Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past LivesAstoria, NY (May 5, 2026) — This May, Museum of the Moving Image welcomes visitors with movies for Mother’s Day and a custom Mother’s Day flipbook cover—bring your mom and make a flipbook together to print out as a keepsake! MoMI also presents a series of rarely shown recent Philippine political documentaries; the pairing of The Battle of Algiers and Caché; and a number of special events, including a 30th anniversary screening of Swingers with director Doug Liman and producers in person, Paul Dano in conversation with Isaac Butler in a program presented by Criterion, filmmaker Jeremy Workman and subject Matt Green in person with their 2028 film The World Before Your Feet as part of the free afternoon program New York Loves to Walk, and more.
 
On May 9 and 10, MoMI and the International Campaign for Tibet will present a celebration of Tibetan culture, Days of Compassion, which has as its centerpiece the creation of a sand mandala at the Museum, plus films, workshops, and more. Among the screenings is a new interview series featuring Richard Gere in conversation with Tibetan luminaries; Gere will appear in person on May 9 with a screening of the first episode. This program is part of the Museum’s Open Worlds free community programming, and also coincides with Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.
 
The Museum kicked off AAPI Heritage Month on May 3 with the North American premiere of Moonglow, a film by the Philippine American filmmaker Isabel Sandoval as the Closing Night event of First Look festival. On May 22–31, the Museum continues its focus on Philippine cinema with the series Heart on Fire, Brain on Ice: Philippine Nonfiction Since 2000, guest programmed by A.E. Hunt, and featuring five features and a program of three short films—mostly unreleased and unseen in the United States, films that take a clear-eyed view of the Philippines’ most exploited. On May 30, as part of its free Open Worlds programs, the Museum presents Story Studio: AAPI History Month, a space where guests can record their own stories using professional camera equipment, assisted by practicing filmmakers.
 
This month is also the last chance to see the exhibition Stories and Set Designs for The Sopranos; closing May 31. Visitors can join the Museum for a Sopranos trivia event on May 15; there will be prizes.

In conjunction with the major exhibition Overexposed: Art, Technology, and the Body, the Museum will present a screening of Visio Cordis and conversation with filmmaker Sophie Hamacher and cardiologist Dr. Kiruthika Balasundaram (May 23).
 
Coinciding with Frieze Week in New York, MoMI and the Tezos Foundation will present An Afternoon of Digital Art Encounters on May 16, featuring free talks and performances by artists including Travess Smalley, Edgar Fabián Frías, and OONA, followed by a reception.
 
The Museum continues its Accessibility programs: on the last Saturday of each month, Touch Object Experience invites visitors to engage with select objects, including a projector, 8mm camera, textiles, and face molds, to learn about the story of the moving image in a new way.
 
In addition, the Museum’s Teen Council will present the annual MoMI Teen Film Festival on Friday, May 8, featuring work by youth from all five boroughs.
 
Unless noted, all programs take place at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Ave, Astoria, NY 11106. Screenings are presented in the Sumner M. Redstone Theater and/or the Celeste and Armand Bartos Screening Room. Schedule and tickets are available at movingimage.org.
 
Schedule is subject to change. Additional programs will be added as they are confirmed.
 
 
SCREENING AND EVENT SERIES
 
Open Worlds 2026
Ongoing
This year-round initiative offers free access to the Museum’s ground floor to the public accompanied by a series of free community events that spark curiosity with explorations of the moving image across platforms—gaming, film, television, immersive experiences, and emerging technologies. Upcoming May programs include Days of Compassion, two days of Tibetan culture (May 9–10); Sopranos Trivia Night at MoMI (May 15); An Afternoon of Digital Art Encounters, co-presented with the Tezos Foundation (May 16); the next Open Worlds: Science program, New York Loves to Walk (May 30), and Story Studio: AAPI History Month (May 30). Series info
Programmatic support for Open Worlds 2026 is provided by the NY City Council, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Bank of America, the William Fox Jr. Foundation, NYSCA, and the Office of the Queensborough President. Open Worlds: Science programs are made possible by the Simons Foundation.
 
French War, Algerian Revolution: The Battle of Algiers and Caché (both 35mm)
May 9–16
There is no more pressing time than now to revisit The Battle of Algiers, Gillo Pontecorvo’s enduring 1966 record of resistance in the face of unjust occupation; but what happens after independence? In the starkly beautiful and gutting 2005 thriller Caché, Michael Haneke dares to examine the haunting echoes of settler-colonial violence, some decades and over a thousand miles away in early-aughts Paris. Organized by Farihah Zaman, as part of the ongoing series Infinite Beauty: Muslim and MENASA Identity Onscreen | Series info
 
