The Washington DC Film Society announces the 16th annual vote for the Best of 2016. This is your chance to tell us what you think are the best films, director and performers of 2016. It is not an Oscar opinion poll. All ballots will be entered in a drawing for great prizes.

Make your choices for (1) Best Film, (2) Best Director, (3) Best Actor, (4) Best Actress, (5) Best Supporting Actor, (6) Best Supporting Actress, and (7) Best Foreign Language Film. More information is here and you can review the rules here. Watch your e-mail for a link to the survey.

The Cinema Lounge meets Monday, January 16, 2017 at 7:00pm. Our topic is the annual "Pick the Oscar Nominations." Before the Academy announces its Oscar choices, this is our chance to pick who should be nominated, and who probably will be.

The Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, meets the third Monday of every month (unless otherwise noted) at 7:00pm at Teaism in Penn Quarter, 400 8th St., NW in Washington, DC (closest Metro stop is Archives, also near Metro Center and Gallery Place). NOTE: We will meet in the downstairs area. 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.

By Adam Spector, DC Film Society Member

The Hollywood Reporter’s Graeme McMillian wrote that, “For Star Wars fans, losing Carrie Fisher is like losing a family member.” That perfectly captures the sadness I, and millions of others, felt last week after Fisher’s tragic death at age 60. Fisher became immortalized as Princess Leia, but grew to be so much more than that. Four years ago I had the privilege of meeting her, a moment that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Nothing I write can fully do her justice, but I try to honor her in my new Adam’s Rib column.

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.

FILMS

American Film Institute Silver Theater
The AFI shows mostly first-run films in January but there are a few special programs. On January 28 at 7:00pm Count Gore de Vol presents Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks, 1974). On January 16 is King: A Filmed Record Montgomery to Memphis (Sidney Lumet and Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1970). On January 22 at 5:15pm is Salesman (Asghar Farhadi, 2016) and on January 29 at 7:15pm is Radio Dreams (Babak Jalali, 2016), both from Iran and shown as part of the Freer's Iranian Film Festival.

Freer Gallery of Art
The Freer is closed for renovations until October 2017. Films will be shown at varying locations.

The Freer's Iranian Film Festival starts in January with two films at the AFI, see above. More in February.

National Gallery of Art
Special events at the Gallery include Brillo Box 3c Off (Lisanne Skyler, 2016), about the director's tale of her family's Brillo Box by Andy Warhol, shown on January 7 at 4:00pm. The documentary will be introduced by the filmmaker. On January 28 at 2:00pm is the Washington premiere of Tony Conrad-Completely in the Present (2016), a documentary of the performer and polymath. Filmmaker Tyler Hubby will introduce the film and a performance by Tony Conrad's Amplified Drone Strings will follow the screening.

"Virginia Dwan Selects" (January 7-29) is a collection of favorite films shown in conjunction with the art exhibition Los Angeles to New York: Dwan Gallery, 1959-1971. On January 7 at 1:30pm is Weekend (Jean-Luc Godard, 1967); on January 8 at 4:00pm is Cul-de-sac (Roman Polanski, 1966); on January 16 at 2:30pm is La Strada (Federico Fellini, 1954); on January 22 at 4:00pm is Orpheus (Jean Cocteau, 1950); and on January 29 at 4:00pm is Woman in the Dunes (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1964).

"Jean Desmet’s Dream Factory, 1906 – 1916" is a series of six programs, all Cine-Concerts, chosen from Desmet's vast collection of films. On January 14 at 1:30pm is "Up in the Air" (aviation) with a feature Filibus (1915) and short films Une Promenade dans Los Angeles (1912), It All Came Out in the Wash (1912), Rosalie et son phonographe (1911). On January 14 at 3:30pm is "Ladies First" (women) with Das Geheimschloss (1914), Le Acque miracolose (1914), A Lady and Her Maid (1913), Fleurs des champs (1912) and Anna Karenina (1911). On January 15 at 4:00pm is "The Colorful World of Cinema" (tinted films) Ved Faenglets Port (1911), I>Tra le pinete di Rodi (1912), L'Obsession d'or (1906), Lily ménagère (1914), Le Royaume des fleurs (1914), L'Orgie romaine (1911) and La Legende des ondines (1911). On January 15 at 5:30pm is When the Earth Trembled (1913), Constantine (1913), The High Born Child and the Beggar (1913), L'Apiculture (1913) and Le Desespoir de Petronille (1914). On January 21 at 1:30pm is "Perils of the Pictures" Le Mystere des Roches de Kador (1912), Amour et science, The Picture Idol (1912), Artheme operateur (1913) and UnaTragedia al cinematografo (1913). On January 21 at 3:30pm is "Cinema Fashionista" (fashion) Fior di male (1915), La Moda vuole l'ala larga (1912), and Concorso di bellezza fra bambini a Torino (1909). Andrew Simpson provides piano music for all six programs and Elif Rongen from EYE Film Institute of Rotterdam introduces the first three.

