July 2012

Last updated on July 1, 2012. Please check back later for additions.

Contents

  • Coming Attractions Trailer Night, Summer 2012
  • The Cinema Lounge
  • Ruby Sparks: Q&A with Directors and Actors
  • We Need to Hear From You
  • Calendar of Events

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    Coming Attractions Trailer Night, Summer 2012

    By Charles Kirkland, Jr., DC Film Society Member

    Ah, summer. A time to see and a time to be seen. Skimpy clothes on the streets, hot weather for the beach and even hotter action on the big screen! On Wednesday, June 6, 2012, a grand glimpse of the upcoming summer movie season was provided at the DC Film Society’s Coming Attractions Trailer Night Summer edition. Bill Henry and Tim Gordon, film aficionados extraordinaire, led a boisterous and giddy crowd in the intimate setting of the Landmark E Street Cinema through an outrageous evening adventure of summer (and even some winter) movie fare.

    Bill and Tim’s excellent adventure began with The Society being recognized as a predictor for the Golden Trailer awards. Tim Gordon stated that last year when “Harry Potter” was picked by the Trailer Night crowd as the best trailer of the night, it was awarded a Golden Trailer award as the best trailer of the year. This year, the Golden Trailer was picked prior to the Trailer Night, so the question was asked “Would the Trailer Night crowd pick the same trailer that won the award this year?”

    The trailers this year were grouped into six categories titled “I Do Not Remember It This Way”, “The Problems of Pretty People”, “Something to Get the Geezers Back to the Theatres”, “Paying for Our Sins a.k.a. What We Deserve”, “Summer: Big, Expensive, Noisy & (Occasionally) Well-Directed” and “What to do With Disobedient Girls.” Tim Gordon made sure that it was known that he had nothing to do with the titles for the categories and that they were solely products of the mind of Bill Henry.

    “I Do Not Remember It This Way,” was the title of the remake/reboot category. The group featured trailers from Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Bourne Legacy, Sparkle and Total Recall. First of all, somebody in the crowd just could not stop laughing during the Abraham Lincoln trailer! It was like they had no idea of the history of our Founding Fathers. Despite the respectful applause for Whitney Houston in the Sparkle trailer and the amazing special effects of Spider-Man and Recall, The Bourne Legacy was named the best of the category.

    “Pretty People” was the largest grouping of the night with a total of six films featuring at least eight incredibly sexy actors. Bel Ami was a virtual sexyfest starring Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman and Kristin Scott Thomas. It was nice to look at, but the crowd thought maybe it should have just been a set of still photos instead. Killer Joe and Magic Mike had the common factor of the newly married (sorry!) Matthew McConaughey as the sexy factor and drew a number of squeals from the audience. Joe was about a hired killer and Mike was about male strippers starring Channing Tatum. But neither of those movies, nor Lola Versus with Greta Gerwig or People Like Us with Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks and Olivia Wilde could overcome the cuteness of Ted the foul-mouthed, but cute teddy bear voiced by Seth McFarlane and starring Mark Wahlberg. Winner … Ted!

    The “Geezer” category had a small grouping of four odd movies that feature an older generation of actors or older subject matter. In Hope Springs Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones tried to re-ignite the spark of love in their marriage while The Odd Life of Timothy Green tried to re-ignite the spark of life. Rock of Ages featured an all-star cast with Tom Cruise and a bunch of 80s rock songs but To Rome With Love, the latest Woody Allen movie, actually won the category by a scream. It was at this point in the night that it became clear that a couple of well-placed loud screams during any vote could swing it in your favor.

    “Paying for Our Sins” was the category for movies that reused an old formula that may have worked before, but now is just overused. Or maybe it was for movies that were scary. Either way, it certainly explained why That’s My Boy, the latest Sandler outing, and Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection were both in this category. Did I say scary? Maybe I meant sad. Either way, none of the trailers in this group stood a chance against a hilarious trailer for The Campaign which pitted Will Ferrell against Zac Galifianakis in an election run for humor. ParaNorman and The Apparition did not even come close but did elicit the question ‘why do some people keep messing with ghosts and stuff?’

    “Summer: Big, Expensive, Noisy & (Occasionally) Well-Directed” may have been the most anticipated of the categories of the evening because it contained The Dark Knight Rises, The Expendables 2, Prometheus and Savages. So, to recap quickly, Dark Knight was awesome and mysterious, The Expendables was an over-the-top, testosterone-filled collection of just about every over-the-hill action hero and their last names, Prometheus gave goose bumps and Savages was cool. Tim Gordon accurately predicted that any of these trailers would probably win in almost any other category. The Dark Knight Rises, though, was the king of kings this night.

