Saturday, tune in to WETA and uncover the truth with Henry Hathaway’s 1948 classic film, Call Northside 777. Based on a true story, this film stars the always likeable Jimmy Stewart as skeptical reporter P.J. McNeal. A woman places an ad in the newspaper with a large reward looking for the truth about the closed murder of a police officer. McNeal investigates the 11 year old crime, and as he delves deeper and deeper into the case, he finds loose ends, a potentially innocent convict, and a system unwilling to admit error. Driven to exonerate a man who has been behind bars for over a decade, McNeal will stop at nothing.
This Memorial Day weekend there’s plenty to do in the Washington, DC area besides going to the National Mall. Check out some of these DMV events this weekend.
Sometimes the best way to unwind after a long week is to discover or revisit a good movie. On Friday, The Alden Theatre of McLean Community Center is presenting E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial during their free Family Movie Night. This 1982 sci-fi film, directed by Steven Spielberg, is about a young boy named Elliott who finds a stranded extraterrestrial. Through trials and tribulations, he must find the courage to defy the authorities to help the alien return to its home planet. Watch the E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial trailer!
Friday, 7:30pm
Cost: Free
The Alden Theatre McLean Community Center 1234 Ingleside Ave. McLean, VA 22101
The school year is coming to an end and that means white sandy beaches and palm trees are on everyone’s mind. Just in time for summer vacation and in honor of Asian Pacific Heritage Month, the National Museum of the American Indian will be holding Eia Hawai’i: Celebrating Native Hawaiian Culture this Saturday and Sunday. This year, visitors can celebrate wayfinding, or navigation, and the Polynesian seafarers who discovered the Hawaiian Islands by watching and learning about hula, taking in a cooking demonstration, watching films and presentations, and meeting and greeting Hawaiian guests. There will also be a concert at 5pm on Saturday in the Welcome Plaza, featuring Amy Hanaiali’I Gilliom with opening act The Aloha Boys. Watch a preview of Amy Hanaiali'l Gilliom perform!
Saturday and Sunday, 10:30am to 5pm
Cost: Free
National Museum of the American Indian 4th Street and Independence Ave. SW Washington, DC 20013
Led by its iconic host and founder Garrison Keillor, A Prairie Home Companion has influenced popular culture since its first live radio broadcast in 1974. The program, listened to by millions each week, is performing live this weekend from Wolf Trap’s Filene Center in Vienna, Virginia. Special guests include harmonica player Howard Levy, singer Aoife O’Donovan, and folk music group The Milk Carton Kids. Discover the program’s signature brand of humor and storytelling through iconic segments like “The News from Lake Wobegon,” read by Keillor himself.
This week, WETA presents inspiring documentaries about creative forces. Tonight we learn about the soldiers who created fake war props in The Ghost Army and on Friday we join ukulele artist Jake Shimabukuro on a nine month tour across the US.
Whenever we go to the movies, we know that much of what we see on the screen isn’t real. We imagine talented prop makers on film sets in Hollywood, working to create the imagined world of the next big blockbuster. But what if those props were used to alter history? The documentary The Ghost Army tells the true tale of American G.I.s who tricked the enemy with rubber tanks, sound effects, and carefully crafted illusions during the Second World War. The soldiers, many of whom were artists, carried out top-secret missions in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, working to save lives and alter the outcome of the War. Watch the trailer!
The Ghost Army airs Wednesday, May 21 at 8:00pm on WETA TV26 & HD.
In an era of talented social media users rising to fame, Jake Shimabukuro is the perfect poster child. After playing the ukulele since age four, Jake uploaded a video of himself performing George Garrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” on YouTube, which became a viral hit with over 11 million views. The documentary Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings follows Jake on a nine month tour throughout the US and Japan, featuring performances and intimate conversations with the artist. Join us Friday and get to know the big talent behind this small instruments. Watch the trailer!
Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings airs Friday, May 24 at 9:30pm on WETA TV26 & HD.