Good Moms, Bad Kids: Two for Mother’s Day
Sunday, May 10
There’s been a long legacy of movies from some of our greatest filmmakers about self-sacrificing parents and their selfish offspring, from Ozu to Sirk to Fassbinder. This Mother’s Day MoMI invites you to experience two classic Hollywood tearjerkers in which mothers are ill-treated by their grown kids: Leo McCarey’s devastatingly poignant Make Way for Tomorrow (the model for Ozu’s masterpiece Tokyo Story) and Douglas Sirk’s beloved Technicolor drama All That Heaven Allows (35mm, also screening May 16). | Series info

Heart on Fire, Brain on Ice: Philippine Nonfiction since 2000
May 22–31
Direct and political in their aims, these documentaries, features, and shorts, mostly unreleased and unseen in the United States, take a clear-eyed view of the Philippines’ most exploited—landless peasant farmers, urban poor displaced by development, generations of indigenous families affected by toxic waste left behind by U.S. military bases—as well as those among them who are agitated to resist. The filmmakers are often intimately if not directly affected by the repression they capture, and the films are made by and with activists who have integrated with the communities they follow on the ground. Occasionally surreal, sometimes absurd, these films maintain a firm grip on the visceral reality that binds their struggles together. Guest programmed by A.E. Hunt.
Titles: Alipato at Muog (Dir. JL Burgos. 2024), In the Claws of a Century Wanting (Dir. Jewel Maranan. 2017), Wake (Subic) (Dir. John Gianvito. 2015), Lawas Kan Pinabli (Dir. Christopher Gozum. 2011. Introduced by Migrante New York), Heart on Fire Philippine Short Films, Beast Mode (Dir. Eshei Mesina. 2018). | Series info
 
EXHIBITIONS
 
Overexposed: Art, Technology, and the Body
March 14, 2026–January 3, 2027
Overexposed: Art, Technology, and the Body traces how innovations like cinema and X‑ray imaging radically transformed the way we see—and understand—the human form. Bringing together more than a century of research films and contemporary artworks by 16 artists, the exhibition explores how looking beneath the skin has shaped ideas about science, power, care, and identity.
Organized by Sonia Shechet Epstein, Curator of Science and Technology.
Lead support for Overexposed was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Additional generous support was provided by Romy Cohen, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Elaine Goldman, May & Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, and Doug Pugh. Press release | Exhibition info
 
Stories and Set Designs for The Sopranos
February 14–May 31
In the Amphitheater Gallery
The exhibition centers materials that trace how the series’ narrative and visual worlds were established. Drawing from David Chase’s personal archive, the exhibition features scripts, notes, and research that document the development of the celebrated series’ story arcs and character trajectories as it moved from a pilot into the first season. It also examines the design of the four principal sites where the series’ central action unfolds—Dr. Melfi’s office, the Soprano home, the Bada Bing strip club, and Satriale’s Pork Store—through a presentation of concept art, construction drawings, and ground plans by production designers Edward Pisoni (pilot) and Dean Taucher (season one). Organized by Barbara Miller, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs.
This exhibition was made possible with the support of Lisa and Richard Plepler. Press release | Exhibition info
 
Icarus Proudbottom’s Typing Party
March 26–August 23
Free to play in the Museum lobby
Holy Wow Studio’s Typing Party takes the form of a social arcade game comprising nine competitive minigames, played on two keyboards mounted side by side in a custom cabinet. The two keyboards are central to the game’s character: slightly out of place within arcade conventions, yet immediately legible to most players; they turn a familiar act into something social, rhythmic, and unexpectedly challenging. Presented in collaboration with Wonderville. Exhibit info
 
Yuri Norstein: Three Tail Tales
March 5–May 31
This screening program is presented inside Tut’s Fever Movie Palace, an artwork and working theater by Red Grooms and Lysiane Luong; part of the core exhibition Behind the Screen. Three short films by renowned master of cut-out animation Yuri Norstein: The Fox and the Hare (1973, 12 mins.), The Heron and the Crane (1974, 10 mins.), and Hedgehog in the Fog (1975, 11 mins.). Organized by Emily Greenberg, Film and Public Programs Manager. Exhibition info
 
Lick Pic
Collaborative work by Sarah Friend and Yehwan Song
February 19–May 10
Next: a collaborative work by Linda Dounia and Rhea Myers, starting May 14.
On the Herbert S. Schlosser Media Wall and in the Museum lobby. Presented in partnership with the Tezos Foundation. 
Organized by Regina Harsanyi, Associate Curator of Media Arts. Exhibition info
 
The Jim Henson Exhibition
Ongoing
Exhibition info
 
Behind the Screen
Ongoing
Exhibition info
 
See a listing of all current and fall exhibitions here.

