CONTACT: Josh Gardner, AFI

[email protected], 301.495.6729

2024 AFI EUROPEAN UNION FILM SHOWCASE TO OPEN WITH GLENN CLOSE IN CHARLIE MCDOWELL’S HEARTFELT FINNISH DRAMA “THE SUMMER BOOK”

Brady Corbet’s “THE BRUTALIST” in 70mm Announced as the Centerpiece Screening

Showcase Closes with Pedro Almodóvar’s “THE ROOM NEXT DOOR” Starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton

37th Edition of Showcase Runs December 4–22 with 54 Films from all 27 EU Member States, 12 Best International Feature Film Oscar^® Submissions and 6 U.S. Premieres

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Silver Spring, Maryland, November 12, 2024 — The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center announced today the complete slate of films for the 2024 AFI European Union Film Showcase, taking place December 4–22 at the American Film Institute’s historic theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland. Now in its 37th year, the Showcase highlights 54 films representing all 27 EU member states, including award winners, regional box-office hits, debut works by up-and-coming talents and new works by leading auteurs, plus 12 of the top contenders for this year’s Academy Award^® for Best International Feature Film and six U.S. premieres.

This year’s AFI European Union Film Showcase opens on December 4 with THE SUMMER BOOK (Finland), a heartfelt adaptation of the beloved Finnish novel by Tove Jansson that examines the complexities of family, generational loss and life-altering grief. THE SUMMER BOOK stars Glenn Close (FATAL ATTRACTION, THE WIFE) and Anders Danielsen Lie (THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD) and was directed by AFI Conservatory Alum Charlie McDowell (AFI Class of 2006, THE ONE I LOVE, WINDFALL). The film had its U.S. Premiere in October at AFI FEST presented by Canva. Filmmaker Charlie McDowell is expected to attend and participate in a Q&A to follow the screening.

The Centerpiece screening is Brady Corbet’s THE BRUTALIST (Hungary) in 70mm, an astonishing work of art that recalls the sweeping epics of 1970s American cinema and stars Adrien Brody as László Tóth, a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who flees Europe after the end of World War II to start afresh in America. Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Raffey Cassidy, Joe Alwyn and Stacy Martin co-star. Corbet won the Silver Lion for Best Director at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

The Closing Night selection is THE ROOM NEXT DOOR (Spain), directed by Spanish iconoclast Pedro Almódovar, who makes his English language feature debut with this moving tale of death and friendship. THE ROOM NEXT DOOR won the Golden Lion for Best Film at this year’s Venice Film Festival and stars Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton and John Turturro.

Additional highlights include several eagerly anticipated new works from some of Europe’s best-known filmmakers, including the U.S. premiere of Olivier Assayas’ (IRMA VEP, CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA) auto-fictional quarantine comedy SUSPENDED TIME (France); Paolo Sorrentino’s (THE GREAT BEAUTY, YOUTH) Cannes-debuted PARTHENOPE (Italy), a tribute to his hometown of Naples; Julie Delpy’s (BEFORE SUNRISE, 2 DAYS IN PARIS) searing immigration comedy MEET THE BARBARIANS (France); Miguel Gomes’ (TABU, THE TSUGUA DIARIES) GRAND TOUR (Portugal), a rollicking period piece and Asian travelogue that won the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival; Athina Rachel Tsangari’s (ATTENBERG, CHEVALIER) HARVEST (Greece), a ferocious,16mm-shot medieval drama about the destruction of a small Scottish farming village; and Juho Kuosmanen’s (COMPARTMENT NO. 6) love letter to the art of silent cinema, SILENT TRILOGY (Finland).

Other standouts from among the 12 official Best International Feature Film Oscar^® submissions featured in this year’s lineup are THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE (Denmark), a stark expressionistic fairy tale from Magnus von Horn; VERMIGLIO (Italy), a postwar family drama and winner of the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Venice Film Festival; UNDER THE VOLCANO (Poland), a striking portrait of a Ukranian family on vacation in the Canary Islands who are suddenly forced into limbo when Russia invades their homeland; the U.S. Premiere of the Slovakian selection, THE HUNGARIAN DRESSMAKER, a stylish World War II drama; and visiting filmmaker guests Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson accompanying their film THE LAST JOURNEY (Sweden), a tender, crowd-pleasing documentary about family, aging and memory.

