FRIDAY, JULY 30
CHUCALEZNA Pioneering Argentine ethnographic filmmaker Jorge Preloran's study of a small, rural school whose children paint intricate and colorful landscapes. (1968, 16 min) With SEÑALADA EN JUELLA, Preloran's film about an annual festival where yearling goats and sheep are earmarked and thanks offered to Pachamama. (1969, 18 min) 11:30 am, Rasmuson Theater, National Museum of the American Indian, 4th Street & Independence Ave SW. Free.
SOLO O QUIERO CAMINAR As soon as she's released from prison, Aurora finds a worthy reason to hook up with accomplices Gloria and Paloma and return to crime: revenge on Felix, the major Mexican drug trafficker who married but mistreated Aurora's sister, Ana. Part of Maya Indie Film Series. 12:10 pm, Landmark E Street, 11th & E Sts NW.
NATIVE AMERICAN VETERANS: STORYTELLING FOR HEALING Nine Native American veterans tell memorable personal stories about their experiences in World War II, Vietnam, the Gulf War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom. (2009, 35 min) Daily through July. 12:30 pm, Rasmuson Theater, National Museum of the American Indian, 4th Street & Independence Ave SW. Free.
CHOCHENGO MIRANDA Filmmaker Jorge Preloran's "ethnobiography" of Cochengo, an Argentine poet, singer, trapper, and cowboy who lives in the Western Pampas's sandy grasslands. (1974, 90 min) 1:30 pm, Rasmuson Theater, National Museum of the American Indian, 4th Street & Independence Ave SW. Free.
IN THERAPY Out of mere curiosity, a woman in her 40s decides to visit a psychiatrist, and soon comes to question everything about her life, work, and family. Part of Maya Indie Film Series. 2:30 pm, Landmark E Street, 11th & E Sts NW.
FREE LAND This personal documentary creates a cinematic dialogue between her parents' frequent homelessness and the dispossession of her ancestors, members of the Cherokee Nation who were driven from their land 170 years earlier. (2009, 62 min) Daily through July. 3:30 pm, Rasmuson Theater, National Museum of the American Indian, 4th Street & Independence Ave SW. Free.
TROPICO DE SANGRE Based on a true story from the 1950's Dominican Republic, this drama is about a woman (Michelle Rodriguez) from an upscale family who defies longtime dictator Rafael Trujillo. Part of Maya Indie Film Series. 5:15 pm, Landmark E Street, 11th & E Sts NW.
L: CHANGE THE WORLD In the third in a series of live-action films inspired by Tsugumi Oba's *Death Note** manga series, sweets-loving crimefighter L battles a group of environmental terrorists who've decided to cleanse the planet of excess humans by unleashing a deadly virus. (2009, 129 min) 6:30 pm, 6:30 pm, Japan Information and Culture Center, 1155 21st St NW. Free; reservations required. RSVP to jiccrsvp@ws.mofa.go.jp
RED BEARD In this heavily stylized Akira Kurosawa historical epic, a recent medical school graduate unhappily takes a position at public clinic in the sticks, where he encounters a head doctor (Toshiro Mifune) who's as much samurai as a physician. The older man is a handful, but he is, of course, right. About everything. (1965, 185 min) 6:30 pm, American Film Institute Silver Theater, 8633 Colesville Rd. $10.
THE CONTRACT This slapstick satire of the Hong Kong entertainment industry, complete with impressive stunts, was made by the Hui Brothers, Canto-flick faves in the 1970s and '80s. (1978, 97 min) 7 pm, Freer/Sackler Galleries, 12th & Independence Ave SW. Free; tickets distributed one hour before screening.
BACKYARD In this drama, a female police captain arrives in Juarez, Mexico to investigate the many rapes and murders of young women who worked in or near the area's shabby factories. Part of Maya Indie Film Series. 7:30 pm, Landmark E Street, 11th & E Sts NW.
ROMEO + JULIET Aussie loon Baz Luhrmann pillages Sergio Leone, telenovelas, MTV, and -- oh yeah -- Shakespeare for this retelling of the tragic romance, with pretty near-teens Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the title roles. Entertainingly flashy, but too slight for its running time. (1996, 120 min) 8:30 pm, Gateway Park, Rosslyn. Free.
THE KID CHAMACO In this boxing drama, an American doctor (Martin Sheen) and his son, a dejected boxing pro, find new purpose while transforming a poor Mexican teenager into his country's new contenduh. Part of Maya Indie Film Series. 9:45 pm, Landmark E Street, 11th & E Sts NW.
RE-ANIMATOR Based on an H.P. Lovecraft story, although much bloodier than that author ever allowed, this is the tale of a medical student who's intent on reviving the dead. He succeeds, after a fashion. (1985, 95 min) 10 pm, American Film Institute Silver Theater, 8633 Colesville Rd. $10.
[REC] 2 This horror sequel sends a SWAT team into a quarantined apartment building where a virus turned the occupants into mindless aggressors. (2010) Midnight, Landmark E Street, 11th & E Sts NW.