuban music. He observed and accompanied the musicians — first in Havana; then, weeks later, in April 1998, on their trip to Amsterdam for the first public performance of the band (who had never played together outside a studio); then, in July 1998, to their triumphal concert at New York's Carnegie Hall. Wenders thus followed these old heroes of the traditional Cuban Son music on their path from being completely forgotten to becoming world famous — within the period of just a few months. "I thought, I'll shoot a documentary," Wenders said, "and here we were, about to witness a fairy tale that no one could have imagined in this form." The documentary became a cinematic sensation and an international success. Along with an Academy Award® nomination for Best Documentary, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB won the same category at the European Film Awards, the German Film Award in Gold, Germany's Golden Camera and the Cinema Brazil Grand Prize, among many others. (Note courtesy of Janus Films.) DIR/SCR Wim Wenders; PROD Ulrich Felsberg, Deepak Nayar. Germany/U.S./UK/France/Cuba, 1999, b&w/color, 105 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. RATED G
This whimsically edgy comedy, directed by Jamie Babbit, follows teenager Megan (Natasha Lyonne), whose suburban existence filled with friends, cheerleading and all-American fun is upended when her straitlaced parents suspect she may be a lesbian. In a panic, they send her to True Directions, a "rehabilitation" camp run by the strict and prudish Mary (Cathy Moriarty), to mount an intervention led by counselor Mike (RuPaul). Megan dutifully follows the program — until she develops feelings for another camper (Clea DuVall). This sapphic satire's campy, retro aesthetic and earnest plea for self-acceptance and love skewer toxic heteronormativity and outdated gender norms. Featuring a stellar cast of supporting players that includes Melanie Lynskey, Eddie Cibrian, Michelle Williams and Julie Delpy. (Note adapted from Lionsgate.) DIR Jamie Babbit; SCR Brian Peterson; PROD Leanna Creel, Andrea Sperling. U.S., 1999, color, 91 min. RATED R
"Forget it, Jake — it's Chinatown." Roman Polanski's landmark neo-noir combines mastery of the genre's conventions with a 1970s sensibility even more paranoid and doom-bent than that of the classic era. Investigating the suspicious death of the Los Angeles water commissioner, private eye Jack Nicholson becomes drawn into a mystery that somehow involves both the countryside's struggling citrus farmers and the city's elite, including a wealthy businessman (John Huston) and his elegant daughter (Faye Dunaway). The film received 11 Oscar® nominations, with a sole win for Robert Towne's screenplay, based on events surrounding the "water war" between the city of LA and the residents of the interior Owens Valley. DIR Roman Polanski; SCR Robert Towne; PROD Robert Evans. U.S., 1974, color, 130 min. RATED R
From director Edward Berger (ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT), CONCLAVE follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events — the selection of a new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy and discovers a secret that could shake the very foundation of the Church. Official Selection, 2024 Telluride and Toronto film festivals. DIR Edward Berger; SCR Peter Straughan based on the novel by Robert Harris; PROD Alice Dawson, Robert Harris, Juliette Howell, Michael A. Jackman, Tessa Ross. U.S./UK, 2024, color, 120 min. RATED PG
In this melancholy love story for the digital age, director Michel Gondry crafts a universe where bad memories can be erased with the click of a button — but where the search for human warmth remains relentless. Charlie Kaufman won an Oscar® for his whimsical story about a pair of bewildered lovers who, in their rush to forget what went wrong, can't stop remembering what felt right. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet strike the perfect chord as the poetic couple struggling to connect. DIR/SCR Michel Gondry; SCR Charlie Kaufman, Pierre Bismuth; PROD Anthony Bregman, Steve Golin. U.S., 2004, color, 108 min. RATED R
Forest Whitaker stars in the title role as a mob hit man who coldly executes his contracts yet lives by the samurai's ancient code of honor. The tables turn when his former bosses put out a hit on him. Highly stylized violence and disarming moments of oddball humor infuse this East-meets-West movie genre mashup, with additional street cred provided by RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan’s inventive score. DIR/SCR/PROD Jim Jarmusch; PROD Richard Guay. U.S., 1999, color, 116 min. RATED R