Inspiring tales of "the underdog" and film have always gone together like peanut butter and jelly andeven though those PB&Js might not taste as great as they did when you were 6, underdog films never get old. This Saturday, WETA presents two free movies about people at a disadvantage working hard to make a difference. First, we follow the big win of a small town basketball team in Hoosiers (1986) at 9:30pm. Next, learn about rape cover up of the U.S. military and its survivors in Independent Lens: The Invisible War.
The small town of Hickory, Indiana loves basketball, so the pressure is on when a new coach arrives to train the high school team. After failing to impress the community with his unusual style of coaching, Norman Dale hires Shooter, the alcoholic father of one of his players, as his assistant. With the addition of a star player, the team begins a winning streak that leads to the State Championship game. But can this band of misfits win against their rivals of South Bend? Find out Saturday at 9:30pm! Watch a preview!
Hoosiers (1986) airs Saturday, May 18th at 9:30pm on WETA TV26 & HD.
Washington D.C. is often seen as military central for the United States, where training, planning and honors take place on a daily basis. But has a cover up also been developing at our nation’s capital? In the new investigative documentary by Independent Lens, the veil is lifted from one of the biggest scandals within the U.S. military where, according to the Department of Defense, there were an estimated 22,800 violent sex crimes in 2011. The Invisible War presents personal accounts of survivors, like Kori Cioca, who was beaten and raped by her supervisor in the U.S. Coast Guard. For the few who do report abuse, a flawed judicial system awaits, leading to only 8 percent of military sexual assault cases prosecuted. Watch a preview!
Independent Lens: The Invisible Warairs Sunday, May 19th at 1:30am on WETA TV26 & HD.
This weeked in the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia area, expereince a one-of-a-kind event at the Kennedy Center and get a hefty dose of fine art in Reston. Read on for more details!
Prepare for the landing of The Intergalactic Nemesis: A Live-Action Graphic Novel at The Kennedy
Center this weekend! Combining radio show and comic book elements, this unique production follows the story of reporter Molly Sloan, her assistant Timmy Mendez, and a librarian named Ben Wilcott as they face the threat of an invasion of sludge monsters from the planet Zygon. The live performance features three actors, one Foley artist, and one keyboardist who perform all the voices, sound effects and music, while more than 1,000 hand-drawn, comic book images fill a two-story-high screen. This adventure is perfect for families with children ages 8 and up! Watch a preview!
Friday through Sunday
Cost: $18
The Kennedy Center - 2700 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20566
How long has it been since you’ve set aside some time to appreciate art? From May 17-19, stop by Reston Town Center and experience the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival. The outdoor festival, now in its 22nd year, offers attendees the opportunity to admire and purchase original work from over 200 artists across a wide range of mediums. Enjoy live performances and entertainment, and be sure to visit the Family Art Park, which offers something for children, teens, and adults alike. Held by the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE), a non-profit organization with the goal of promoting visual arts, the festival begins this Friday with its Opening Night Party from 6pm-9pm.
Friday, 5pm-8pm
Saturday, 10am-6pm
Sunday, 10am-4pm
Cost: Free (attendees who $10 will receive a $10 gift certificate redeemable at participating local restaurants)
This weekend on WETA, watch three movies right from your Washington, DC, Maryland, or Virginia home! Watch a blind love unravel into danger and fear with Alfred Hitchcock's classic film Suspicion. Then discover the struggle between love and infatuation in Independent Lens' Seeking Asian Female. And if you're still awake at midnight, watch POV'sIn the Matter of Cha Jung Hee as a Korean born woman delves into her past to find the person whose name she bears.
Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine deliver exuberant performances in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller, Suspicion. This film tells the story of Lina McLaidlaw, a wealthy young woman, who falls in love with Johnnie Aysgarth. Swept off her feet by Johnnie’s charm, Lina disregard’s the disapproval of her father, General McLaidlaw, and soon runs away to get married. Unaware of troubles that are just around the corner, Lina finds out that her new husband has no money, no job and has a gambling problem. Johnnie insists that this will all change, but as Lina soon finds out, not everyone can keep promises. Following a series of bizarre events, a mysterious murder, and bit of paranoia, Lina becomes convinced that Johnnie might be plotting to kill her and make haste with her inheritance. Watch the trailer!