Complete list of 2025 Oscar^® submissions for Best International Feature Film:

8 VIEWS OF LAKE BIWA (DIR Marko Raat, Estonia)
DROWNING DRY (DIR Laurynas Bareiša, Lithuania)
FAMILY THERAPY (DIR Sonja Prosenc, Slovenia)
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE (DIR Magnus von Horn, Denmark)
GRAND TOUR (DIR Miguel Gomes, Portugal)
THE HUNGARIAN DRESSMAKER (DIR Iveta Grófová, Slovak Republic)
JULIE KEEPS QUIET (DIR Leonardo van Dijl, Belgium)
THE LAST JOURNEY (DIR Filip Hammar, Fredrik Wikingsson, Sweden)
THREE KILOMETERS TO THE END OF THE WORLD (DIR Emanuel Pârvu, Romania)
UNDER THE VOLCANO (DIR Damian Kocur, Poland)
VERMIGLIO (DIR Maura Delpero, Italy)
WAVES (DIR Jiří Mádl, Czech Republic)

Complete list of U.S. and North American Premieres:

CELEBRATION (DIR Bruno Anković, Croatia)
SUSPENDED TIME (DIR Olivier Assayas, France)
THE HUNGARIAN DRESSMAKER (DIR Iveta Grófová, Slovak Republic)
THREE DAYS OF FISH (DIR Peter Hoogendoorn, Netherlands)
THE PARTY’S OVER (DIR Elena Manrique, Spain)
WINDLESS (DIR Pavel G. Vesnakov, Bulgaria)

Complete list of Special Presentations:
THE BRUTALIST (DIR Brady Corbet, Hungary)
CELEBRATION (DIR Bruno Anković, Croatia)
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (DIRS Matthieu Delaporte, Alexandre de La Patellière, France)
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE (DIR Magnus von Horn, Denmark)
GRAND TOUR (DIR Miguel Gomes, Portugal)
HARVEST (DIR Athina Rachel Tsangari, Greece)
HOLY COW (DIR Louise Courvoisier, France)
THE LAST JOURNEY (DIR Filip Hammar, Fredrik Wikingsson, Sweden)
MEET THE BARBARIANS (DIR Julie Delpy, France)
PARTHENOPE (DIR Paolo Sorrentino, Italy)
POISON (DIR Désirée Nosbusch, Luxembourg)
THE PARTY’S OVER (DIR Elena Manrique, Spain)
THE ROOM NEXT DOOR (DIR Pedro Almodóvar, Spain)
THE SUMMER BOOK (DIR Charlie McDowell, Finland)
TWO TO ONE (DIR Natja Brunckhorst, Germany)
UNDER THE VOLCANO (DIR Damian Kocur, Poland)
VERMIGLIO (DIR Maura Delpero, Italy)

A complete slate of all festival selections is below. For photos, contact Josh Gardner at [email protected]. For updated information, tickets and festival passes, visit AFI.com/Silver/EUShowcase.

2024 AFI EUROPEAN UNION FILM SHOWCASE
December 4–December 22

Austria

PEACOCK

A hilarious, biting satire, the feature debut from filmmaker Bernhard Wenger follows rent-a-friend professional Matthias, who can be whomever you want him to be. But while he is endlessly charming on the job, his personal life is on the verge of a total breakdown. DIR Bernhard Wenger. Austria/Germany, 2024, 102 min. In English and German with English subtitles.VENI VIDI VICI

Filmmakers Daniel Hoesl and Julia Niemann skewer the 1% in this sharp satire about the patriarch of a wealthy family who takes aim at people with his hunting rifle — an open secret that journalists, politicians and even the police choose to ignore. DIR Daniel Hoesl, Julia Niemann. Austria, 2024, color, 86 min. In German with English subtitles.

