Check out the latest exclusive engagements and premieres, including the best in new indies, foreign films, documentaries and restored classics, by downloading a PDF of the E Street Cinema Film Calendar, with all-new programming from June 25 through September 23!

Now Playing at the Bethesda Row Cinema

Engaging, emotional and riveting, Farewell is an intricate and highly intelligent thriller pulled from the pages of history—about an ordinary man thrust into the biggest theft of Soviet information of the Cold War. A piece of history largely unknown until now, Farewell begins in 1981, when U.S./Soviet relations are at their lowest point in more than a decade. A French businessman based in Moscow, Pierre Froment (French director Guillaume Canet, Tell No One), makes an unlikely connection with Grigoriev (Palme d'Or and Golden Bear winner Emir Kusturica, Underground), a senior KGB officer disenchanted with what the Communist ideal has become under Brezhnev. Grigoriev begins passing him highly sensitive information about the Soviet spy network in the U.S. Torn between the fear of putting his wife (Alexandra Maria Lara) and children in danger and the desire to know more, Froment brings the documents to the French government. Soon, the flow of information reaches the White House and brings the Soviet regime to the tipping point of collapse, forcing the KGB to escalate its search for the leak, and placing the two men and their families in extreme peril. Directed by Christian Carion, the Academy Award nominated filmmaker of Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas). Official Web Site Director Christian Carion discusses Farewell, a man of many facets

Now Playing at the E Street Cinema

Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel takes a revealing look at the outspoken, flamboyant founder of the Playboy empire. When Hugh Hefner launched Playboy magazine in 1953, he became a champion of the sexual revolution and, immediately, the forces of Church and State initiated a war against him that raged over the decades. Hefner is revealed both as a hedonistic playboy, and, more importantly, the man who's been a groundbreaking advocate and catalyst for civil rights, the First Amendment and human rights. With humor and insight, the film captures Hefner's fierce battles with the government, the religious right and militant feminists. Compelling interviews with a remarkable Who's Who of 20th Century American pop culture, along with rare footage, present a brilliant and entertaining snapshot of the life of an extraordinary man and the controversies that surrounded him. Directed by Brigitte Berman, Academy Award winner for the documentary feature Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got. Official Web Site

Friday, July 30 through Thursday, August 5

Maya Entertainment proudly presents the second annual Maya Independent Film Series Presented by Blockbuster. Featuring international films from emerging Latino filmmakers, the series highlights seven theatrical premieres, assisting a select group of filmmakers in reaching the broadest possible audience and enabling Latino film enthusiasts and the general public to experience the power of Latino cinema. The seven premieres include: Backyard (Mexico), about a new female police captain in Juarez, Mexico, who is confronted with a series of long-running and increasingly gruesome murders; Chasing 3000 (USA), a heartwarming story starring Ray Liotta and inspired by true events, set against the backdrop of Roberto Clemente's historic 1972 chase to get his 3000th hit; In Therapy (Brazil), about a 40-something, married mother of two who suddenly and without explanation decides to visit a psychiatrist; Solo Quiero Camninar (Spain/Mexico), about four women who plot revenge against a dangerous and powerful Mexican drug trafficker, starring Victoria Abril and Deigo Luna; The Kid: Chamaco (USA/Mexico), a contemporary boxing tale of father and son overcoming vast differences to help train a young Mexican fighter plucked from the streets of Mexico City, starring Martin Sheen; Tropico de Sangre (Dominican Republic), based on the true story of how Minerva Mirabal and her sisters dared to stand up against Rafael Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic in the 1950's; The Dry Land (USA), starring Ryan O'Nan, America Ferrera, Wilmer Valderrama and Jason Ritter, about a war veteran who returns from Iraq to face a new battle—reintegrating into his small-town life in Texas. Official Web Site

Now Playing at the Bethesda Row Cinema

Winner of 7 Goya Awards (Spain’s equivalent of the Oscar), Agora is a breathtaking, English-language historical drama directed and co-written by Academy Award-winner Alejandro Amenábar (The Sea Inside). The film is set in ancient Egypt under Roman rule, where violent religious upheaval in the streets of Alexandria spills over into the city’s famous Library. Trapped inside its walls, the brilliant and beautiful astronomer Hypatia (Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener) and her disciples fight to save the wisdom of the Ancient World. Among these disciples are two men competing for her heart: the witty, privileged Orestes (Oscar Isaac) and Davus (Max Minghella), Hypatia’s young slave, who is torn between his secret love for her and the freedom he knows can be his if he chooses to join the unstoppable surge of the Christians. Official Web Site Filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar explores 4th century Alexandria Ann Hornaday's Washington Post review...

