AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE WASHINGTON POST wELCOmE TO FILmFEST DC 2017! Welcome to the 31st annual Washington, Dc international Film Festival. come see great movies! 80 fi lms • 45 countries • 11 days • 1 exciting festival

For over 30 years, Filmfest DC has sought to keep pace with global cultural and social activities. Today we fi nd ourselves in a conundrum of opposing beliefs and shifting governmental policies, which have often divided citizens and forged a culture of “us vs. them.” As a refl ection of our times, this year’s festival has taken on a special focus on issues ripped from today’s headlines in hopes of increasing clarity and civil discourse. Our Opening Night feature, , looks at what can happen when a community faced with new immigrants and threatened job security becomes the target of right-wing operatives. The Justice Matters section of social issues fi lms has been expanded and this year we have added Division & Debate, a new section exploring timely contentious issues. The Lighter Side section of international comedies, Trust No One, our thriller and espionage section and the Global Rhythms music series continue to be festival staples, along with World View, the core of the festival’s international program. Filmfest DC would not be possible without the support of our Board of Directors, sponsors, staff, and hundreds of volunteers. Many people have generously shared their time and talent with us, and we want to deeply thank them. Good movies make the world a better place. Please join us for debut works by gifted directors, and a broad array of award-winning fi lms from around the globe. We invite you to our annual adventure. We are very pleased to bid you welcome.

Tony Gittens

Founder and Director Washington, DC International Film Festival Photo: Chad Evans Wyatt

Tony Gittens, Festival Director, and Shirin Ghareeb, Deputy Director Theatre Locations General admission at the theater is $14 unless otherwise noted. AMC Mazza Gallerie Landmark’s E Street Cinema 5300 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W. 555 11th Street, N.W. ADVANCE SALES Washington, DC 20015 Washington, DC 20004 General admission via advance sales are $13 and are subject to a $1.75 per Take Metro Red Line to Friendship Heights. Take Metro Red, Orange, or Blue Line to Metro ticket convenience fee. No online, phone, or outlet sales the day of the show. $2 for 3 hours or $5 for 5 hours of Center. Theatre entrance is on E Street between reduced-rate parking available in garage 10th and 11th Streets. Three hours of Online: fi lmfestdc.org with validation. reduced-rate parking available in adjacent Phone: 410-982-0799, available Monday – Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. garage with validation Monday – Friday after 6 p.m. and anytime on weekends. DAY-OF SALES Tickets can only be purchased at the theater on the day of the show for $14. Other Locations Box office opens one hour before the venue’s fi rst screening of the day. Cash, check, or credit card sales only. Embassy of National Gallery of Art DISCOUNT PACKAGES 4101 Reservoir Road, N.W. East Building Auditorium Packages offered through advance sales only unless otherwise noted. Washington, DC 20007 4th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20565 Packages include $13 screenings. Street parking available. Take Metro Green or Yellow Line to National

shington Post Director’s Package: Archives/Navy Memorial.

Wa 10 tickets for $100 ($130 value) plus $5.00 convenience fee.

The Weekday Package: 4 tickets for $45 ($52 value) plus $3.00 convenience fee. Valid for screenings Monday through Thursday. Student Discount: 1 ticket for $10 ($14 value) available day of showing only at festival box office. Valid with proper student ID.

ticKet iNFormAtioN Information: fi lmfestdc.org 202-234-FILM @filmfestDC An Advertising Supplement to

2 31st Annual Filmfest Dc FilmfestDC.org OPENING NIGHT

North AmericAN Premiere THIS IS OUR LAND France/Belgium, 2016, 114 minutes A timely and sharp study, This Is Our Land shows the voices and sentiments hidden by the flag of populism, and that thinking in terms of enemies is becoming increasingly commonplace. In Northern France, inhabitants of the old mining area around Calais have seen the world change too rapidly and feel neglected by the state. Pauline, a beloved and devoted nurse, is offered the candidacy for mayorship by a far-right political party that resembles France’s Front National led by . The political campaign will test her will and personal life as it soon becomes clear she’s merely a puppet candidate. For old fascists, the party’s respectable appearance is only a change in strategy; The aim is still a white fatherland. Despite the party’s respectable suits and smiles, violence is never far away, as Pauline discovers. Filmmaker Lucas Belvaux’s political drama serves as an insightful reflection on recent shifts in Western politics. This Is Our Land stirs discussion across audiences regarding the intersection of national values, progress, and identity as well as the dangerous appeal of reactionary populism. How does a far-right political party gain working-class support? What are the dangers of the growing popularity of far-right politics? And finally, what role do and isolationism play in this increasingly interconnected and globalized world?—Various sources

In French wIth englIsh subtItles Thursday, April 20, 7:00 p.m. AMC Mazza Gallerie, followed by a reception, $45.00

CLOSING NIGHT LOST IN PARIS Fiona Gordon, Dominique Abel France, 2016, 84 minutes Brussels-based husband-and-wife duo Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel (Rumba; The Fairy) take inspiration from Jacques Tati, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Laurel and Hardy in this whimsical slapstick comedy. Gordon and Abel masterfully concoct a perilous but ultimately benign world in which a mischievous fate seems to want to have fun at the expense of the protagonists in one perfectly executed pratfall after another. In the film, Fiona (Gordon) embarks on a mission to save her dotty aunt Martha, played by French screen legend and Academy Award® nominee Emmanuelle Riva (Amour), from a nursing home after receiving the frantic

plea. “Dear Fiona, help! After 48 years living in Paris they shington Post

want me to move to an old people’s home. Ridiculous! Wa

I’m only 88.” Escaping frozen Canada for the city of romance, gawky, gangling Fiona arrives too late: Martha’s apartment is empty. Worse, she loses her The passport and her money, and takes an unintended dip in the Seine. As one mishap leads to another, she becomes entangled with a fleet-footed homeless man (Abel) in a world of Tati-esque deadpan sight gags, class commentary, and brightly colored sets. A lovingly crafted cinematic confection, Lost in Paris is just as effortlessly charming and romantic as the City of Light itself.—Various sources In French and englIsh wIth englIsh subtItles Sponsored by the Embassy of France and the Office of Cable Television, Film, Sunday, April 30, 3:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Music & Entertainment Embassy of France, reception 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., $25.00

For security reasons, film tickets at the Embassy of France must be purchased in advance. An Advertising Supplement to

FilmfestDC.org 31st Annual Filmfest Dc 3 FILmFEST DC

the LiGhter SiDe JUStice mAtterS DiViSioN & DeBAte Politics Isn’t the Only Funny Thing When an individual or group has experienced an in Washington! More than any time in recent history, citizens have injustice, fi lmmakers use their talents and craft to drawn deep markers between “us and them.” make us aware and, hence, call us to take action. The A good laugh is a universal pastime and Filmfest DC is Hardened differences separate us along social, Justice Matters focus within Filmfest DC highlights this continuing its popular series of international comedies. political and economic lines. Disagreements fueled tradition of using fi lm to expand our awareness and Comedies do more than just entertain; they also offer by globalization and immigration, government understanding of social justice issues around the globe. important insights into the central workings of a given policies and racial tension dominate news We want to thank the CrossCurrents Foundation for culture, from its oldest customs to its most taboo headlines and are diffi cult to avoid in everyday their support in helping to make this series possible. subjects. Humor varies from one culture to the next, and social discourse. Films selected for the Division & it is impossible to characterize international comedies Debate series seek to explore these issues. Films selected for this year’s Justice Matters under one umbrella. Thus, in this series, we explore series include: how international cinema has used humor to better • 150 Milligrams (France) understand the human condition as well as to make fun • All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone (Canada) —The need • All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of our foibles. If the language of cinema is universal, of I.F. Stone (Canada) for a free and independent press. then laughter is our common vocabulary. • Backpack Full of Cash (USA) • Backpack Full of Cash (USA) — Charter • The Good Postman (Finland/Bulgaria) Films selected for this year’s The Lighter Side schools vs. support for public education. • The House on Coco Road (USA/Grenada) series include: • The Good Postman (Finland/Bulgaria) — The • Last Men in Aleppo (/Syria) • The African Doctor (France) challenges of immigration. • Tomorrow (France) • Family Life (Chile) • This Is Our Land (France/Belgium) — How • Two Trains Runnin’ (USA) • The Hippopotamus (UK) those effected by immigration and threats • Solitaire (Lebanon/Jordan) to job security can be manipulated. • The Wedding Party (Nigeria)

The award jury consists of: Conrad Martin Executive Director, Stewart R. Mott Foundation and Executive Director of the Fund for Constitutional Government Montré Aza Missouri Founder and Director, Howard Film Culture Kathryn Washington Director of Diversity and Innovation, Corporation for Public Broadcasting

the hippopotamus ______trUSt No oNe Espionage, Crime, and Thrillers

Good guys vs. bad guys (or girls)… Will she escape? mali Blues … Who done it?… The heist… Mystery… Suspense… All Governments Lie Conspiracy… Betrayal. It’s probably best to trust no one. Unlike the traditional Hollywood fare driven by rhYthmS oN & oFF ______loud explosions and endless sequels, our Trust No One focus offers engaging plots in atmospheric locations the ScreeN with fascinating characters who fuel the excitement Films on Music imPAct ProJect in Filmfest DC’s selection of international thrillers and crime dramas. This is edge-of-your-seat movie fun. The collaboration of music and fi lm often serves to Many independent fi lmmakers passionately focus on illuminate both art forms’ distinct beauty. Filmfest DC telling stories that spotlight issues of social justice. In focuses on this dynamic combination by highlighting recognition of their creators’ commitment to share these Films selected for this year’s Trust No One a number of international fi lms that feature music series include: important themes with the broadest possible segment of accompanied by live pre-screening performances by the public, the social justice fi lms in Filmfest DC will be the • All of a Sudden (/Netherlands) some of D.C.’s most talented musicians and dancers! focus of a special initiative to bring these works to a wider • At the End of the Tunnel (Argentina/) audience in our area. • Fast Convoy (France) Films selected for this year’s Rhythms On & Off the shington Post • Goldstone (Australia) Screen series include: In addition to the fi lms’ festival screenings, the project includes a series of programs and presentations designed Wa • The Oath (Iceland) • The Dancer (France) • Footnotes (France) for students and community groups. The Filmfest DC

The • Searchers (Canada) website offers thought-provoking resources about the • J: Beyond Flamenco (Spain) • Train to Busan (South Korea) fi lms and the issues they explore. • Patti Cake$ (USA) This project is conceived and directed by Linda Blackaby, Global Blues Filmfest DC’s senior programming consultant, and is • I Am the Blues (USA/Canada) supported by a grant from the Wyncote Foundation. • Mali Blues (Germany) • Two Trains Runnin’ (USA)

Media Sponsors:

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4 31st Annual Filmfest Dc FilmfestDC.org HIGHLIGHTS

FirSt FeAtUre AWArD SiGNiS AWArD

One of the most important purposes of a fi lm festival The SIGNIS jury will present an award to the fi lm judged is to introduce new fi lmmakers to the world and to by its jury to best illuminate and celebrate what it cultivate, showcase, and encourage these new talents. means to be human in a diverse and challenging world. Filmfest DC is pleased to present the First Feature Award for the best fi rst fi lms in the festival. The winner will be selected by a jury of experts and a cash prize will be awarded.

