NEWSLETTER
Highlights include a free punk show, artist talk by Simon Liu on skate videos and experimental film, Dune: Part Two in 70mm, holiday films and more
Astoria, New York (December 5, 2024) — This December, Museum of the Moving Image presents the first half of Curators’ Choice 2024, featuring film releases and TV work that were among the year’s best, some with filmmakers appearing in person; holiday favorites for the whole family, including a rare 45th anniversary showing of John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together, and film classics in See It Big: Let It Snow; and special events including a live punk rock show, a lecture by artist/filmmaker Simon Liu on experimental cinema and skate videos, the annual Eyeworks Experimental Animation program, Dune: Part Two in 70mm, and more.
In the galleries, the Museum offers exhibitions that welcome visitors of all ages: The Jim Henson Exhibition, which features more than 50 puppets drawn from his groundbreaking work for film and television, continues to be a delightful destination for visitors of all ages. The dynamic core exhibition Behind the Screen invites you to explore how moving images are made, marketed, and shown—featuring interactive experiences and more than 1,200 objects from the Museum’s collection. And Recording the Ride: The Rise of Street-Style Skate Videos offers an eye-opening look at how skate videos in the late ’80s and ’90s influenced fashion, filmmaking, and culture in the following decades.
Holiday Schedule (between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day):
Closed: Wednesday, December 25
Open Daily, 12:00–6:00 p.m.: Thursday, December 26–Monday, December 30
Open, 12:00–4:00 p.m.: Tuesday, December 31
Closed: Wednesday, January 1
Among filmmaker appearances this month: Good One with India Donaldson (Dec. 6); I Saw the TV Glow with Jane Schoenbrun (Dec. 14); Between the Temples with Nathan Silver and Chris Wells (Dec. 15); Incident with Bill Morrison (Dec. 20); and Dune: Part Two with editor Joe Walker (Dec. 27). Also, the Museum will present a community screening of Bright Vignettes: How Astoria Got Its Pride, with filmmaker Patricia Silva and many of the drag performers featured in the film (Dec. 14).
In connection with the exhibit Recording the Ride: The Rise of Street-Style Skate Videos, the Museum will also be offering a free punk show by local band Automat0m (Dec. 6) and a lecture by artist and filmmaker Simon Liu, titled Loosely Based on Professionalism: The Skate Video and Experimental Cinema (Dec. 6).
Towards the end of the month, the Museum will present a screening of Candyman (Dec. 28), in tribute to Tony Todd, the film’s star who died in late November. In addition, the Museum will present AniTOMO’s NYE Anime Rewind on Dec. 28, featuring a panel discussion with special guests in a look back at the best anime series that debuted in 2024, a continuation of the Museum’s commitment to celebrating anime and anime fandoms.
Programs are listed below and online at movingimage.org (schedule subject to change). Additional programs may be added as they are confirmed.
OPPORTUNITY: Call for submissions for Marvels of Media Festival
The Museum’s annual festival, taking place March 27–29, 2025, is an opportunity to recognize the outstanding media work by autistic media-makers, and features an exhibition, screenings, and panel discussions. Learn more and apply here by January 15, 2025. Learn more.
SCREENING SERIES
Curators’ Choice 2024: The First Batch
December 1–31
Curators’ Choice focuses on works that premiered theatrically (or were initially broadcast) during 2024, while also making room for a few recent films still seeking distribution, and includes a holiday week run of Dune Part Two in 70mm. Upcoming December titles: Good One, with director India Donaldson in person; Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat; Ren Faire; FX’s Spermworld; La Chimera; Direct Action; I Saw the TV Glow, with director Jane Schoenbrun in person; Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell; Matt and Mara; Between the Temples, with director Nathan Silver and writer Chris Wells in person; Last Things (35mm) and Incident, with director Bill Morrison in person; Dune: Part Two (in 70mm), with editor Joe Walker in person (Dec. 27 only); Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point; Here; Challengers, with screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes in person; and Eureka.