Belgium

2025 Oscar^® Selection, Belgium

JULIE KEEPS QUIET [JULIE ZWIJGT]

Echoing the realism of the Dardenne brothers and executive produced by tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, this Belgian drama follows a young tennis player who chooses to keep quiet amidst whispered allegations against her coach. DIR Leonardo van Dijl. Belgium/Sweden, 2024, 100 min. In Dutch and French with English subtitles.

MALDOROR

When two young girls go missing, it is up to former juvenile-delinquent-turned-renegade-cop Paul Chartier to crack the case. But when his carefully gathered evidence is ignored, he is forced to take justice into his own hands. David Fincher’s ZODIAC meets Denis Villeneuve’s PRISONERS in this crackling true-crime thriller. DIR Fabrice du Welz. Belgium/France, 2024, 155 min. In French with English subtitles.

SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT

Jazz and colonial politics collide in a forgotten chapter of Cold War history in Johan Grimonprez’s electrifying essay film, featuring the music of Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Nina Simone. Special Jury Award Winner at Sundance. DIR Johan Grimonprez. Belgium/France/Netherlands, 2024, 150 min. In English, French and Dutch with English subtitles.

Bulgaria

THE BLACK SEA

A deeply humane improvised comedy, THE BLACK SEA follows a charismatic barista from Brooklyn who gets stranded in a seaside vacation town in Bulgaria. With no money to his name and his passport stolen, he will have to rely on his wits, his New York hustle and the kindness of strangers to survive. DIRS Crystal Moselle, Derrick B. Harden. Bulgaria/U.S., 2024, 96 min. In English and Bulgarian with English subtitles.

U.S. Premiere

WINDLESS [BEZVETRIE] [БЕЗВЕТРИЕ]

Celebrated Bulgarian rapper FYRE stars as a man tasked with settling his father’s affairs in this deeply moving exploration of family legacy, filial duty and reconciliation shot in a gorgeous, poetic 1:1 aspect ratio that mimics the claustrophobia and isolation of the film’s protagonist. DIR Pavel G. Vesnakov. Bulgaria/Italy, 2024, 93 min. In Bulgarian with English subtitles.

Croatia

SPECIAL PRESENTATION
U.S. Premiere

CELEBRATION [PROSLAVA]
Q&A with director Bruno Anković

In his feature debut, Croatian director Bruno Anković employs a nonlinear narrative to explore the circumstances that lead villager Mijo to join the fascist Ustasha movement that ruled Croatia during the Second World War. DIR Bruno Anković. Croatia/Qatar, 2024, 86 min. In Croatian with English subtitles.

Cyprus

AFRICA STAR

A mother, daughter and granddaughter are all affected by the choice of one man and his failure to make amends throughout the years. Filmed in crisp black and white, AFRICA STAR is an examination of intergenerational trauma set across multiple points in the history of Cyprus. DIR Adonis Floridis. Cyprus, 2024, 120 min. In Greek with English subtitles.

Czech Republic

I’M NOT EVERYTHING I WANT TO BE [JEŠTĚ NEJSEM, KÝM CHCI BÝT]

The life story of radical photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková, the “Nan Goldin of Soviet Prague,” is recounted through her own gorgeous black-and-white photographs and diary entries in this deeply cinematic, dynamic and intimate portrait. DIR Klára Tasovská. Czech Republic/Slovak Republic/Austria, 2024, b&w/color, 90 min. In Czech with English subtitles.

2025 Oscar^® Selection, Czech Republic

WAVES [VLNY]

This taut historical thriller follows a young technician coerced into spying on his new colleagues in the International Editorial Office of Czechoslovak Radio on the eve of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. DIR Jiří Mádl. Czech Republic/Slovak Republic 2024, 131 min. In Czech with English subtitles.

Denmark

SPECIAL PRESENTATION
2025 Oscar^® Selection, Denmark

THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE [PIGEN MED NÅLEN]

This expressionistic fairytale, shot in stark black and white, follows a young seamstress struggling to survive in Copenhagen after the end of World War I when she meets a kindly-looking woman who promises to help with her looming pregnancy. DIR Magnus von Horn. Denmark/Poland/Sweden, 2024, 115 min. In Danish with English subtitles.