Films selected for this year’s competition include: • Behind the Clouds (Belgium) • The Dancer (France) • A Good Wife (/Bosnia/Croatia) • Mali Blues (Germany) • Solitaire (Lebanon/Jordan) • To Keep the Light (USA) Be A PArt The award jury consists of: oF the Felix Angel Former Curator, Inter-American Development Bank moVie BUZZ Lipstick Under my Burkha Judy Dwan Hallet Documentary Filmmaker Kerric Harvey circLe AWArD Chair, Department of Film Studies, George Washington University The Circle Award is a juried competition of selected fi lms that deserve increased recognition. The winner will be determined by a jury of accomplished fi lm professionals.

The Circle Award is named in honor of Ted and Jim Pedas, founders of Washington’s Circle Theatres, which set the standard for innovative quality fi lm programming in Washington, D.C. Films selected for this year’s competition include: Join the Washington, DC • At the End of the Tunnel (Argentina/Spain) • The Hippopotamus (UK) Film Society! • I Am the Blues (USA/Canada) • Lipstick Under My Burkha (India) Go to dcfilmsociety.org • The Preacher (Egypt) for more information • A Window to Rosália ()

The award jury consists of: Susan Barocas Competition Coordinator Writer/Producer Albert Casciero Former Dean, Learning Resources Division, UDC Manjula Kumar President/Executive Director Global Performing Arts Gregory McGruder National Geographic Society shington Post Peggy Parsons Head, Department of Film, National Gallery of Art Wa The ______FiLmFeSt Dc AUDieNce AWArD

Filmfest DC will present two audience awards: one to the feature fi lm and one to the documentary voted the most popular by our audience. Ballots will be available after each screening. All award winners will be announced on Closing Night. Behind the clouds

Catalog cover by Alexis Thornlow An Advertising Supplement to

FilmfestDC.org 31st Annual Filmfest Dc 5 JUStice mAtterS DiViSioN & DeBAte 150 mILLIGRAmS JUStice mAtterS Emmanuelle Bercot ALL GOvERNmENTS LIE: TRUTH, France, 2016, 128 minutes DECEPTION, AND THE SPIRIT OF I.F. STONE Acclaimed director, screenwriter, and actor Emmanuelle Fred Peabody Bercot adapts Irène Frachon’s bestselling memoir Médiator 150mg for this story of a dedicated doctor Canada, 2016, 91 minutes whose investigation into recent patient deaths leads Long before our American president dubbed a free to a crusade against a powerful drug company. 150 press “” and the enemy of the people there Milligrams is set in Brittany and revolves around Irène was I. F. Stone’s Weekly (1953–71). I.F. Stone (Izzy to (Sidse Babett Knudsen), a hospital lung specialist who his large family of admirers) was read by dissidents and begins to suspect a connection between recent patient pols alike; the man’s unfailing wit, immediate prose, and deaths and medications being prescribed. After she cherubic smile refl ected the joy he found in pursuing turns to ’s head of research, Antoine (Benoît the LiGhter SiDe the truth free from the constraints of the corporate Magimel), for help, Irène’s investigation leads her to a THE AFRICAN DOCTOR media. Stone’s brilliant opposition research often powerful drug company. Of course, that’s when things Julien Rambaldi involved closely reading government documents. Today’s start to get ugly. Antoine’s research unit is suddenly France, 2016, 94 minutes investigative reporters can face more treacherous threatened with funding cuts, and Irène’s colleagues paths to where the bodies are buried. This timely begin to view her derisively as a meddlesome crusader. Thanks to charming performances by Mark Zinga and documentary wisely, even presciently, focuses less on As this eye-opening and inspiring work illustrates, Aïssa Maïga, The African Doctor is an endearing and Stone and more on those who are inspired by his idea Frachon simply never gave up, until—well, see the fi lm beautifully crafted feel-good fi lm about exclusion, of journalism as a sanctuary of dissent: We meet Jeremy to fi nd out what happened.—Toronto International Film resilience, and perseverance. In 1975, the mayor of Scahill, Matt Taibbi, John Carlos Frey, Amy Goodman, Festival Marly-Gomont wants to be re-elected and needs to and other intrepid stone turners. Izzy Stone knew that fi nd a doctor for the small French village. He decides “all governments lie.” Goodman reminds us, “lies take In French wIth englIsh subtItles on Seyolo Zantoko (Zinga), a highly skilled, recently lives.”—Judy Bloch Friday, April 21, 8:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie graduated doctor of Congolese descent. Zantoko seizes Sunday, April 23, 3:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Monday, April 24, 6:15 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema the opportunity with both hands and leaves for Marly- Gomont with his wife (Maïga) and two children. When Tuesday, April 25, 6:15 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema they arrive at the village, the locals are scared out of their minds; They have never before seen black people and don’t want anything to do with them. Although he struggles with his family to integrate in the rural village, Zantoko is nonetheless determined to win the residents’ trust—and ultimately becomes one of the most respected doctors in the area.—World Cinema Amsterdam

In French wIth englIsh subtItles Saturday, April 22, 9:00 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Tuesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Friday, April 28, 8:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie

ACROSS THE wATERS trUSt No oNe Nicolo Donato ALL OF A SUDDEN Denmark, 2016, 95 minutes Asli Özge Germany/Netherlands, 2016, 112 minutes Enjoying the nightlife of 1943 , guitarist Arne Itkin (David Dencik) is seemingly immune to the A mysterious woman dies after a party at the apartment hardships of war as the Danish government opts for of young Karsten (Sebastian Hülk), the privileged son a compliant relationship with Nazi Germany. He is of a powerful family in a small northern German town. initially skeptical when his terrified wife, Miriam (Danica Adding to the confusion is Karsten’s curious split-second Curcic), hears rumors of the round-up and deportation decision and action as the strange woman lies gasping of Danish Jews. An overnight raid, however, forces the on his kitchen fl oor. As details slowly emerge about the couple to fl ee their home with 5-year-old son Jakob woman and the evening, the mystery only deepens. (Anton Dalgård Guleryüz). Aided by a church pastor More questions are raised than answered as the and underground resistance, they set out on a journey increasingly desperate young man tries to keep his life for the fi shing village of Gilleleje, where refugees await and career from imploding. Everyone’s motivations and passage to by boat. Amidst lurking danger agendas are second-guessed and relationships between from the Gestapo and their collaborators, the family Karsten, his family, friends, and especially his girlfriend, puts its fate in the hands of strangers. Based on true Laura (Julia Jentsch), slowly unravel. The tense drama events, Across the Waters is directed and co-written by plays against the backdrop of picturesque mountain Nicolo Donato, whose own grandfather was among the AFTER LOvE countryside, often in cloudy grey tones, a perfect match courageous Danish fi sherman to ferry war refugees to for the moral ambiguity bedeviling the characters. safety.—Atlanta Jewish Film Festival France/Belgium, 2016, 100 minutes —Dave Nuttycombe

In danIsh wIth englIsh subtItles Marie and Boris seem to have it all—a modern home; In german wIth englIsh subtItles sparkling, loving twin girls; good looks—but this is Friday, April 21, 8:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Monday, April 24, 9:00 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie all they have. We enter the marriage mid-crisis, and Friday, April 28, 9:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Wednesday, April 26, 8:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema thanks to a camera that never wavers from its domestic shington Post witness, we see it through to the end in this beautifully Wa crafted and delicately acted chamber piece. Boris (Cédric Kahn) is a loving father who has become an The unwelcome stranger in his own home, a bull in an all- girl china shop. Marie (Bérénice Bejo) wishes he would stick to his own days and ultimately move out. The family man routine becomes a joust, the children are subtly, inexorably weaponized, and still we as viewers are locked in the frame of a home we’ve by now inhabited. The fi lm’s French title, L’economie du couple, exactly captures the tension between capital and labor in marriage, an equation of give and take.—Judy Bloch In French wIth englIsh subtItles Friday, April 21, 6:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie

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6 31st Annual Filmfest Dc FilmfestDC.org circLe AWArD trUSt No oNe AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL Rodrigo Grande Argentina/Spain, 2016, 120 minutes Alone in a sprawling, ramshackle house and confined to a wheelchair, Joaquín (Leonardo Sbaraglia) passes his days in the dank basement, chain- smoking and puttering with old computers that seem as useless as he appears. When a vibrant young woman, Berta (Clara Lago), and her mute daughter, Betty (Uma Salduende), arrive in CHECK IT response to an ad for a renter, Dana Flor, Toby Oppenheimer Joaquín’s old routine is upset and the new one grows increasingly USA, 2016, 91 minutes upsetting. While the dilapidated Directors Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer, creators of house turns almost sunny with the HBO documentary The Nine Lives of Marion Barry, Berta’s attention, events turn shine their empathetic light on an overlooked aspect darker. Hearing noises through of D.C. life: gay and transgendered kids struggling the wall, Joaquín discovers a to fi nd a place for themselves. Tired of being bullied, low-tech crime in progress, with several teens and young adults formed their own gang, criminals digging a tunnel to a Check It, to literally fi ght back. Now more than 200 nearby bank. Soon, a surprisingly LGBT youths claim membership. The fi lm follows a lively resourceful Joaquín springs into subset of the group as they overcome considerable action. As the plot repeatedly twists and turns, we’re not sure who is on the good side, or why. Writer-director Rodrigo odds, including their own anger. “I just want to relax,” Grande has crafted a tense, atmospheric update on the heist movie that thrills to the very end.—Dave Nuttycombe says Tray, who has both “boy” and “girl” Instagram accounts. The real heroes are Ron Moten, a gang In spanIsh wIth englIsh subtItles counselor whose dedication to creating better lives for these kids is beyond inspiring, and boxer Duke Co-presented with Buchanan, whose own struggles mirror those of the kids he mentors. The fi lmmakers’ camera often captures unsettling violence, but ultimately the message is one of hope.—Dave Nuttycombe

Saturday, April 22, 6:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie, followed by reception sponsored by the Embassy of Argentina Sunday, April 23, 5:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Thursday, April 27, 8:45 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Tuesday, April 25, 9:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema

FirSt FeAtUre AWArD BEHIND THE CLOUDS Cecilia Verheyden Belgium, 2016, 108 minutes A huge hit in Belgium, this romantic drama was co- produced by the (Rosetta; L’Enfant) and marks the narrative feature debut for 31-year-old Cecilia Verheyden, who is less than half the age of her old romantics here. In this later-in-life story, two people meet again after more than 50 years apart. Once they were a couple, but their lives took them along different paths. She married his best friend, and he married another woman. Now they are both single again and reconnect. Is it possible to rekindle a love left behind so long ago? Behind the Clouds is a masterfully crafted DiViSioN & DeBAte story of a wonderful last love affair that is relived with JUStice mAtterS the intensity of a fi rst, breathless romance. CLASH BACKPACK FULL OF CASH —Palm Springs International Film Festival Mohamed Diab Sarah Mondale Egypt, 2016, 98 minutes In dutch wIth englIsh subtItles USA, 2017, 95 minutes Clash is set in Cairo in 2013, two years after the Before the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Sarah Friday, April 21, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Egyptian revolution. In the wake of the ouster of Mondale couldn’t have known how aptly her Monday, April 24, 8:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Islamist president Morsi, a police truck full of detained documentary would function as a follow-up to demonstrators of divergent political, social, and religious Congressional hearings for Education Secretary, with backgrounds roams through violent protests. Can the their discussion of charter schools, vouchers, and detainees overcome their differences to stand a chance the general trend toward the privatization of public of survival? Mohamed Diab poignantly explores his shington Post education in our country. Backpack Full of Cash lays out country’s divided, post-revolution society in a non- Wa the case for public education being the civil rights issue judgmental way by highlighting all the characters’ of our time. The rucksack of the title is what charter common humanity. The fi lm unfolds largely within the The investors say lucky children in failing systems will carry confines of the truck packed with arrested activists, to their school of “choice”; it’s stuffed with public journalists, and mere bystanders. It’s a vivid microcosm moneys drained out of school systems, ensuring the of Egypt’s splintered nation. Diab can boast Hollywood schools’ failure for the vast majority of students. The supporters such as Tom Hanks, who tweeted from the fi lm focuses on Philadelphia schools and some genuine Croisette during the , “If there’s any heroes, including the principals and teachers who way you can see Clash by Egyptian director Mohamed carry on with less and less, activist parents, and most Diab, you must. You simply must. The fi lm will break heartening, students on the barricades of the fi ght for your heart, but will enlighten all.”—Various sources their own education.—Judy Bloch In arabIc wIth englIsh subtItles Thursday, April 27, 6:15 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Saturday, April 22, 8:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema

Saturday, April 29, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Tuesday, April 25, 8:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie An Advertising Supplement to

FilmfestDC.org 31st Annual Filmfest Dc 7 DEATH IN SARAjEvO Danis Tanovic , 2016, 85 minutes Winner of the Jury Grand Prix and the International Film Critics Award at last year’s Berlin International Film Festival, Death in Sarajevo is a timely drama from acclaimed Bosnian filmmaker Danis Tanovic (FFDC 2015’s Tigers, the 2001 Foreign Language Oscar®- winning No Man’s Land). At Sarajevo’s Hotel Europe, preparations are under way to host the European Union’s centenary commemorating the assassination of Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip that triggered World War I, a French actor is in the Presidential Suite rehearsing the Bernard-Henri Levy play from which THE COmmUNE the hotel got its name, and a TV crew is filming local Thomas Vinterberg scholars discussing regional history. Manager Omer is dealing with a cash flow problem and a looming strike Denmark, 2016, 111 minutes by workers while his assistant, Lamija, tries to keep Loosely inspired by Thomas Vinterberg’s own childhood things organized in the face of growing discord. What trUSt No oNe experiences, this is his finest film since The Celebration. could possibly go wrong in the course of this highly FAST CONvOy Set in the 1970s, it finds architect Erik, his TV presenter charged history lesson?—Eddie Cockrell Frédéric Schoendoerffer wife, Anna, and their teenage daughter, Freja, setting France, 2016, 102 minutes up a commune in the rambling family home Erik In bosnIan wIth englIsh subtItles inherited. Crucial to this eminently enjoyable movie is Imagine seven people, four cars, and one day to get Saturday, April 22, 4:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie from Málaga to Paris with a serious load of drugs. that Vinterberg never patronizes commune ideals as Wednesday, April 26, 8:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema misguided or doomed to failure; for the most part, the When a shoot-out with Spanish cops turns ugly and a mood is kept light. Even when things darken, focusing French tourist is taken hostage, things get out of hand. on the tensions between freedom, self-determination, In Europe, a “go-fast” is a drug run done by way of and shared responsibility, Vinterberg favors engrossing, car convoy. In this film, the term has little to do with psychologically astute drama over social comment. The squeaking tires and burning rubber as the drug runners performances are excellent, with Trine Dyrholm and obey the speed limits and try to blend in with the rest Ulrich Thomsen especially impressive as Anna and Erik. of the traffic. Caution is the name of the game. From Dyrholm has the more dramatically complex role, and some point in his story on, Frédéric Schoendoerffer does Thomsen provides a supremely subtle, often funny study give the term go-fast a pleasantly literal interpretation: of a man trapped in a constant state of quiet and barely Fast Convoy is as much an existentialist paranoia noir as concealed confusion.—Palm Springs International Film it is a lean and mean exercise in action at its sleekest, Festival chrome silkiest.—International Film Festival Rotterdam n rench wIth nglIsh subtItles In danIsh wIth englIsh subtItles I F e Saturday, April 22, 6:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Saturday, April 22, 9:00 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Saturday, April 29, 9:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Wednesday, April 26, 9:00 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie

the LiGhter SiDe FAmILy LIFE Alicia Scherson, Cristián Jiménez Chile, 2017, 81 minutes House-sitting for his distant cousin, Bruno, and his family, Martín (Jorge Becker) first does everything you worry about. He opens all the drawers, moves things around, and, of course, the cat runs off. Dutifully, he goes in search of it and meets single mother Paz (Gabriela Arancibia). She invites herself into Martín’s house and discovers photographs of Bruno’s wife and child. “Yeah, I just got divorced,” Martín lies facilely. “No visitation rights. It’s a tragedy.” The new relationship blossoms, but how long can Martín FirSt FeAtUre AWArD keep the story going? In the meantime, after several eASt coASt Premiere rhYthmS oN & oFF the ScreeN months, Bruno’s return is imminent. Family Life is a rhYthmS oN & oFF the ScreeN THE DANCER convincing co-directorship from Chilean film veterans FOOTNOTES Stéphanie Di Giusto Alicia Scherson (Il Futuro) and Cristián Jiménez (Bonsái). Paul Calori, Kostia Testut France, 2016, 108 minutes They share their unconventional humor and style, France, 2016, 83 minutes putting viewers on the wrong foot (for a while) in this Nothing in her background destined Loïe Fuller (the La La Land isn’t the only retro movie musical worth fabulously acted, wry comedy.—International Film mononymous Soko) from the American Midwest to making a song and dance about. To be sure, the Festival Rotterdam become a Belle Époque icon, much less a dancer at continentals do things slightly differently. After last the Paris Opera. Even at the risk of destroying her In spanIsh wIth englIsh subtItles year’s well-received Belgian Rhapsody, here is another back and damaging her eyes from the stage lights, romantic musical comedy that addresses social issues. she never falters in the quest to perfect her art. The Sunday, April 23, 7:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Inspired by the films of Jacques Demy and Stanley

shington Post Dancer chronicles Fuller’s voyage from her humble Saturday, April 29, 9:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Donen, the whimsical Footnotes centers on Julie, a

Wa origins to her position as celebrated innovator in the practical young woman whose dreams of financial decadent world of Belle Époque Paris. Drawn there by stability are threatened when the luxury shoe factory The the allure of a city seemingly kinder to artists, Fuller where she has recently started working will be sold initially struggles to find recognition for her avant-garde and the business moved offshore. Julie joins an intrepid and very progressive choreography. Her innovation and group of female co-workers who decide to put their persistence eventually pay off and she becomes a key best foot forward and protest the proposed sale. In figure among a generation of artists and performers, a fantastical song-and-dance number, they raid the paving the way for those who followed. But her factory archives and discover an old and elegant shoe meeting with Isadora Duncan (Lily-Rose Depp), a young model that they decide to revive to save the renowned prodigy hungry for glory, will lead her astray. brand and keep it in la belle France.—Palm Springs —Various sources International Film Festival

In French and englIsh wIth englIsh subtItles In French wIth englIsh subtItles Sunday, April 23, 8:00 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Tuesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie

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8 31st Annual Filmfest Dc FilmfestDC.org trUSt No oNe circLe AWArD GOLDSTONE the LiGhter SiDe Ivan Sen THE HIPPOPOTAmUS Australia, 2016, 110 minutes John Jencks UK, 2017, 89 minutes Winner of four prizes at the Film Critics Circle of Australia— including Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay—the sun- Based on the novel by acclaimed British polymath bleached fi lm noir Goldstone is the powerful standalone Stephen Fry, this witty comedy follows a once-admired sequel to writer-director-cinematographer-editor-composer poet, Ted Wallace (Roger Allam, The Queen, TV’s Ivan Sen’s 2013 breakthrough fi lm Mystery Road. The action Endeavour), now in the waning days of a career as a revolves around determined yet damaged Aboriginal cop theatre critic. Wallace uses his withering wit against Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen), who arrives in the eponymous any and all who dare come close. When Wallace’s Queensland frontier mining town to investigate a missing goddaughter hires him to investigate alleged miracles Chinese woman. In short order, he uncovers a web of at the estate of the poet’s onetime friend, Lord Logan power, corruption, and lies that threatens his life. Along with (Matthew Modine), Wallace pockets her money, grabs a bottle, and heads out on an unexpected adventure. young local cop and unlikely ally Josh Waters (Alex Russell), FirSt FeAtUre AWArD Swan forces a kinetic showdown that wins the battle—but A GOOD wIFE At the estate, he meets Lord Logan’s young son, David maybe not the war. The great David Gulpilil (Walkabout, (Tommy Knight), who seems to have miraculous talents. the 2003 FFDC entry Ten Canoes), Jacki Weaver (Animal Mirjana Karanovi ´c Colorful characters seeking David’s “cure” soon arrive. Kingdom, Silver Linings Playbook), and David Wenham (The Serbia/Bosnia/Croatia, 2016, 94 minutes These guests include Wallace’s ex, who cuts him to the Bank, FFDC 2002) are pungent in support. Deftly mixing In her directorial debut, actress Mirjana Karanovi´c quick. The increasingly desperate Wallace gradually genre thrills with hot-button social issues, Goldstone is an brings us a drama about a wife’s courage, a husband’s reconsiders his many poor choices, although his razor- atmospheric triumph.—Eddie Cockrell secret, and a nation’s past. She plays Milena, a middle- sharp tongue will not go quietly, in keeping with the aged Serbian suburbanite. Her daughter, Natasha fi lm’s refreshingly no-holds-barred outlook. (Hristina Popovic ´ ), is a successful human rights worker —Dave Nuttycombe Co-presented with and although Vlada (Boris Isakovi´c ) isn’t necessarily the catch of the century, he’s more or less a decent Sunday, April 23, 6:00 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie husband. It doesn’t take long, however, for things to Saturday, April 29, 9:00 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Thursday, April 27, 6:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie, go downhill when Milena unearths an old VHS cassette followed by reception sponsored by the Embassy of Australia from her husband’s days as a wartime paramilitary Saturday, April 29, 8:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema leader. What she sees on that tape will change her life. As both director and actor, Karanovic ´ shows a steady hand in outlining the shift in her heroine’s position from obedient wife to something stronger and more dangerous. It’s a journey of small transitions, each spelled out beautifully. Searing, courageous, and very moving, this is a fi lm that will take hold of you. —Vancouver International Film Festival

In serbIan wIth englIsh subtItles Saturday, April 22, 7:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Friday, April 28, 8:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema

DiViSioN & DeBAte JUStice mAtterS JUStice mAtterS THE HOUSE ON COCO ROAD THE GOOD POSTmAN Damani Baker Tonislav Hristov USA/Grenada, 2016, 79 minutes Finland/Bulgaria, 2016, 80 minutes On the fi ftieth anniversary of the birth of the Black A tiny village on the eastern edge of Bulgaria has been Panther Party in Oakland, California, you won’t fi nd a resisting foreign invaders since the days of the Ottoman more intimate and revealing history of that momentous Empire. Now its electorate of 38 Bulgarians is facing period than Damani Baker’s The House on Coco Road, a tough decision. “The Great Gate,” as the village a portrait of the fi lmmaker’s mother, Fanny Haughton. has been nicknamed for centuries, is in the middle of A student and compatriot of Angela Davis, Haughton a European crisis: every night, Syrian refugees cross was a specialist in early childhood education and had the border into Turkey. Ivan, the local postman, runs her own place in the movement. During the Reagan for mayor to bring the dying village back to life by presidency, when Oakland became overrun with drugs, welcoming refugees. His opponents want to shut the HANG IN THERE, KIDS! Haughton made a bold move: She took her own border, however. This quietly cinematic fi lm exposes Laha Mebow kids, including Damani, to Grenada, to live in a truly seismic divisions over immigration and what it means Taiwan, 2016, 90 minutes revolutionary society. Then the United States invaded to be European in an age of global displacement Hang in There, Kids! is a moving narrative about a trio the island nation. With seeming ease, Baker coaxes out and shifting political systems. With dry humor and of young, Taiwanese aboriginal boys, Watan, Chen of the eloquent Ms. Haughton the thread that runs remarkable sensitivity toward its beguiling ensemble Hao, and Lin Shan, as they navigate their daily activities: from her southern sharecropper ancestors to a life in of characters, Tonislav Hristov’s documentary plays like hunting, selling peaches, chatting up tourists, and California and, despite all, a view to utopia. The fi lm’s a scripted narrative, with the postman as the fi lm’s going to class and after-school programs (or sometimes score is by Meshell Ndegeocello.—Judy Bloch grounding hero.—Various sources ditching them), all while dealing with rough household Saturday, April 22, 8:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema In bulgarIan wIth englIsh subtItles troubles. Miss Lawa (Albee Huang), their teacher, runs an afterschool class for the kids in the tribe. She has the Tuesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Friday, April 28, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema most beautiful voice but no longer sings—until one day

Saturday, April 29, 4:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Watan discovers an old demo tape Miss Lawa recorded shington Post

years ago. With charming performances, stunning Wa scenery, a bouncy score, and poignant songs, it’s no

wonder this feature has already captured the hearts of The many. This spirited tale about youth and overcoming diffi cult circumstances will touch its audience long after the fi nal fadeout.—Various sources

In mandarIn wIth englIsh subtItles

Co-presented with

Saturday, April 22, 4:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema

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FilmfestDC.org 31st Annual Filmfest Dc 9 FILmFEST DC 2017

6:30 p.m. Zoology 6:15 p.m. Inversion Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema oPeNiNG NiGht 6:45 p.m. Santa and Andres 7:30 p.m. The Stuff of Dreams Landmark’s E Street Cinema AMC Mazza Gallerie 7:00 p.m. A Good wife 7:30 p.m. Family Life Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 8:30 p.m. Clash 8:00 p.m. The Dancer Landmark’s E Street Cinema AMC Mazza Gallerie 8:45 p.m. The House on Coco Road 8:00 p.m. The Outsider Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 9:00 p.m. The African Doctor 8:00 p.m. Last men in Aleppo AMC Mazza Gallerie Landmark’s E Street Cinema 9:00 p.m. Fast Convoy 8:15 p.m. The Net AMC Mazza Gallerie Landmark’s E Street Cinema this is our Land 9:00 p.m. Patti Cake$ AMC Mazza Gallerie Landmark’s E Street Cinema moNDAY, April 24 THURSDAY, April 20 • 7:00 p.m. 9:15 p.m. Train to Busan Landmark’s E Street Cinema Followed by a reception 6:15 p.m. 150 milligrams Landmark’s E Street Cinema 6:30 p.m. The King’s Choice AMC Mazza Gallerie FriDAY, April 21 6:30 p.m. The Stuff of Dreams 6:30 p.m. After Love AMC Mazza Gallerie AMC Mazza Gallerie 6:30 p.m. Human 6:30 p.m. marie Curie, The Courage Landmark’s E Street Cinema of Knowledge 6:30 p.m. The Teacher AMC Mazza Gallerie Landmark’s E Street Cinema 6:30 p.m. The Teacher 8:45 p.m. Behind the Clouds Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 6:30 p.m. Behind the Clouds 8:45 p.m. mali Blues Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 6:30 p.m. Strangers on the Earth 9:00 p.m. Across the waters Landmark’s E Street Cinema AMC Mazza Gallerie 8:30 p.m. 150 milligrams train to Busan 9:00 p.m. Zoology AMC Mazza Gallerie AMC Mazza Gallerie 8:30 p.m. A Quiet Passion AMC Mazza Gallerie SUNDAY, April 23 8:30 p.m. Searchers (maliglutit) Landmark’s E Street Cinema 2:00 p.m. Lunafest AMC Mazza Gallerie 8:30 p.m. The wedding Party Landmark’s E Street Cinema 2:15 p.m. Sieranevada Landmark’s E Street Cinema 8:45 p.m. All of a Sudden Landmark’s E Street Cinema 3:00 p.m. Strangers on the Earth Landmark’s E Street Cinema 3:30 p.m. All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit SAtUrDAY, April 22 of I.F. Stone 4:00 p.m. Lipstick Under my Burkha AMC Mazza Gallerie AMC Mazza Gallerie 3:30 p.m. The messengers 4:00 p.m. I Am the Blues Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 3:45 p.m. mali Blues 4:30 p.m. Death in Sarajevo Landmark’s E Street Cinema shington Post AMC Mazza Gallerie 4:00 p.m. The magic mountain Wa 4:30 p.m. Hang in There, Kids! National Gallery of Art, East Building Auditorium, FREE The Landmark’s E Street Cinema 4:30 p.m. Obit 5:00 p.m. Lunafest Landmark’s E Street Cinema AMC Mazza Gallerie 4:30 p.m. The Patriarch 5:00 p.m. The Preacher Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 6:30 p.m. At the End of the Tunnel 5:30 p.m. A wedding AMC Mazza Gallerie Landmark’s E Street Cinema 6:30 p.m. The Commune 5:45 p.m. Check It AMC Mazza Gallerie Landmark’s E Street Cinema 6:00 p.m. The Hippopotamus 6:30 p.m. The Oath human

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10 31st Annual Filmfest Dc FilmfestDC.org FESTIvAL SCHEDULE

8:45 p.m. To Keep the Light 9:00 p.m. All of a Sudden Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 9:00 p.m. Fast Convoy 9:00 p.m. A window to Rosália AMC Mazza Gallerie Landmark’s E Street Cinema

thUrSDAY, April 27 SAtUrDAY, April 29 6:15 p.m. A wedding 3:00 p.m. Sieranevada AMC Mazza Gallerie Landmark’s E Street Cinema 6:15 p.m. Backpack Full of Cash 3:30 p.m. Short Cuts 1 Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema

i Am the Blues 6:15 p.m. To Keep the Light 4:00 p.m. The Good Postman Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 6:30 p.m. Goldstone 4:30 p.m. Inversion tUeSDAY, April 25 AMC Mazza Gallerie AMC Mazza Gallerie 6:15 p.m. All Governments Lie: Truth, 6:30 p.m. Two Trains Runnin’ 4:30 p.m. Hang in There, Kids! Deception, and the Spirit Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema of I.F. Stone 6:30 p.m. A window to Rosália 4:45 p.m. Lipstick Under my Burkha Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema AMC Mazza Gallerie 6:15 p.m. Tomorrow 8:30 p.m. marie Curie, the Courage of 6:15 p.m. Short Cuts 2 Landmark’s E Street Cinema Knowledge Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 6:30 p.m. The African Doctor 6:30 p.m. marie Curie, the Courage of AMC Mazza Gallerie 8:30 p.m. Short Cuts 1 Knowledge 6:30 p.m. Footnotes Landmark’s E Street Cinema AMC Mazza Gallerie AMC Mazza Gallerie 8:45 p.m. At the End of the Tunnel 6:30 p.m. Backpack Full of Cash 6:30 p.m. The Net AMC Mazza Gallerie Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 8:45 p.m. Tomorrow 6:30 p.m. Human 6:30 p.m. The House on Coco Road Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 8:45 p.m. The wedding Party 6:30 p.m. Play the Devil 8:30 p.m. Clash Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema AMC Mazza Gallerie 9:00 p.m. Solitaire 7:15 p.m. j: Beyond Flamenco 8:30 p.m. The Patriarch AMC Mazza Gallerie AMC Mazza Gallerie AMC Mazza Gallerie 8:30 p.m. Goldstone 8:45 p.m. I Am the Blues Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 9:00 p.m. The Hippopotamus 8:45 p.m. Last men in Aleppo AMC Mazza Gallerie Landmark’s E Street Cinema 9:00 p.m. The King’s Choice 8:45 p.m. The Oath AMC Mazza Gallerie Landmark’s E Street Cinema 9:00 p.m. Family Life 9:00 p.m. Check It Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema J: Beyond Flamenco 9:00 p.m. Train to Busan Landmark’s E Street Cinema 9:30 p.m. The Commune WeDNeSDAY, April 26 FriDAY, April 28 Landmark’s E Street Cinema 6:15 p.m. Short Cuts 2 6:30 p.m. Footnotes Landmark’s E Street Cinema AMC Mazza Gallerie 6:30 p.m. j: Beyond Flamenco 6:30 p.m. Solitaire cLoSiNG NiGht AMC Mazza Gallerie AMC Mazza Gallerie 6:30 p.m. The Preacher 6:30 p.m. After Love AMC Mazza Gallerie Landmark’s E Street Cinema 6:30 p.m. Obit 6:30 p.m. The Good Postman Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema shington Post 6:30 p.m. Santa and Andres 6:30 p.m. Play the Devil Wa

Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema The 6:30 p.m. Searchers (maliglutit) 6:30 p.m. Two Trains Runnin’ Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 8:15 p.m. The Dancer 8:30 p.m. The African Doctor AMC Mazza Gallerie AMC Mazza Gallerie 8:30 p.m. Death in Sarajevo 8:30 p.m. The Outsider Lost in Paris Landmark’s E Street Cinema AMC Mazza Gallerie Embassy of France 8:30 p.m. Strangers on the Earth 8:30 p.m. A Good wife SUNDAY, April 30 Landmark’s E Street Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema 3:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. 8:45 p.m. Across the waters 8:30 p.m. A Quiet Passion Reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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FilmfestDC.org 31st Annual Filmfest Dc 11 HUmAN THE KING’S CHOICE Yann Arthus-Bertrand Erik Poppe France, 2016, 143 minutes Norway, 2016, 133 minutes Breathtaking in its scope, this documentary touches Shortlisted for this year’s Oscars® for Best Foreign on love, murder, sexuality, mortality, and much, much Language Picture, Erik Poppe’s perfectly realized World more. It also shows us our planet as only movies shown War II drama looks at a seminal moment in modern on the big screen can: vast, beautiful landscapes, the Norwegian history: the days in 1940 when King world as seen from on high with mankind dwarfed Haakon VII (, perhaps best known within it. Director and acclaimed photographer Yann to North American audiences for playing the shadowy Arthus-Bertrand spans the globe to document the land Mr. White in three recent Bond films) faced the and its peoples—and what amazing stories they have momentous decision about whether to cooperate with to tell. From confessions of slaughter to poignant tales the invading German army. Threatening to abdicate of love, we get it all. The movie alternates between if the government chose cooperation, he advocated testimonials and aerial shots of the land. What we hear all-out resistance, placing himself and his family in great is sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes uplifting, and danger and guaranteeing his place in the annals of always riveting. The aerial shots are staggering; the INvERSION Norwegian history. Poppe’s impressive historical epic is film is mind-blowing in its visual splendor and radically Behnam Behzadi part chamber piece and part battle painting. It is also humane in its concerns. Very few works of art are this Iran, 2016, 84 minutes an anthem to those who exhibit dignity and courage ambitious, this spectacular, this big. Prepare to be swept in the face of oppressive political circumstances. In this off your feet.—Vancouver International Film Festival Tehran’s all-engulfing smog is both plot point and expertly crafted film, Poppe captures a story for the metaphor in this absorbing drama of a woman’s ages with clarity and impressive attention to detail. In multIple languages wIth englIsh subtItles struggle for independence. Niloofar (Sahar Dowlatshahi) —Various sources Monday, April 24, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema runs a small but thriving tailor shop inherited from her father. Unaccountably single (well, she’s beautiful, open, In norwegIan wIth englIsh subtItles Saturday, April 29, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema generous, a bit willful, and maybe that accounts for it), Monday, April 24, 6:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie she is still the little sister who lives happily enough with her mother in the family apartment. When the mother, Saturday, April 29, 9:00 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie diagnosed with chronic pulmonary disease, must move out of the city, Niloofar’s siblings assume she will pick up her life and move with her. The family machinations— like something out of a Douglas Sirk melodrama, or what Variety called “the clandestine suspense of the everyday”—take the most ordinary, insidious turns until Niloofar herself is gasping for breathing space. With a marvelous performance by Dowlatshahi, Behnam Behzadi’s third feature screened at Cannes in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section.—Judy Bloch

In FarsI wIth englIsh subtItles

Sunday, April 23, 6:15 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Saturday, April 29, 4:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie

circLe AWArD JUStice mAtterS rhYthmS oN & oFF the ScreeN LAST mEN IN ALEPPO I Am THE BLUES Feras Fayyad, co-director Steen Johannessen Daniel Cross Denmark/Syria, 2017, 104 minutes Canada/USA, 2015, 116 minutes The siege of Aleppo has been compared to that of Canadian filmmaker Daniel Cross has trained his Stalingrad, which is ironic under the circumstances. cameras on some of the last living blues musicians who “Are those Russian planes flying overhead?” wonders toured the legendary Chitlin’ Circuit and are still playing one of the heroes of this urgent documentary. It’s not around Mississippi and Louisiana. On porches and in an idle question; as a member of the volunteer Syria back rooms, and especially in one-room cinderblock Civil Defense, his job is to rescue victims should these roadhouses with names like Blue Front Cafe and particular planes unload bombs on the city. The film Poor Monkey Lounge, we are treated to authentic, follows two rescuers, Khaled and Mahmoud, in their unadorned blues from the likes of 81-year-old Bobby work over the course of a year. For them and for us, Rush and his contemporaries Barbara Lynn, Lazy Lester, the action is existential, exhilarating, and deflating. Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, and many more. Says Lil Buck Extracting children alive from rubble, only to find that Sinegal, “There’s all kinds of music, but the blues their mother has died, is both a reality and a metaphor; touches the heart. There’s always a story behind it.” We rhYthmS oN & oFF the ScreeN Aleppo, the city they love, is dying. Though exquisitely hear many of those stories from the people who lived j: BEyOND FLAmENCO realized, this film cannot have a happy ending. The them first-hand. “This guitar is a Bible,” says one front Carlos Saura humanity of its protagonists makes it essential viewing. porch denizen, after telling Howling Wolf stories. All a Spain, 2016, 87 minutes It won a Grand Jury Prize in the Documentary section at viewer can say is, “Preach and teach, brother, preach this year’s Sundance Film Festival.—Judy Bloch and teach.”—Dave Nuttycombe In his latest film, prolific filmmaker Carlos Saura captures the vivacity and charisma of the traditional In arabIc wIth englIsh subtItles Spanish jota, a waltz-like castanet dance. J: Beyond Saturday, April 22, 4:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Sunday, April 23, 8:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Tuesday, April 25, 8:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Flamenco begins with a dance class showing young performers, from diverse walks of contemporary Spanish Tuesday, April 25, 8:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema shington Post life, kicking and jumping with highly coordinated agility.

Wa Saura then guides us through the many variations of the jota, placing dancers, musicians, and singers The amid simply constructed sets and screens. Highlights include an elderly couple who move with energy and grace, introductions to modern versions of the jota, and a town fair. The fair is an annual tradition in every Spanish village; here, young and old gather to dance, and we are witness to the jota as a living and breathing tradition. Saura’s cinematic efforts are both an expression of cultural beauty as well as an act of cultural preservation.—Toronto International Film Festival

In spanIsh wIth englIsh subtItles Wednesday, April 26, 6:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie

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12 31st Annual Filmfest Dc FilmfestDC.org mARIE CURIE, THE COURAGE OF KNOwLEDGE Marie Noëlle Germany/France/Poland, 2016, 95 minutes Polish actress Karolina Gruszka stars in this sweeping biography of the legendary Nobel Prize-winning physicist and chemist, who courted controversy with both her challenge of France’s male- dominated academic establishment and her unconventional romantic life. Marie Curie, the Courage of circLe AWArD Knowledge depicts the blissful LIPSTICK UNDER my BURKHA union between Marie Curie Alankrita Shrivastava (Gruszka) and her husband Pierre India, 2016, 116 minutes (Charles Berling), the father of her children, her partner in research, India’s Central Board of Film Certification has banned and co-winner of that first Nobel. this film, even as it plays to acclaim worldwide. Writer- When Pierre perishes in a tragic director Alankrita Shrivastava is fighting the decision. accident, it’s up to Marie to Laughing can be the most satisfying form of expression, continue their work. But, as a as this engaging, eye-popping, overtly feminist satire woman and a foreigner, she’s met on gender relations in India attests. The setting is a with doubly fierce resistance. And rural town that, despite boasting a small-city vibe and though she perseveres, she’s nearly even a university, behind doors is inherently unchanged undone by revelations regarding by modern mores. Here, four women experiment with her relationship with a married desire through surreptitious and overt acts of rebellion. colleague. Gruszka’s performance, alternately stoic and vulnerable, never lets us forget that this visionary woman was A college student hides more than lipstick under her also very much a complicated and fascinating human being.—Toronto International Film Festival burkha, a beautician is sexually active despite being engaged to a proper prig, a housewife and mother In French wIth englIsh subtItles secretly excels in door-to-door sales, and a middle-aged “auntie” finds expression in lurid paperbacks. Their lives intertwine as the patriarchy cruelly closes in on even these small bids for freedom.—Judy Bloch Co-presented with

In hIndI wIth englIsh subtItles Friday, April 21, 6:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Saturday, April 22, 4:00 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Thursday, April 27, 8:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Saturday, April 29, 4:45 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Saturday, April 29, 6:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie

FirSt FeAtUre AWArD rhYthmS oN & oFF the ScreeN mALI BLUES Lutz Gregor Germany, 2016, 92 minutes Although this documentary features many lively performances, the story is heartbreaking. Lutz Gregor follows a quartet of Mali musicians—Fatoumata Diawara, Bassekou Kouyaté, rapper Master Soumy, and Ahmed Ag Kaedi—now exiled from the political instability in the north, where Islamist extremists have banned music and threaten to cut off musicians’ fingers. “I cannot imagine a life without music,” says Tuareg guitarist Ag Kaedi. Declaring that “we sing for peace,” the musicians forge ahead. The hypnotic Diawara THE mAGIC mOUNTAIN strings her Fender Stratocaster and teaches her son to Anca Damian feel the rhythm as they play together. Kouyaté defies Romania/Poland/France, 2015, 95 minutes tradition by amplifying his ngoni, an ancestor of the Introduction by film historian Marcin Gizycki˙ banjo. Soumy is perhaps most compelling as he uses his Romanian artist Anca Damian’s elegant animated griot skills, demanding that the radicals “explain your THE mESSENGERS feature, constructed as a storytelling session between Islam.” The constant pressure makes the concert at the Lucian Perkins a father and daughter, is a docu-drama traversing Niger River Festival at the end of the film all the more USA, 2016, 52 minutes a half century of history. As Anca describes it, “The triumphant.—Dave Nuttycombe Arriving on his birthday, Elijah came to Joseph’s House character Adam Jacek Winkler is a Polish refugee in In French, englIsh, bambara, and tamasheq wIth englIsh subtItles Paris, an artist, a mountain climber, and a romantic who to die. There was a cake waiting for him that day; 8 months later, he was still sharing the love. People like lived a boundless life and envisioned himself a knight Sunday, April 23, 3:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema shington Post Elijah can almost forget to die at D.C.’s welcoming

of the twentieth century, leaving France to fight with Monday, April 24, 8:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Wa the mujahideen in Afghanistan against the Soviets.” hospice for homeless HIV/AIDS patients. But die they

Described as “A work of overwhelming artistry” by will, and assuring that their death means something, The Variety, the images—derived from Winkler’s own both to the patient and the caregivers, is what Joseph’s paintings, motifs from film history, and from Afghan art House is all about. The big, slightly funky old home and photography—are offset by Alexander Balanescu’s on a residential side street employs nurses and other poignant score. “Incorporating a dazzling blend of providers, but The Messengers focuses on Joseph’s various animation techniques, collages, photographs, House’s rotating crew of fresh-faced yearlong interns. paintings by Winkler, and found footage, The Magic Young enough to have their hearts opened, then Mountain is a hallucinatory essay on the meaning of broken, by their newfound family, they share the heroism.”—Brooklyn Academy of Music profound experience in a film that gives full human measure to the question “Who rescued whom?” To die In French wIth englIsh subtItles among friends is the least we can ask, and the most we can give.—Judy Bloch Sunday, April 23, 4:00 p.m., National Gallery of Art, East Building Auditorium, FREE Sunday, April 23, 3:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema An Advertising Supplement to