The Second Batch will be announced in December, and cover screenings for the month of January. Series info
See It Big: Let It Snow
December 6, 2024–January 24, 2025
For this year’s holiday season, the Museum’s signature series See It Big celebrates snow and winter in all its forms. Whether it’s the Torrance family barely surviving the snowbound Overlook Hotel or Charlie Chaplin battling the elements in the Klondike, Judy Garland trying to have a merry little Christmas or a group of scientists in the Antarctic desperate not to become a shape-shifting alien’s lunch, there’s something to freeze (or melt) the heart of any movie-lover. December titles: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Dersu Uzala (1975, 35mm), Little Women (1994, 35mm), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971, 35mm), All That Heaven Allows (1955, 35mm), Doctor Zhivago (1965, 35mm), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944, 35mm), Nanook of the North (1922), Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980/2006). Series info
Eyeworks Experimental Animation 2024
Saturday, December 7, 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
The Eyeworks Experimental Animation Screening Series is an annual event focusing on experimental animation, with screening events in Chicago, LA, and NY each fall. This two-part program features exciting films by contemporary artists and film pioneers including Yellow Ball Workshop, Peggy Ahwesh, Annapurna Kumar, Louis Smits, Timmun Alariaq, Wendell McShine, László Moholy-Nagy, Lillian Schwartz, Ruth Hayes, Salomonie Pootoogook, Josh Shaffner, Ed Counts, Mary Ellen Bute & Ted Nemeth, Ezra Wube, Jodie Mack, EXYL, Jennifer Levonian, James Duesing, Ira Vicari, Nicholas Brooks, Mica O’Herlihy, Jessica Wilson, and Ishu Patel. The 2024 Eyeworks guest is Yoriko Mizushiri. Eyeworks is programmed by Alexander Stewart and Lilli Carré, and is presented by Pioneer Works. Event info
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS AND OTHER SCREENINGS
Good One with director India Donaldson in person
Friday, December 6, 7:15 p.m.
Dir. India Donaldson. 2024, 89 mins. U.S. DCP. With Lily Collias, James Le Gros, Danny McCarthy. In one of the year’s most remarkable breakout performances, Lily Collias plays wise teenager Sam, who has been invited along with her divorced dad and his best friend on a weekend camping trip in upstate New York. Moving, unsettling, and ultimately empowering, the film was a breakout of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Part of Curators’ Choice 2024. Event info
FREE COMMUNITY PROGRAM
Automat0m: A Dream Punk Show
Friday, December 6, 6:30 p.m.
In connection with Recording the Ride: The Rise of Street-Style Skate Videos, MoMI presents a free punk show featuring the cyberpunk, hardcore music of Automat0m! As heard in the soundtrack selections of many skate videos in the exhibition, the fast tempos of punk music were an essential part of ’80s and ’90s skate culture and influenced the editing of skate videos. Event info
SPECIAL SCREENING + LECTURE
Loosely Based on Professionalism: The Skate Video and Experimental Cinema
Friday, December 6, 7:30 p.m.
In conjunction with MoMI’s exhibition Recording the Ride: The Rise of Street-Style Skate Videos, the New York–based artist/filmmaker Simon Liu will present a performative lecture reflecting on his years growing up as a skateboarder and videographer in Hong Kong and how that period still impacts his wide-ranging filmmaking practice. Part of Skate Video Essentials. Event info
From Ground Zero
Saturday, December 7, 5:00 p.m.
2024, 112 mins. Palestine/France/Qatar/Jordan. In Arabic with English subtitles. The official Palestinian submission to the 2025 Academy Award for Best International Film, From Ground Zero is an anthology project comprised of 22 short films created by filmmakers from Gaza. Launched by renowned Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, the initiative was created during the current 2023–24 conflict and aims to provide a platform for young Palestinian artists to express themselves through their craft. Part of Infinite Beauty: Muslim and MENASA Identity Onscreen. Event info
Guest Star
Sunday, December 8, 3:00 p.m.
Dir. Vasilis Christofilakis. 2023. 88 mins. DCP. In Greek with English subtitles. With Vasilis Christofilakis, Eli Tringou, Natasa Exintaveloni. This satirical dark romantic comedy centers on the son of famous actors who was once the most photographed child in Greece. As an adult, living alone in the shadow of his deceased parents, he spends most of his time in his tiny apartment, cut off from the world. He is unexpectedly offered the chance to earn his own place in the public eye by hosting a late-night TV talk show. He accepts, only to find things getting complicated when a fake love affair with an eccentric singer is set up to enhance his public image. Part of Always on Sunday: Greek Film Series. Event info
I Saw the TV Glow with director Jane Schoenbrun in person
Saturday, December 14, 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Jane Schoenbrun. 2024, 100 mins. U.S. DCP. With Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, Helena Howard, Fred Durst, Danielle Deadwyler. Jane Schoenbrun's eerily beautiful metaphorical evocation of the trans experience speaks to the isolation and confusion of growing up and the ways in which popular culture and media both comfort and betray us as we try and figure out who we are. Part of Curators’ Choice 2024. Event info
Bright Vignettes: How Astoria Got Its Pride
Saturday, December 14, 1:00 p.m.
