Belle (2021) / courtesy of GKidsIn addition to regular hours, the Museum will be open on weekdays February 21–24, 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. during midwinter recess for NYC public schools)

New York, N.Y. - Throughout this month, the Museum of the Moving Image will celebrate Black History Month with programs including a ten-film series devoted to athlete-turned-actor Woody Strode, films starring Sidney Poitier (Edge of the City) and Harry Belafonte (The World, the Flesh, and the Devil, as part of Science on Screen: Extinction and Otherwise), and an afternoon of screenings and discussion presented by our community partner Afrikan Poetry Theatre. In addition, Curators’ Choice  continues into February, and includes Shatara Michelle Ford's Test Pattern, with the director appearing in person on February 19; the stunning animated feature Belle from Academy Award nominee Mamoru Hosoda plays over Midwinter Recess; and Peter Bogdanovich, the chronicler of Hollywood legends who became one himself, will be remembered with screenings of two films. Please find an overview below (and a daily schedule of all February programs here).

Additional programs may be added as they are confirmed. Please check www.movingimage.us for current schedules, exhibitions, and announcements.

Advance tickets for timed entry to the Museum are available online; walk-ups are also welcome. Tickets are required for each screening or panel program and are available in advance online. All visitors must present proof of COVID-19 vaccination (ages 5+) and wear face masks (ages 2+). Review all visitor safety guidelines here.
 

SCREENING SERIES

See It Big: Extravaganzas!
Final screenings: FEBRUARY 4–6
The super-sized Extravaganzas edition of the Museum’s signature series See It Big!, featuring films that push cinematic style into excess, concludes this weekend with Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1997, 35mm), Ivan the Terrible, Pt. I & II (Sergei Eisenstein, 1944/1958, 35mm), and Freak Orlando (Ulrike Ottinger, 1981, 35mm). Co-presented with Reverse Shot. See It Big: Extravaganzas! is presented with support from MUBI GO. Series info

Tribute to Sidney Poitier: Edge of the City
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2:00 P.M.
Our tribute to Sidney Poitier concludes with Edge of the City (1957, Dir. Martin Ritt), in 35mm, a starkly realistic, pathbreaking depiction of interracial friendship and union corruption—a film for which Poitier received co-star-billing for the first time, alongside John Cassavetes. Series info.

Tribute to Peter Bogdanovich
FEBRUARY 6–18
Peter Bogdanovich, a scholar of Hollywood legends who became one himself, experienced meteoric success as well as demoralizing failure and tragic loss. When he died earlier this year, he left a robust legacy of more than 50 years of filmmaking, publishing, acting, and storytelling. For this tribute to Bogdanovich, the Museum is showcasing two underappreciated works from the latter half of the 1970s: his Preston Sturges–inspired musical At Long Last Love (1975) and his deliciously seedy Ben Gazzara vehicle, Saint Jack (1979), in which he also appears as a self-incriminating mogul. Series info.

The Legend of Woody Strode
FEBRUARY 11–MARCH 6
Woody Strode, the six-foot-four pioneering athlete turned movie star, was born in 1914, in South Central Los Angeles, to Black and Native American parents. A decorated football player at UCLA before joining teammate Kenny Washington in breaking the NFL’s color barrier in 1946, Strode eventually drew the attention of Hollywood. Initially cast on TV shows and movies playing shirtless Black stereotypes in action scenes, Strode graduated to speaking parts on Tarzan movies before landing key roles and stealing scenes in such films as Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus and John Ford’s Sergeant Rutledge. The Museum presents Strode’s extraordinary work through screenings of Pork Chop Hill (1959), Sergeant Rutledge (1960), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), The Last Voyage (1961), Tarzan’s Fight for Life (1958), The Professionals (1966), Black Jesus (1968), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), Keoma (1976), and Posse (1993). Series info.

Science on Screen: Extinction and Otherwise
ONGOING, STARTING FEBRUARY 13
3:00 p.m. The World, the Flesh, and the Devil
5:00 p.m. Woman in the Dunes
Organized by the Museum’s Associate Curator of Science and Film Sonia Epstein, this new Science on Screen series examines the struggle for species survival and life as it might be, beginning with screenings of the post-apocalyptic drama The World, the Flesh, and the Devil (1959, 35mm) and Hiroshi Teshigahara’s Woman in the Dunes (1964, 35mm)—two celebrated films that highlight how people of different backgrounds are variably impacted by disasters. Continuing monthly, the series will also feature Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure (2017), Alex Garland’s Annihilation (2018), and new releases including the Anti Banality Union’s Earth II. Each event will be accompanied by new articles authored by scientists and scholars on Sloan Science & Film. Series Info.

