THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20
FILM The Mother Tongue Film Festival centers on the United Nation’s International Mother Language Day (2/21). The 21 films on the festival’s schedule explore the power of language: Restless River shows a young Inuk woman who has unexpectedly become a mother, while Vai follows a woman (played by different actresses) across seven Pacific countries. Screenings include both feature-length and short films and will be held at the National Museum of the American Indian, National Museum of Natural History, and Smithsonian American Art Museum. Through February 23. Free.
THEATER Timon of Athens is one of Shakespeare’s more obscure plays, with the titular character needing to live in the woods after squandering his wealth and opulence on shallow hangers-on. The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s new Artistic Director Simon Godwin makes his STC directorial debut with a restaging of this play, casting Olivier Award-winner Kathryn Hunter as the lead character. Through March 22. $35-$120.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21
MUSEUMS The Renwick Gallery’s new exhibit “Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists” celebrates the art created by Native women. Featuring 82 works, including textiles, beadwork, photographs, and sculptures, this exhibit highlights the collaborative process and innovation in the art of Native women. On Friday, the Renwick will host a curator talk with Jill Ahlberg Yohe, associate curator of Native American art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and Teri Greeves, a member of the Kiowa Nation, to discuss the artists and the exhibit’s curation. Exhibit: Through May 17. Curator talk: 2/21, noon. Free.
DANCE Russian prima ballerina Irina Kolesnikova will make her US debut this month at the National Theatre in St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre’s production of “Swan Lake.” Kolesnikova performs her signature role as Odette, a princess who is turned into a swan by a curse from an evil sorcerer. The curse can be broken with a vow of true love and fidelity, but the prince who falls in love with Odette is tested by the sorcerer’s seductive daughter Odile (also played by Kolesnikova). Through February 23. $69-$129.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22
MUSIC The National Philharmonic is celebrating Black History Month with a special program, “Black Pioneers in Classical Music.” The program features works by four black composers, including Wynton Marsalis and William Grant Still; violinist Melissa White, founding member of the Harlem Quartet, will join the National Philharmonic for this concert at Strathmore. $38-$89, 8 PM (pre-concert lecture at 6:45 PM).
SPORTS The Washington Justice, DC’s Overwatch League e-sports team, will host its first homestand weekend at The Anthem. The homestand will feature three matches each day, with Washington Justice taking on Paris Eternal on Saturday (7 PM) and London Spitfire on Sunday (7 PM). Watch the teams compete live and enjoy pre- and post-game entertainment all weekend. Through February 23. $75-$410. (Future homestand weekends will take place 3/7-8 and 4/4-5 at The Anthem, and 5/30-31 and 6/20-21 at the Entertainment and Sports Arena).
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23
FILM See a film about artist Julian Rosefeldt’s video work Manifesto at the Hirshhorn. The documentary, Making Manifesto, delves into Rosefeldt’s creative process and includes interviews with Cate Blanchett, who performs thirteen distinct roles in it. In Manifesto—which can be seen in the Hirshhorn’s current exhibit “Manifesto: Art x Agency”—Blanchett recites manifestos of movements both political (Karl Marx) and artistic (Stan Brakhage, Werner Herzog). Free, 2 PM.
SPORTS Team USA Men’s Basketball will play three home AmeriCup Qualifying games this year at the Entertainment and Sports Arena; the first of these is on Sunday against Puerto Rico. With players primarily from the NBA G League, Team USA will try to defend its 2017 FIBA AmeriCup championship. The qualifiers will determine which three teams in each group will advance to the FIBA AmeriCup 2021. (Future games: Team USA vs Bahamas on 11/27 and USA vs Mexico on 11/30). $5-$20, 3 PM.
LAST CALL: Here’s what’s closing this weekend
“Graphic Novel: A (North) Korean Story” closes 2/23 at Lost Origins.