Dir. Patrícia Silva. 2024, 90 mins. U.S. DCP. Astoria-based nonbinary filmmaker-artist Patrícia Silva’s new feature documentary contextualizes the achievements and activity leading up to the Astoria neighborhood’s inaugural Pride in 2023. Following the screening, join us for a special discussion with director Patrícia Silva and legendary performers in person. Event info
John Denver & The Muppets: A Christmas Together (45th Anniversary) + Henson Holiday Clips introduced by Craig Shemin, President of The Jim Henson Legacy
Saturday, December 14, 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 15, 12:30 p.m.
We'll celebrate the 45th anniversary of John Denver's 1979 Muppet hat trick (Muppet Show appearance, TV special, and album) with a screening of this hard-to-find Christmas special, along with some additional classic Henson holiday clips. Part of Jim Henson’s World. Event info
Between the Temples with director Nathan Silver and screenwriter Chris Wells in person
Sunday, December 15, 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Nathan Silver. 2024, 111 mins. U.S. DCP. With Jason Schwartzman, Carol Kane, Dolly de Leon, Caroline Aaron, Robert Smigel, Madeline Weinstein, Matthew Shear. With a 1970s aesthetic and screwball comedy tone, Between the Temples features a pair of richly humane performances from Carol Kane and Jason Schwartzman. Ben, a cantor in a crisis of faith, finds his world turned upside down when his grade-school music teacher Carla re-enters his life as his new adult bat mitzvah student. Part of Curators’ Choice 2024. Event info
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT
Marvels of Media: Game Design Workshop
Sunday, December 15, 2:00 p.m.
As part of Museum of the Moving Image’s Marvels of Media, this two-hour media workshop invites autistic visitors and media-makers to learn how to build their own text-based interactive storytelling games using Twine! Recommended for ages 13 and up. No experience necessary! Free with RSVP. Event info
Last Things (in 35mm) + Incident with director Bill Morrison in person
Friday, December 20, 7:00 p.m.
Deborah Stratman’s Last Things imagines evolution and extinction from the point of view of the rocks and minerals that will remain on this earth way beyond us. Bill Morrison’s Incident provides witness to the killing of Chicago barber Harith “Snoop” Augustus by local police, through a composite montage of images from surveillance and security footage as well as police bodycams. Part of Curators’ Choice 2024. Event info
Flow
December 26–January 3
Dir. Gints Zilbalodis. 2024, 85 mins. Latvia/France/Germany. DCP. A wondrous journey through realms natural and mystical, Flow follows a black cat after its home is devastated by a great flood and teams up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land. The group must rely on trust, courage, and wits to survive the perils of a newly watery planet, depopulated of humans. Steeped in the soaring possibilities of visual storytelling, Flow is a feast for the senses, told entirely without dialogue. Winner of Best Animated Feature from the New York Film Critics’ Circle Awards. Part of World of Animation. Event info
Dune: Part Two (in 70mm) with editor Joe Walker in person
Friday, December 27, 6:00 p.m. (Also screening Dec. 26–29 in 70mm)
Dir. Denis Villeneuve. 2024, 166 mins. U.S. 70mm. With Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken. The spectacular and sleekly streamlined second part of Villeneuve’s Dune surpasses its exposition-laden introductory chapter both visually and dramatically. Part of Curators’ Choice 2024. Event info
AniTOMO’s NYE Anime Rewind
Saturday, December 28, 12:30 p.m.
Celebrate 2024’s most popular anime stories with an exciting live panel featuring a kaleidoscope of talented digital content creators, including BrunchxBros, FunSizedSmall, Keeping It 9000 Podcast, and other special guests discussing and debating the year’s best series. Presented by AniTOMO, this event also features a Q&A, interactive watch party, and a special New Year’s Eve countdown with giveaways. After, connect with creators and fellow fans at a casual mixer (refreshments available for purchase). This event spotlights the content creators who have kept the anime community energized throughout 2024, gathering fans to celebrate storytelling, creativity, and the vibrant world of anime as we head into the new year. Event info
Candyman
Saturday, December 28, 5:00 p.m.