Tune in to WETA TV26 & HD Saturday at 9:30pm for Alfred Hitchcock’s, Suspicion.
For those of you who believe opposites attract, you’ll want to check out this documentary from Independent Lens. Seeking Asian Female follows the lives of two people who fall in love and decide to get married after meeting on the internet. Steven, a white Americanman from San Francisco, has always had a fascination with Chinese women. After divorcing twice, the struggle for Steven to find the Asian woman of his dreams seems to be merely impossible until he meets Sandy. Sandy, a determined 30 year old woman from China, immediately falls in love with Steven and flies out to San Francisco to marry him. But marriage isn’t all fun and games as the cross-cultured couple soon find out. Communicating through a translator, overcoming Steven’s obsession with Chinese women and adapting to life in a foreign country are just a few issues the couple must face in order to make their relationship work. But are Steven and Sandy willing to take these drastic measures for true love? Tune in to find out! Watch the trailer!
Independent Lens: Seeking Asian Female airs this Saturday at 11:00pm on WETA TV26 & HD.
In this unusual documentary, POV reveals the story of a Korean orphan who has her identity switched before she is taken in by an American family. After coming to the United States in 1966 at eight years old, she was told to keep her false identity a secret and never reveal it to anyone. Now, after more than 40 years, it is time to find the real Cha Jung Hee. In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee, filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem sets out in hopes of helping this mistaken orphan find Cha Jung Hee. But in a big territory like Korea, finding the woman whose life she has lived will not be an easy task. Watch the trailer!
Check out POV: In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee this Sunday at 12:00am on WETA TV26 & HD.
Looking for a new series to watch or just a great adventure to follow? WETA UK has everything you need! From new mysteries, to new seasons, and new shows all together, this week on WETA UK is sure to please every viewer.
Monday at 8:00pm tune in to WETA UK for the first part of a new Foyle’s War mystery, Plan of Attack. It’s April 1944 and when shots are fired outside Hastings police station killing DCS Meredith. Christopher Foyle must put aside his memoirs and return to his old job. This episode is the first of Foyle’s War season 6. Watch the trailer!
Tuesday at 7:30pm start watching May to December with season 3! A balding Scottish solicitor in his mid-50s and an attractive gym-mistress half his age fall in love despite plenty of conflicting advice from family and friends.
Wednesday at 11:00pm begin Hustle from the very first episode of season 1. Con artist Mickey Stone is fresh out of jail. His marriage is on the rocks, but he has a strong family to fall back on. That family – Albert and Ash, two old-timers and beautiful, street-sharp Stacie – are his partners in crime. Coming together to perform one last con, they hook up with young blood Danny Blue, a rookie with the makings of a master. But after the first last one, there have just got to be more. Watch the trailer!
Thursday at 10:00pm settle in for the first episode of Waking the Dead season 6. The award-winning, edge-of-your-seat spy drama is a white-knuckle ride through the perilous world of deadly terrorists, international cover-ups and treacherous double-agents.
Friday at 8:00pm have you been watching Ladies of Letters? This gentle comedy drama is about two very different widows who forge a friendship through letters, each letter attempting to out-do the other. Watch the trailer!
Sunday at 9:30pm join us for the WETA UK premiere of Worst Week of My Life! The week before a wedding can be stressful at the best of times but to Mel and Howard, it becomes a nightmare and everything that can go wrong does. Watch the trailer!
Whether in our own backyard or across the plains of Africa, four-legged creatures have learned to co-exist with humans or migrate to safer pastures. In the new episodes of PBS’ Naturethis month, we will explore The Private Life of Deeron Wednesday the 8th and The Great Zebra Exodus on Wednesday the 15th.
The Washington, D.C. area is home to many Whitetailed deer, which enjoy eating our gardens, hopping into oncoming traffic, and slipping into the woods of our local parks. In the past century, the deer population has increased from less than a million to almost 30 million as of today. In an effort to document this ever increasing species, footage was acquired in unique ways throughout the country. In one segment, residents of Cayuga Heights, NY were given video equipment to document populations in their area, while in another segment; small cameras were strapped to the backs to wild deer. The footage acquired provides unprecedented insight into the lives of our furry neighbors. Watch the trailer!
