Stage & Screen
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.
AFI Silver After Dark
All tickets just $8!
Join us for a 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.
NEW: Pick up our new After Dark Punch Card at the Silver Box Office! Catch six After Dark flicks and your next one is on us.
2025: A Second Look
January 25–March 19
What makes a great film even greater? Seeing it at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center! Our programmers have rounded up an eclectic slate of critically acclaimed 2025 releases — some that did not screen at the Silver during their initial run — to give local cinephiles another chance to see a selection of the year’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.
George Pelecanos Presents: Glorious Black & White
January 30–April 22
Silver Spring-based author, producer and screenwriter George Pelecanos returns to present a new series dedicated to classic films produced and presented in glorious black and white. Pelecanos will introduce select shows.
Hitchcock/Herrmann
January 30–April 23
A towering figure in 20th-century American music, by the early 1950s Bernard Herrmann had already won an Oscar® for THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER and composed scores for Hollywood heavy hitters like Orson Welles (CITIZEN KANE), Robert Wise (THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL) and Nicholas Ray (ON DANGEROUS GROUND). But it was his partnership with “master of suspense” Alfred Hitchcock that changed cinema forever. Starting with THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY in 1955, Hitchcock and Hermann collaborated on eight films over an 11-year period. Despite their differing backgrounds and opposite temperaments, “Benny and Hitch” formed a close working relationship, resulting in some of their most beloved and enduring works. From the jazzy score of THE WRONG MAN to the iconic shrieking strings of PSYCHO, Hitchcock and Herrmann melded story with sound in breathtaking new ways. Join us as we present these eight legendary classics on the big screen, including select 70mm screenings of VERTIGO and NORTH BY NORTHWEST.
Film historian Steven C. Smith will introduce films on January 31 and February 1. Smith’s latest book “Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores that Changed Cinema” will be available for sale and signing.
One Movie After Another: Paul Thomas Anderson
Jan. 30–April 23
Paul Thomas Anderson has crafted a singular body of work in his ten features released across nearly 30 years. Anderson’s abiding interest in tales set in his native California, specifically the San Fernando Valley, where he grew up and lives today, informs the authenticity of place and time depicted in BOOGIE NIGHTS, MAGNOLIA, LICORICE PIZZA and this year’s ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER.
His early films often drew comparison to Robert Altman’s work, but Anderson’s later films have branched out to include darker, probing psychodramas like THERE WILL BE BLOOD, THE MASTER and PHANTOM THREAD, each a narrative that engages with recognizable “great man” history but told in a way that reveals these not-so-great men for who they are. But even in his darkest material, Anderson retains his sense of humor, his feeling for romance and a possibility for generosity and kindness. A taste for the surreal, be it oddball humor or perverse narrative twists, runs through all of his work.
Anderson has directed actors as different as Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Daniel Day-Lewis, Joaquin Phoenix, Lesley Manville and Tom Cruise to Oscar®-nominated performances, with Day-Lewis winning the Best Actor Oscar® for his towering performance in THERE WILL BE BLOOD. With Anderson’s latest film ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER poised to earn more accolades, now is the perfect time to take a look back at the work of this master filmmaker.
The Sundance Kid: Robert Redford Remembered
January 30–April 23
An icon of late 20th-century Hollywood, Robert Redford (1936–2025) was a truly singular artist whose magnetic presence in front of, behind and beyond the camera defined an era of filmmaking. Although he had one of the most handsome faces to ever grace the silver screen, Redford never coasted on his good looks and instead insisted on making films that had significant cultural weight, exploring topics as challenging as familial grief and democratic ideals. This series collects 14 of the most notable films from his nearly 60-year career, including the 1967 romantic comedy BAREFOOT IN THE PARK opposite frequent co-star Jane Fonda; his unforgettable turns in the westerns BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID and JEREMIAH JOHNSON; his Oscar®-nominated performance in THE STING; the seminal political films ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN and THE CANDIDATE (the latter presented in 35mm); his directorial debut ORDINARY PEOPLE, for which he won the Oscar® for Best Director; his final onscreen performance in 2018’s THE OLD MAN & THE GUN; and many more. Few actors could claim such a lengthy filmography, let alone one with as much range as Redford’s, but, then again, few have ever dared as much as he — just watch the films and see.