After suffering a nervous breakdown and attempting suicide, 19-year-old Susanna Kaysen (Winona Ryder) is shuffled off to Claymoore, a psychiatric hospital, at the insistence of her parents and diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Surrounded by other young women at the facility, played with panache by a cadre of young stars including Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy and Elisabeth Moss, Susanna starts to understand that she needs help. Based on the memoir of the same name, GIRL, INTERRUPTED was the breakout role for Jolie, who earned an Academy Award® for her mesmerizing portrait of the damaged but dazzling Lisa. Vanessa Redgrave, Whoopi Goldberg and Jared Leto co-star. DIR/SCR James Mangold; SCR Lisa Loomer, Anna Hamilton Phelan, based on the book by Susanna Kaysen; PROD Cathy Konrad, Douglas Wick. U.S./Germany, 1999, color, 127 min. RATED R
Swedish master Victor Sjöström (THE WIND) wrings great pathos from Lon Chaney at his most operatically and existentially pained. Chaney portrays Paul Beaumont, a brilliant scientist who suffers the dual traumas of having his dreams shattered by a failed invention and his heart broken by a faithless wife. Now a broken man, Beaumont joins the circus as a very, very sad clown who specializes in being the butt of jokes in a cruel slapstick revue. Also starring Norma Shearer and John Gilbert, this film was an early example of MGM star packaging, pioneered by young production chief Irving Thalberg. DIR/SCR/PROD Victor Sjöström; SCR Carey Wilson from the play by Leonid Andreyev; PROD Louis B. Mayer. U.S., 1924, b&w, 80 min. Silent with English intertitles. NOT RATED
About Andrew Earle Simpson
Andrew Earle Simpson is an acclaimed composer of opera, silent film, orchestral, chamber, choral, dance and vocal music, based in Washington, DC. His musical works make multi-faceted, intimate connections with literature, visual art and film, reflecting his own interest in linking music with the wider world, an approach which he calls "humanistic music." One of America’s foremost silent film musicians, he has performed across the United States, Europe and South America. In addition to composing and performing, Simpson is a professor and head of the division of Theory and Composition at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music of The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Visit andrewesimpson.com for more information.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, MAYHEM: A Tribute to Music Maven Joe Lee
The AFI Silver hosts a salute to legendary DC music maven Joe Lee, who passed away this year on the 4th of July. A mercurial son of one of Maryland's oldest family lines, Lee held court at Joe’s Record Paradise for over six decades of mayhem and madness, influencing music tastes for generations and helping put Washington on the map as a crucial and uber-weird roots music mecca. In addition, he was a natural in front of the camera, whether delivering irreverent sound bites on the evening news, starring in the documentary RECORD PARADISE: THE MUSICAL LIFE OF JOE LEE or being a scene-stealer in music videos, short films by the Langley Punks and the local cult favorite OF FLESH AND BLOOD. Join us for a no-holds-barred celluloid carnival ride showcasing Lee’s musical odyssey from Ray Charles and Root Boy Slim to Beverly Pureheart, Evan Johns, Blelvis and beyond. Seatbelts recommended.
Run Time: 75 minutes
Following the screening, the commemoration continues at McGinty's Public House with live entertainment.
In Memoriam: Joe Lee (1947–2024)
LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH, the documentary film from award-winning director Dawn Porter, chronicles the story of a vocal virtuoso. Using a wealth of rarely seen archival footage, Luther tells his own story with assistance from his closest friends and musical collaborators including Mariah Carey, Dionne Warwick, Valerie Simpson and Roberta Flack. The film relives the many stunning moments of Luther’s musical career, while exploring his personal life, health struggles and lifelong battle to earn the respect his music deserved. DIR Dawn Porter; PROD Trish D Chetty, Ged Doherty, Jamie Foxx, Leah Smith, Datari Turner. U.S., 2024, color, 101 min. NOT RATED
Incorporating more than 25 minutes of recently discovered footage, the 2010 restoration of METROPOLIS is the definitive edition of Fritz Lang's science fiction masterpiece. Like puzzle pieces, these scenes and subplots, long thought lost, help to complete the picture of the dizzyingly intricate plot. In a fabulous city of the future, penthouse-dwelling capitalist bureaucrats hold sway over a subterranean working class, but a prophet from the masses foresees the coming of a new world order. Inspired by New York's skyscrapers, the production design exaggerates verticality, using modernist architecture to reinforce the extreme separation of the classes. The New York Times called it, "one of the most celebrated movies in cinema history,” remarking that, “for the first time, Lang's vision...which has influenced contemporary films like BLADE RUNNER and STAR WARS, seems complete." DIR/SCR Fritz Lang; SCR Thea von Harbou, from her novel; PROD Erich Pommer. Germany, 1927, b&w, 148 min. Silent with English intertitles. NOT RATED
Restoration carried out by Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, Wiesbaden, jointly with Deutsche Kinemathek — Museum für Film und Fernsehen, Berlin, in cooperation with Museo del Cine Pablo C. Ducrós Hicken, Buenos Aires.