THE QUIET ONES

This suspenseful thriller about a boxer recruited to plan a robbery is inspired by the true story of the biggest heist ever completed on Danish soil in 2008, when a group of criminals absconded with over $10 million — little of which has been recovered. DIR Frederik Louis Hviid. Denmark, 2024, 110 min. In Danish, Swedish, Arabic and English with English subtitles.

Estonia

2025 Oscar^® Selection, Estonia

8 VIEWS OF LAKE BIWA [BIWA JÄRVE 8 NÄGU]

East meets West in this mesmerizing, atmospheric odyssey which follows the inhabitants of a small town who suffer a great tragedy when a boating accident claims the lives of all but two onboard. The film evokes the best of Terrence Malick, where religion, life and death meld into a thought-provoking meditation on the human spirit. DIR Marko Raat. Estonia/Finland, 2024, 126 min. In Estonian with English subtitles.
Finland

SILENT TRILOGY [MYKKÄTRILOGIA]

Acclaimed Finnish filmmaker Juho Kuosmanen pays tribute to the silent era with this utterly charming trilogy of short films about a man who moves to Sweden, a pair of bootleggers and their pet pig and a lighthouse keeper who journeys into space. DIR Juho Kuosmanen. Finland, 2024, b&w, 59 min.
THE SUMMER BOOK
Q&A with filmmaker Charlie McDowell, plus post-screening reception sponsored by the Embassy of Finland

After the death of her mother, Sophia and her father (Anders Danielsen Lie) take refuge for the summer at the home of her grandmother (Glenn Close), which is nestled on the shores of a remote Finnish island. A vibrant adaptation of Tove Jansson’s beloved Nordic novel. DIR Charlie McDowell. Finland/U.S., 2024, 90 min. In English.

France

GHOST TRAIL [LES FANTÔMES]

A pulse-pounding spy thriller, Jonathan Millet’s narrative debut follows Syrian exile Hamid as he hunts down Syrian war criminals across Europe. As he gets closer to finding the man who tortured him, Hamid must ask how far he is willing to go for justice. DIR Jonathan Millet. France/Germany/Belgium, 2024, 106 min. In English, French and Arabic with English subtitles.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

HOLY COW [VINGT DIEUX]
Post-screening reception sponsored by Alliance Française of Washington, DC on Dec. 8

In France’s eastern farming region of Jura, 18-year-old Totone becomes the man of the house after his father suddenly dies. The boyish and rascally Totone is not yet ready for the responsibilities of both running the family farm and raising his young sister, but he dreams of making a big score by winning the regional competition for producing Comté cheese. DIR Louise Courvoisier. France, 2024, color, 90 min. In French with English subtitles.

LANGUE ÉTRANGÈRE

Cultural borders and language barriers meld together in Claire Burger’s third feature, a contemporary Franco-German coming-of-age story between pen pals Fanny and Lena on a student exchange program. DIR Claire Burger. France/Germany/Belgium, 2024, 101 min. In French with English subtitles.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

MEET THE BARBARIANS [LES BARBARES]

Julie Delpy expertly walks the line between crowd-pleasing comedy and serious-minded drama with this satirical look at a French village preparing to welcome a Ukrainian refugee family, only to be surprised when a Syrian family shows up instead. DIR Julie Delpy. France, 2024, 101 min. In French, English and Arabic with English subtitles.

MISERICORDIA

Jérémie returns to the small, provincial French town of his youth and finds himself tangled in the twisted web of a grieving family. Death and desire make a potent cocktail in Alain Guiraudie’s (STRANGER BY THE LAKE, AFI FEST 2013) delicious Hitchcockian thriller that premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. DIR Alain Guiraudie. France/Spain/Portugal, 2024, 103 min. In French with English subtitles.

SOULEYMANE’S STORY [L’HISTOIRE DE SOULEYMANE]

An intense and moving examination of 48 hours in the life of a young Guinean man leading up to his asylum hearing in Paris, Boris Lojkine’s film won three awards at Cannes, including Best Performance in the Un Certain Regard section for first-time actor Abou Sangare’s magnetic lead performance. DIR Boris Lojkine. France, 2024, 93 min. In French, Fulah and Malinka with English subtitles.