Now Playing at the E Street Cinema

Countdown to Zero traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs: nine nations possessing nuclear weapons capabilities with others racing to join them, with the world held in a delicate balance that could be shattered by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident. Written and directed by acclaimed documentarian Lucy Walker (The Devil’s Playground, Blindsight), the film features an array of important international statesmen, including President Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pervez Musharraf and Tony Blair. It makes a compelling case for worldwide nuclear disarmament, an issue more topical than ever with the Obama administration working to revive this goal today. Official Web Site Ann Hornaday's Washington Post review...

Now Playing at the Bethesda Row Cinema
and E Street Cinema

In The Kids Are All Right, comedic surprise is combined with poignant emotional truth in a funny, vibrant, and richly drawn portrait of a modern family. Nic and Jules (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) are married and share a cozy suburban Southern California home with their teenage children, Joni and Laser (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson). Nic and Jules—or, when referred to jointly by Joni, "Moms"—gave birth to and raised their children, and built a family life for the four of them. As Joni prepares to leave for college, 15-year-old Laser presses her for a big favor. He wants Joni, now 18, to help him find their biological father; the two teenagers were conceived by artificial insemination. Against her better judgment, Joni honors her brother's request and manages to make contact with "bio-dad" Paul (Mark Ruffalo), an easygoing restaurateur. The kids find themselves drawn to the confirmed bachelor's footloose style—especially in contrast to Nic, a principled doctor who has long established their house rules. Jules, who has been looking to start a new career in landscaping, also strikes up a rapport with Paul. As Paul comes into the lives of the forthright four, an unexpected new chapter begins for them as family ties are defined, re-defined, and then re-re-defined. Directed by Lisa Cholodenko (High Art, Laurel Canyon). Official Web Site Ann Hornaday's Washington Post review...

Now Playing at the Bethesda Row Cinema

At the Theatre Des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Igor Stravinsky (Mads Mikkelsen, Flame and Citron) premieres his ballet The Rite Of Spring. Coco Chanel (Anna Mouglalis) attends the premiere and is mesmerized. But the revolutionary work is too modern, too radical: the enraged audience boos and jeers, and a near riot ensues. Stravinsky is inconsolable. Seven years later, now rich, respected and successful, Coco Chanel meets Stravinsky again—a penniless refugee living in exile in Paris after the Russian Revolution. The attraction between them is immediate and electric. Coco offers Stravinsky the use of her villa in Garches so that he will be able to work, and he moves in straight away, with his children and consumptive wife. And so a passionate, intense love affair between two creative giants begins. Directed by Jan Kounen. Official Web Site Filmmaker Jan Kounen on couples and the creative impulse

Now Playing at the Bethesda Row Cinema
and E Street Cinema

In the highly anticipated second installment of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy (following The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) is a wanted woman. A researcher and a Millennium journalist about to expose the truth about the sex trade in Sweden are brutally murdered, and Salander's prints are on the weapon. Her history of unpredictable and vengeful behavior makes her an official danger to society—but no one can find her anywhere. Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), editor-in-chief of Millennium, will not believe what he hears on the news. Knowing Salander to be fierce when fearful, he is desperate to get to her before she is cornered and alone. As he fits the pieces of the puzzle together, he comes up against some hardened criminals, including the chainsaw-wielding 'blond giant' (Micke Spreitz)—a fearsomely huge thug who can feel no pain. Digging deeper, Blomkvist also unearths some heart-wrenching facts about Salander’s past life. Committed to psychiatric care aged 12, declared legally incompetent at 18, this is a messed-up young woman who is the product of an unjust and corrupt system. Yet Lisbeth is more avenging angel than helpless victim. Official Web Site Director Daniel Alfredson on shooting two films in one hundred days

Now Playing at the E Street Cinema

Restrepo is a feature-length documentary that chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, "Restrepo," named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. This is an entirely experiential film: the cameras never leave the valley; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 94-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you. Directed by Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger (author of "The Perfect Storm"). Official Web Site Filmmaker Tim Hetherington recalls Afghanistan in 2007 Tricia Olszewski's Washington City Paper review...

