THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
FILM The 30th AFI Latin American Film Festival at AFI Silver showcases more than 50 films from 23 countries. The fest kicks off with the U.S. premiere of the rom-com El Amor Menos Pensado (“An Unexpected Love”) and closes with a world premiere of Días de Luz (“Days of Light”), a film with six directors from Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The festival highlights Ibero-American filmmakers with the inclusion of works from Spain and Portugal as well as Latin America. Through October 2. $15 per film.
MUSEUMS As part of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo missions to the moon, the National Air and Space Museum is hosting a lecture that features three women of that era who worked on the space program: aerospace engineer JoAnn Hardin Morgan, who worked in Launch Control at Kennedy Space Center; engineer and Houston Mission Control operator Frances “Poppy” Northcutt; and medical researcher Dr. Carolyn Leach Huntoon, who worked at Johnson Space Center. They will talk about their roles in the early U.S. space program and their experiences working in prominent positions in such a male-dominated field. Free (but tickets are required), 8 PM.
THEATER Surfacing: An Inventory of Helplessness is a play by Russian/Austrian writer Julya Rabinowich that follows three characters who are living in captivity: a refugee hiding underground, an imprisoned kidnap victim, and man hiding in his own home after being threatened. The play follows their mental journeys as they are separated from everyday life and is presented by the newly-founded company ExPats Theatre at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Through September 29. $20-$35.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
SELFIES Get in the Halloween spirit with American Scream, a Halloween selfie “museum” at Tyson’s Corner (on the lower level, near Lord & Taylor). Take photos in horror-themed interactive exhibits in this pop-up venue; settings range from an Egyptian tomb to a morgue. (For It fans, there will also be a terrifying clown.) Through November 3. $18.
THEATER Playwright August Wilson won two Pulitzer Prizes for works in his ten-play series The Pittsburgh Cycle; Arena Stage presents the eighth play from the series, Jitney, as part of an August Wilson Festival running this season. The work portrays the jitney drivers at a particular station in Pittsburgh in the late 1970s, exploring how their jobs play into the culture of the neighborhood and their family lives. Through October 20. $76-$115.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
COMICS The Small Press Expo highlights indie comics and graphic novels; the two-day event runs this weekend at the Marriott North Bethesda. This year’s guests include Smile and Sisters author Raina Telgemeier and Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth author Chris Ware. In addition to various exhibitor booths, the expo also features an extensive workshop schedule. Through September 15. $15 for Saturday, $10 for Sunday, or $20 for both days.
ART Does creativity strike at 1AM? Get out of the house and pick up a paint brush yourself—or watch others play, perform, and create—overnight at Art All Night Shaw. Venues throughout the neighborhood will host events such as live music, mural painting, burlesque, and poetry readings. Free, 7 PM to 3 AM.
MUSIC FESTIVAL Listen to Chesapeake folk music while overlooking the bay at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s Chesapeake Music Festival. The event features two stages, one with music and one with speakers telling local stories. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. $20-$30 per car; gates open at 1 PM.
OTHER FESTIVALS: Celebrate Petworth, Falls Church Festival, Dulles Day Plane Pull
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
FOOTBALL Things didn’t go well for Washington last Sunday in Philadelphia: the team blew a 17-point lead, allowed former teammate DeSean Jackson to score two touchdowns, and might have lost promising running back Derrius Guice to a knee injury (for a second season). But if you still want to cheer for the burgundy and gold in person, the team’s home opener is this Sunday at FedEx Field, where they’ll take on the hated Dallas Cowboys. $152-$649, 1 PM.
MUSEUMS Italian sculptor and painter Andrea del Verrocchio trained Leonardo da Vinci at his workshop, but the National Gallery of Art is celebrating the maestro’s own work in “Verrocchio: Sculptor and Painter of Renaissance Florence.” Featuring fifty of his paintings, drawings, and sculptures, the exhibit will show how his techniques and his works influenced others. Through January 12.
LAST CALL: Here’s what’s closing this weekend
“Oliver Lee Jackson: Recent Paintings” closes 9/15 at the National Gallery of Art.
“Queens of Egypt” closes 9/15 at the National Geographic Museum.
“Infinite Space” closes 9/15 at ARTECHOUSE.