Nature: The Private Life of Deer airs Wednesday, May 8 at 8:00pm on WETA TV26 & HD. Also Airs Thursday, May 9 at 2:00pm.
Traveling with family can be complicated, especially when it seems like everyone’s moving in a different direction. But can you imagine voyaging with 20,000 of your closest kin? Follow the story of one zebra family, a stallion, his three mares and their offspring, traveling with the herd in Southern Africa’s biggest animal migration. Taking place every year across the Kalahari’s Makgadikgadi Pans, this trek to grass and water tests the social bonds that hold zebra families together. Watch the trailer!
Nature: The Great Zebra Exodus airs Wednesday, May 15 at 8:00pm on WETA TV26 & HD. Also Airs Thursday, May 16 at 2:00pm.
We all feel desperate from time to time, it’s a versatile feeling that spans the globe as it spans our weekend schedule. This weekend on WETA, we share four movies with characters desperate for something: fame, success, life, and respect. The three documentaries run late into Sunday morning so if you haven’t done it yet, set your DVR to record from Saturday 9:30pm – Sunday 3:30am.
Baby Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) was a vaudeville star, but as an adult, she was overshadowed by her movie star sister, Blanche (Joan Crawford). One night in the 1930s, Blanche was permanently crippled in an accident blamed on Jane. Now in 1962, Jane and Blanche live together in their decaying Los Angeles mansion as Jane plots their showbiz comeback. Blanche desperately tries to get away from Jane but can she succeed to escape her tormenting sister who handicapped her as a young woman and continues to do so in their older age? Watch the trailer.
Watch What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) on WETA TV26 and HD this Saturday at 9:30pm. Also airs Sunday at 11:30am.
When a new opera gets produced, lots of artists and craftspeople from various authorities share a dramatic and musical vision. Skill and cooperation on a grand scale are the only key to success. San Francisco Opera’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter, composed by Stewart Wallace with a libretto by novelist Amy Tan, brought together singers, designers and musicians from three continents. Many were learned in the Western operatic tradition, but for others, it was a first introduction to American opera. This documentary focuses on the excitement and challenges of collaboration. Watch the trailer.
Watch Journey of the Bonesetter’s Daughter on WETA TV26 and HD this Sunday at 12:00am. Be sure to set your DVR!
Marcos Hernandez came to the United States from Mexico, after a deadly border crossing through the Sonora Desert in southern Arizona. He is searching for his father, Francisco, also an undocumented border crosser, who disappeared in the Sonora Desert while entering the U.S. Marcos sends money from his home in Chicago to his mother in Mexico City every month so she can buy medicine for his brother, Gustavo, who needs a kidney transplant. The Undocumented is Marcos’s story—as well as the story of countless other migrants. Follow Marcos’s search with the efforts of humanitarians and Border Patrol agents who are fighting to prevent migrant deaths, the medical investigators and Mexican Consulate workers who are trying to identify dead border crossers, and Mexican families who are struggling to accept the loss of a loved one. Watch the trailer.
Watch Independent Lens: The Undocumented on WETA TV26 and HD this Sunday at 1:00am.
More than three decades ago, Vietnamese refugees began to settle in Versailles, a then-isolated community in eastern New Orleans. Although by the early 2000s the community had accomplished material successes, it remained divided between older immigrants and American-born youth. A Village Called Versailles is the story of this little-known community in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. When the storm devastated New Orleans in August 2005, Versailles residents rebuilt their neighborhood faster than most other damaged neighborhoods in the city, only to find themselves threatened by a new toxic landfill slated to open just two miles away. Forced out of Vietnam by the war 30 years ago, many residents felt their homes were being taken away from them once again. Watch the story of this community fighting to regain their safety and happiness in New Orleans. Watch the trailer.
Watch Independent Lens: A Village Called Versailles on WETA TV26 and HD this Sunday at 2:30am.
