Women Directors at the Oscars

“Women Directors at the Oscars” showcases the fine work of the only three women ever nominated for a Best Director Oscar: Lina Wertmüller’s “Seven Beauties” (June 20); Jane Campion’s “The Piano” (July 18); and Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” (July 11). Also screening is Cristina Comencini’s “La Bestia Nel Cuore (Don’t Tell)” (June 27), which was last year’s Foreign Language Film nominee from Italy. All but Campion are of Italian descent, modern heiresses to the artists featured in the exhibit “Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque.”

Finally, ¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Frida! As part of NMWA's Frida Kahlo 100th Birthday Celebration, two most popular- but decidedly different- cinematic accounts of her life will be shown.

For more details about the films, see the National Museum of Women in the Arts' calendar.

Reservations (recommended for all programs) or more information: (202) 783-7370 or reservations@nmwa.org Members, Seniors, Students: $4, General $5 (unless otherwise noted)

National Museum of Women in the Arts

1250 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC

(Two blocks north of Metro Center)

(202) 783-7370

Hitchcock at the National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery presents three films from the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, whose portrait appears in the new exhibition “Harry Benson: Being There.”

“Shadow of a Doubt” Thursday, June 21 7 p.m. Is Teresa Wright’s beloved Uncle Charlie, played by Joseph Cotten, the Merry Widow serial killer? Hitchcock’s direction of Thornton Wilder’s screenplay injects real terror into smalltown life. A discussion with author Tappan Wilder follows the screening.

“Strangers on a Train” Friday, June 22 7 p.m.Hitchcock delivers murder, blackmail, and Oscar-nominated cinematography in this 1951 thriller. A conversation with Geoffrey O’Brien, historian and author of “Castaways of the Image Planet” follows the screening.

“To Catch a Thief” Saturday, June 23 2 p.m.The classic Hitchcock caper stars Cary Grant and Grace Kelly chasing truth, jewelry, and each other around the French Riviera.

Discuss Hitchcock’s Hollywood and the Cool Blondes with NPG historian Amy Henderson after the screening. Screenings and lectures for this series are all located in the Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture. Admission is free; doors open one half-hour before show time; seating is first-come, first-served.