Filmfest DC 2023

Four Spanish films participate in the 37th edition of the annual Washington, D.C. International Film Festival, the longest running film festival in the nation’s capital.

Founded in 1986, FilmFest DC has a long history of showcasing diverse and international films that might not be readily available to audiences in the U.S. The festival showcases a diverse selection of international films, including feature films, documentaries, and shorts, with a particular emphasis on films from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Spanish films at Filmfest DC 2023

Mamacruz

• On Sunday, April 23 at 7:15 pm.
• On Thursday, April 27 at 6 pm.
• Directed by Patricia Ortega, 2022, Spain, 83 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles. Watch trailer.

In this humorous tale of sexual rediscovery, devoutly religious Cruz leads a routine existence with her husband and precocious granddaughter while her daughter, Carlota, chases her dream of becoming a professional dancer in Vienna. While she’s attempting to navigate the Internet, a single errant click momentarily exposes Cruz to online pornography.

On the Edge

• On Wednesday, April 26 at 6 pm.
• On Thursday, April 27 at 8:05 pm.
• Directed by Giordano Gederlini, 2022, Belgium / France / Spain, 100 minutes.
• Original title: Entre la vie et la mort. In French and Spanish with English subtitles. Watch trailer.

In this game of cat and mouse, Leo Castañeda (Antonio de la Torre) is a Spanish metro driver living in Brussels. During his shift one evening, his eyes meet those of a young man on the platform who has a familiar face. Leo recognizes his son, Hugo, just as he falls onto the rails and later dies at the hospital. Leo had not seen his son for years. In his attempt to try to understand the reasons behind his death, Leo will discover that Hugo was involved in a bloody heist.

Stories Not To Be Told

• On Sunday, April 23 at 7:50 pm.
• On Saturday, April 29 at 8:30 pm.
• Directed by Cesc Gay, 2022, Spain, 100 minutes.
• Original title: Historias para no contar. In Spanish with English subtitles. Watch trailer.

Writer-director Cesc Gay (Truman) returns with five tales of human vulnerability and the curveballs life sometimes throws us. From the insane dynamics of couples to the major decisions we can make in the blink of an eye, to the raw honesty found in the not-so-white lies friends sometimes tell each other, the spotlight here is on situations we’d rather forget about, let alone make public.

The Substitute

• On Friday, April 21 at 6:15 pm.
• On Saturday, April 29 at 6:30 pm.
• Directed by Diego Lerman, Argentina / Italy / Mexico / Spain / France, 2022, 110 minutes.
• Original title: El suplente. In Spanish with English subtitles. Watch trailer.

Recently appointed as a substitute literature teacher at a high school in an underserved area of Buenos Aires, Lucio (Juan Minujín) has to hit the ground running if he wants to find a way to connect with the minds —and the realities— of a cohort of students with far tougher things than homework to worry about.