FilmfestDC.org 31st Annual Filmfest Dc 13 THE NET THE PATRIARCH Kim Ki-duk Lee Tamahori South Korea, 2016, 114 minutes New Zealand, 2016, 103 minutes A highly original rumination on the question of what After more than 20 years of directing big-budget it means to be a Korean national today and on the Hollywood action films and thrillers, Maori director Lee suffering caused by the peninsula’s political division, Tamahori returns home with The Patriarch, a family saga The Net is the thought-provoking latest film by the set in rural New Zealand during the 1960s. Based on a bad boy of Korean cinema, Kim Ki-duk (Pieta). Nam novel by Whale Rider author Witi Ihimaera, the film tells Chul-woo (Ryoo Seung-bum) is a poor fisherman living the story of 14-year-old Simeon Mahana’s journey into a simple but happy life with his family in North Korea. adulthood. Simeon’s family is ruled by his grandfather, After inadvertently drifting into South Korea, Nam Tamihana (Temuera Morrison), an iron-willed tyrant who is immediately seized by South Korean border police refuses to give his children ownership of the land they and thrust into a brutal investigation. As his ordeal work. When Simeon is caught kissing the daughter of intensifies, it becomes apparent that, even should he a man with whom Tamihana is feuding, Simeon and manage to return home, his life in North Korea will his parents are banished to make their own way in the never be the same. Ryoo Seung-bum’s charismatic world. The Patriarch is an essential film about the Maori portrayal of Nam gives human weight to a film that OBIT experience and a powerful story about the beauty and is ultimately about the invisible prisons that ideology Vanessa Gould pain to be discovered within every family.—Seattle creates around people.—Toronto International Film USA, 2016, 93 minutes International Film Festival Festival Saturday, April 22, 4:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema In Korean wIth englIsh subtItles “We look for people who changed the way we live,” explains William McDonald, obituaries editor at The Tuesday, April 25, 8:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Sunday, April 23, 8:15 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema New York Times, in Vanessa Gould’s bright look at the Tuesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema paper’s obituary desk. Modern obits concern next to nothing about death and “everything to do with life,” says an obit writer. Gould has crafted a celebration of the tradition of memorializing our fellow humans. The film intercuts interviews with the reporters with scenes of them crafting the day’s stories, calling recent widows and family members. Notable obits are brought to life through historical films and photos. A particularly good example of Gould’s wit and skill is the obit for perhaps the last typewriter repairman. The film cuts to footage of Liberace sitting down at a typewriter and playing composer Leroy Anderson’s whimsical song “The Typewriter.” Obit is also a tribute to good old-fashioned journalism, currently defying its own premature obituary.—Dave Nuttycombe Saturday, April 22, 4:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Wednesday, April 26, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema

eASt coASt Premiere rhYthmS oN & oFF the ScreeN trUSt No oNe PATTI CAKE$ THE OATH Geremy Jasper Baltasar Kormákur USA, 2016, 108 minutes Iceland, 2016, 110 minutes Patricia “Killa P” Dombrowski drafts rhymes behind Acclaimed filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur (whose work the bar at a dingy dive, trying to pay off her coarse but includes big-budget fare such as Everest, Contraband, beloved Nana’s medical bills and support her hard- and 2 Guns) both directs and stars in this gritty Nordic drinking mom, whose own musical aspirations failed thriller, a blend of domestic drama and Taken-style long ago. Patti and her rap partner/best friend Jheri action. The accomplished Finnur always has things share dreams of fame, fortune, and escaping New under control. Whether under the lights of the Jersey for good, but they haven’t found a producer with operating table or at home with his family, things the “fire beats” they need. Unbroken by the taunts of remain in order. When his oldest daughter, Anna (Hera local goons, Patti unexpectedly gravitates to a reclusive Hilmar), begins to show signs of excessive drug abuse goth-metal musician named Basterd, a newcomer and potential physical abuse, Finnur methodically starts who just might be able to help her achieve hip-hop plotting a way to dispose of her threatening, drug superstardom. The spectacularly talented Danielle dealer boyfriend. Against the backdrop of chilly Iceland, MacDonald portrays Patricia with an intoxicating the surgeon and loving father goes to drastic lengths to mixture of swagger, vulnerability, and inner strength. protect his daughter in this complex, taut psychological THE OUTSIDER First-time feature director Geremy Jasper unleashes a thriller.—Various sources Christophe Barratier film as full of infectious energy and enthusiasm asits France, 2016, 117 minutes protagonist, daring us not to fall in love with a force of In IcelandIc wIth englIsh subtItles We’re still dealing with many ramifications of 2008’s nature like Patti Cake$.—Sundance Film Festival Saturday, April 22, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema global financial meltdown. Writer-director Christophe Tuesday, April 25, 8:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Barratier seeks to put a face to that event and get inside Saturday, April 22, 9:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema the mind of a man who could, literally, gamble with

shington Post millions—and billions—of other people’s money. The

Wa Outsider pulls us behind the headlines for the true tale of Jérôme Kerviel (Arthur Dupont), who rose to become

The one of the top traders at France’s large Société Générale bank. As Kerviel navigates the split-second demands of the markets, we witness the brutal bonhomie of the male traders, the growing attitude that winning is everything and rules are for losers. A clever feint in the stylish opening scenes leads the viewer astray, but when that truth is revealed, it sets off another cat-and-mouse scramble to avoid a disaster we know is coming but cannot look away from.—Dave Nuttycombe

In French wIth englIsh subtItles Sunday, April 23, 8:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Friday, April 28, 8:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie An Advertising Supplement to

14 31st Annual Filmfest Dc FilmfestDC.org A QUIET PASSION Terence Davies UK/Belgium, 2016, 126 minutes A new film by Terence Davies is always something to celebrate. The great British director of Distant Voices, Still Lives, and The House of Mirth is himself a poet of human emotions, so when he takes on a biography of Emily Dickinson, the results are enthralling, but quietly so. The Dickinson household of Amherst, under a stern but loving patriarch who intones “don’t be banal, Emily” and a melancholic mother, is nevertheless a home for humor and even gender debates among three whip-smart grown children who never want to move out and never do. Using the anonymity of night, Emily writes her poetry. In Davies’s signature slow pans and ethereal window shots time doesn’t march so much trUSt No oNe as spread, and with time and tragedy and neglect, the SEARCHERS (mALIGLUTIT) poet thrives, the soul withers. Posterity, Emily knows, Zacharias Kunuk is as comfortless as God. Cynthia Nixon embodies Canada, 2016, 94 minutes PLAy THE DEvIL Dickinson, supported by a marvelous cast.—Judy Bloch Maria Govan Taking John Ford’s classic western as a touchstone, Trinidad and Tobago/The Bahamas/USA, 2016, 90 minutes Friday, April 21, 8:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk (Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner) forges a spectacular revenge saga set in the Bursting with style and vision against the lush landscape Friday, April 28, 8:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival, Bahamian writer- arctic shortly before World War I. When an Inuk man, director Maria Govan’s sophomore feature complicates Kuanana, returns from a hunt, he discovers that a rival notions of masculinity, privilege, and sexuality in a has raided his igloo, kidnapped his wife and daughter, nuanced coming-of-age portrait that deftly thwarts and slaughtered the rest of his family. Kuanana sets off any easy moral judgments of its characters’ actions in pursuit, guided by the spirit loon. Kunuk fashions and desires. Gregory, a gifted student from a working a film that draws from both classic Hollywood and class family, is favorably positioned to win a coveted Inuk storytelling traditions; it’s ethnographic and medical scholarship and yet is secretly cultivating a mythic, dazzling and spiritual. There are exciting desire to become a photographer. James, an established action sequences here—the vivid icy exteriors are as businessman, uses his wealth and access to pique the stunning as Ford’s Monument Valley—but also low-light young man’s latent artistic inclinations. When James sequences inside igloos that are thrillingly strange and cannot accept Gregory’s boundaries, the relationship mysterious. With a tale as timeless as the landscape in spirals into a fateful, carnal dance during the “Jab” which it is set, Canada’s foremost Inuk filmmaker has (devil) play on Carnival’s Monday night.—Los Angeles provided us with another classic.—Various sources Film Festival In InuKtItut wIth englIsh subtItles Friday, April 28, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Friday, April 21, 8:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Saturday, April 29, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Wednesday, April 26, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema

SANTA & ANDRES Carlos Lechuga Cuba, 2016, 105 minutes It’s 1983 in a small village in the east of Cuba. One- time novelist Andrés (Eduardo Martínez) looks out his window and sees a young countrywoman, Santa (Lola Amores), approaching his hut, chair in hand. She’s prepared to watch over him for the next 3 days. The revolutionary government has already ostracized Andres, and banned him from writing, for his “ideological problems” and his homosexuality. Now it has decreed that he be kept under close scrutiny during an upcoming political event to ensure that he doesn’t AmericAN Premiere declare his dissident views in front of the international circLe AWArD press and delegates. Their prolonged proximity allows SIERANEvADA THE PREACHER Santa and Andres to discover that they have a lot more in common than either would have imagined. Santa & Cristi Puiu Magdy Ahmed Ali Romania, 2016, 173 minutes Egypt, 2016, 120 minutes Andres is at once intimate and expansive, a chamber drama whose central action is a dialogue between two A dozen years after revitalizing the contemporary A celebrity imam? Why not, as the first few rat-a- souls on either side of a profound cultural divide. Romanian cinema with The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, tat minutes of writer-director Magdy Ahmed Ali’s —Various sources writer-director Cristi Puiu is back with a precisely provocative new Egyptian drama The Preacher (adapted choreographed, supremely audacious family dance in In spanIsh wIth englIsh subtItles from Ibrahim Eissa’s best-selling novel) charts the the shadow of tragedy and societal unease. Three days mercurial rise of charismatic moderate Sheikh Hatem Saturday, April 22, 6:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema after the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, neurologist (Amr Saad), who parlays his slick yet committed Wednesday, April 26, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Lary (Mimi Branescu) and his wife, Laura (Catalina message into a loving family, lavish lifestyle, and popular Moga), attend his mother, Nusa (Dana Dogaru), in shington Post television program. When his young son goes into her Bucharest flat to mourn the recent passing of his Wa a coma and the government takes an interest in his father—as do more than a dozen extended family growing influence by attempting to manipulate his members. As they wait for the priest, who is late, the The teachings, the Muslim preacher finds his faith sorely often cruel shorthand of family grievances, grudges, tested. Glossy and propulsive on a technical level, the and contemporary international gossip come to the film nevertheless succeeds primarily as a showcase for fore. Consummately blocked and paced, the cumulative the exuberant yet finely calibrated performance of its effect of Sieranevada (the odd title of which is never lead actor and his forceful articulation of the often even referred to, much less explained) is that the byzantine issues separating Sunni from Shia. This is a average viewer is bound to think “Gee, maybe my strategically commercial take on urgent issues of religion family’s not so intolerable after all.” Guaranteed. versus power.—Eddie Cockrell —Eddie Cockrell

In arabIc wIth englIsh subtItles In romanIan and englIsh wIth englIsh subtItles Sunday, April 23, 5:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Sunday, April 23, 2:15 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Wednesday, April 26, 6:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie

Saturday, April 29, 3:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema An Advertising Supplement to

FilmfestDC.org 31st Annual Filmfest Dc 15 SHORTS

LUNAFEST: SHORTS By, FOR, ABOUT wOmEN Total running time: 79 minutes This season’s program of nine selected fi lms will compel discussion, make you laugh, tug at your heartstrings, and motivate you to make a difference in your community. Incredibly diverse in style and content, LUNAFEST is united by a common thread of exceptional storytelling by, for, and about women.