U.S. Premiere

SUSPENDED TIME [HORS DU TEMPS]

Olivier Assayas’ auto-fictional portrait of his and his family’s life during their COVID quarantine, spent in the enviably comfortable confines of his family’s country home, stands apart from other cinematic attempts to represent that time for its sense of ironic humor, balancing droll self-deprecation with moving self-reflection. Vincent Macaigne (IRMA VEP (2022)) leads a delightful cast in this warm, witty and moving comic reverie. DIR Olivier Assayas. France, 2024, color, 105 min. In French with English subtitles.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO [LE COMTE DE MONTE-CRISTO]

Alexandre Dumas’ epic revenge tome gets a swashbuckling update in this lavish adaptation starring Pierre Niney as Edmond Dantès. Filled with court intrigue, thrilling disguises and stirring romance, this is Dumas via MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, a crowd-pleasing blockbuster success in France coming on the heels of its Cannes Film Festival premiere. DIR Matthieu Delaporte, Alexandre de La Patellière. France/Belgium, 2024, 178 min. In French, Romanian and Italian with English subtitles.

THE KINGDOM [LE ROYAUME]

Coming-of-age meets organized crime in Julien Colonna’s spellbinding feature debut, which premiered at Cannes. This gritty father-daughter tale unfolds against the backdrop of the criminal and political violence that gripped Corsica during the 1990s. DIR Julien Colonna. France, 2024, 108 min. In French with English subtitles.

THE MARCHING BAND [EN FANFARE]

A tragic diagnosis leads to a joyful discovery when Thibaut, a world-renowned conductor, finds out he has a long-lost brother, Jimmy. Raised worlds apart, they bond over music and join forces to transform Jimmy’s small-town marching band into a well-tuned, prize-winning ensemble. This crowd-pleasing tearjerker premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. DIR Emmanuel Courcol. France, 2024, 103 min. In French with English subtitles.

Germany

ARCHITECTON
Presented in 48 frames per second

Documentarian Victor Kossakovsky explores humanity’s destructive relationship with nature and the state of contemporary architecture through a visually mesmerizing tone poem filled with stunning images of concrete, rocks and stones bolstered by a captivating score from Evgueni Galperine. DIR Victor Kossakovsky. Germany/France/U.S., 2024, color, 98 min. In English and Italian with English subtitles.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

TWO TO ONE [ZWEI ZU EINS]

July 1990: German reunification means a new single currency, and residents of the former East Germany have been given six days to exchange their soon-to-be-obsolete Ostmarks for the West’s Deutsche Marks. Following a tip about an underground stash of bills, an unlikely gang, consisting of Maren (Sandra Hüller), her partner Robert and their friend Volker, plan a heist to liberate the loot and cash in. DIR Natja Brunckhorst. Germany, 2024, color, 116 min. In German with English subtitles.

Greece

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

HARVEST

Acclaimed Greek filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari returns with this darkly funny and intoxicating period piece following a community of medieval farmers who face the destruction of their simplistic way of life. Inspired by 1970s cinema and recalling the pastoral paintings of Bruegel, Tsangari and cinematographer Sean Price Williams shot the film on gritty 16mm, resulting in lush, hazy visuals. DIR Athina Rachel Tsangari. UK/U.S./Germany/France/Greece, 2024, 131 min. In English.

TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Stranded in Athens, Palestinian refugees Chatila and Reda embark on a series of schemes to make it to the other side of the German border. One of the year’s must-see narrative debuts, Palestinian filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel’s visceral and timely thriller premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. DIR Mahdi Fleifel. UK/Palestine/France/Greece /Netherlands /Germany/Qatar/Saudi Arabia, 2024, 105 min. In Arabic, English and Greek with English subtitles.

Hungary
PELIKAN BLUE [KÉK PELIKAN]

Hungary’s first full-length animated documentary, PELIKAN BLUE, chronicles the adventures of three friends after Hungary’s borders open in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s as their personal forging of international train tickets quickly grows into a minor criminal enterprise. DIR László Csáki. Hungary, 2023, 79 min. In Hungarian with English subtitles.