About the Anvil Orchestra
The Anvil Orchestra consists of Roger C. Miller and Terry Donahue of Alloy Orchestra, who are joined by Boston drumming legend Larry Dersch. The Anvil Orchestra will continue the tradition of writing and performing original scores for silent films.
Co-presented by Art Deco Society of Washington.
Joan Crawford lights up the screen in the role that made her a star. While making the rounds at nightclubs, dances, picnics and yacht parties, young flapper Diana "Di" Medford (Crawford) falls in love with Ben Blaine (John Mack Brown). But they are not safe from the poisoned tongue of Di's best friend, Ann (Anita Page), when she learns Ben's net worth. Ben and Ann wed, but Ben realizes his mistake even before the honeymoon is over — and confesses his error to Di. But how will Di and Ben find a happy life together with Ben married to Ann? (Note adapted from Warner Bros.) DIR Harry Beaumont; SCR Josephine Lovett; PROD Hunt Stromberg. U.S., 1928, b&w, 85 min. Silent with English intertitles. NOT RATED
Co-presented by Art Deco Society of Washington.
About Andrew Earle Simpson
Andrew Earle Simpson is an acclaimed composer of opera, silent film, orchestral, chamber, choral, dance and vocal music, based in Washington, DC. His musical works make multi-faceted, intimate connections with literature, visual art and film, reflecting his own interest in linking music with the wider world, an approach which he calls "humanistic music." One of America’s foremost silent film musicians, he has performed across the United States, Europe and South America. In addition to composing and performing, Simpson is a professor and head of the division of Theory and Composition at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music of The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Visit andrewesimpson.com for more information.
New German Cinema pioneer Wim Wenders (WINGS OF DESIRE) brings his keen eye for landscape to the American Southwest in PARIS, TEXAS, a profoundly moving character study co-written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard, L.M. Kit Carson and Wenders. In this unconventional road movie, the mysterious, nearly mute drifter Travis (a magnificent Harry Dean Stanton, whose face is a landscape all its own) tries to reconnect with his young son, living with his brother (Dean Stockwell) in Los Angeles, and his missing wife (Nastassja Kinski). From this simple setup, Wenders, Shepard and Carson produce a powerful statement on codes of masculinity and the myth of the American family, as well as an exquisite visual exploration of a vast, crumbling world of canyons and neon. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, PARIS, TEXAS features exquisite photography by Dutch master Robby Müller and a haunting soundtrack by Ry Cooder. With these elements, in addition to the film’s outstanding performances, PARIS, TEXAS casts a spell that has not been broken in the 40 years since its release. (Note adapted from Janus Films.) DIR/SCR Wim Wenders; SCR Sam Shepard, L.M. Kit Carson; PROD Don Guest. West Germany/France/UK, 1984, color, 146 min. RATED R
“You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in Paris?” Quentin Tarantino ascended to A-list celebrity status with this indie blockbuster. A complex collection of intersecting and overlapping crime vignettes, it is a knowing riff on the hard-boiled fiction genre, featuring brilliant dialogue, a byzantine plot and an abundance of filmic and pop cultural allusions. A wildly influential, landmark film, the film features iconic performances from John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames, Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel and Bruce Willis. Winner, Palme d’Or, 1994 Cannes Film Festival; nominated for seven Oscars®, winning for Best Original Screenplay. DIR/SCR Quentin Tarantino; SCR Roger Avary; PROD Lawrence Bender. U.S., 1994, color, 154 min. RATED R
A high-water mark of early European avant-garde cinema, these four films that Man Ray directed between 1923 and 1929 — LE RETOUR À LA RAISON, EMAK-BAKIA, L’ÉTOILE DE MER, and LES MYSTÈRES DU CHÂTEAU DU DÉ — form a seminal nexus of surrealist narrative, dark eroticism and playful abstraction. In these shorts, Man Ray began experimenting with the limitless possibilities of montage, as well as the direct application onto celluloid of objects such as salt and pepper, pins and thumbtacks. Juxtaposing undulating geometric patterns, a twirling fairground ride and a female nude, among other striking images, Man Ray finds subconscious correspondences among seemingly incongruous materials and figures. For the centennial of LE RETOUR À LA RAISON, the Jim Jarmusch-Carter Logan band SQÜRL recorded a brand new drone-rock score for this program of four films by Man Ray. The combo’s cosmic sounds beautifully complement Man Ray’s visuals, conjuring notes of the ineffable, the haunting and the sublime.
