20-02-2025
Your D.C. weekend: Smithsonian film festival, Second City LOLs
It's the 10th anniversary of the Smithsonian's annual Mother Tongue Film Festival, and you can celebrate with 10 days of free events kicking off Thursday.
Why it matters: The festival is all about films that celebrate our world's diverse array of languages, and how they create connections and tell stories.
State of play: In-person programming runs three days — Thursday through Sunday — including 23 films featuring over 25 different languages.
Six days of virtual programming follow, from Feb. 24 to March 1.
🎥 Thursday night's kick-off event features a performance by the Native American group The Zotigh Singers, followed by a screening of the film "Singing Back the Buffalo" by Cree filmmaker Tasha Hubbard and a Q&A. (7-9:30pm, National Museum of the American Indian)
Other weekend screenings include: a Welsh-language horror film (Friday, 7-9pm), a series of shorts about the legacy-long implications of war (Saturday, 5-6:30pm), and a film about finding love in Norway's Sápmi region (Sunday, 2-4pm).
If you go: Weekend events will take place at sites around the National Mall. Screenings are free, and most of the films have English subtitles.
More fun things to do this weekend:
🧵Get cultured at a new Renwick exhibit opening Friday that celebrates Black women quilt artists. It's free to visit, and will run through June 22.
🎨 Another new exhibit: A collection of work by Czech artist Alphonse Mucha — known for his 1960s poster art — will be on display at the Phillips Collection starting Saturday and run through May 18. Museum admission is $20 for adults.
❄️ Flurry Fest is Saturday at the Yards, and you can expect wintery activities like a snow throw, cold weather-themed craft stations, and warm bevvies, plus a polar plunge to support Special Olympics D.C. Admission is free.
🍻 Drink local this Saturday in Union Market at District Beer Fest. Tickets start at $35, and get you sips from breweries like Atlas and City-State. Expect live tunes and food for purchase, too.
🤣 Get your giggle on with a Second City improv show at Wolf Trap on Saturday. Move fast — the $48 tickets for the 7pm show are the last available from the weekend-long line-up.