HIGHLIGHTED SCREENINGS AND EVENTS
 
ONGOING
Moving Image Studio
Every Sunday, 12:30–5:30 p.m.
Moving Image Studio is a drop-in media-making space where visitors can experiment and create media as well as arts and crafts, inspired by characters and subjects featured in the Museum’s galleries and screening programs. Facilitated by Museum educators, visitors can try green-screen, create stop-motion animation, build in virtual reality, and draw whimsical characters from films, video games, and TV shows. Free. Event info
 
SCREENING AND LIVE EVENT
Swingers: 30th Anniversary Event
Post-film conversation with director Doug Liman, producers Victor Simpkins and Eden Wurmfeld, and music supervisor Julianne Kelly
Thursday, May 7, 7:00 p.m.
Dir. Doug Liman. 1996, 96 mins. U.S. 35mm. With Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Ron Livingston, Heather Graham, Patrick Van Horn. Even amidst the American indie film boom of the 1990s, Swingers had a seismic impact, launching the careers of its stars Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau (who also wrote the script), and its director Doug Liman. With its hilarious, rapid-fire dialogue and prescient skewering of fragile masculinity, Liman’s debut remains a beloved, endlessly quotable mainstay of its era. Also screening May 8 (no guests). Event info
 
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT
Days of Compassion
May 9 & 10
This special cultural program, in collaboration with the International Campaign for Tibet, is presented in honor of the Year of Compassion, celebrating the 90th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and his lifelong message of compassion. The centerpiece of the weekend will be creation of a sand mandala by monks from the Gyumed Monastery in Queens. The program also features screenings of Richard Gere in Conversation: Tibet and the Heart of Compassion, Episode 1: Dr. Gyal Lo with Richard Gere in person (ticket purchase required) and two new Tibetan shorts My Sweet Pala and Mola: A Tibetan Tale of Love & Loss; a book talk; and workshops. Audiences of all backgrounds are invited to experience Tibetan culture and immerse themselves in the transformative power of art and compassion. Part of Open Worlds 2026. All programs are free with RSVP, unless noted. Event info

SCREENING AND LIVE EVENT
Richard Gere in Conversation: Tibet and the Heart of Compassion
With Richard Gere in person
Saturday, May 9, 12:15 p.m.
Screening of Episode 1: “An Interview with Dr. Gyal Lo”
Dirs. Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam. 2026, 77 mins. U.S. In Tibetan and English with English subtitles. In the first episode of this upcoming series of conversations, actor and human rights activist Richard Gere interviews leading Tibetan sociologist and the foremost expert on Tibet’s educational system, Dr. Gyal Lo. Dr. Lo shares his personal journey from a village boy in a remote corner of northeastern Tibet to an educational researcher exposing the cultural genocide of China’s mandatory state boarding schools.
The screening will be introduced by the directors. Following the screening, Gere will discuss the series with Tenzin Dorjee (Tibet Action Institute) and Tencho Gyatso (International Campaign for Tibet). Part of Days of Compassion. Event info
 
SCREENING
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
May 9 & 10
Dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul. 2010, 114 mins. Thailand. 35mm. In Thai with English subtitles. This magical and gorgeously immersive Palme d’Or–winning masterwork transports the viewer to a world of the uncanny and dreamlike, a world of monkey ghosts, talking catfish, and materializing spirits of the dead that somehow also feels entirely earthy and based in a tactile reality. Event info
 
LIVE EVENT
Criterion presents The Craft of Acting: Paul Dano
Wednesday, May 13, 7:30 p.m.
Copresented by Museum of the Moving Image and Criterion
In the third installment of the Criterion Channel’s The Craft of Acting series, actor and filmmaker Paul Dano will discuss his career and the performances that have shaped him in a live conversation with author Isaac Butler. From his breakthrough roles in Little Miss Sunshine and There Will Be Blood to his transformative turn in Love & Mercy and his acclaimed directorial debut Wildlife, Dano has established himself as one of the most thoughtful and versatile artists working today, both on-screen and behind the camera. Event info

FREE COMMUNITY EVENT
Sopranos Trivia Night at MoMI
Friday, May 15, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
MoMI welcomes Sopranos Trivia Night to celebrate the final weeks of the exhibition Stories and Set Designs for The Sopranos, set to close on May 31. This free evening of trivia and Bada Bingo is dedicated to your favorite characters. There will be prizes! Part of Open Worlds 2026. Free with RSVP | Event info
 
SCREENING
Redline
May 15 & 16
Dir. Takeshi Koike. 2009, 102 mins. Japan. DCP. In Japanese with English subtitles. With Takuya Kimura, Yu Aoi. Don’t miss the explosive Redline on MoMI’s big screen; a stylish Grand Prix space race, from anime veteran Takeshi Koike, with a surprisingly sweet finale. Part of World of Animation. Event info
 