The restoration process was led by WOMANRAY and Cinenovo sourcing original prints from various parts of the world, in partnership with La Cinémathèque française, the Centre Pompidou, the Library of Congress, the French CNC and Cineteca di Bologna.
LE RETOUR À LA RAISON [RETURN TO REASON]
For LE RETOUR À LA RAISON, Man Ray extended his visual experimentations from photography to moving images, playfully applying salt and pepper, pins and thumbtacks directly onto celluloid. The final segment introduces the legendary Kiki de Montparnasse, his frequent model, her nude form overlaid by bands of light and shadow. DIR/PROD Man Ray. France, 1923, b&w, 3 min. NOT RATED
EMAK-BAKIA [LEAVE ME ALONE]
Subtitled as a cinépoéme, or a cinematic poem, EMAK-BAKIA restages many of Man Ray’s still-photography techniques, such as double exposure, soft focus and his signature "rayographs." The title means "leave me alone" in the Basque language, though it can also be translated as "give peace." DIR/SCR/PROD Man Ray. France, 1923, b&w, 19 min. NOT RATED
L'ÉTOILE DE MER [THE STARFISH]
Featuring intertitles penned by surrealist poet Robert Desnos, L’ÉTOILE DE MER explores an affair between a man (André de la Rivière) and a woman (Kiki de Montparnasse) — shots of whom are often distorted through glass or a gelatin filter — via a poetic montage of surreal images, including a starfish in a jar. DIR/PROD Man Ray; SCR Robert Desnos. France, 1928, b&w, 18 min. NOT RATED
LES MYSTÈRES DU CHÂTEAU DU DÉ [THE MYSTERIES OF THE CHÂTEAU OF DICE]
In LES MYSTÈRES DU CHÂTEAU DU DÉ, a pair of masked men allow chance to dictate their decisions. After driving out to a fabulous château in the hills, they frolic among its well-appointed interior and grounds — which sport sculptures by Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró — and encounter other faceless travelers whose fates are also ruled by rolls of the dice. DIR/SCR Man Ray; PROD Le Vicomte de Noailles. France, 1929, b&w, 28 min. NOT RATED
Approx. runtime: 70 min
Lola (Franka Potente) answers a call from her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), a small-time courier for a big-time gangster. He has a problem: his boss is coming to pick up 100,000 Deutsche Marks in 20 minutes, and he doesn't have the money. With Manni's life on the line, Lola runs through the streets of Berlin to reach him and somehow pick up the marks along the way, making split-second decisions and encountering acquaintances, family and strangers. As the clock ticks down, the tiniest choices become life-altering (or life-ending), and the fine line between fate and fortune begins to blur. Told in three variations with three endings, RUN LOLA RUN is a fast-paced, kinetic exploration of destiny, set to a pumping dance music soundtrack and interspersed with animated interludes, flashbacks and flashforwards that remind us of life's limitless possibilities. This may be a 1998 release, but it's got that end-of-the-millennium energy that makes you want to party like it's 1999 — which is, in fact, the year of its U.S. premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for World Cinema. (Note adapted from Sony Pictures Classics.) DIR/SCR Tom Tykwer; PROD Stefan Arndt. Germany, 1998, color, 80 min. RATED R
The 48 Hour Film Holiday Project is a competition for local filmmakers, from beginner to pro! They're given a genre, a prop, a character and a line of dialogue; the rest is up to them. AFI Silver welcomes back the wildly popular 48 Hour Film Project, for a special Holiday edition, with this year's Washington, DC-area films screening on November 14 and 15!
For more information, visit 48hourfilm.com. Approx. runtime: 120 min.
When World War I veteran pilot Captain Billy Stokes (a charismatic Laurence Criner) returns home, he resumes his former job as a railroad company detective and is tasked with catching a gang of thieves who have absconded with a satchel filled with $25,000. An exciting, romantic aviation adventure that features spectacular aerial combat, THE FLYING ACE is a quintessential example of the "race film" — a genre of movies starring all African American casts made for African American audiences. Filmmaker Richard E. Norman produced the film through his Norman Pictures banner, which was one of the leading companies producing race films at the time. DIR/SCR/PROD Richard E. Norman. U.S., 1926, b&w, 65 min. NOT RATED
FREE SCREENING! Tickets are limited to four per reservation and are not a guarantee of admission. You must be seated at least 15 min. prior to showtime. Seating is limited, so please arrive early. Empty seats will be released to standby line guests.