ANOTHER KIND OF GIRL PARTNERS Khaldiya Jibawi Joey Ally Jordan, 10 minutes USA, 6 minutes A 17-year-old girl meditates on how her refugee camp Professional and life partners must confront how has opened up new horizons and given her a sense of intertwined their lives have become. courage that she lacked in Syria. THE HONEyS AND THE BEARS FAmILy TALE Veena Rao Dr. Patricia Beckmann-Wells USA, 4 minutes USA, 8 minutes Members of a synchronized swim team for seniors Through love, loss, and determination, the definition the honeys and the Bears describe the freedom of the water. of family is rewritten. NIÑERA THE THIRD DAD FREE TO LAUGH Diane Weipert Theresa Moerman Ib Lara Everly USA, 13 minutes Scotland, 10 minutes USA, 8 minutes Many nannies face a bitter irony: raising the children Ten years after breaking all ties with her father, a This documentary explores the power of comedy of strangers for a living while their own children are daughter sets out to fi nd his grave—and redemption. after prison. virtually left to raise themselves.

jOIN THE CLUB NKOSI COIFFURE Sunday, April 23, 2:00 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Eva Vives Frederike Migom Complimentary reception between shows, 3:45 to 5:00 p.m. USA, 5 minutes Belgium, 15 minutes Sunday, April 23, 5:00 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie A writer’s dilemma about whether to join a After a fi ght with her boyfriend in the street, a woman networking club unfolds during a therapy session. escapes into a hair salon in Brussels.

SHORT CUTS 1 Total running time:106 minutes SHORT CUTS 2 Total running time:107 minutes

THE GENEvA CONvENTION vICTOR AND ISOLINA BALCONy LUCIA, BEFORE AND AFTER Benoît Martin France 15 minutes, 2016, narrative William Caballero USA, 6 minutes, 2016, animation David Dell’edera Hungary, 6 minutes, 2015, Anu Valia USA, 14 minutes, 2016, narrative At a bus stop after school, one group of teens An elderly Latino couple talks about their long, animation After a very long drive, a young woman in Texas unwillingly confronts another with unusual results. complex, and arduous relationship in this poignant In this heat, everyone does what they want.The people in uneasily waits out her unanticipated 24 hours and funny he said/she said love story. this movie are not sure what they want to do quite yet. mandated by the state before her abortion can THE LAw OF AvERAGES proceed. Elizabeth Rose Canada/USA, 14 minutes, 2016, vISIONS OF AN ISLAND BAyARD AND mE narrative Sky Hopinka USA, 15 minutes, 2016, documentary Matt Wolf USA, 2017, 16 minutes, documentary NUTAG - HOmELAND Death waits for no woman: a dark comedy about On a remote Alaskan island, an Unangam Tunuu Walter Naegle shares memories of his life with civil Alisi Telengut Canada, 6 minutes, 2016, animation mother—daughter relationships. elder introduces the landscape in the indigenous rights leader Bayard Ruskin. In the 1980s when gay This hand-painted visual poem is a requiem for the language. The story of human habitation melds marriage was inconceivable, Bayard adopted Walter Kalmyk people, who suffered mass deportations LOvE with the natural world; the temporal and the to obtain legal protections for their relationship and during World War II. Réka Bucsi Hungary/ France, 15 minutes, 2016, timeless merge in this poetic visual journey. themselves. animation THE ROBBERy In a three-part symphony of animation, love takes yOU CAN GO GARDEN PARTy Jim Cummings USA, 10 minutes, 2016, narrative on interstellar dimensions. Christine Turner USA, 9 minutes, 2016, narrative Florian Babikian, Vincent Bayoux, Victor Crystal robs a liquor store—with surprising results. A high-school administrator talks down a troubled Caire, Théophile Dufresne, Gabriel ONCE UPON A LINE student. Grapperon, Lucas Navarro France, 7 Minutes, TEN mETER TOwER 2016, animation Alicja Jasina USA, 7 minutes, 2016, animation Maximilien Van Aertryck, Axel Danielson When he falls in love, a man’s marriage to his In a lavish deserted house, a couple of amphibians Sweden, 16 minutes, 2016, documentary humdrum routines goes on the rocks. explore their surroundings and follow their primal People up on a 10-meter diving tower for their instincts fi rst time ponder the prospect of how to get down.

shington Post TOmATO ILSE Hanna Maylett Finland, 8 minutes, 2016, narrative TOyS Wa Leah Varjacques, Katherine Nagasawa Amanda Quaid USA, 2 minutes, 2016, animation Even in a slow stretch, what professional actor USA, 14 minutes, 2016, documentary

The dreams of playing a tomato? Still wishing he’d had a son, a father gives his The daily realities of her situation come sharply daughter toys intended for boys. TwINSBURG into focus when Ilse, an undocumented teenager in Chicago, tries to apply to college. Joe Garrity USA, 16 minutes, 2016, narrative wAITING FOR HASSANA Identical brothers reconnect at the world’s largest Ifunanya Maduka Nigeria, 10 minutes, 2016, LAPS documentary annual gathering of twins. Charlotte Wells USA, 6 minutes, 2016, narrative twinsburg In 2014, Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls in On a routine morning, a woman on a crowded New Nigeria. One of the few girls able to escape keeps York City subway is sexually assaulted in plain sight. the memory of her lost friend alive.

SaturdayThursday,, April 16,27, 4:158:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Wednesday, April 26, 6:15 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Saturday, April 29,23, 4:303:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Saturday, April 29, 6:15 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema An Advertising Supplement to

16 31st Annual Filmfest Dc FilmfestDC.org North AmericAN Premiere FirSt FeAtUre AWArD FirSt FeAtUre AWArD TO KEEP THE LIGHT the LiGhter SiDe Erica Fae SOLITAIRE USA, 2015, 88 minutes Sophie Boutros Jordan/Lebanon/Egypt, 2016, 92 minutes Movies and lighthouses share qualities of projected light and incipient drama alternating with meditative Lebanese writer-director Sophie Boutros and Jordanian stillness. Those factors produce a kind of synchronic writer-producer Nadia Eliewat have taken up the beauty in To Keep the Light, a film written by, directed challenge of capturing Lebanon and Syria’s checkered by, and starring Erica Fae. Set in 1876, it is the story history of conflict and heartache with an added element of a Maine lighthouse keeper’s wife, Abbie, who, of comedy. Therese is the wife of a mayor of a small THE STUFF OF DREAmS unbeknownst to the authorities, is the real lighthouse village in Lebanon. The highly anticipated visit of her Gianfranco Cabiddu keeper while her husband fades into alcoholism and daughter’s suitor’s family causes much excitement in her illness. When a Swedish sailor (Antti Reini) washes up in life. Therese’s brother, who was killed during fighting , 2016, 103 minutes a storm, she rescues him, and when he stays, she must with Syrian troops 20 years ago, still features heavily in This fanciful reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Tempest confront the reality of her situation. Fae based Abbie the family’s home and looms large through photographs transports the action to a Mediterranean island prison, on history’s mostly hidden women lighthouse keepers. all around the house. Therese shares her happiness where a shipwreck strands a traveling theater troupe An actress who has garnered praise for her bodywork with her deceased brother—through his photographs— and a gang of criminals. The prison’s governor must in theater, she portrays Abbie through precise dialogue until she discovers that her long-awaited guests are determine who is the actor and who is the convict. and physical language, the camera taking her cues. from Syria. When Therese cannot contain her personal Theater impresario Oreste demands to put on a show, The prestigious Fipresci International Critics’ Prize called prejudices, the film turns increasingly farcical as she The Tempest, to prove his actors’ talents, but gang the film “from start to finish…a work by a visionary makes outlandish attempts to thwart the union. With leader Don Vincenzo threatens Oreste against exposing artist.”—Judy Bloch charming performances, this film successfully balances him and his two nephews. When the uncultured thugs warm-hearted laughs with timely social insight. botch their lines, Don slyly notes that Shakespeare Wednesday, April 26, 8:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema —Various sources “won’t be offended if we change a few things” and Thursday, April 27, 6:15 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema works at trimming the story. The comedy of teaching In arabIc wIth englIsh subtItles gangsters to emote theatrically plays against the drama Thursday, April 27, 9:00 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie of the governor’s daughter romancing the Don’s son. Friday, April 28, 6:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Soon the play, the players, and the story of the play intermingle hauntingly. As Oreste tells the governor, “Theater puts wings on one’s heart and on one’s reason.” —Dave Nuttycombe

In ItalIan wIth englIsh subtItles

Co-presented with

Sunday, April 23, 7:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie Monday, April 24, 6:30 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie

STRANGERS ON THE EARTH JUStice mAtterS Tristan Cook TOmORROw USA/Spain, 2016, 96 minutes Cyril Dion, Mélanie Laurent France, 2016, 120 minutes One of Europe’s most popular pilgrimages, the Camino de Santiago attracts wayfarers of all stripes to walk its If the terms “global warming” and “sixth extinction ancient paths in search of meaning. One such pilgrim event” make you hide your brain under a cat video, you is Dane Johansen, an American cellist who in 2014 need a dose of Tomorrow. Winner of the 2016 César ventured to walk the Camino, a nearly 600-mile journey, (the French Oscars®) for best documentary, this is a with his instrument on his back, performing music for brilliant exploration of possibility in the face of terrifying his fellow pilgrims along the way. Using a combination probability. French actress Mélanie Laurent joined activist of interviews with these travelers—who come from and writer Cyril Dion and a handful of resourceful all over the world to walk the hallowed paths—and friends to see not only what should be done, but what intimate scenes from the road, the documentary is being done right now, to save the earth. Traveling to explores thorny philosophical matters and muses on the 10 countries, they visit urban gardens feeding Detroit’s psychological dividends of the 30-day hike. Johansen’s poor and village-wide “propaganda” plots in England, mellifluous cello playing serves as a backdrop forthe THE TEACHER permaculture farms in Normandy and India, and whole film. Strangers on the Earth is an evocative examination Jan Hˇrebejk Scandinavian cities gone carbon neutral. They talk to scientists, economists, and philosophers. Without being of the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of the Slovak Republic/Czech Republic, 2016, 103 minutes concept of “journey” and the vital role it plays in the politically naïve—the statistics are still scary—they human experience.—Various sources A new film from Jan Hˇrebejk, the director of the 2013 portray the joy in people uniting to put their brains and FFDC favorite 4Some (as well as the Oscar®-nominated hearts to the most vital task at hand.—Judy Bloch In englIsh, german, and spanIsh wIth englIsh subtItles 2000 drama Divided We Fall), The Teacher showcases In englIsh and French wIth englIsh subtItles Friday, April 21, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema veteran Zuzana Maurery as a ruthless teacher who Sunday, April 23, 3:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema uses her students to manipulate their parents in the Tuesday, April 25, 6:15 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema waning days of communism. At a middle school in the Wednesday, April 26, 8:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Thursday, April 27, 8:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema

Slovak capital Bratislava, a tense meeting of outraged shington Post but suspicious parents is intercut with Comrade Drazdechova’s crafty, amoral strategies to make her life Wa

easier in a repressive society—no matter the human The toll on adults or their children. Kind of a cross between 12 Angry Men and a more malevolent Monsieur Lazhar (FFDC 2012 Audience Award winner), The Teacher finds Hˇrebejk and his long-time screenwriting partner, Petr Jarkovsky, once again demonstrating that they’re among the most prolific, perceptive, and best filmmaking teams working anywhere today. —Eddie Cockrell

In slovaK wIth englIsh subtItles Friday, April 21, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Monday, April 24, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema An Advertising Supplement to

