People on Sunday in Washington, D.C.

This weekend, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., will screen the 1930 silent film People on Sunday, an exuberant ode to Weimar Berlin made by an astonishing array of German filmmakers who would go on to major careers in Hollywood, including directors Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer, screenwriter Billy Wilder, and assistant cinematographer Fred Zinnemann. Anchored by a cast of nonprofessional actors, the film blends elements of fiction and documentary as it charts the shifting relationships of five young Berliners on a leisurely summer outing.

Those in the D.C. area can see this timeless portrait of city life on Sunday afternoon, with live musical accompaniment by guitarist Matthew Nolan and pianist Rachel Grimes. In the meantime, revisit film scholar and author Noah Isenberg’s liner notes for our release of People on Sunday.