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.
The STAR WARS Saga
May 1–7
May the Fourth Be With You!
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas created a fantasy adventure that would change filmmaking forever. Lucas combined an old-fashioned appreciation for classic storytelling, drawing on the mythological structure of fables and legends, plus the rousing adventure and action emphasis of Hollywood westerns, war movies, swashbucklers and serials, with the most advanced and innovative screen special effects work yet seen. STAR WARS became a worldwide phenomenon and launched a movie and merchandising franchise that would become the standard against which all others would be measured — often imitated but never equaled.
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.
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.
Recent Restorations
April 24–July 9
This series rounds up a wide range of recent digital restorations of screen classics. Here is your chance to see them back on the big screen and looking better than they have in years, thanks to the efforts of dedicated film archivists and specialty distributors.
Rob Reiner Remembered
April 24–July 9
A beloved actor, writer, director, producer and activist, Rob Reiner (1947–2025) broke the Hollywood mold, deftly navigating the transition from television actor to acclaimed studio filmmaker with an enviable track record of iconic hits. Beginning with his riotous debut, THIS IS SPINAL TAP, his films would go on to define entire genres, from the now-often-imitated mockumentary to the modern romantic comedy with WHEN HARRY MET SALLY… Reiner dominated the cinematic landscape of the ‘80s with quintessential classics STAND BY ME and THE PRINCESS BRIDE before turning to more politically minded fare in the ‘90s with A FEW GOOD MEN and THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT. Even as he focused on directing and producing via his company Castle Rock, he still lit up the screen as an actor, with a standout being his performance as Leonardo DiCaprio’s beleaguered father in Martin Scorsese’s THE WOLF OF WALL STREET. With this series, the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center pays tribute to the legendary filmmaker and actor whose impact on our global cinematic vocabulary “goes to 11."
Andrzej Wajda Centennial
April 24–June 29
To mark the centennial of Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda (1926–2016) — and the “Year of Andrzej Wajda” in Poland — AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center celebrates his visionary work with a selection of nine films from across his more than six-decade career. Over the course of more than 40 features, Wajda became one of cinema’s most vital chroniclers of Polish history, while also exploring universal themes — political repression, resistance and the role of artists in speaking truth to power — that saw the impact of his work expand beyond Poland to influence filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese. Wajda captured audiences across the globe, receiving a Palme d’Or and honorary awards from the Oscars®, the Venice Film Festival and the Berlinale. Beginning with Wajda’s landmark War Trilogy — A GENERATION (1955), KANAL (1957) and ASHES AND DIAMONDS (1958) — this series also includes the incisive critiques of state power MAN OF MARBLE (1977) and MAN OF IRON (1981), as well as lesser-known gems, such as the Nouvelle Vague-inspired INNOCENT SORCERERS (1960), and later works, including KORCZAK (1990) and AFTERIMAGE (2016), his final film. Additional films will be presented at the National Gallery of Art later this year.
Presented in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington, DC, the Wajda Film Center and the National Gallery of Art.
Special thanks to DI Factory, Jędrzej Sabliński and Jessica Rosner.
2026 DC Labor FilmFest
May 1–28
Organized and presented by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, this annual series features a wide-ranging selection of films about work, workers and the wider issues affecting workers’ lives. This year’s program opens with the multi-award-winning documentary STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE!, a gripping portrait of investigative journalist Amy Goodman, who will be in attendance. The festival closes with a 90th anniversary screening of Charles Chaplin’s MODERN TIMES, presented in 35mm, and also features brand new restorations of acclaimed documentarian Barbara Kopple’s Academy Award®-winning classics AMERICAN DREAM and HARLAN COUNTY USA, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Additional highlights include Park Chan-wook’s NO OTHER CHOICE; 2026 Swiss Oscar® submission LATE SHIFT and Sundance Special Jury Award winner EVERYBODY TO KENMURE STREET.
With the presentation of a union card, union members will receive a Silver Cinema Club ticket discount at the Star level.
Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair
June 12–18
Presented in partnership with the American Cinematheque, Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair is an annual festival showcasing some of the greatest works of cinema from across the globe that venture into the darkest sides of humanity and the bleakest points in human history.
The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center joins the fifth annual edition in June 2026 as the festival expands to nearly 100 theaters across the U.S., Canada, UK and South and Central America, with each venue presenting its own lineup of uncompromising films defined by unpleasant truths and raw empathy.
AFI Silver’s original curated lineup features 17 dark, depressing works from some of cinema’s most celebrated auteurs, including Béla Tarr’s immersive seven-hour masterpiece SÁTÁNTANGÓ, Isao Takahata’s devastating GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES and Lynne Ramsey’s raw and deeply poetic RATCATCHER.
Also part of Bleak Week: MISERY and KORCZAK.
Don’t miss our $10 ticket one-day sale from 10:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. on Friday, April 10!