FilmfestDC.org 31st Annual Filmfest Dc 17 trUSt No oNe North AmericAN Premiere TRAIN TO BUSAN circLe AWArD Yeon Sang-ho A wINDOw TO ROSÁLIA South Korea, 2016, 118 minutes Caroline Leone Brazil/Argentina, 2017, 85 minutes Apocalypse is imminent when passengers on a high- speed train from Seoul to Busan fi nd out a zombie virus Sixty-three-year-old Rosália spends her days in silence is sweeping across the nation, and in no time fl at the as a production manager in an electronics factory. After menacing zombie hordes are infiltrating from left and a merger, her services are no longer required and her right. As always, human nature reveals itself in times of world collapses. In desperation she turns to her brother, desperation; some passengers are willing to help others José, who is about to drive a luxury car from São Paulo fl ee, but there are also those who are only concerned to bustling Buenos Aires for his boss’s daughter. José with self-preservation. At the center of it all is Seok- sees only one solution: Rosália will have to accompany woo, a divorced fund manager riding on the train with him on the 2,200-kilometer journey. Reluctant and his young daughter. Who will survive the mayhem? This peevish, she is not ideal company, but as she takes in adrenaline-filled zombie thriller is animator Yeon the spectacular panoramas and meets lively people San-ho’s live-action debut. An English-language remake A wEDDING along the way, Rosália gradually manages to relax, is in the works, but this original will certainly stand Stephan Streker smile, and fi nd surprising new inner strength. The the test of time. Since Train to Busan’s premiere at the Belgium/France/Luxembourg/Pakistan, 2016, 98 minutes fi rst feature from director Caroline Leone, A Window Cannes Film Festival’s Midnight Screenings section, a to Rosália is a sensitive, heart-warming fi lm about a zombie craze has gone viral around the globe. Wearing a hijab with style is the least of Belgian college journey undertaken by siblings and the discoveries they —Museum of Modern Art student Zahira’s challenges. Pregnant by her fellow— make among stunning landscapes and within their Muslim boyfriend, she must consider an abortion. The spirits.—International Film Festival Rotterdam In Korean wIth englIsh subtItles fi rst surprise in this fi lm that takes no attitudes for granted is how Zahira’s Pakistani immigrant parents In portuguese wIth englIsh subtItles Saturday, April 22, 9:15 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema receive the news. The second is what they have planned Thursday, April 27, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Saturday, April 29, 9:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema for her following the procedure: a new role for social Friday, April 28, 9:00 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema media, marriage by Skype. Zahira is having none of it, but she risks losing everything. A Wedding explores the conflicts between tradition and possibility with rare understanding for all concerned. Newcomer Lina El Arabi, as Zahira, more than holds her own alongside veteran Iranian actor Babak Karimi (The Salesman), who portrays with deceptive ease the contradictions her father contains, until he no longer can, and against the intensity of Sébastian Houbani, as her brother Amir, who made the headlines this fi lm is based on. —Judy Bloch

In French and urdu wIth englIsh subtItles

Sunday, April 23, 5:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Thursday, April 27, 6:15 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie

JUStice mAtterS rhYthmS oN & oFF the ScreeN ZOOLOGy TwO TRAINS RUNNIN’ Ivan I. Tverdovskiy Sam Pollard Russia/France/Germany, 2016, 87 minutes USA, 2016, 82 minutes Winner of the special jury prize at the 2016 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Zoology tells a tall tale Narrated by award-winning performer Common, this of individual transformation. On the shores of Russia’s lively documentary fi lls the screen with music as it Black Sea, middle-aged zoo administrator Natasha investigates two tracks of American history and culture (Natalia Pavlenkova) endures bitchy co-workers and that came together in the benighted towns of Mississippi lives a modest life with her religious mother and sickly during the 1964 “Freedom Summer.” In that charged cat. Complaining of lower back pain, she visits a doctor, season, thousands of college students descended on who gives the area a cursory inspection before referring America’s most segregated state to help register black her to an attractive young x-ray technician, Peter (Dmitri voters. Three activists would die, drawing much needed Groshev), who becomes the second person to see that international attention to the Civil Rights movement. the LiGhter SiDe Natasha has grown a fl eshy, twitchy tail. He takes it all At the same time, four young devotees of Delta blues, in stride, however, and the two begin dating. Natalia including guitarist John Fahey and future producer Phil THE wEDDING PARTy Kemi Adetiba soon blossoms into a confident, attractive woman Spiral, also headed to Mississippi that summer to fi nd who dares to be different. The world being what it is, their heroes Skip James and Son House, long hidden Nigeria, 2016, 110 minutes however, even such a uniquely prompted good thing from the public as musical relics of the Depression. What Love, laughs, family, intrigue, and a big wedding. can’t last. Director Ivan I. Tverdovskiy’s odd parable they found is what local Civil Rights activists already knew: Romantic comedies offer particular pleasures, and defies easy categorization and isn’t soon forgotten. the very reason for the Delta blues’ existence. The two no one does them like Nollywood: Brighter, more —Eddie Cockrell trains come together here in thoughtful commentary and colorful, and often more outrageous than its Hollywood contemporary and vintage musical footage.—Various sources counterparts, this Nigerian romantic comedy is In russIan wIth englIsh subtItles something to behold. Art gallery owner Dunni (Adesua Saturday, April 22, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Etomi) is the cherished daughter of Bamidele Coker Monday, April 24, 9:00 p.m., AMC Mazza Gallerie

shington Post Co-presented with (Atunyota Akpobome) and his wife, Tunuade (Sola

Wa Sobowale). When Dunni and her fi ancée, Dozie (Banky Wellington), decide to marry, the Cokers plan to throw The Thursday, April 27, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema the wedding of the century. Although Dozie’s parents, Friday, April 28, 6:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Felix (Richard Mofe-Damijo) and Obianuju Onwuka (Ireti Doyle), believe their son is marrying beneath him, for the sake of tradition they leave the big day to the bride’s parents. Barely. As the groom faces the return of an ex- girlfriend, the bride confronts wild embarrassments, and village guests topple the parents’ carefully laid plans, the wedding party escalates into pure Lagosian chaos. —Toronto International Film Festival

In englIsh Friday, April 21, 8:30 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema Thursday, April 27, 8:45 p.m., Landmark’s E Street Cinema An Advertising Supplement to

18 31st Annual Filmfest Dc FilmfestDC.org INDEX 150 Milligrams ...... 6 Across the Waters...... 6 The African Doctor...... 6 After Love ...... 6 All Governments Lie ...... 6 All of a Sudden ...... 6 At the End of the Tunnel...... 7 Backpack Full of Cash ...... 7 Behind the Clouds...... 7 Judith Tracy Jonathan Wuiping Constance Aimee Corey Tutu Stephen Paul Check It ...... 7 THANKSRontal Betsock Lifland Yap Blackwell Bosse Schuler Lawal Kharfen Marengo Clash ...... 7 The Commune...... 8 Filmfest Dc Board of Directors Lisa Fierstein Michael Shenk The Dancer...... 8 Outreach and Engagement Assistant, Graphic Design Max N. Berry, Chair Death in Sarajevo...... 8 Justice Matters Attorney at Law Alexis Thornlow Family Life...... 8 Aimee Bosse, Don Bush, Andrew Davis, Catalog Cover Design Arch Campbell Abbe Karp, Jill Larvo, Tutu Lawal, Fast Convoy ...... 8 Film Critic and Entertainment Reporter Merrie Leininger, Jonathan Lifl and, Festival Website Footnotes...... 8 Albert Casciero Donné Malloy-Murray, William McLeod, Tuan Tran Former Director, Learning Resources Division, Ken Rosenberg, Claire Saillour, Goldstone ...... 9 Website Programmer and Designer University of the District of Columbia Kristin Van Meerbeke, Bahram Zandi The Good Postman...... 9 Theater Managers Tony Gittens Filmfest Dc trailer A Good Wife ...... 9 Director, Washington, DC International Laura Gross Film Festival Dee Donavanik Clean Cuts and Cerebral Lounge Hang in There, Kids! ...... 9 Judith Rontal Arnold P. Lutzker The Hippopotamus ...... 9 Scott Circle Communications, Inc. Special thanks to Lutzker & Lutzker LLP Susan Barocas Angela Gates The House on Coco Road...... 9 Ted Pedas Circle Award Coordinator Herbert Niles Human...... 12 President, Circle Films, Inc. DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music John Hall and Entertainment I Am the Blues...... 12 John M. Vine Print Runner Inversion...... 12 Senior Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP Chad Evans Wyatt Federico Barttfeld Photographer Embassy of Argentina J: Beyond Flamenco...... 12 Festival Staff Muna Abdulkader Catherine Shannon The King’s Choice...... 12 Adam Jacobs Fiona Koschade Tony Gittens Matthew Ryan Embassy of Australia Last Men in Aleppo ...... 12 Festival Director Festival Assistants Julie Le Saos Lipstick Under My Burkha..... 13 Shirin Ghareeb Typhaine Biard-Hamon Lost in Paris ...... 3 Deputy Festival Director Programmers Emilie Bernard Lunafest...... 16 Tracy Betsock Tony Gittens Embassy of France Coordinating Assistant Senior Programmer Renato Miracco The Magic Mountain ...... 13 Paul Marengo Shirin Ghareeb Michele Giacalone Mali Blues...... 13 Programmer Embassy of Italy, Italian Cultural Institute Volunteer Coordinator Marie Curie, the Courage of Constance Blackwell Linda Blackaby Dagmara Jasins’ ka Knowledge...... 13 Senior Programming Consultant Embassy of the Republic of Poland Stephen Kharfen The Messengers ...... 13 Theater Coordinators Helena Hakari The Net ...... 14 Corey Schuler Programming Advisors Embassy of Finland Print Traffic and Technical Coordinator The Oath...... 14 Manjula Kumar Jack Yeh-Chin Kuei Liliane Blom President/Executive Director, Bell Yueh-Chin Liu Obit ...... 14 Global Performing Arts Don Chan Taiwan Academy, Taipei Economic and Cultural The Outsider ...... 14 Hospitality Coordinators Dera Tompkins Representative Office in the United States The Patriarch...... 14 Anne Delaney Programming Consultant Sara Taylor Events Coordinator Gloria Jones Patti Cake$ ...... 14 Wuiping Yap Festival catalog Allied Advertising Play the Devil ...... 15 Logistics Coordinator Judy Bloch Hailu Woldeysus The Preacher ...... 15 Juliet Burch Dave Nuttycombe AMC Mazza Gallerie Eddie Cockrell A Quiet Passion...... 15 Shorts Program Co-Curator Tom Beddow Filmnote Writers Santa & Andres ...... 15 Lisa Y. Allen Landmark Cinemas Jill Tunick Outreach and Engagement Coordinator, Searchers (Maliglutit) ...... 15 Editor Nausheen Ilahi Justice Matters Washington, DC South Asian Film Festival Short Cuts 1...... 16 Short Cuts 2...... 16 Sieranevada ...... 15 Solitaire ...... 17 shington Post Strangers on the Earth...... 17 Wa The Stuff of Dreams...... 17 The The Teacher...... 17 This Is Our Land ...... 3 To Keep the Light ...... 17 Tomorrow ...... 17 Train to Busan...... 18 Two Trains Runnin’ ...... 18 A Wedding...... 18 The Wedding Party ...... 18

Abbe Claire Juliet John Dera Susan Liliane Tuan Bahram Anne A Window to Rosália...... 18 Zandi Karp Saillour Burch Hall Tompkins Barocas Blom Tran Delaney Zoology...... 18 An Advertising Supplement to

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