    The last official category for the night was titled “What to do With Disobedient Girls.” On behalf of the female segment of the Film Society, I must take umbrage with the title of the grouping. To call enterprising, inquisitive, adventurous and take charge women such as Merida, the princess in Brave or Kristin Stewart’s Snow White from Snow White and the Huntsman ‘Disobedient Girls’ is offensive, chauvinistic and just plain unfair. (Honey, please let my arm go now, thanks.) According to the crowd, the surprise winner of the category was Beasts of the Southern Wild which showed a little girl played by Quvenzhane Wallis, who is trying to survive a flood in the South. According to Tim Gordon, the little girl steals the show and the movie is delightful (He saw it twice!).

    After all was said and done, all was not said and done. The audience was treated to bonus trailers. And what bonuses they were! The first trailer was The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio. If nothing else, it seemed a shoe-in for best costume design. Then came The Hobbit! Gandalf returns and assembles a crew for the first adventure. It could not get any better, right? How about a Les Miserables trailer starring Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe? How did I not even know that a movie was being made? Hathaway singing I Dreamed a Dream in the trailer gave goosebumps! And then there was Bond, James Bond. The trailer for Skyfall was just released two weeks ago and there it was in full glory on the big screen. Thankfully, our supremely wise hosts eliminated these bonus trailers for the holiday season releases from the competition for best of the night. Who would have been able to pick?

    The final vote of the night pitted Ted, The Bourne Legacy, To Rome With Love, The Campaign, The Dark Knight Rises and Beasts of the Southern Wild against each other to find the night’s champion. So, to quote our Oscars party, and the winner was … The Dark Knight Rises! After the vote, Tim Gordon confirmed that the vote picked the trailer that won the Golden Trailer for the year. Once again, the DC Film Society got it right. The Director of the DC Film Society, Michael Kyrioglou, thanked Tim Gordon and Bill Henry for their outstanding work in hosting the evening and distributed theater tickets and DVDs to those with the winning raffle tickets.

    Special thanks to Tim Gordon and Bill Henry, Allied THA, Landmark’s E Street Cinema and staff and all the participating film studios.

    The Cinema Lounge

    The next meeting of the Cinema Lounge will be on Monday, July 16 at 7:00pm. This month's topic is "Party Like It's 1939: What is the Best Film Year Ever?"

    The Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, meets the third Monday of every month at 7:00pm at     Barnes and Noble, 555 12th St., NW in Washington, DC (near the Metro Center Metro stop). You do not need to be a member of the Washington DC Film Society to attend. Cinema Lounge is moderated by Adam Spector, author of the DC Film Society's Adam's Rib column.


    Ruby Sparks: Q&A with Director and Actors

    By Annette Graham and Anita Glick, DC Film Society Members

    On July 8, a screening of Ruby Sparks was held at AMC's Georgetown Theater. Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, actor Paul Dano and writer/actress Zoe Kazan were present to answer questions. DC Film Society's director Michael Kyrioglou moderated.

    At Right: Paul Dano

    Ruby Sparks is a comedy/romance about a writer (Paul Dano) who discovers that the character in his latest novel comes to life (Zoe Kazan). Both Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan have acted in film and theater. Valerie Faris and her husband Jonathan Dayton have made numerous documentaries and music videos and are known for their first feature film Little Miss Sunshine (2006).

    Michael Kyrioglou: You both have done film and theater. Is there a particular realm you prefer?
    Paul Dano: I started acting doing theater in New York, so I'll always love the theater but I really love film, and I love going to the movies and I love the process of making a movie. It's just something I get a lot from so it's really fun to be a part of it. But I'll try to go back to the theater once again just to get a good ass-kicking as an actor.
    Jonathan Dayton: We didn't do that to you? (everyone laughs)
    Michael Kyrioglou: Does one inform the other? They're very different mediums.
    Paul Dano: I think so. They are different, but like anything it keeps you on your toes. You have to approach things differently. Theater has a lot of rehearsals, film often doesn't. It's a different energy; it is a rush to be in front of an audience, though. It's really a thrill.
    Zoe Kazan: I agree.

