The annual Korean Film Festival in Washington, DC, is a celebration of culture, language, creativity, and film highlighting the creative achievements of local Korean filmmakers, their films, and films about Korean culture. Yet, the festival is open to people from all cultures. Experience the heritage and cultural perspectives of Korean-born immigrants, their US-born descendants, and the Korean diaspora in this collaborative showcase of the best of South Korean filmmaking sponsored by the Korea Foundation and the Korean Film Council.

Throughout the Washington, DC metro area, this year’s festival films will be shown at a wide array of venues. The Freer and Sackler galleries of the Smithsonian Institution have already announced their participation in the event and their festival schedule. All Smithsonian events are free, but tickets are required. Usually, these are given out at least one hour before a scheduled performance. Though for more popular events, lines have been known to form far in advance. You can reserve no more than two tickets at a time.

Other theaters include the AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD, conveniently located near the MARC train and the red line Washington, DC metro. The AFI offers online ticketing as well as box office purchases beginning no more than 30 minutes before the first show of the day. The National Museum of Women in the Arts has also screened festival films. These are included with the price of admission, $5 for adults and $4 for members, seniors, and students.

All festival films are in Korean with English subtitles unless otherwise noted. This year’s festival runs from April 18 to May 3. A few highlights are below:

Forever the Moment, AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center, Saturday, April 18 at 5pm

Taxi Blues, Sackler/Freer Galleries, Sunday, April 26, 3 pm

Night and Day, AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center, Saturday, May 2, 4 pm; Sunday, May 3, 6:45 pm

The Show Must Go On, Sackler/Freer Galleries, Sunday, May 31, 2 pm