One of the all-time greatest movie sequels continues the saga of the Corleone clan, moving not only forward but back — as new don Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) weathers crushing setbacks and familial disintegration. The film explores the Corleone family's voyage to America and struggle to survive in the rough-and-tumble immigrant ghetto of old New York, with Robert De Niro giving a brilliant performance as the younger version of Marlon Brando's Vito Corleone. In a changing world, the increasingly corporate-minded and workaholic Michael must take extreme action to protect the family business, even at the expense of his actual family, like brother Fredo (John Cazale) and wife Kay (Diane Keaton). DIR/SCR/PROD Francis Ford Coppola; SCR Mario Puzo, from his novel. U.S., 1974, color, 200 min. plus a 15-min. intermission. RATED R
The Wachowskis' mind-bending, bullet-dodging existentialist action movie posits that observable reality is really a virtual reality generated by a massive computer program keeping humans enslaved to AI overlords. Computer hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves) is recruited by a cadre of rebels, led by the mysterious Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), to help them liberate humankind. Could Neo in fact be "the One"? Wildly mixing and mashing up various references from myth, religion and philosophy with cyberpunk science fiction, Chinese martial arts cinema and Japanese anime, the film was a sensation upon release, a stylish and buzzy blockbuster that has become an enduring pop cultural reference point. Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano and Hugo Weaving co-star. DIR/SCR Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski; PROD Joel Silver. U.S., 1999, color, 136 min. RATED R
Adapting Patricia Highsmith’s landmark midcentury novel, Oscar®-winning filmmaker Anthony Minghella (THE ENGLISH PATIENT) gathered a talented cast of up-and-coming actors on the verge of international superstardom for this sunbaked thriller. Beguiling drifter Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) is paid a handsome sum and sent to Italy to convince playboy Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) to return home to his shipping magnate father. Posing as a classmate, Tom instead finds himself intoxicated by the dolce vita lifestyle of Dickie and his girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow). But as his infatuation for Dickie grows, Tom will stop at nothing to keep up his charade. With enviable fashions, exotic locales and an ahead-of-its-time queer anti-hero, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY set the mold for erotic thrillers for decades to come...we’re looking at you, SALTBURN. Featuring supporting performances from Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffman. DIR/SCR Anthony Minghella; SCR based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith; PROD William Horberg, Tom Sternberg. U.S., 1999, color, 139 min. RATED R
[LES MAÎTRES DU TEMPS]
Directed by visionary science-fiction animator René Laloux (FANTASTIC PLANET) and designed by the legendary Jean Giraud (a.k.a. Mœbius), THE TIME MASTERS is a visually fantastic foray into existentialist space adventure. After his parents are killed on the dangerous planet Perdide, young Piel (voiced by Frédéric Legros) survives by maintaining radio contact with Jaffar (Jean Valmont), a pilot transporting the exiled Prince Matton (Yves-Marie Maurin) and Princess Belle (Monique Thierry) from their former kingdom. Jaffar seeks the help of Silbad (Michel Elias), a cheerful old-timer who knows how to circumvent Perdide’s hazards, which include brain-devouring insects and watery graves. Along the way, Jaffar and company encounter a pair of impish homunculi stowaways, identity-less angels controlled by an amorphous hive mind and the Masters of Time, mysterious beings who can bend reality — and perhaps reveal to the heroes their secret origins and destinies. (Note courtesy of Janus Films.) DIR/SCR René Laloux; SCR Jean Giraud, from the novel by Stefan Wul; PROD Jacques Dercourt, Roland Gritti. France, 1982, color, 79 min. In French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Restored in 4K in 2023 at the initiative of CITE FILMS in collaboration with the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna and with the support of the CNC.
Lon Chaney starred in several films for Tod Browning (DRACULA, FREAKS), none better than this one. Chaney plays Alonzo the Armless, a double-amputee circus sideshow performer famed for his fancy footwork flinging knives. A young Joan Crawford plays Nanon, a fellow circus performer with an intense fear of being touched. It would seem the two are made for each other — but Alonzo is keeping a terrible secret. DIR/SCR Tod Browning; SCR Waldemar Young. U.S., 1927, b&w, 75 min. Silent with English intertitles. NOT RATED
About the Andrew Simpson Ensemble
The Andrew Simpson Ensemble, founded in 2022, is a group of professional instrumentalists performing new, original silent film scores live to screen. Its flexible instrumentation — including strings, guitar/banjo, woodwind, brass, keyboard, percussion and electronics — allows the ensemble to perform scores with three to seven players in styles ranging from vintage jazz to contemporary classical. Visit andrewesimpson.com for more information.