    Michael Kyrioglou: What was the inspiration for the story?
    Zoe Kazan: I've always been a big fan of Greek mythology and the myth of Pygmalion is one that is interesting to me. My Fair Lady is also based on that myth. A sculptor starts to make a creation, as he sculpts this women he falls in love with her and she comes to life. I was coming home from work one day and I saw a discarded mannequin in the trash and I thought it was a person; it scared me. I immediately followed that myth and I thought, "what would I do with that?" I went to sleep that night and when I woke up in the morning the seeds for the story were planted in my head. Not unlike Calvin, I had a dream and wrote it down and it came to life.
    Michael Kyrioglou: Did you think of making the writer a female and switching the roles?
    Zoe Kazan: I didn't. I feel like it is a gendered story for a reason. It feels very particular to me. Women do make people out of their bodies. It's not such a myth. I think it's a particular male fantasy of being able to create which is fantastical because it actually can't happen. I think that male ideal of love of a woman up on a pedestal (literally in the myth's case) is something that is more culturally resonant than the reverse. So it always seemed very clear to me that that was the story I had to tell. For me this is what I had to say.

    Michael Kyrioglou: How did the artistic teams come together?
    Jonathan Dayton: Paul and Zoe went to the producers of Little Miss Sunshine (Ron Yerxa and Albert Berger) and they talked about making the film and on what level to make it. You talked at one point about making it yourselves for very little money. Our names came up and they brought it to us and we immediately fell in love with it. We had been working on various films since Little Miss Sunshine but when we read this--so many projects we get need so much work--we read this and we were amazed and said we can do this now. Paul and Zoe were attached and were the perfect people to do it. It happened very quickly.
    Paul Dano: I should say that when Zoe was writing the script, probably about ten pages into it, we knew we wanted Jon and Val to direct it. So throughout the next 90 pages of writing, we did have them in mind and were hoping that they would consider it. We always knew we would send it to them first. We tried to come up with plans B through Z, but that was our dream. We were very lucky.

    Michael Kyrioglou: Sometimes this is a collaborative process. Did you have ideas on things that needed to be tweaked or changed?
    Valerie Faris: We always like to spend a certain amount of time with the script and get to know it and make it our own as much as possible. We worked for about nine months with Zoe and really getting to know the script better. We made some changes. But from that process we felt that the collaboration was so great. She is an incredible writer and took our notes so well and made them better. That's such a rare thing. The collaboration when we started in the writing continued throughout the process.

    Audience Question: There's a scene where Paul's character and Steve Coogan are standing next to an author. Was that Tom Perrotta?
    Jonathan Dayton: That was Tom. That was the project we worked on two years after Little Miss Sunshine. It was an adaptation of his book "The Abstinence Teacher" which still hasn't been made. It's a great book and we would love to do it. It was fun being able to ask friends and people we knew to be in this film, shoot it in LA, have it take place in locations we've known all our lives.

    Audience Question: How difficult was it for Zoe to act the scene where she's helplessly controlled by Calvin's typing?
    Zoe Kazan: It was really hard to act that. Paul and I have been together for almost 5 years and we have worked out a lot of the issues of control between us. I thought there were things that were coming up that were new issues of control that were being superimposed by what our characters were going through in the movie. That scene where he's writing and manipulating me, I almost threw up after we shot that scene. It was very difficult emotionally.
    Valerie Faris: When we tried to rehearse that scene it was the hardest scene to rehearse. It was never written in great detail in the script. It was hard for us to plan and know what we were getting into. It wasn't until that morning of the shoot that we figured out what we were going to do. I think it was because it was very hard for you to put yourself in that position until the moment when you just had to do it.

    Audience Question: Paul's character seemed to be adult version of character in Little Miss Sunshine.
    Paul Dano: I have never thought of that. They are two very distinct and separate people to me, as are the films. So aside from Jon and Val having directed Little Miss Sunshine, I don't think I ever thought of that film or that character while we were making this. I think Dwayne was probably a little bit more of a badass than Calvin was. I see them differently myself.

    Audience Question: Could you talk about the anachronism of the manual typewriter?
    Zoe Kazan: That was scripted. I felt like Calvin is a person who is very romantic and has a romanticized view about the things that feel important to him in his life. Like his mother--he has a romantic view of his mother and he doesn't like the choices she is making. I think of that typewriter as having been a gift from his parents. He wrote his first book on it and it seems like magic to him that this best selling thing came from his body. One way of understanding that is to make totemic the object from which the book came, which is the typewriter. So I think he can't give it up. It's an example of the paralysis in which he's living. That he can't give up this thing for a more useful easier writing tool which would be a word processing tool--like a computer. For me, on a metaphoric level I think a computer also is a less powerful object. It has many functions. For example you can go on the internet and look at porn, and go on facebook, look up recipes. It becomes a gateway to the outside world and really I wanted to feel his isolation, the fact that he has cut himself off. It's also a thing you can't take out in the world with you. At the end he gets a laptop which is better for him.
    Michael Kyrioglou: There's also the significance of it being the only copy of what was written.
    Valerie Faris: A friend of ours is making a documentary about the typewriter and has interviewed a lot of writers who still use a typewriter. David McCullough writes on a typewriter and he's in his 70s and says he doesn't have arthritis in his hands because of the physicality. Paul had to re-learn how to type. It's very different, it requires some effort.
    Jonathan Dayton: Tom Hanks is obsessed with typewriters. Anytime he does a film, he has people go out to wherever he's shooting and buying old typewriters and gives them as gifts.
    Valerie Faris: There's a whole subculture of people who are into typewriters and who do blogs where they write on a typewriter and then scan it. (Everyone laughs) It's not lost, just like a lot of other things that we fear are going to get lost, like watching movies in theaters.