Curators’ Choice 2021
THROUGH FEBRUARY 26
An annual series selecting from this past year’s films, Curators’ Choice offers New Yorkers a chance to revisit acclaimed and overlooked titles, programmed by Curator of Film Eric Hynes and Assistant Curator of Film Edo Choi. In February, the Museum will screen Midi Z’s Nina Wu; Gianfranco Rosi’s Notturno; Wang Qiong’s All About My Sisters; Kazik Radwanski’s Anne at 13,000 Ft.; Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection; Shatara Michelle Ford’s Test Pattern (with Ford in person); Ra’anan Alexandrowicz’s The Viewing Booth (with Alexandrowicz in person); Dieudo Hamadi’s Downstream to Kinshasa; Courtney Stephens and Pacho Velez’s The American Sector; and Courtney Stephens’s Terra Femme—a live performance by Stephens. Series info

Irregular Evidence: Deepfakes and Suspect Footage in Film
THROUGH MAY 15
In conjunction with the exhibition Deepfake: Unstable Evidence on Screen, which explores the emergence of deepfake video, this series delves into the myriad ways evidentiary footage has been manipulated or mimicked in film. This month’s films are Nuts! (Penny Lane, 2019) on February 11 and Fraud (Dean Fleischer-Camp, 2016) on February 25. Series info


HIGHLIGHTED EVENTS + ONGOING SERIES

JIM HENSON’S WORLD
Muppet Treasure Island
Introduced by Jim Henson Legacy President Craig Shemin
Saturday, February 5 at 1:00 p.m.
Friday, February 11 at 3:00 p.m.
Dir. Brian Henson. 1996, 99 mins. 35mm. With Tim Curry, Kevin Bishop, Billy Connolly, Steve Whitmire, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson. In true Muppet fashion, the Museum proudly presents a 26th anniversary screening of Brian Henson’s beloved musical adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s swashbuckling adventure. Kermit takes the helm as Captain Smollett, journeying for adventure with a crew of Muppets and young Jim Hawkins’s map setting the course. But something’s a little off with that new peg-legged cook, Long John Silver (Tim Curry). Series info.

DROP-IN ACTIVITY
Filmmaking & Animation Jam with MoMI Teens
Saturday, February 12, 2:00–4:00 p.m.
MoMI’s Teen Council will host an event that features two activities for visitors to enjoy. In the first, Impromptu Acting, visitors have the opportunity to learn about the filmmaking and creative process by engaging with a green screen and a small film set, including a camera, lights, and props. They can choose either to write a short script based on given prompts or select a prepared script, which they will then act out. Another media-making activity, Art as Therapy, will invite visitors to create an abstract, stop-motion animation using mixed-media materials, using music as an inspiration. Participants will be able to take home recordings of their creations. Free with Museum admission; no RSVP required.

MUSICAL MATINEES
At Long Last Love
Saturday, February 12, 1:00 p.m.
Friday, February 18, 3:00 p.m.
Dir Peter Bogdanovich. 1975, 118 mins. DCP. With Burt Reynolds, Madeline Kahn, Cybill Shepherd. Cinephile-as-auteur Bogdanovich’s eighth film in eight years is an homage to 1930s Ernst Lubitsch musical comedies, with stars like Reynolds, Shepherd, Khan, and John Hillerman falling in and out of one another’s arms while singing classic Cole Porter tunes on lavish sets. The apex of his stormy collaboration with Shepherd, whom he’d discovered on The Last Picture Show, the film is both a work of hubris and a sweet valentine to old-fashioned showmanship. Presented as part of Tribute to Peter Bogdanovich. Series info.

WORLD OF ANIMATION
Belle
February 19, 21–24, at 1:00 p.m.
Dir. Mamoru Hosoda. Japan. 2021, 121 mins. DCP. With his latest feature Belle, Academy Award–nominated director Mamoru Hosoda (Mirai, Summer Wars, Wolf Children) creates a new kind of fairy tale in this story of a tormented high-school student named Suzu who becomes a towering pink-haired singer named Belle, her avatar in a massive virtual world called U. What at first seems like an escape into fantasy is complicated when this beauty develops a profound connection to a dragon-like beast hounded by digital vigilantes. Rated PG. Recommended for ages 8+ Series info.

ALWAYS ON SUNDAY: GREEK FILM SERIES
A Simple Man
Sunday, February 20, 4:00 p.m.
Dir. Tassos Gerakinis. 2019, 95 mins. DCP. In Greek with English subtitles. With Takis Sakellariou, Katerina Papanastassatou, Christos Strepkos. In debt and struggling to save his relationship with his headstrong daughter, a vintner faces even more trouble when a dangerous fugitive invades his home, takes him hostage, and threatens his daughter’s well-being. Will circumstances push him, a simple man by nature, to his limits? Presented in association with the Hellenic Film Society USA, the Museum’s monthly series presents a number of outstanding Greek films in the United States. Series info.

