National Gallery of Art
It’s been 100 years since the release of Stenka Razin, the first Russian-made movie, and to commemorate that centenary a two-month retrospective kicked off June 1. “Envisioning Russia: Mosfilm Studio” looks at the legacy of Russia’s most important studio, which helped produce such masterpieces as Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin. Ten Mosfilm features from 1920 to 1950 will be screened in June, with a second group from 1960 to the present shown in July.
Cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa’s stunning black-and-white images helped define Mexico’s visual heritage. Starting June 7, “Gabriel Figueroa: Master of Light and Shade” explores the cinematographer’s greatest work, including 1946’s Enamorada and 1958’s Nazarin. On June 28, Macario will be introduced by Figueroa’s son, Gabriel Figueroa Flores.
Films are shown in the auditorium in the East Building Concourse. Fourth St. and Constitution Ave., NW; 202-737-4215; nga.gov/programs/film.
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
SilverDocs, the AFI/Discovery Channel festival running June 16 through 23, showcases 100 documentaries, many of them premieres. This year’s Guggenheim Symposium honoree is director Spike Lee. Most recently, Lee won an Emmy for his HBO documentary, When the Levees Broke, about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Films to watch for: Werner Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World, which profiles the Antarctic community of McMurdo Station. Herzog will present the film. On opening night is All Together Now, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Love, the Cirque du Soleil show set to Beatles tunes. A Beatles cover band will perform at a gala following the screening. The SilverDocs schedule is at silverdocs.com. 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring; 301-495-6720; afi.com/silver.
Landmark E Street Cinema
Italian director Dario Argento’s Mother of Tears, which centers on an art student who inadvertently releases the world’s most powerful witch, opens June 6. The film is the third and final installment of Argento’s “Three Mothers” series, which began with 1977’s Suspiria and continued with 1980’s Inferno.
A selection at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the documentary Up the Yangtze examines China’s Three Gorges Dam in terms of its impact on human life—millions are being forced to leave their homes. The film opens June 27.
Tickets are $7 to $9.75. 11th and E sts., NW; 202-452-7672; landmarktheatres.com.
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