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
On January 7 at 11:00am is A Lot of Sorrow (Ragnar Kjartansson), a six hour video of the band The National paying their three minute song Sorrow for six hours.

Washington Jewish Community Center
On January 10 at 7:30pm is Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story (Daniel Raim, 2015), a documentary about film researcher and storyboard artist Lillian and Harold Michelson in Hollywood's Golden Age.

On January 17 at 7:30pm is Olympic Pride, American Prejudice (Deborah Riley Draper, 2016), a documentary about African Americans who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin.

On January 24 at 7:30pm is The Second Time Around (Leon Marr, 2016), a Canadian romantic film about two elderly music lovers.

French Embassy
"Coming of Age" is a series of four films beginning with Swagger (Olivier Babinet, 2016) on January 10 at 7:00pm. On January 24 at 7:00pm is The 400 Blows (François Truffaut, 1959). Two more in February.

The Japan Information and Culture Center
On January 18 at 6:30pm is Au revoir l'ete (Koji Fukada, 2014), an award-winning coming of age drama.

The Textile Museum at GWU
Two films accompany the exhibition "Bingata! Only in Okinawa." On January 12 at noon is Five Textile Traditions of Okinawa and the Ryukyu Kingdom, and on January 26 at noon is Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown: Okinawa, Japan (2015).

National Archives
On January 18 and 19 at noon is "Films From the Vaults: Presidential Inaugurations," a selection of archival motion pictures drawn from the holdings of the National Archives related to the ceremonial inaugural events.

Bethesda Row
"Cinema Arts Bethesda" is a monthly Sunday morning film discussion series. On January 22 at 10:00am is The Last Mensch (Pierre-Henry Salfati, 2014) from Germany. Breakfast is at 9:30pm, the film is at 10:00am and discussion follows, moderated by Adam Spector, host of the DC Film Society's Cinema Lounge and author of the column "Adam's Rib."

The Avalon
On January 4 at 8:00pm is Hell or High Water (David Mackenzie, 2016), part of the "Programmer's Choice" series.

On January 11 at 8:00pm is "Deconstructing the Beatles’ White Album," a filmed lecture by Beatles expert Scott Freiman who will take the audience into the creative process of The Beatles' performances and recording sessions.

On January 18 at 8:00pm is In Her Name (Vincent Garenq, 2016), a legal drama based on historical events starring Daniel Auteuil, part of the "French Cinematheque" series.

On January 25 at 8:00pm is Blush (Michael Vinik, 2015), this month's "Reel Israel" film.

Library of Congress
The Mary Pickford Theater at the Library of Congress starts a new series of films showcasing the Library's collection and including newly preserved films. On January 12 at 7:00pm is The Doorway to Hell (Archie Mayo, 1930), a pre-Code gangster film starring Lew Ayres and James Cagney. Preceded by the short film Insurance (Mort Blumenstock, 1930), a comedy starring Eddie Cantor.

Anacostia Community Museum
On Jauary 13 at 11:00am is Dying to Live (2005), a short film about immigrants. Historian Thomas Hollowak leads a discussion after the film.

On January 18 at 2:00pm is Chocolate City (2007), a documentary about the gentrification of DC. The film's director, Ellie Walton, will participate in a post-film discussion.

African American History and Culture Museum
On January 28 at 7:00pm is Olympic Pride, American Prejudice (Deborah Riley Draper, 2016), a documentary about 18 African Americans at the 1936 Olympic Games.

Reel Affirmations XTra
On January 27 at 7:00pm is Daddy's Boy (Daniel Armando, 2016). The filmmaker and cast members will be present for Q&A.

December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016