CENTERPIECE SCREENING

THE BRUTALIST in 70mm

In filmmaker Brady Corbet’s astonishing epic, shot in gorgeous VistaVision, Adrien Brody gives a visceral, emotional turn as a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who starts life anew in postwar Philadelphia. DIR Brady Corbet. U.S./UK/Hungary, 2024, 215 min. including 15-min. intermission. In English, Hungarian, Yiddish, Hebrew and Italian with English subtitles.

Ireland

FRÉWAKA

Sent to care for a recent stroke victim, Shoo finds a troubled woman who fears the demonic forces in her haunted home. Filmmaker Aislinn Clarke deftly mines Irish history and folklore to craft a deeply unsettling and utterly terrifying story of generational trauma. DIR Aislinn Clarke. Ireland, 2024, 103 min. In English and Irish with English subtitles.

Italy

GLORIA!

Tradition and the nouveau clash in this poppy feminist romp about a quartet of renegade musicians. With a singer-songwriter background, first-time director Margherita Vicario crafts an energetic, unapologetic musical set to remixed beats of Vivaldi, charting the boldly reimagined lost history of women composers and artists. DIR Margherita Vicario. Italy/Switzerland, 2024, 106 min. In Italian with English subtitles.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION
PARTHENOPE
Post-screening reception sponsored by the Italian Cultural Society on Dec. 13

Filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino gorgeously depicts the tale of Parthenope, a young woman possessed of near supernatural beauty befitting her mythic namesake — who embarks on a sentimental education in her life and academic career in Naples. DIR Paolo Sorrentino. Italy/France, 2024, 136 min. In Italian and Neapolitan with English subtitles.

THERE’S STILL TOMORROW [C’È ANCORA DOMANI]

A whip-smart satire and rich, comic melodrama, Paola Cortellesi’s directorial debut follows Delia, a hardworking mother of three, silently suffering at the hands of her merciless husband. Inspired by Italian neo-realism, this post-World War II tale broke box office records and won 6 Italian Academy Awards. DIR Paola Cortellesi. Italy, 2023, 118 min. In Italian with English subtitles.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

2025 Oscar^® Selection, Italy
VERMIGLIO
In VERMIGLIO, which won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, family secrets and lies are unearthed amongst a family living under a strict patriarch in the remote alpine village of Vermiglio, Italy, during World War II. DIR Maura Delpero. Italy/France/Belgium, 2024, 119 min. In Italian with English subtitles.

Latvia

MARIA’S SILENCE [MARIJAS KLUSUMS]

MARIA’S SILENCE tells the true story of Latvian actress Maria Leiko as she is swept up in the Soviet Union’s Great Terror of 1937. After she is called to Moscow to look after her newborn granddaughter, can Maria remain unharmed by the encroaching violence? DIR Dāvis Sīmanis. Latvia/Lithuania, 2024,104 min. In Latvian, Russian and German with English subtitles.

Lithuania

2025 Oscar^® Selection, Lithuania

DROWNING DRY [SESĖS]

Sisters Ernesta and Juste gather their families at the charming country estate of their youth. But when a terrible tragedy strikes, their lives will change forever. Laurynas Bareiša’s sophomore feature won awards for Best Director and a shared Best Performance prize at this year’s Locarno Film Festival. DIR Laurynas Bareiša. Lithuania/Latvia, 2024, 88 min. In Lithuanian with English subtitles.

Luxembourg

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

POISON
Q&A with director and producer Désirée Nosbusch

This exquisite two-hander is a showcase for Tim Roth and Trine Dyrholm’s formidable acting prowess. They star as a formerly married couple who meet 10 years after their separation at the site of their only child’s grave. DIR Désirée Nosbusch. Luxembourg/Netherlands/Germany, 2024, 88 min. In English.

Malta

SHAME ON DRY LAND [SYNDABOCKEN]

After a decade on the run, Dimman is looking to make amends when he turns up in Malta. Filmmaker Axel Petersén has crafted a sweaty Mediterranean neo-noir filled with debts, sex, crime and a ‘70s-infused swagger. DIR Axel Petersén. Sweden/Malta, 2023, 91 min. In Swedish, English and Maltese with English subtitles.