Celebrate Arbor Day this weekend or enjoy a musical experience unlike any you've ever had. Read on for the WETA Around Town Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia event highlights for this weekend, April 26 - 28.
Arbor Day (Arbor is a Latin word meaning tree) is a holiday created in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton, in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. To celebrate these important plants within our community, the Anacostia Community Museum is holding a free event this Friday for all ages. Activities include a series of demonstrations, plantings, workshops, and hands-on activities with experts from Groundwork DC, Smithsonian Gardens and Casey Trees.
Since it opened in 1923, the Avalon Theatre has long since been a landmark for filmgoers andtheater buffs in the Washington, DC area. Not only is the Avalon known for its film festivals, documentaries, and special programs but it also remains to be the oldest operating movie house in the DC area. This Saturday, the theater will host a gala in celebration of the historic theater's 90th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of the theater’s awakening as a nonprofit.
A feature screening of actor Keanu Reaves latest production, Tribeca Films’ Side By Side: The Science, Art and Impact of Digital Cinematography and a post-screening discussion led by Washington Post film critic, Ann Hornaday will take place on Saturday. Guest appearances from directors such as James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, and Martin Scorsese too! Proceeds from the event will go to the theatre’s conversion to digital cinema projection, which is scheduled to take place in May.
Saturday: Reception starts at 5:00pm / Screening & discussion start at 6:30
Imagine a world without any music. How would you rebuild sound from the ground up, piece by piece, determining music’s most important elements? This Sunday at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, the United States Marine Band turns off the music as it presents an educational and interactive young people’s concert called “Sound Off!”. After kicking off the performance with the familiar “Superman” theme, the music will disappear and the band and audience will rebuild music from the bottom up. Family participation is essential since the band depends on the audience’s spontaneous artwork and improvised skits for its live soundtrack. After the concert, everyone is invited to the lobby for an instrumental “petting zoo.” Though 5-12 year olds are the key demographic, all ages are guaranteed to have a good time!
On Friday, The Alden Theatre of McLean Community Center is presenting E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial during their free Family Movie Night. This 1982 sci-fi film, directed by Steven Spielberg, is about a young boy named Elliott who finds a stranded extraterrestrial. Through trials and tribulations, he must find the courage to defy the authorities to help the alien return to its home planet. 
Heritage Month, the National Museum of the American Indian will be holding Eia Hawai’i: Celebrating Native Hawaiian Culture this Saturday and Sunday. This year, visitors can celebrate wayfinding, or navigation, and the Polynesian seafarers who discovered the Hawaiian Islands by watching and learning about hula, taking in a cooking demonstration, watching films and presentations, and meeting and greeting Hawaiian guests. There will also be a concert at 5pm on Saturday in the Welcome Plaza, featuring Amy Hanaiali’I Gilliom with opening act The Aloha Boys. 
een isn’t real. We imagine talented prop makers on film sets in Hollywood, working to create the imagined world of the next big blockbuster. But what if those props were used to alter history? The documentary The Ghost Army tells the true tale of American G.I.s who tricked the enemy with rubber tanks, sound effects, and carefully crafted illusions during the Second World War. The soldiers, many of whom were artists, carried out top-secret missions in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, working to save lives and alter the outcome of the War. 
style of coaching, Norman Dale hires Shooter, the alcoholic father of one of his players, as his assistant. With the addition of a star player, the team begins a winning streak that leads to the State Championship game. But can this band of misfits win against their rivals of South Bend? Find out Saturday at 9:30pm! 
our nation’s capital? In the new investigative documentary by Independent Lens, the veil is lifted from one of the biggest scandals within the U.S. military where, according to the Department of Defense, there were an estimated 22,800 violent sex crimes in 2011. The Invisible War presents personal accounts of survivors, like Kori Cioca, who was beaten and raped by her supervisor in the U.S. Coast Guard. For the few who do report abuse, a flawed judicial system awaits, leading to only 8 percent of military sexual assault cases prosecuted. 