    Audience Question: Where did you get the inspiration for the line "The story doesn't come from me--it comes through me"?
    Zoe Kazan: I very much think that is my feeling about this, that it did come through me. And I feel like that most of the time when I'm writing. I spend a lot of time distracting my mind so that whatever is there can be downloaded. I play solitaire a lot, I go for walks. I usually write fairly quickly. I wrote the first draft for this intwo or three weeks. I spend a lot of time preparing to write something. My parents are writers and I know a lot of writers. I think a lot of people are like this. They have to be ready to write the thing they have to say, or the story they are experiencing. For me this came from years of relationships and having talked about the way men and women interact, about the control in relationships, about creative paralysis. There's so much I'm interested in; it feels personal to me even though there's nothing autobiographical about it.
    Jonathan Dayton: Anything good takes time. You may write it quickly, but the gestation period can take a long time.

    Audience Question: Why was the parent's home styled like that?
    Jonathan Dayton: His mother had taken on a different life style. We tried to think about what would be the most painful place for Calvin to go. The really fun thing about that, is that is the home of Sid Krofft. (H.R. Pufnstuf from the 60s and 70s). He lives up in the canyons of Los Angeles. He built that house. When we found that location....
    Zoe Kazan: We had to rewrite that section of the movie for various reasons but mostly having to do with restaging so we could do that tour through the house. I was too busy writing and sent Paul out as a reporter into the field to interview Sid Krofft on how he built his house. He came back, "Those bricks are..." (everyone laughs)
    Jonathan Dayton: It's all true. Everything she says about the house is true.
    Valerie Faris: It was in the script that Mort made driftwood furniture. Because she had family friends who made special driftwood furniture and lived in a place that she described like that. So we were looking for a house like this. But we didn't move a thing. The only thing we did to that house was remove all the H.R. Pufnstuf toys. (everyone laughs)

    Michael Kyrioglou: Can you tell us about the casting? Did you have particular people in mind when you wrote it?
    Valerie Faris: We loved the name Mort so much, but when we cast Antonio Banderas, we said his name still has to be Mort. He wasn't initially a person of Latin descent. You have your idea of who would be perfect for those roles. We met with Annette Bening first. She was incredible. She read the script and we had a meeting with her, just the three of us. At the end of meeting she said "I want to do it." That was shocking to us, that it didn't require agents calling agents. It was the same really with Antonio. So much of the casting is when you meet with them and you feel like they get the character and they want to do it. Because they aren't doing it for the money.
    Michael Kyrioglou: Chris Messina was terrific; an actor on the rise, dynamite personality, perfect for the role.
    Valerie Faris: And he looks so much like Paul (everyone laughs).
    Jonathan Dayton: We had to slip a shot of the dad into the movie to show that he looks just like Chris.

    Audience Question: How did you arrive at the ending? Did you have alternate endings in mind?
    Zoe Kazan: There was a different ending to start with. That ending was a different movie. And part of what happened in the process of us working on the script together was that we arrived at our movie, which is what you see now. That ending belonged to a different movie. When we were talking about what's the right ending for our movie it was again one of these things where we talked about a lot of different ideas and then I woke up one morning and this was there. We sort of planting seeds back and forth. They came up with things that ended up with the movie. And they brought me notes that inspired new things. It wasn't hard to come up with this once we knew what movie we were making.
    Valerie Faris: And we didn't reshoot it. The funny thing about that scene was that it was our second day of shooting. The two park scenes were our first and second days of shooting. That was one of our more challenging scenes to do, Paul especially. To do that scene not having experienced what the whole movie felt like yet. But we trusted it.
    Michael Kyrioglou: Is that hard to do or do you compartmentalize scenes when you're doing a film anyway, so that you are prepared to do things out of order?
    Paul Dano: You pretty much have to do it on every film. I don't know many people who would say it's ideal. Sometimes it works out fine. One of the most pleasurable things about shooting this film was as many times as I read it and as much as I prepared for it, it deepened as we did it and it constantly surprised me. So a scene that I thought was funny when I read it all of a sudden felt like something different when doing it, and vice versa. Then you think back about that second day of filming once you've experienced that--could I have done something different? But that's what you do and usually it works out.