Sofia Coppola's feature debut, adapted from Jeffrey Eugenides' acclaimed novel, follows the sad dissolution of a religiously devout family in 1970s Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Following the suicide of their 13-year-old daughter, the authoritarian Lisbon parents (James Woods and Kathleen Turner) circle the wagons around their four surviving teenage daughters, pulling them out of high school and limiting their social contact with the outside world. But the ensuing claustrophobia and isolation only ensure that things will get worse. The fine cast includes Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, A. J. Cook, Scott Glenn and Giovanni Ribisi. DIR/SCR Sofia Coppola, from the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides; PROD Francis Ford Coppola, Julie Costanzo, Dan Halsted, Chris Hanley. U.S., 1999, color, 97 min. RATED R
"Lions and tigers and bears. Oh my!" Judy Garland stars as Dorothy, the lonely dreamer from Kansas who runs away with her dog Toto and is transported over the rainbow to the magical Land of Oz. There, Dorothy makes an enemy of the Wicked Witch of the West. In order to return home, she must seek out the all-powerful Wizard of Oz with the help of her new friends: a scarecrow without a brain, a tin man without a heart and a cowardly lion. The film earned six Oscar® nominations, with wins for Best Score and Best Song ("Over the Rainbow"). DIR Victor Fleming; SCR Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf, from the novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum; PROD Mervyn LeRoy. U.S., 1939, b&w/color, 108 min. NOT RATED
The toys are back in town! After Woody (Tom Hanks) is kidnapped by obsessive toy collector Al McWhiggin (Wayne Knight), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of Andy's toys mount a daring rescue operation. While locked up in Al's apartment, Woody learns that he is, in fact, a rare collectible from the 1950s TV show WOODY’S ROUNDUP and befriends his fellow collectibles from the show: cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), noble steed Bullseye and prospector Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer) — but he soon realizes that he doesn't want to leave this newly found family. The rare sequel that is as good, if not better, than the original, TOY STORY 2 continued Pixar's groundbreaking work in the then-nascent arena of 3-D computer-animated films. It's as close to real-life magic as one can find, with its heartwarming story and vibrant animation making us forget for a moment that these goofy yet loveable characters don't actually exist — and yet, just like with our own childhood toys, we come to love them all the same. DIR John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, Lee Unkrich; SCR Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin, Chris Webb; PROD Karen Robert Jackson, Helene Plotkin. U.S., 1999, color, 92 min. RATED G
200 years after its opening and a century after acquiring its first Van Gogh works, the National Gallery is hosting the UK’s biggest ever Van Gogh exhibition. Van Gogh is not only one of the most beloved artists of all time but perhaps also the most misunderstood. This film is a chance to re-examine and better understand this iconic artist. Focusing on his unique creative process, VAN GOGH: POETS & LOVERS explores the artist’s years in the south of France, where he revolutionized his style. Van Gogh became consumed with a passion for storytelling in his art, turning the world around him into vibrant, idealized spaces and symbolic characters. Poets and lovers filled his imagination; everything he did in the south of France served this new obsession. In part, this is what caused his notorious breakdown, but it didn't hold back his creativity as he created masterpiece after masterpiece. Explore one of art history's most pivotal periods in this once-in-a-century show. Made in close collaboration with the National Gallery. DIR David Bickerstaff; PROD Phil Grabsky, Amanda Wilkie. UK, 2024, color, 90 min. NOT RATED
Oscar Micheaux’s powerful drama is the oldest known surviving film by an African American filmmaker. A Black schoolteacher, Sylvia Landry (Evelyn Preer), leaves her Southern home for the North in an effort to raise funds for her school. On her journey, she experiences hardships, duplicity and amazing reversals of fortune. A new romance blooms with Dr. Vivian (Charles D. Lucas), who, hearing about Sylvia’s family life in the segregated South, is reminded of the murder and injustice whites have inflicted on Blacks there for generations. Micheaux's film functioned as a powerful response to D. W. Griffith’s race-baiting THE BIRTH OF A NATION, a blockbuster hit in 1915. DIR/SCR/PROD Oscar Micheaux. U.S., 1920, b&w, 79 min. NOT RATED