Netherlands

ALPHA.

A grieving snowboard instructor is forced to face his trauma when he reunites with his overbearing father for a backcountry ski trek. Speckled with humor, this charged family drama turns into a captivating survival thriller when nature takes control. DIR Jan-Willem van Ewijk. Netherlands/Slovenia/Switzerland, 2024, 100 min. In Dutch with English subtitles.

North American Premiere

THREE DAYS OF FISH [DRIE DAGEN VIS]

Shot in elegant black-and-white photography, this warm and intimate comedy about male vulnerability finds a 65-year-old father and a 45-year-old son attempting to reconnect when the former returns to Rotterdam from abroad for his annual health check-ups. DIR Peter Hoogendoorn. Netherlands/Belgium, 2024, 85 min. In Dutch with English subtitles.

Poland

SPECIAL PRESENTATION
2025 Oscar^® Selection, Poland
UNDER THE VOLCANO [POD WULKANEM]
Post-screening reception sponsored by the Embassy of Poland on Dec. 12

While vacationing abroad in the Canary Islands, a Ukrainian family suddenly transforms from tourists to overnight refugees when war breaks out in Polish filmmaker Damian Kocur’s complex sophomore feature. DIR Damian Kocur. Poland, 2024, 105 min. In Ukrainian, Spanish, English, Russian, German and Wolof with English subtitles.

Portugal

SPECIAL PRESENTATION
2025 Oscar^® Selection, Portugal 

GRAND TOUR
Post-screening reception sponsored by the Embassy of Poland on Dec. 12 

Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes won the Best Director award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for this spellbinding travelogue, where time, place, language and culture collide into an intoxicating masterwork. DIR Miguel Gomes. Portugal/Italy, France/Germany/Japan/China, 2024, 129 min. In Portuguese with English subtitles.

Romania

2025 Oscar^® Selection, Romania 

THREE KILOMETRES TO THE END OF THE WORLD [TREI KILOMETRI PÂNĂ LA CAPĂTUL LUMII] 

Actor and director Emanuel Pârvu’s film powerfully explicates how a homophobic assault is not merely an isolated instance but a manifestation of small-town closed-mindedness, reactionary conventional wisdom and a deeper institutional corruption that perpetuates petty frauds and grifts across church, state and family. DIR Emanuel Pârvu. Romania, 2024, 105 min. In Romanian with English subtitles.

TWST – THINGS WE SAID TODAY

August 1965. The Fab Four land in New York City, preparing for a monumental show at Shea Stadium. Romanian filmmaker Andrei Ujică spent 10 years sifting through archival material to create something transcendent: an ode to a time and city long gone, a nation on the cusp of a social revolution and a band who changed the world. DIR Andrei Ujică. Romania/France, 2024, 86 min. In English, French and German with English subtitles.

Slovak Republic

U.S. Premiere
2025 Oscar^® Selection, Slovak Republic

THE HUNGARIAN DRESSMAKER [EMA A SMRTIHLAV]

This poignant tale of fascism and racial prejudice set in the suburbs of Bratislava during WWII follows a Hungarian widow (Alexandra Borbély, ON BODY AND SOUL) who shelters a young Jewish boy while fending off romantic advances from Slovak and Nazi officers. DIR Iveta Grófová. Slovak Republic/Czech Republic, 2024, 129 min. In German, Slovak and Hungarian with English subtitles.

Slovenia

2025 Oscar^® Selection, Slovenia

FAMILY THERAPY [ODREŠITEV ZA ZAČETNIKE]

The Kralj family lead a seemingly picture-perfect life, but the arrival of a good-hearted stranger threatens to reveal their deepest deficiencies and darkest desires. Filmmaker Sonja Prosenc’s bristling dark comedy features wonderfully tuned performances, brilliant cinematography and a pulsing score from synthpop duo Silence. DIR Sonja Prosenc. Slovenia/Italy/Norway/Croatia/Serbia, 2024, 122 min. In English, French and Slovenian with English subtitles.