This Is Not a Jafar Panahi Retrospective
February 8–March 19
Over the past 30 years, Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has crafted an internationally renowned career from an artistic output that explores the sociopolitical circumstances of life in contemporary Iran by using nonprofessional actors, simple premises, real locations and a unique, self-reflexive approach to storytelling. Mentored by fellow Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami, Panahi centers his work on those marginalized by Iranian society: children, women and artists. After running afoul of the government while making his first five films — three of which were banned in Iran before release — Panahi received a 20-year ban from filmmaking, an unjust sentence that would be the death knell for the careers of most filmmakers. Instead, Panahi continued to make films underground and release them internationally to critical acclaim, making him one of only four filmmakers — alongside Henri-Georges Clouzot, Michelangelo Antonioni and Robert Altman — to win the top prize at the three most prestigious European film festivals: the Palme d’Or from Cannes, the Golden Bear from Berlin and the Golden Lion from Venice. This seven-film series represents the majority of Panahi’s celebrated output — with a rare screening of his feature debut THE WHITE BALLOON from a 35mm print courtesy of the TIFF Film Reference Library — and presents an opportunity to dive into the work of one of cinema’s fiercest and most uncompromising artists.
Diane Keaton: A Life in Film
February 13–April 23
Diane Keaton (1946–2025) — multifaceted actor, director, producer, author, real estate developer and photographer — could boast more than 60 diverse credits across five decades. Her iconic roles span the cinematic spectrum, from long-suffering mob wife Kay Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s THE GODFATHER (1972) to the “la-di-da” heroine of Woody Allen’s ANNIE HALL (1977), a role which earned her an Academy Award® for Best Actress and turned her into a national fashion icon. Perhaps best known for her comedic output, Keaton proved herself equally adept at dramatic roles, with powerhouse performances in films such REDS (1981). During the 1980s and ‘90s, Keaton turned to directing — from feature narratives and documentaries to music videos and television, with the afterlife doc HEAVEN (1987) a particular standout (and presented in a new restoration in this series). A perennial box office favorite, she earned her fourth and final Academy Award® nomination for the acclaimed Nancy Meyers romantic comedy SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE, which will screen on Valentine’s Day. With this series, the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center pays tribute to the legendary actress whose storied career was honored with the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2017.
Capital Irish Film Festival
February 26–March 1
The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is proud to partner with Solas Nua to present the annual Capital Irish Film Festival. Now in its 20th year, the four-day festival brings the best of contemporary Irish cinema by filmmakers from the island of Ireland to audiences in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.
Learn more about this year's festival here.
The Capital Irish Film Festival is supported by the Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme, Culture Ireland, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Embassy of Ireland, Northern Ireland Bureau, Northern Ireland Screen and the Irish Film Institute’s IFI International Programme supported by Culture Ireland.
Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour
March 6
Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour is an annual festival of restored and rediscovered films taking place at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center; the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD); and the National Gallery of Art, presented in collaboration with Il Cinema Ritrovato, organized by the Cineteca di Bologna in Italy.
This year, AFI Silver celebrates Italian filmmaker Luigi Comencini — the subject of a retrospective at last year’s edition of Il Cinema Ritrovato — and Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, who passed away in September 2025, with a screening of the recently restored BEBO’S GIRL [LA RAGAZZA DI BUBE]. The screening is free of charge thanks to the support of the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington.
Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour at UMD is an initiative of the Italian Program and the Program in Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. The festival is co-sponsored by the Italian Cultural Institute at the Embassy of Italy and presented in partnership with the Bologna Film Archive, Italy (Cineteca di Bologna), the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center and the National Gallery of Art. At the University of Maryland, the festival is supported by the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures; the Center for Literary and Comparative Studies; the Department of French and Italian; and the Department of German Studies.
New African Film Festival
March 13–26
Now in its 22nd 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. The full lineup will be announced at AFI.com/Silver on February 18.
Special thanks to NAFF co-founders Mwiza Munthali and Judy Mbuya, and media sponsor WPFW.
NAFF All-Access Passes on sale now!
The NAFF All-Access Pass grants you admission for one to every film in the 2026 New African Film Festival, including Opening Night, at a significant savings.
$150 General Admission
Purchase passes here.