Center this weekend! Combining radio show and comic book elements, this unique production follows the story of reporter Molly Sloan, her assistant Timmy Mendez, and a librarian named Ben Wilcott as they face the threat of an invasion of sludge monsters from the planet Zygon. The live performance features three actors, one Foley artist, and one keyboardist who perform all the voices, sound effects and music, while more than 1,000 hand-drawn, comic book images fill a two-story-high screen. This adventure is perfect for families with children ages 8 and up! 
purchase original work from over 200 artists across a wide range of mediums. Enjoy live performances and entertainment, and be sure to visit the Family Art Park, which offers something for children, teens, and adults alike. Held by the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE), a non-profit organization with the goal of promoting visual arts, the festival begins this Friday with its Opening Night Party from 6pm-9pm. 
man from San Francisco, has always had a fascination with Chinese women. After divorcing twice, the struggle for Steven to find the Asian woman of his dreams seems to be merely impossible until he meets Sandy. Sandy, a determined 30 year old woman from China, immediately falls in love with Steven and flies out to San Francisco to marry him. But marriage isn’t all fun and games as the cross-cultured couple soon find out. Communicating through a translator, overcoming Steven’s obsession with Chinese women and adapting to life in a foreign country are just a few issues the couple must face in order to make their relationship work. But are Steven and Sandy willing to take these drastic measures for true love? Tune in to find out! 
gardens, hopping into oncoming traffic, and slipping into the woods of our local parks. In the past century, the deer population has increased from less than a million to almost 30 million as of today. In an effort to document this ever increasing species, footage was acquired in unique ways throughout the country. In one segment, residents of Cayuga Heights, NY were given video equipment to document populations in their area, while in another segment; small cameras were strapped to the backs to wild deer. The footage acquired provides unprecedented insight into the lives of our furry neighbors. 
a different direction. But can you imagine voyaging with 20,000 of your closest kin? Follow the story of one zebra family, a stallion, his three mares and their offspring, traveling with the herd in Southern Africa’s biggest animal migration. Taking place every year across the Kalahari’s Makgadikgadi Pans, this trek to grass and water tests the social bonds that hold zebra families together. 
Blanche was permanently crippled in an accident blamed on Jane. Now in 1962, Jane and Blanche live together in their decaying Los Angeles mansion as Jane plots their showbiz comeback. Blanche desperately tries to get away from Jane but can she succeed to escape her tormenting sister who handicapped her as a young woman and continues to do so in their older age? 
an undocumented border crosser, who disappeared in the Sonora Desert while entering the U.S. Marcos sends money from his home in Chicago to his mother in Mexico City every month so she can buy medicine for his brother, Gustavo, who needs a kidney transplant. The Undocumented is Marcos’s story—as well as the story of countless other migrants. Follow Marcos’s search with the efforts of humanitarians and Border Patrol agents who are fighting to prevent migrant deaths, the medical investigators and Mexican Consulate workers who are trying to identify dead border crossers, and Mexican families who are struggling to accept the loss of a loved one. 
American-born youth. A Village Called Versailles is the story of this little-known community in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. When the storm devastated New Orleans in August 2005, Versailles residents rebuilt their neighborhood faster than most other damaged neighborhoods in the city, only to find themselves threatened by a new toxic landfill slated to open just two miles away. Forced out of Vietnam by the war 30 years ago, many residents felt their homes were being taken away from them once again. Watch the story of this community fighting to regain their safety and happiness in New Orleans. 
theater buffs in the Washington, DC area. Not only is the Avalon known for its film festivals, documentaries, and special programs but it also remains to be the oldest operating movie house in the DC area. This Saturday, the theater will host a gala in celebration of the historic theater's 90th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of the theater’s awakening as a nonprofit. 
piece by piece, determining music’s most important elements? This Sunday at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, the United States Marine Band turns off the music as it presents an educational and interactive young people’s concert called “Sound Off!”. After kicking off the performance with the familiar “Superman” theme, the music will disappear and the band and audience will rebuild music from the bottom up. Family participation is essential since the band depends on the audience’s spontaneous artwork and improvised skits for its live soundtrack. After the concert, everyone is invited to the lobby for an instrumental “petting zoo.” Though 5-12 year olds are the key demographic, all ages are guaranteed to have a good time!