Now Playing at the Bethesda Row Cinema
and E Street Cinema

Still single seven years after the breakup of his marriage, John (John C. Reilly) has all but given up on romance. But at the urging of his ex-wife and best friend Jamie (Catherine Keener), John grudgingly agrees to join her and her fiancé Tim (Matt Walsh) at a party. To his and everyone else's surprise, he actually manages to meet someone: the gorgeous and spirited Molly (Marisa Tomei). Their chemistry is immediate. The relationship takes off quickly but Molly is oddly reluctant to take the relationship beyond John's house. Perplexed, he follows her home and discovers the other man in Molly's life: her son, Cyrus (Jonah Hill). A 21-year-old new age musician, Cyrus is his mom's best friend and shares an unconventional relationship with her. Cyrus will go to any lengths to protect Molly and is definitely not ready to share her with anyone, especially John. Before long, the two are locked in a battle of wits for the woman they both love—and it appears only one man can be left standing when it's over. Written and directed by Jay and Mark Duplass, the iconoclastic filmmaking team behind Sundance Film Festival favorite The Puffy Chair, Cyrus takes an insightful and funny look at love and family in contemporary Los Angeles. Official Web Site Filmmakers Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass on their first studio film Ann Hornaday's Washington Post review...

Now Playing at the Bethesda Row Cinema
and E Street Cinema

I Am Love tells the story of the wealthy Recchi family, whose lives are undergoing sweeping changes. Eduardo Sr. (Gabriele Ferzetti), the family patriarch, has decided to name a successor to reign over his massive industrial company, surprising everyone by splitting power between his son Tancredi (Pippo Delbono), and grandson Edo (Flavio Parenti). But Edo dreams of opening a restaurant with his friend Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini), a handsome and talented chef. At the heart of the family is Tancredi's wife Emma (Tilda Swinton), a Russian immigrant who has adopted the culture of Milan. An adoring and attentive mother, her existence is shocked to the core when she falls quickly and deeply in love with Edo's friend and partner Antonio, and embarks on a passionate love affair that will change her family forever. Official Web Site Writer/director Luca Guadagnino on the visual language of film Ann Hornaday's Washington Post review...

Now Playing at the Bethesda Row Cinema

Winner of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, this tense, naturalistic thriller follows 17-year-old Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence, The Burning Plain) as she confronts the local criminal underworld and the harsh Ozark wilderness in order to track down her father, who has put up the family homestead for his bail. Featuring a star-making performance by Lawrence, Winter's Bone is one of the most-critically acclaimed films of the year. Directed and co-written by Debra Granik. Official Web Site Director Debra Granik on the importance of location to a story Roger Ebert's Chicago Sun-Times review...

Now Playing at the Bethesda Row Cinema

Please Give is writer/director Nicole Holofcener's (Friends with Money, Lovely & Amazing) perceptive—and devastatingly funny—take on modern life's contradictions, good intentions and shaky moral bearings. Kate (Catherine Keener), Alex (Oliver Platt) and their teenage daughter Abby (Sarah Steele) purchase the apartment next door in order to expand their two bedroom Manhattan apartment. Their only problem is Andra (Ann Guilbert), the cranky old lady living in it, and that they've got to wait for her to die. Andra is cared for by her sweet granddaughter Rebecca (Rebecca Hall) who has no life, and is blatantly rejected by her other granddaughter, the highly cynical Mary (Amanda Peet). Simply waiting for Andra to die becomes complicated when the two families' lives intersect, resulting in a dramatic comedy about love, death and liberal guilt. Official Web Site Writer/director Nicole Holofcener on the hazards of being a good person Ann Hornaday's Washington Post review...

Now Playing at the E Street Cinema

Told in flashback, the romantic crime thriller The Secret in Their Eyes is winner of this year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Benjamín Espósito (Ricardo Darín, Nine Queens) has spent his entire working life as a criminal court employee. In 1999, recently retired and with time on his hands, he decides to write a novel. Drawing on his own past life as a civil servant, he recounts a true, moving and tragic story in which he was very directly involved: in 1974, his court was assigned an investigation into the rape and murder of a beautiful young woman. Moved by the grief of the husband, only married a short time, Espósito tries to help him find the culprit, despite having to contend with the apathy, ineptitude and even hostility of the police and legal system. For assistance he turns to Pablo (Guillermo Francella), a close friend and underling at his office who seeks release from his routine by drinking himself unconscious, and his boss, the beautiful upper class lawyer Irene (Soledad Villamil), with whom Espósito is secretly in love. Espósito's investigation spanning decades takes him deep into the world of Argentina in 1974—a perfect backdrop for the violence, hate, revenge and death—no longer as an observer, but an unwilling central character. Official Web Site Writer/director Juan José Campanella on love in its purest form Ann Hornaday's Washington Post review...