    Audience Question: Paul: Did you ever fall down stairs when you were running up and down?
    Paul Dano: I don't think so.
    Michael Kyrioglou: There were a lot of socked feet.
    Zoe Kazan: He looks like the least coordinated person in the world. But you can show him a sport and he can do it the next day. He's like a cat. It's so annoying.
    Jonathan Dayton: We had a golfing scene in addition to the one now in the movie. Paul came up and had perfect form and was hitting the ball straight down the green. And poor Chris. We had to really cut around his playing because it was so horrible.
    Valerie Faris: Nobody likes a good golfer so we cut that scene.

    Ruby Sparks opens July 25 in DC.

    We Need to Hear From YOU

    We are always looking for film-related material for the Storyboard. Our enthusiastic and well-traveled members have written about their trips to the Cannes Film Festival, Karlovy Vary Film Festival, London Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Palm Springs Film Festival, the Reykjavik Film Festival, the Munich Film Festival, and the Locarno Film Festival. We also heard about what it's like being an extra in the movies. Have you gone to an interesting film festival? Have a favorite place to see movies that we aren't covering in the Calendar of Events? Seen a movie that blew you away? Read a film-related book? Gone to a film seminar? Interviewed a director? Taken notes at a Q&A? Read an article about something that didn't make our local news media? Send your contributions to Storyboard and share your stories with the membership. And we sincerely thank all our contributors for this issue of Storyboard.


    Calendar of Events

    FILMS

     American Film Institute Silver Theater
    "Totally Awesome 80s," the popular series of films from the 1980s, returns for another edition. Titles in July include Explorers, Withnail and I, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Fright Night, Night of the Comet, Commando, First Blood, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return to Oz, Dreamchild, Manhunter, The Keep and The Thief. More in August and September.

    "The Films of Stanley Kubrick" includes 2001: A Space Odyssey, Killer's Kiss, The Killing, Paths of Glory and Spartacus. More in August and September.

    "70mm Spectacular" offers a rare chance to see 70mm prints projected on 70mm projectors. July's titles are 2001: A Space Odyssey, Vertigo, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, West Side Story and Spartacus.

    Jean Harlow, who started her career appearing in Laurel and Hardy short films, was known for her brash sex appeal. This series commemorates the 75th anniversary of her passing in 1937. See the platinum blonde bombshell in Red Dust, Bombshell, The Public Enemy, The Beast of the City, China Seas, Red-Headed Woman, Dinner at Height, Riffraff, The Girl from Missouri, Libeled Lady and Wife vs. Secretary.

    "Spy Cinema" is a selection of films from more than 80 years. In July you can see North by Northwest, Mata Hari, Dishonored, The 39 Steps, Notorious, I Was a Spy, Night Train to Munich, The Ipcress File, Secret Agent, The Bourne Identity and a double feature of The Spy in Black with Contraband both made by the British team Michael Powell and Emric Pressburger and both starring Conrad Veidt and Valerie Hobson.

    "James Bond 50th Anniversary" ties into the "Spy Cinema" series and features some of the best films from the Bond franchise. In July you can see Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Casino Royale (2006). More in August and September.

    The AFI Silver hosts the "Science in the Cinema" series, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and featuring medical- or science-related themes. See below for titles.

    Special events in July include La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet (Frederick Wiseman, 2009) with Brigitte Lefevre, the Artist Director of the Paris Opera Ballet present to discuss the film on July 6 at 7:15pm.

    The opera on film for July is "La Traviata" and "Boris Gudonov" and the ballet on film for July is "Raymonda" with the Bolshoi Ballet and "The Sleeping Beauty" (The Royal Ballet).

    Freer Gallery of Art
    The 17th Annual "Made in Hong Kong Film Festival" which began in late June continues through July and August. On July 1 at 2:00pm is A Simple Life (Ann Hui, 2011); on July 13 at 7:00pm and July 15 at 2:00pm is Life without Principle (Johnnie To, 2011); on July 20 at 7:00pm and July 22 at 2:00pm is Once a Gangster (Felix Chong, 2010); and on July 27 at 7:00pm and July 29 a 2:00pm is Lover's Discourse (Derek Tsang and Jimmy Wan, 2010). More in August.

    This month's "Indian Visions" film is Alms of a Blind Horse (Gurvinder Singh, 2011).