SCREENING
Anything That Moves
Friday, May 15, 7:00 pm
Dir. Alex Phillips. 2025, 81 mins. U.S. 35mm. With Hal Baum, Jiana Nicole, Ginger Lynn Allen, Nina Hartley. Anything That Moves is the taboo-shattering second feature from director Alex Phillips that is equal parts gory grindhouse gruesomeness, Giallo-style murder mystery, and erotically charged 1970s exploitation film. Part of Disreputable Cinema. Event info
 
SCREENING AND LIVE EVENT
Jim Henson: Tele-Visionary
May 16 & 17
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Muppet Show, join MoMI for a very special compilation of Henson history that was originally assembled by Jim Henson Legacy President (and MoMI guest curator) Craig Shemin and longtime Muppet head writer Jerry Juhl. The program is a chronological journey from Jim Henson’s first show, Sam and Friends, to The Muppet Show, featuring material you won’t see anywhere else, including early TV appearances, commercials, and more. Part of Jim Henson’s World. Event info  

FREE COMMUNITY EVENT
An Afternoon of Digital Art Encounters
Featuring talks and performances by artists Travess Smalley, Edgar Fabián Frías, and OONA
Saturday, May 16, 1:30 p.m.
Museum of the Moving Image, in partnership with the Tezos Foundation, presents an afternoon of programs during Frieze Week bringing together talks, performances, and publications across three distinct artistic practices, followed by a reception. The program includes a book launch by Travess Smalley, a live performance organized by Edgar Fabián Frías and featuring local Indigenous artists, and a performance lecture by OONA. The event highlights the range of artistic practices supported by the Tezos ecosystem. Part of Open Worlds 2026. Free with RSVP. Event info
 
SCREENING
All That Jazz
May 22 & May 24
Dir. Bob Fosse. 1979, 123 mins. U.S. 35mm. With Roy Scheider, Ann Reinking, Ben Vereen, John Lithgow. Bob Fosse’s dazzling, partly autobiographical, partly fantastical musical, largely filmed at the Astoria studio, is an interiorized epic, starring a never-better Roy Scheider as Fosse’s alter ego, Joe Gideon. One of the most uncompromising studio-financed films of the 1970s, All That Jazz is an enveloping sensory experience, shot and edited with dexterous, revolutionary brilliance. Winner of four Oscars, including Art Direction, Costume Design, Editing, and Score. Part of Song & Dance. Event info

SCREENING AND LIVE EVENT
Visio Cordis screening and discussion with filmmaker Sophie Hamacher and cardiologist Dr. Kiruthika Balasundaram
Saturday, May 23, 1:00 p.m.
Dir. Sophie Hamacher. 2026, 19 mins. Visio Cordis takes medical imaging as both subject and provocation, tracing how systems built to observe and measure do not merely reveal the body but also shape how care and rupture are interpreted. Followed by a discussion with filmmaker Sophie Hamacher and cardiologist Dr. Kiruthika Balasundaram. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Overexposed: Art, Technology, and the Body and as part of the ongoing screening series Science on Screen. Event info

SCREENING AND LIVE EVENT
Dog Day Afternoon
Introduced by author Rachel Walther, author of Born to Lose: The Misfits Who Made “Dog Day Afternoon,” followed by a book signing
Saturday, May 23, 1:15 p.m.
Dir. Sidney Lumet. 1975, 125 mins. 35mm. With Al Pacino, John Cazale, Chris Sarandon, Carol Kane, Charles Durning. Pacino gives one of his greatest performances as desperate crook Sonny Wortzik in Lumet’s epochal New York crime drama, based on the bizarre true story of a 1972 bank robbery staged blocks from the movie’s Brooklyn location. The screening will be introduced by Rachel Walther, whose new book delves into the true-crime story behind the film; screening followed by book signing in MoMI Shop. Part of New York Stories. Event info
 
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT
Story Studio: AAPI History Month
Saturday, May 30, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Story collectors, aspiring filmmakers, and family archivists: bring your people to MoMI for a hands-on documentary interview project, celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Part of Open Worlds 2026. Event info
 
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT
New York Loves to Walk
An Open Worlds: Science program
Saturday, May 30, 12:00–5:30 p.m.
Research shows that walking sparks creativity and can improve your mood. Join MoMI for a talk with psychologist Catherine Hartley, Ph.D. (NYU) about the effects of walking on brain activity, watch a screening of The World Before Your Feet, a document of Matt Green’s self-imposed mission of walking every single block of New York City, followed by a meandering walk in Astoria and LIC led by Green and the film’s director Jeremy Workman (Secret Mall Apartment). Open Worlds: Science is supported by the Simons Foundation. Free; RSVP recommended. Event info
 

About Museum of the Moving Image
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. For more information about MoMI, visit movingimage.org.

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PRESS IMAGES
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 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.org.

Photo: Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong Weerasethakul. 2010. 35mm) / Courtesy of Strand Releasing