The DC Lineup for this weekend: Niche film festivals, local music and giant pandas

The District is closing out February with a varied slate of arts and humanities events, plus a Wizards game on Historically Black Colleges and Universities Night during the last weekend of Black History Month. There is also a housewarming party for the new home of the giant pandas at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, a film festival celebrating endangered languages, and another film festival highlighting architecture and design.

After this week’s snowstorm, the weather will return to the rain, clouds and temperature swings that DC has seen throughout much of winter. We’ll have a low of 36 degrees on Friday and a high of 66 on Sunday.

1. Film: The Mother Tongue Film Festival kicked off Thursday — recognized by the United Nations as International Mother Language Day — and will continue through Sunday at various locations throughout the city. This annual event is produced by Recovering Voices, a Smithsonian Institution initiative to preserve endangered languages. Now entering its fourth year, the fest this year is a part of the U.N.’s International Year of Indigenous Languages. All the films on the schedule are recent productions that showcase the value of indigenous and endangered languages. The film screenings are free and will take place at the National Museum of the American Indian, the Freer and Sackler galleries, the National Museum of Natural History, the Kennedy Center, New York University’s Abramson Family Auditorium, and Eaton Hotel.

2. Film: The second annual Architecture & Design Film Festival is also this weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is hosted by the National Building Museum and the Revada Foundation, a family-run organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, that promotes the arts in the DC area. The program celebrates the fields of architecture and design with films exploring the careers of famous architects like Frank Gehry and Balkrishna Doshi and topics such as how graphic design creates national identity. Tickets for each film cost $5 to $15, with an all-access pass available for $135. The museum is located at 401 F St. NW, with screenings taking place at several venues within the historic building.

3. Music: Join DC Jazz Jam on Sunday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Brixton, 901 U St. NW, as organizers wind up a special monthlong tribute to Nat King Cole in honor of what would have been his 100th birthday on March 17. The performance features vocalist Anthony Compton, a native Washingtonian who has performed around the District for nearly two decades and organizes Sunday jazz sessions at JoJo Restaurant and Bar on U Street NW. Funded in part through a grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, DC Jazz Jam offers no-cover jazz performances every Sunday in the U Street jazz corridor.

4. Animals: Spend Saturday at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for its Giant Panda Housewarming Celebration from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. Kicking off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome the pandas into their new home, the day’s activities will include chances to speak with panda scientists and keepers, coloring stations, and special snacks for the pandas — and human visitors. The Chinese Embassy will serve dumpling samples on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees can also receive free hot chocolate provided by Airbnb and — while supplies last — a free, limited-edition print of a painting created by Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Bei Bei, the most recent giant pandas to figure into the species’ history at the National Zoo. They started painting to build their motor skills and connect with their zoo keepers.

5. Theater: Bright Star Touring Theatre’s production Meet Dr. King tells the story of Martin Luther King Jr. while introducing concepts like freedom, integration and equality, plus the importance of the civil rights movement. Bright Star’s mission is to bring affordable theatrical performances to underserved communities. On Saturday at 9:30 a.m., the company will perform Meet Dr. King at the National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are by donation.

6. Sports: The Washington Wizards square off against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night for a game that will mark the culmination of the team’s Black History Month celebrations. Historically Black Colleges and Universities Night will recognize the “Divine 9” historically black fraternities and sororities, with special ticket deals available that include a chance to step on the court after the game for an alumni chapter photo. Additionally, Saturday is themed Junior Wizards Night to welcome youth teams, as well as Organ Donation Awareness Night. The game begins at 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena, 601 F St. NW. Tickets start at $11.

7. Music: Dumbarton Oaks, which calls itself a “home of the humanities” in the city, presents an all-female, DC-based medieval musical group called Eya this Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. at 1703 32nd St. NW. The trio will collaborate with Niccolo Seligmann, a multi-talented musician with a degree in viola da gamba performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. The group will put on a musical edition of The Juggler of Our Lady (Le Jongleur de Notre Dame), a medieval French legend. This program is a part of Dumbarton Oaks’ Juggling the Middle Ages exhibit, which highlights this famous French story with over 100 objects, including stained-glass windows, manuscripts and vintage theater posters. The half-hour concert will take place at 2 and 3:30 p.m.; admission is free and no registration is required.

8. Poetry: The Potter’s House is a cafe, bookstore and event space that has, since it opened its doors in 1960, been building community through programming like this weekend’s spoken word showcase Daughters of the Diaspora. The reading features poets Hanan Seid, Sadiyah Bashir and Bayadir Mohamed. It will take place Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at 1658 Columbia Road NW. Tickets cost $5.

9. Art & Literature: The Anacostia Community Museum has a full day of free events on Saturday. The schedule starts with an artist talk from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with Aniekan Udofia, whose prized wall murals can be seen at Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street NW, at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and throughout Southeast DC. His art illustrates what he calls “the real DC; the living, breathing DC” in a video about his work for Destination DC. Stay at the museum for an author talk from 2 to 4 p.m. with Eugene Meyer, former reporter and editor at The Washington Post. He will discuss his book Five for Freedom: The African American Soldiers in John Brown’s Army, which tells the story of a failed 1859 slave uprising with a focus on the five African Americans who lost their lives. Admission to the events is free, but reservations are requested.

10. Literature: Friends of the Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Neighborhood Library will host a children’s book sale on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 7420 Georgia Ave. NW. Proceeds will benefit the library’s programming, which includes family storytime activities, drop-in hours for visitors to work on audiovisual production using the library’s equipment, yoga classes and lectures.