    National Gallery of Art
    "New American Architecture and Design: Saluting Checkerboard Film Foundation" documents the artistic process. On July 6 at 12:30pm is "Landmarks in Twenty-First Century American Architecture I" and on July 7 at 12:30pm is "Landmarks in Twenty-First Century American Architecture II."

    "Peter Greenaway on Painting" looks at two of Greenaway's films. On July 7 at 4:00pm is Rembrandt's "J'Accuse" (2008) and on July 8 at 4:30pm is Nightwatching (2007).

    "From Vault to Screen: Recent Preservation" features work from international film archives and film institutes. On July 15 at 4:30pm is La Danseuse Orchidee (Leonce Perret, 1928) with Phil Carli accompanying on piano. On July 28 at 1:30pm is Whistle Down the Wind (Bryan Forbes, 1961) preceded by two puppet-animation commercials from the 1950s. On July 28 at 4:00pm is The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966). More in August.

    "American Originals Now" is a series focusing on screenings of American artists, most of whom are present to discuss their work. Mark Street will be present on July 21 at 2:00pm for a program of short films including Hidden in Plain Sight (2008), Sweep (1998), Happy? (2000) and others. On July 21 at 4:00pm is a work in progress, Hasta Nunca (2012) preceded by Buenos Aires Balcony (2011).

    Art films and other special events in July include Umbrellas (Albert Maysles and Henry Corra, 1994) on July 1 at 4:30pm. A new 35mm print of Celine and Julie Go Boating (Jacques Rivette, 1974) is shown on July 14 at 12:30pm. Miro: The Phosphorescent Trails of Snails (Cesc Mulet, 2009) is on July 12, 13, 19, and 20 at 12:30pm. On July 14 at 4:30pm is Souvenir (Michael Shamberg, 1999). On July 22 at 4:30pm is On the Bowery (Lionel Rogosin, 1956) preceded by two short films Broadway by Day and Astor Place (1997). Annette Insdorf, author of Philip Kaufman introduces and discusses The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) on July 29 at 4:30pm.

    National Museum of the American Indian
    "DocuPeru" is a selection of short films from Peru, shown daily (with exceptions at 12:30pm. My Louisiana Love (Sharon Linezo Hong, 2012) is shown daily at 3:30pm (exceptions apply). See the website for exact dates.

    Museum of American History
    "The Classic Film Festival" in the new Warner Theater presents three classic films in July. On July 14 at 2:00pm is The Jazz Singer (Alan Crosland, 1927) preceded by a discussion at 1:00pm with NPR film commentator Murray Horwitz. On July 14 at 7:00pm is Broadway Melody (Harry Beaumont, 1929) preceded by a discussion at 6:00pm by Murray Horwitz. On July 15 at 2:00pm is Don Juan (Alan Crosland, 1926) starring John Barrymore and Mary Astor with Murray Horwitz doing a pre-screening discussion at 1:00pm.

    Smithsonian American Art Museum
    On July 21 is a double feature of dance films--at 1:00pm is Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky, 2010) and at 4:00pm is Saturday Night Fever (John Badham, 1977). On July 26 at 6:30pm is The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960), starring Jack Lemon and Shirley MacLaine.

    National Museum of Women in the Arts
    A five-part French-inspired film series concludes with Séraphine (Martin Provost, 2008) based on the life of French painter Séraphine de Senlis, to be shown at the Embassy of France. Presented in conjunction with the exhibit Royalists to Romantics. See below.

    On July 2 at 6:30pm is "A Conversation with Shabana Azmi." See below.

    Washington Jewish Community Center
    On July 23 at 7:00pm is The Rabbi's Cat, a film, fundraiser and reception held at the French Embassy, see below.

    Goethe Institute
    A film series "Pina and Beyond: Contemporary Dance in Film" which began in June continues in July. On July 2 at 6:30pm is Pina Bausch (Anne Linsel, 2006) shown with Cafe Muller (Pina Bausch, 1985). On July 9 at 6:30pm is The Complaint of an Empress (Pina Bausch, 1990) and on July 16 at 6:30pm is Pina (Wim Wenders, 2011).

    French Embassy
    On July 9 at 7:00pm is Séraphine (Martin Provost, 2008), winner of seven Césars and other awards.

    On July 23 at 7:00pm is The Rabbi's Cat (Joann Sfar and Antoine Delesvaux, 2011), an animated feature set in Algiers in the 1920s and based on a graphic novel. Presented in conjunction with the Washington Jewish Film Festival, this is a fund-raiser with a dessert reception.

    The Japan Information and Culture Center
    On July 18 at 6:30pm is Haru's Journey (Masahiro Kobayashi, 2010) filmed in the Tohoku region of Japan before the earthquake. On July 25 at 6:30pm is an anime film Children Who Chase Lost Voices (Makoto Shinkai, 2011).

