Filmfest DC 2022

Filmfest DC 2022 features three Spanish films in its 36th edition that will happen in a hybrid format, with in-person and online screenings.

Filmfest DC is the largest and longest-running film festival in Washington, D.C. This year’s selection comprises a lineup of 65 new films from 35 countries over 11 days. Most of the festival films will be presented both in person and online. Spanish films are in-person only.

Spanish films at Filmfest DC 2022

Out of sync

• On Friday, April 22 at 8:30 pm. Buy tickets.
• On Sunday, April 24 at 7:30 pm. Buy tickets.
• Directed by Juanjo Gimenez, Spain / Lithuania / France, 2021, 104 minutes. Original title: Tres.
• In Spanish with English subtitles. Watch trailer.

C. is a talented sound designer, passionate about her work. After delivering a few sound mixes with clear defects of synchronization, her employers believe that she is going through a phase of psychological instability, and that they cannot trust her with new projects. She will then realize that, just like a film with a faulty soundtrack, her brain is processing sound later than images. As the time lapse extends, day after day, she will face hardships, be forced to give up her job and reconsider her whole life.

The replacement

• On Saturday, April 23 at 8:30 pm. Buy tickets.
• On Friday, April 29 at 8:30 pm. Buy tickets.
• Directed by Oscar Aibar, Spain, 2021, 115 minutes. Original title: El sustituto.
• In Spanish with English subtitles. Watch trailer.

Based on actual events from 1982, this thriller tells the story of Andrés (Ricardo Gómez), a hard-charging big-city detective sent to the supposedly quiet Spanish coast to replace an officer who died mysteriously. Aided by a cynical old-timer (Pere Ponce) dismissively nicknamed “Columbo” by the other officers, Andrés performs an unauthorized investigation that turns up increasingly disturbing details and leads to the discovery of a group of successful German ex-pats who turn out to be actual Nazis in hiding. When Andrés spends less time with his complaining wife and more time with a bright young doctor, Eva (Vicky Luengo), who can offer insight on the case, his life begins unraveling. Is there anyone in the town he can trust?

The King of all the World

• On Saturday, April 23 at 6 pm. Buy tickets.
• On Saturday, April 30 at 4:30 pm. Buy tickets.
• Directed by Carlos Saura, Spain/Mexico, 2021, 95 minutes. Original title: El rey de todo el mundo.
• In Spanish with English subtitles. Watch trailer.

Like a few other great European auteurs who began working in the twentieth century, Spain’s Carlos Saura has steadily worked on a film every year or two for decades. Much of his recent work has been devoted to documentaries centered on music and dance from Spain, Portugal, and Argentina (Fados; Flamenco, Flamenco), so it’s not surprising that his first narrative film in almost 20 years is a musical about theatre and dance. In fact, The King of All the World is one long rehearsal, the making of a piece of music and dance told in a story about the process of creation and the highs and lows endured by its creators. Captured by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now, The Last Emperor), some amazing, beautifully shot and lit scenes feature vibrant contemporary dance set to Mexican music by Lila Downs, Carlos Rivera, and Fela Dominguez.

—ScreenAnarchy