D.C. Premiere!
Friday & Saturday, July 30 & 31
at Midnight at the E Street Cinema!

In the acclaimed 2007 Spanish horror film [REC], remade as Quarantine in the U.S., a television reporter and her cameraman, covering the night shift in one of Barcelona’s local fire stations for a documentary TV series, respond to an emergency in which an old woman is reported to be trapped in an apartment building. But the TV crew becomes trapped itself—along with fire fighters and police officers—when the police and military seal off the building due to a virulent disease that is infecting people, causing them to turn into bloodthirsty savages. In [REC] 2, only a few minutes have passed since the authorities lost contact with the people trapped inside the quarantined building. Nobody knows exactly what's going on inside. Outside, chaos reigns. For the Special Operations Unit this is a seemingly straightforward mission—to enter the building and analyse the situation. But as we know, appearances can be deceiving... Directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza return to direct [REC] 2, exploring new ways to expand the horror genre. Official Web Site

Fri & Sat Midnight Movies at the E Street Cinema!

July 30 & 31: D.C. Premiere! New Spanish horror! [Rec] 2 Aug 6 & 7: Who you gonna call? Ivan Reitman's Ghostbusters Aug 13 & 14: Take a ride on the animated sci-fi classic Heavy Metal Aug 13 & 14: With live shadow cast Sonic Transducers! The Rocky Horror Picture Show Aug 20 & 21: "You are tearing me apart, Lisa!" The Room Aug 27 & 28: Toons in trouble! Robert Zemeckis's Who Framed Roger Rabbit Aug 27 & 28: With live shadow cast Sonic Transducers! The Rocky Horror Picture Show Sep 3 & 4: Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction Sep 10 & 11: Peter Sellers in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove Sep 10 & 11: With live shadow cast Sonic Transducers! The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Starts Friday, August 6
at the Bethesda Row Cinema

In The Concert, the new comedy from Radu Mihaileanu (Live and Become), Alexei Guskov stars as Andrei Filipov, a once celebrated Russian conductor of the Bolshoi who has hit rock bottom, working as a depressed custodian and drinking too much. But when he intercepts an invitation meant for a former orchestra to perform in Paris, Andrei masterminds a plan to pose as the leader of the group in order to make a triumphant return to the music scene. With a motley bunch of former musicians at his side, Andrei sets off for Paris to fulfill his destiny and return to his glory as a great conductor. Along the way, he will reunite with a young, beautiful violin virtuoso (Mélanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds) who holds the key to his past and to his future. With a message of hope and making the most of second chances, The Concert promises to be one of the most uplifting and entertaining films of the year. Also starring François Berléand (the Transporter series). Official Web Site

One Week Only!
Starts Friday, August 6 at the E Street Cinema

In writer/director Todd Solondz's part sequel/part variation on his acclaimed film Happiness, three sisters and the people they love struggle to find their places in an unpredictable and volatile world where the past haunts the present and imperils the future. The question of forgiveness and its limits threads throughout a series of intersecting love stories, offering clarity and, perhaps, alternatives to the comforts of forgetting. Ten years have passed since a series of shocking and catastrophic revelations shattered the world of the Jordan family. Now, ghosts circle and loom, trouble and console as sisters Joy (Shirley Henderson), Trish (Allison Janney), and Helen (Ally Sheedy) are each embroiled in their own unique dilemmas. As these characters and storylines dovetail, expand and collide, they create an emotionally resonant portrait of prisoners of love and life. Alternately hilarious and tragic, outrageous and poignant, Life During Wartime is an audacious comedy with unexpected resonance. Co-starring Ciaran Hinds, Michael Lerner, Chris Marquette, Rich Pecci, Charlotte Rampling, Paul Reubens, Dylan Riley Snyder, Renee Taylor and Michael Kenneth Williams. Official Web Site

Starts Friday, August 13 at the E Street Cinema

Mesrine: Killer Instinct (Part 1 of two parts) introduces us to Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel), a loyal son and dedicated soldier back home in France and living with his parents after serving in the Algerian War. Soon he is seduced by the neon glamour of sixties Paris and the easy money it presents. Mentored by Guido (Gerald Depardieu) Mesrine turns his back on middle class law-abiding and soon moves swiftly up the criminal ladder. After pulling off an audacious heist he and his lover Jeanne (Cecile de France) flee to Canada where the opportunity of one big payout lures him out of hiding and propels his towards international notoriety. Directed by Jean-François Richet. Official Web Site