Spain

MARCO, THE INVENTED TRUTH [MARCO, LA VERDAD INVENTADA] 

Marco is a well-regarded Spanish survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, famous for speaking out against the horrors he experienced. But what happens when his whole story is discovered to be a lie? Based on a true story, this gripping moral thriller premiered at the Venice Film Festival. DIR Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño. Spain, 2024, 101 min. In English, Spanish and Catalan with English subtitles.

THE OTHER WAY AROUND [VOLVERÉIS]
After 14 years together, Ale and Alex decide to break up and throw one final party to celebrate their relationship’s demise. Spanish filmmaker Jonás Trueba crafts a delightful anti-rom-com in the mold of classic screwball comedies but with a distinctly postmodern twist. DIR Jonás Trueba. Spain/France, 2024, color, 114 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION
THE PARTY’S OVER [FIN DE FIESTA]
Q&A with filmmaker Elena Manrique, plus post-screening reception sponsored by the Embassy of Spain on Dec. 17

Elena Manrique’s directorial debut is the tender and humorous tale of a lonely, politically incorrect Spanish divorcée (Sonia Barba) who discovers a Senegalese migrant (Edith Martínez Val) living inside the garden shed of her marvelous villa. DIR Elena Manrique. Spain, 2024, 103 min. In Spanish and French with English subtitles.

CLOSING NIGHT

THE ROOM NEXT DOOR
In his first English language feature film, Spanish iconoclast Pedro Almodóvar brings his trademark flair to this elegant mortality tale, which stars Oscar^®-winning actresses Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton and won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival. DIR Pedro Almodóvar. Spain, 2024, color, 107 min. In English. RATED PG-13

Sweden
SPECIAL PRESENTATION

2025 Oscar^® Selection, Sweden

THE LAST JOURNEY [DEN SISTA RESAN]
Q&A with directors Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson, plus post-screening reception sponsored by the Embassy of Sweden on Dec. 5 

80-year-old Lars has lost his zest for life. His son decides to take him on one last road trip to France. This hilarious and warmhearted documentary delicately addresses the topic of aging and was a huge box office smash in Sweden. DIRS Filip Hammar, Fredrik Wikingsson. Sweden, 2024, 90 min. In Swedish with English subtitles.

About the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

The AFI Silver and Cultural Center is one of the nation’s premier film theatres, building an appreciation of the art and artists through exploring and celebrating new and classic films and filmmakers from around the globe. AFI Silver offers a year-round program of the best in American and international cinema, featuring a dynamic mix of retrospectives, special events, tributes, on-stage guest appearances, specialty first-run movies, festivals, premieres and education and community-based programs in a theatrical setting of the highest standards. Anchored by the stunningly restored 1938 Silver Theatre, the three-screen AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is a state-of-the-art film and digital media exhibition venue that serves as a national model for preserving and honoring our shared film and film-going heritage. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com/Silver, and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/afisilvertheatre, youtube.com/AFISilverTheatre, X.com/AFISilver and
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About the American Film Institute (AFI)

The American Film Institute (AFI) is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to champion the moving image as an art form. Established in 1967, AFI launched the first comprehensive history of American film and sparked the movement for film preservation in the United States. In 1969, AFI opened the doors of the AFI Conservatory, a graduate-level program to train narrative filmmakers. The Conservatory, which counts Deniese Davis, Affonso Gonçalves, Susannah Grant, Matthew Libatique, David Lynch, Melina Matsoukas and Rachel Morrison as Alumni, is ranked as one of the top film schools in America. AFI’s enduring traditions include the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors the masters for work that has stood the test of time; AFI AWARDS, which celebrates the creative ensembles of the most outstanding screen stories of the year; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive that preserve film history for future generations. AFI exhibition programs include AFI FEST and year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Maryland. AFI Movie Club is a destination for movie lovers from around the world to celebrate and engage with the art form every day. Other pioneering programs include workshops aimed at increasing diversity in the storytelling community, including AFI DWW+ and the AFI Cinematography Intensive for Women. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, YouTube.com/AFI, Twitter.com/AmericanFilm
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