    The National Theatre
    Films starring Humphrey Bogart are shown in July and August. On July 2 is Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1941; on July 9 is The Big Sleep (Howard Hawks, 1946); on July 16 is The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (John Huston, 1948); on July 23 is The Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941) and on July 30 is Key Largo (John Huston, 1948). All films begin at 6:30pm. More in August.

    National Institutes of Health
    "Science in the Cinema" is a series designed to promote public understanding of science, health, and medicine. Films with a medical science theme are screened, and an expert on the subject provides a commentary and leads an audience question-and-answer period. Films are shown at the AFI Silver Theater and all have captions. On July 11 at 7:00pm is Gattaca (Andrew Niccol, 1997) with the theme of genetic engineering. On July 18 at 7:00pm is Academy Award nominee Elling (Petter Naess, 2001) from Norway with the theme of mental health. On July 25 at 7:00pm is Door to Door (Steven Schachter, 2002) with the theme of cerebral palsy. More in August.

    Arlington Arts and Artisphere
    On July 7 at 8:00pm is a double feature The Whisperer in Darkness (Sean Branney, 2011) shown with The Call of Cthulhu (Andrew Leman, 2005), both based on stories by H.P. Lovecraft.

    On July 28 at 2:30pm is Annie (John Huston, 1982) with Albert Finney and Carol Burnett.

    On July 28 at 8:00pm is Wet Hot American Summer (David Wain, 2001).

    Screen on the Green
    Classic films are shown on a giant screen on the National Mall between 7th and 12th Streets at dusk (around 8:30pm-9:00pm). Bring a blanket to sit on. On July 16 is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. On July 25 is It Happened One Night (1934) with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. On July 30 is From Here to Eternity (1953) with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr. One more in August.

    The National Building Museum
    On July 17 at 6:30pm is The Bungalows of Rockaway (2010), a documentary about a working-class beach resort. Filmmaker Jennifer Callahan will be present to discuss the film.

    National Archives
    On July 12 at noon is Journey to America (Charles Guggenheim, 1989), a documentary chronicling the great migration to the New World from 1890-1920. Presented in conjunction with the exhibit "Attachments: Faces and Stories from America's Gates."

    As part of the series "1940: American Goes to the Movies" is They Drive By Night (Raoul Walsh, 1940) with Humphrey Bogart, George Raft, Ann Sheridan and Ida Lupino.

    Interamerican Development Bank
    On July 20 at 6:30pm is Pescador (Sebastian Cordero, 2011) with the director present to introduce and discuss the film.

    The Avalon
    This month's Greek film, Red Sky (Laya Yourgou, 2011), is on July 5 at 8:00pm. The "Czech Lions" film for July is Empties (Jan Sverak, 2007) on July 11 at 8:00pm. The French Cinematheque film is The Fairy (Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon and Bruno Romy, 2011) on July 18 at 8:00pm. "Reel Israel" is Mabul (Guy Nattiv, 2010) on July 25 at 8:00pm.

    Italian Cultural Institute
    On July 11 at 6:00pm is Amarcord (Federico Fellini, 1973).

    Wolf Trap
    On July 7 at 8:15pm is "The Music of John Williams," composer of music for countless hit films including E.T., Star Wars, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Harry Potter. Steven Reineke will conduct the Washington Chorus.

    On July 14 at 8:30pm is The Wizard of Oz (1939) with conductor Emil de Cou.

    Atlas Performing Arts
    "Gay 101" is a series of Thursday films. On July 5 is Can't Stop the Music; on July 12 is Hairspray; on July 19 is Some Like It Hot; and on July 26 is The Birdcage. All are at 8:00pm.

    "Kung Fu Fridays" films are at 7:00pm and 9:30pm. On July 6 is Enter the Dragon and The 36th Camber of the Shaolin. On July 13 is Kung Fu Hustle and The Last Dragon. On July 20 is Five Deadly Venoms and Kid With the Golden Arm; and on July 27 is Fearless and The Rebel.

    The "Roald Dahl Family Series" is on Saturdays at 10:00am and 4:00pm. On July 6 is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. On July 14 is Matilda; on July 21 is The Witches and on July 28 is a film TBA.

    Smithsonian Associates
    This screening of Singin' in the Rain on July 13 at 6:30pm will feature two special guests: Patricia Kelly (wife of Gene Kelly, star of the film) and Rita Moreno who plays a starlet in the film. Both will introduce and discuss the film. Shown in the new Warner Brothers Theater.