SILENTS, PLEASE!
The Man in the Porkpie Hat: Buster Keaton Shorts
Introduced by critic and author Dana Stevens, plus book signing
Saturday, February 26, 1:00 p.m.*
The Museum launches its new monthly series Silents, Please! with a program of Buster Keaton shorts introduced by film critic Dana Stevens, author of the acclaimed new book Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century (2022, Atria Books). In this genre-defying work of cultural history, the chief film critic of Slate places Keaton’s unique creative genius in the context of his time. This selection of family-friendly shorts highlights the full comic range of Keaton’s talents: The Scarecrow (1920), The Boat (1921), The Goat (1921) and lastly, The High Sign (1920), Keaton’s first independently produced film. Series info.
*Please note: rescheduled from its initial date (Jan. 29) when it was canceled due to a major winter storm.

DISREPUTABLE CINEMA
The Addiction
Saturday, February 26, 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Abel Ferrara. 1995, 82 mins. DCP. With Lili Taylor, Christopher Walken, Edie Falco. Iconoclastic indie filmmaker Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant) reinvented the vampire film in this nineties genre essential. After being attacked and bitten one night by a strange woman, philosophy major Kathleen (Taylor) develops a bloodlust and slowly descends into depravity. Capturing the raw energy of New York City streets through beautiful black-and-white images, Ferrara offers a singular blend of gory pleasure and cerebral provocation. Series info.

NEW ADVENTURES IN NONFICTION
The American Sector, with directors Courtney Stephens and Pacho Velez in person
Saturday, February 26, 3:30 p.m.
2020, 69 mins. In this nimble road movie, directors Courtney Stephens and Pacho Velez travel to 75 locations throughout mainland America, from New York to Las Vegas, hotels to private homes, and corporate headquarters to metro stations, visiting fragments of the Berlin Wall. A Grasshopper Film release.
Terra Femme—a live presentation by Courtney Stephens
Saturday, February 26, 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Courtney Stephens. 2021, approx 60 mins. Live performance with digital projection. With the emergence of cinema came the nascent phenomenon of amateur movies, which also coincided with the relative accessibility of international travel for the wealthier leisure class—a small subset of whom were women. Courtney Stephens’s Terra Femme is comprised of archival footage from the first half of the 20th century, all shot by women in locations far from home.
Series info. (Note: these films are also part of Curators' Choice 2021.)

COMMUNITY PARTNER EVENT
The Afrikan Poetry Theatre Black History Month Film Festival
Panel discussion on Black Speculative Fiction and screening of The Harder They Fall
Sunday, February 27, 2:00–6:00 p.m.
FREE WITH RSVP (capacity is very limited, tickets are first come, first served)
This year’s festival will highlight the rise of Black fiction and how Black history is preserved, reimagined, and remixed through the narrative form. Hosted by Tuffy Questell and Vernon “Smij” Williams, this program will celebrate the achievements of contemporary Black filmmakers, writers, and podcasters who work in the genre of speculative fiction—horror, historical fiction, fantasy, or science fiction. A day of free programming will include a screening of short films, including Jahmil Eady’s Heartland, Amirah Mohamed Tajdin’s Negotiating Liberation, and M. Asli Dukan’s web series Resistance: the battle of philadelphia; a panel discussion on Black Speculative Fiction moderated by Tuffy Questell featuring comic book writer David Crownson, casting directors Serena Rosario Stanley and Terence Stanley, and writer/podcaster Zena Dixon, aka The Real Queen of Horror; and a screening of The Harder They Fall, directed by Jeymes Samuel and featuring the stellar ensemble cast of Idris Elba, Jonathan Majors, Regina King, LaKeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz, Delroy Lindo, and more. Free with RSVP. Event info.

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Top image: Belle (2021) / courtesy of GKids

Press contact: Tomoko Kawamoto, tkawamoto@movingimage.us or 718 777 6830.

PRESS IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE HERE (PW: MoMIpress)

Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) is the only institution in the United States that deals comprehensively with the art, technology, enjoyment, and social impact of film, television, and digital media. In its acclaimed facility 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 largest 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. For more information about the MoMI, visit movingimage.us.

MUSEUM INFORMATION
Hours: Friday, 2:00–8:00 p.m. Saturday–Sunday, 12:00–6:00 p.m.
Added Midwinter Recess Hours: Monday–Thursday, Feb. 21–24, 12:00–6:00 p.m.
Museum Admission: $15 adults; $11 senior citizens (ages 65+) and students (ages 18+) with ID; $9 youth (ages 3–17). Children under 3 and Museum members are admitted free.
Address: 36-01 35 Avenue (at 37 Street), Astoria (Queens), NY, 11106
Subway: M (weekdays only) or R to Steinway Street. W (weekdays only) or N to 36 Ave.
Program Information: Telephone: 718 777 6888; Website: movingimage.us
Membership: https://movingimage.us/join-and-support/become-a-member/ or 718 777 6877
Film Screenings: Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays, and as scheduled. Unless noted, tickets are $15 adults / $11 students and seniors / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free or discounted for Museum members. Advance online purchase is recommended.

Please note safety protocols for visiting the Museum.

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). For more information, please visit movingimage.us