Dir. Bernard Rose. 1992, 101 mins. U.S. With Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen, Xander Berkeley, Kasi Lemmons. When you say “Candyman” five times while looking in a mirror, a killer with a hook for a hand is summoned, with deadly consequences. Adapted from a short story by horror master Clive Barker, Bernard Rose’s superlative supernatural horror movie is a multi-layered, mind-bending thriller that doubles as a thoughtful exploration of race and gender in the American psyche. Presented in honor of lead actor Tony Todd, who died in late November. Part of Disreputable Cinema. Event info
INSTALLATIONS AND EXHIBITIONS
Recording the Ride: The Rise of Street-Style Skate Videos
September 7, 2024–January 25, 2025
Recording the Ride features videos and artifacts from the formative years of the skate video in the late 1980s and the 1990s. These kinetic videos introduced a new visual aesthetic that influenced pop culture and filmmaking in the ’90s and beyond. Exhibition sponsor: New Balance. Exhibition info
The Jim Henson Exhibition
Ongoing
This exhibition offers a dynamic exploration of Jim Henson’s groundbreaking work for film and television and his transformative impact on culture. It features a broad range of objects from throughout his remarkable career and reveals how Henson and his team of builders, performers, and writers brought to life the enduringly popular worlds of The Muppet Show, the Muppet movies, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth. Exhibition info
Behind the Screen
Ongoing
The Museum’s core exhibition explores how moving images are made, marketed, and shown and features more than 1,400 objects from the MoMI collection, integrated with audiovisual material and computer-based interactive experiences. Exhibition info
Anna Malina Zemlianski: By the Rivers of Shadows and Matter
Through December 26 on the Schlosser Media Wall
2024. Digital video. 3 mins, 25 secs, loop.
The first work in the Museum’s new Community Curation series, in which the public selected the next artist for display, Anna Malina Zemlianski’s (b. 1984, German/Ukrainian) three vignettes examine the multilayered relationships between cinema, history, and fragmented cultural memory. Visitors are also able to claim a free fragment by Zemlianski, minted on Tezos, at a station in the Museum lobby and online. Presented as part of MoMI’s year-long partnership with the Tezos Foundation: Museum Without Walls. More info
Waxwing
Through April 10, 2025
Visitors can play the unique new arcade game Waxwing, developed by Common Opera, in the Museum lobby. The game subverts the traditional light gun by reimagining it as a literal source of light, shifting the focus from violence to an exploration of aspirations and the human condition. Exhibit info
OFF-SITE INSTALLATION
NO-THING
December 29–January 2
At Nguyen Wahed Gallery, 504 E. 12 St, New York, NY
NO-THING is a hybrid 24-hour performance and exhibition on the theme of nothingness, produced by is this thing on?, an experimental livestreaming network created by and for artists. Made possible with support from Museum of the Moving Image and Nguyen Wahed, NO-THING will feature performances by the founders of is this thing on? (Christopher Clary, Sarah Rothberg, Bhavik Singh, and Molly Soda), friends of THING, and the general public through an open call—alongside recreations of historic livestreams including the Trojan Room coffee pot and Watching Grass Grow.
Performances will be livestreamed to thing.tube on Sunday, December 29 from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. EST. During that time, and through January 2, the streams will play on monitors in the windows of the NYC gallery Nguyen Wahed. More info
Find all current MoMI exhibitions here.
About Museum of the Moving Image (movingimage.org)
Founded in 1985, MoMI celebrates the history, art, technology, and future of the moving image in all of its forms. Located in Astoria, New York, the Museum presents exhibitions; screenings; discussion programs featuring actors, directors, and creative leaders; and education programs. It houses the nation’s most comprehensive collection of moving image artifacts and screens over 500 films annually. Its exhibitions—including the core exhibition Behind the Screen and The Jim Henson Exhibition—are noted for their integration of material objects, interactive experiences, and audiovisual presentations.
###
Press contacts:
Tomoko Kawamoto, tkawamoto@movingimage.org, 718 777 6830
Jayna Zelman, Rubenstein, momi@Rubenstein.com
PRESS IMAGES
Museum of the Moving Image is located at 36-01 35 Ave, Astoria, NY 11106
Follow the Museum on Facebook (@MovingImageMuseum), Twitter (@movingimagenyc), and Instagram (@movingimagenyc).
Museum of the Moving Image is housed in a building owned by the City of New York and has received significant support from the following public agencies: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; New York City Council; New York City Economic Development Corporation; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; Institute of Museum and Library Services; National Endowment for the Humanities; National Endowment for the Arts; and Natural Heritage Trust (administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation).