NEWSLETTER
With Special Guests Including Dave Foley, Janie Geiser, Lewis Klahr, Rebecca Miller, And More
The major exhibition Cinema of Sensations: The Never-Ending Screen of Val del Omar closes October 1
September–October 2023
Astoria, NY — Museum of the Moving Image announces its September and October programs and special events. Highlights include Reverse Shot at 20: Selections from a Century, a screening series (Sep. 22–Nov. 26) in celebration of the 20th anniversary of its online house publication for film criticism and other writing on visual media; the return of Art and Craft, a series of in-depth conversations with leading industry professionals, kicking off with writer/director Rebecca Miller (Sep. 17); experimental filmmakers Janie Geiser (Sep. 15–16) and Lewis Klahr (Oct. 20–21) appearing in person with retrospectives of their work; and a rare 35mm screening of José Val del Omar’s Elementary Triptych of Spain, accompanied by a discussion and films by contemporary artists that mirror his work (Sep. 9), as the major exhibition Cinema of Sensations: The Never-Ending Screen of Val del Omar comes to a close on October 1.
Other special events featuring visiting guests include a reunion screening of lost cult comedy The Wrong Guy and conversation with Dave Foley, David Higgins, and Jay Kogen, moderated by Janeane Garofalo (Sep. 3); acclaimed Chilean animated film The Wolf House with co-director Cristóbal León in person (Sep. 29); a program celebrating the 60th anniversary of Rowlf on The Jimmy Dean Show, as part of our annual recognition of Jim Henson’s birthday (Sep. 24); filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon in person with her film King Coal (Sep. 9); and more.
On October 27, the Museum opens Dissolution, an installation of artist David Levine’s jewel-box, sculptural hologram that captures the experience of a person trapped inside a machine, with an artist talk and reception. [press release]
Last-chance exhibitions: LAIKA: Life in Stop Motion will close September 10. Presented as part of the core exhibition Behind the Screen, this installation of puppets, dioramas, and production materials from the Portland-based animation studio’s beloved films, including Coraline and ParaNorman, is accompanied by interactive experiences that allow visitors to create their own short animations using 2D LAIKA characters. Over Labor Day weekend, the Museum will present big-screen matinees of LAIKA’s Kubo and the Two Strings (Sep. 2–8). Also closing soon: An Act of Seeing: Barry Jenkins’s The Gaze, featuring materials relating to Amazon Studios’ The Underground Railroad, will close September 4.
On September 22 at MoMi, the NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs will present a free screening of The Shattered Mind, the first feature about a deaf Black American family, followed by a discussion with deaf Black American filmmaker Jade Bryan.
See below for an overview of programs or visit the Museum’s website at movingimage.us (see September here and October here). Additional programs will be added as they are confirmed. This schedule is subject to change without notice.
SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2023 PROGRAM OVERVIEW
All programs take place at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Ave, Astoria, NY 11106. Advance tickets are available online at movingimage.us or in-person at the admission desk.
SCREENING SERIES
Tribute to Sinéad O’Connor
September 3–10
As a tribute to the late performer, MoMI presents screening of Nothing Compares, Kathryn Ferguson’s 2022 documentary charting O’Connor’s career, featuring an interview with the singer, and Neil Jordan’s The Butcher Boy, which features O’Connor in an arch bit of casting as the Virgin Mary. Series info
Reverse Shot at 20: Selections from a Century
September 22–November 26
Reverse Shot, the Museum’s online house publication for film criticism and other writing on visual media, celebrates its 20th anniversary starting in September. The milestone will be commemorated in a variety of ways, including a major screening series featuring more than two dozen films championed by Reverse Shot writers, accompanied by panel discussions; a newly published anthology of writing celebrating two decades of film criticism; a new symposium of writing exploring the act of criticism. September and October films in the series include: Demonlover, Femme Fatale, Junebug, Summer Hours, A Lion in the House, The Deep Blue Sea, Lake Mungo, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Village, Unfriended: Dark Web, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. Series page | Press release
Real Rap: Hip-Hop Star Power on Screen
Through October 21
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the Museum presents a series of films featuring gifted and compelling rappers who have performed on the big screen. Upcoming screenings include: 8 Mile, Any Given Sunday, Just Wright, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, Slam, and Ghosts of Mars. Special presentations include House Party with a conversation about the film’s lasting impact led by community partner Afrikan Poetry Theatre, featuring record producer Ron Lawrence and director-producer Hassan Pore on Sep. 16; Poetic Justice with a spoken word showcase featuring poets King Kamayera and Sabreen Jolley in collaboration with community partner African Peach Arts Coalition on Oct. 6; and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit introduced by critic Andrew Chan on Oct. 14, and presented as part of a Family Day celebration on Oct. 15. Series page | Press release
José Val del Omar: Elements of Cinema
September 9
In conjunction with the exhibition Cinema of Sensations: The Never-Ending Screen of Val del Omar, the Museum will present a day of films and conversations that explore the work and legacy of Spanish filmmaker, inventor, and artist José Val del Omar (1904–1982). At 1:00 p.m. Val del Omar’s Elemental Triptych of Spain, a trio of films, each exploring themes of earth, fire, and water—audiovisual poems of the senses, presenting cinema as a total experience—will be shown in imported 35mm prints, with a presentation by Piluca Baquero, Director of the Val del Omar Archives. At 3:00 p.m. the program Mirror to Val del Omar’s Elementary Triptych of Spain, organized by (s8) Mostra Internacional de Cinema Periférico, featuring the work of contemporary experimental filmmakers such as Kenneth Anger and Ken Jacobs, will be introduced by program curator Elena Duque. Series page
Following Sep. 9, Val del Omar’s Elementary Triptych of Spain will screen weekly (in DCP) through the run of the exhibition: Sep. 15, 22, 30, and Oct. 1 in the Bartos Screening Room.
This program is presented in conjunction with Val del Omar Archives, (s8) Mostra Internacional de Cinema Periférico, Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), and King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center (KJCC) at NYU.
Unraveling Realities: The Films of Janie Geiser
September 15–16
Janie Geiser is renowned for her unique blend of puppetry, animation, collage, and experimental cinema. The Museum will present a comprehensive selection of her work in three programs, each highlighting a different phase of her practice, on the occasion of her latest work, Heliotrope, which has its New York premiere. The programs will include her early milestone The Red Book (1994) and The Fourth Watch (2000) shown alongside her later series The Nervous Films; and a presentation of her most recent works, some of which were completed during the first years of the pandemic. Geiser has been pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling for decades, leading audiences on profound journeys that challenge their perceptions and provoke thought. Geiser will be present for all three programs. Part of the ongoing series Persistent Visions. Series page | Press release
The Complete Hepburn and Grant
September 23–December 16
The entire fall slate of the Museum’s ongoing series Moviehouse: Comedies will be devoted to the collaborations of screen legends Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in honor of the 85th anniversary of two of their most beloved films: the 1938 classics Bringing Up Baby and Holiday. The series also includes their first film and last films together, Sylvia Scarlett and The Philadelphia Story. Series info
This program is a part of MoMI Moviehouse, a selection of screenings that encourage communal moviegoing across generations; suitable for viewers 13 and over—with most titles suitable for those even younger (as noted).
Four Fantastic Tales by Roald Dahl
September 29–November 17
In anticipation of Wes Anderson's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, based on a Roald Dahl story, releasing this fall, the Museum will present a series of other beloved screen adaptations of Dahl's books, including Fantastic Mr. Fox, also directed by Anderson (Sep. 29–Oct. 6); The Witches (Oct. 20–27); James and the Giant Peach (Nov. 4–11); and Matilda (Nov 11–17). This program is a part of MoMI Moviehouse, a selection of screenings that encourage communal moviegoing across generations; suitable for viewers 13 and over—with most titles suitable for those even younger (as noted).
The Films of Lewis Klahr
October 20–21
MoMI’s retrospective includes a selection of Klahr's most significant films, as well as the New York City premiere of his latest, The Blue Rose of Forgetfulness. Klahr is known for creating collage-style animations, utilizing cutouts from magazines, comic books, and other printed materials to create dreamlike and fragmented narratives that explore memory, nostalgia, and pop culture. Hollywood tropes, intoxicating soundtracks, and poetic narratives add to the kaleidoscopic lens through which he transforms forgotten images into thought-provoking visual tapestries. Klahr will be present for all three programs. Part of the ongoing series Persistent Visions. Series info | Press release
NEW RELEASES
Passages
September 1–8
The latest from celebrated American filmmaker Ira Sachs explores a Parisian love triangle, starring Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, Adèle Exarchopoulos. A MUBI release. Showtimes & Tickets
Fremont
September 15–24
Babak Jalali’s Sundance standout, about a newly immigrated twentysomething from Afghanistan in the San Francisco Bay Area, has an exquisitely modulated tone all its own: somewhere between deadpan comedy and offhand sorrow. Fremont, a Music Box Films release, was the opening night film of First Look 2023 at MoMI. Showtimes & Tickets
ONGOING SERIES
Always on Sunday: Greek Film Series
The monthly series co-presented with the Hellenic Film Society USA returns in the fall with the Greek Film Expo in October. Details to be announced soon. Series info
Art and Craft
Art and Craft is an ongoing series spotlighting artistry behind the camera and beyond the screen. Each screening is accompanied by an in-depth conversation with leading moving image professionals, including directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, art directors, costume designers, agents, exhibitors, and more. The 2023–24 season opens on September 17, with writer-director Rebecca Miller in person for a conversation moderated by Curator-at-Large David Schwartz and screenings of The Private Lives of Pippa Lee and her latest film She Came to Me. Series info
Disreputable Cinema
The Museum’s monthly series dedicated to cult and underground films will feature a special screening of the acclaimed Chilean animated feature The Wolf House (2022) with co-director Cristóbal León in person on September 29, co-presented with Latin American Film Center. The Halloween season will see a special weekend series called Spawn of Pazuzu that will help celebrate the 50th anniversary The Exorcist and will feature films that were inspired by and capitalized on the sensation that landmark film caused including William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist III on October 27, 1974: The Possession of Altair and 976-EVIL on October 28, Devil Fetus on October 29, and Lamberto Bava's Demons on October 28 and 29. The series is programmed by Jesse Berberich. Series info
Infinite Beauty: Muslim and MENASA Identity on Screen
A special edition of this ongoing series programmed by Farihah Zaman, Tikka Masala: Cross-Cultural Romance in Desi Britain, featuring screenings of Bend It Like Beckham, Brick Lane, and My Beautiful Laundrette, concludes over Labor Day weekend (through Sep. 4). Series info
Jim Henson’s World
On September 24, MoMI presents A Jim Henson Birthday Celebration: Jimmy Dean & Rowlf’s 60th Anniversary as part of its monthly series devoted to Jim Henson, presented alongside The Jim Henson Exhibition. Series info
Las Premieres
Co-presented with Cinema Tropical, this monthly showcase of new Latin American and U.S. Latino films will feature Roza, the feature film debut of Andrés Rodríguez, on September 24. Additional titles will be added as they are confirmed. Series info
MoMI Loves
This series features the titles we keep coming back to, finding reasons to show and to watch with an audience, including Spike Lee’s 25th Hour (2002, 35mm) on Sep. 9 & 10; Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003, 35mm) on its 20th anniversary, Sep. 16 & 30; and the sleeper hit documentary American Movie (1999, 35mm), Oct. 8 & 14. Series info
New Adventures in Nonfiction
Programmed by Curator of Film Eric Hynes, the Museum’s monthly showcase of nonfiction films features new works that are among “the most consistently adventurous, unpredictable, intelligent, and dynamic” films being released today. On September 9, a screening of the acclaimed documentary King Coal will be followed by a Q&A with director Elaine McMillion Sheldon in person; Kokomo City screens October 22. Series info
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