Starts Friday, August 13 at the Bethesda Row Cinema
and E Street Cinema

Get Low is inspired by the true story of Felix "Bush" Breazeale, who attracted national attention when he threw himself a living funeral party in 1938 in Roane County, Tennessee. For years, townsfolk have been terrified of the backwoods recluse known as Felix Bush (Robert Duvall). One day, Felix rides to town with a shotgun and a wad of cash, saying he wants to buy a funeral—a "living funeral," in which anyone who ever had heard a story about him will come to tell it, while he takes it all in. Sensing a big payday in the offing, fast-talking funeral home owner Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) enlists his gentlemanly young apprentice, Buddy Robinson (Lucas Black), to win over Felix's business. Buddy discovers that behind Felix's surreal plan lies a very real and long-held secret that must get out. As the funeral approaches, the mystery—which involves the widow Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek), the only person in town who ever got close to Felix, and the Illinois preacher Charlie Jackson (Bill Cobbs), who refuses to speak at his former friend's funeral—only deepens. But on the big day, Felix is in no mood to listen to other people spinning made-up anecdotes about him. From Aaron Schneider, director of the Academy Award-winning short Two Soldiers. Official Web Site Director Aaron Schneider on bringing a film's elements together

Starts Friday, August 13 at the E Street Cinema

James (Ryan O'Nan) returns from Iraq to face a new battle—reintegrating into his small-town life in Texas. His wife (America Ferrera, Under the Same Moon), his mother (Melissa Leo), and his friend (Jason Ritter) provide support, but they can't fully understand the pain and suffering he feels since his tour of duty ended. Lonely, James reconnects with an army buddy (Wilmer Valderrama), who provides him with compassion and camaraderie during his battle to process his experiences in Iraq. But their reunion also exposes the different ways that war affects people—at least on the surface. This moving, taut story of redemption and reconstruction extends beyond a post-traumatic-stress-disorder narrative. The Dry Land is about one man's fight within his own terrain—his country, home, and mind—and his journey to rebuild what he's lost. Directed by Ryan Piers Williams. Official Web Site

One Week Only! New 35mm Print!
Starts Friday, August 13 at the E Street Cinema

Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton) is Orlando, the melancholy, fiercely independent, and always humanistic poet whose story begins when Queen Elizabeth I—wonderfully played by Quentin Crisp—takes a shine to the beautiful boy. There are several amazing things about Orlando, not the least of which is that he is immortal, has the tendency to slip into death-like sleeps for long periods of time and, halfway through the 18th century, changes into a woman. Based on the novel by Virginia Woolf, the author's wit is deftly matched by director Sally Potter's translation of it to the screen. With spectacular sets and costumes, Orlando is lush to look at while retaining a charming intimacy. Spanning four centuries to the present, Orlando mixes history with dramatized events—such as a great freeze during the 17th century that encases England in ice—resulting in fairy-tale enchantment and witty metaphor. Potter's signature vignette style takes Orlando on journeys both physical and emotional—as a patron to a mooching poet (Heathcote Williams), an ambassador to the Middle East, and a lover of an American explorer (Billy Zane)—in which he learns about all varieties of life, society, and gender in all of their complexities. Official Web Site

Friday & Saturday, August 13 & 14
at Midnight at the E Street Cinema
With Live Shadow Cast Sonic Transducers!

The longest-running midnight movie of all time stars Tim Curry as the kinky yet endearing “transsexual from Transylvania” Dr. Frank N. Furter, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick as his hapless guests Brad and Janet, Meat Loaf as motorcycle-riding rough trade and author Richard O’Brien as the hunchbacked butler Riff Raff. It’s harmless musical fun—a delightful spoof of Hollywood horror movies and Old Dark House melodramas. All of our engagements feature live casts who perform scenes during the movie, and the audience is always welcome to respond to the on-screen action. The Rocky Horror Picture was the first—and is still the best—interactive movie experience! Official Web Site

Please note that all opening dates and theatres are subject to change without notice.
If you are experiencing technical difficulties, please contact our webmaster
If you have questions or comments about this site, please drop us a line at comments
Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
© 1999-2010 Landmark Theatres