    Reel Affirmations XTra
    Reel Affirmations Xtra is a once-a-month screening held at The Carnegie Institute of Science, 1530 P Street NW. On July 13 at 7:00pm and 9:00pm is Beauty (Oliver Hermanus, 2011) from South Africa.

    Busboys and Poets
    On July 6 at 8:30pm is the documentary Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World shown at the 5th and K location. On July 15 at 5:00pm is Fresh with post-film discussion, held at the Hyattsville location.

    Library of Congress
    On July 16 at noon is An Article of Hope, a documentary about Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut. The film's director, Dan Cohen, will be present for discussion.


    FILM FESTIVALS

    The International AIDS Film Festival
    The Reel Affirmations Film Festival presents the International Aids Film Festival July 24-25, as part of the 2012 International Aids Conference. Films are shown at the Carnegie Institute of Science, 1530 P Street, NW. See the website for schedule.

    NoMa Summer Screen
    "The end of the world" is the theme for this year's fifth annual summer screening series. On July 4 is Independence Day; on July 11 is Red Dawn; on July 18 is War Games; and on July 25 is The Incredibles. More in August. Outdoor films are shown on L Street between 2nd and 3rd, NE. Films are shown at dark; bring a blanket.

    U Street Movie Series
    Films are shown at sundown on the field at Harrison Recreation Center, 1330 V Street, NW between 13th and 14th Streets. On July 25 is Protocol. More in August and September.

    Rosslyn Outdoor Film Festival
    This outdoor film festival is held at Gateway Park near Key Bridge. All films begin at dusk; bring a blanket. This year's theme is political comedies. On July 6 is The American President; on July 13 is All the President's Men; on July 20 is Dave; on July 27 is Swing Vote. More in August.

    Capitol Riverfront Outdoor Movies
    This year's theme is Treasure Hunting. On July 5 is City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold; on July 12 is O Brother, Where Art Thou?; on July 19 is The Da Vinci Code; and on July 26 is Muppet Treasure Island. Movies are shown at New Jersey Avenue SE and Tingey Street SE at 8:45pm or sundown.

    Crystal Screen
    This year's theme is romantic comedies. On July 2 is My Big Fat Greek Wedding; on July 9 is Sleepless in Seattle; on July 16 is Bridget Jones's Diary; on July 23 is The Proposal; and on July 30 is You've Got Mail. More in August. Movies are shown at sundown at 1850 Bell Street. Bring a blanket.

    Movies on the Potomac
    "Fish Tales" is one of the themes for July. On July 1 is Dolphin Tales; on July 8 is Soul Surfer; on July 15 is Flipper; on July 22 is Big Miracles; and on July 29 is Happy Feet 2. In the "Great Getaways" series is National Lampoon's European Vacation on July 6, Dirty Dancing on July 13; The Bucket List on July 20 and RV on July 27. Films are shown at sundown at the Plaza, National Harbor. Bring a lawn chair.

    Movies on the Square (Rockville)
    On July 4 is Independence Day; on July 11 is Soul Surfer; and on July 18 is Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Films are shown at 8:45pm at the Rockville Town Square. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. More in August.

    Bethesda Outdoor Movies
    Films are shown July 24-28 at 9:00pm at Woodmont Triangle, corner of Norfolk and Auburn Avenues, Bethesda. On July 24 is Stand By Me (Rob Reiner, 1986); on July 25 is Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958); on July 26 is The Muppets (James Bobin, 2011); on July 27 is Crazy, Stupid Love (Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, 2011); and on July 28 is Hugo (Martin Scorsese, 2011).


    TALKS WITH ACTORS

     National Museum of Women in the Arts
    On July 2 at 6:30pm is "A Conversation with Shabana Azmi." Shabana Azmi has appeared in more than 100 Hindi films, has won numerous awards and has been seen in several retrospectives. She is also known as a social activist and is currently a visiting professor at Michigan University. Aseem Chhabra will moderate the discussion. Reservations are required. Call 202-266-2821.


    FILM-RELATED LECTURES & SEMINARS

    Smithsonian Associates
    Fred Astaire: Dancing With Genius is on July 19 at 6:45pm. Christine Bamberger uses film clip montages, rare photographs, and original recordings to create a fuller portrait of Astaire that challenges the cliches that have grown up around him: among them, that he was a ballroom dancer and that his career began in Hollywood. Bamberger explores Astaire’s other dimensions and achievements—as a subtle actor of wide range and as a vocalist who intrroduced more popular standards than any other singer. She also illustrates how Astaire revolutionized dance on film and how his art and legacy influenced dancers and dance-makers from the Nicholas Brothers and Bob Fosse to Balanchine and Baryshnikov.


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