Museum of the Moving Image Presents Holiday Film Programs from Family Favorites to Exciting New Film

Plus, Roy Andersson retrospective, Todd Haynes, and acclaimed new films with filmmakers in person

Astoria, New York (November 16, 2023 — This winter holiday season, Museum of the Moving Image will present an eclectic mix of screenings and events, from family-friendly classics to cult favorites to exciting recent releases. Highlights include rare theatrical showings of the Sesame Street TV specials Don’t Eat the Pictures and Christmas Eve on Sesame Street; matinees of Wallace & Gromit shorts during Winter Recess;Thanksgiving weekend marathon screenings of Richard Linklater’s romantic trilogy Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight; retrospectives of American independent filmmaker Todd Haynes—the recipient of our 2023 Winter Moving Image Award for Career Achievement—and Swedish director Roy Andersson; Ernst Lubitsch’s Christmastime romantic comedy The Shop Around the Corner; the Science on Screen series Welcome to the Machine, which kicks off with The Matrix; and acclaimed new films including Joonam, A Thousand and One,Apolonia, Apolonia, Hurricane Season, A Still Small Voice, The Shadow of the Sun, and more with filmmakers in person.  
 
Over Thanksgiving weekend and the winter recess holiday, during Museum hours, the Media and Game Labs will offer drop-in media-making for families that includes building/drawing in virtual reality, creating animation using digital and analog methods, designing pixel art, and making/playing games.
 
Highlights from our ongoing series include silent-era classic comedy Our Hospitality, starring Buster Keaton; Maria by Callas: In Her Own Words, in partnership with the Hellenic Film Society USA; classic Hepburn and Grant films Holiday and The Philadelphia Story; John Carpenter’s They Live and the horror mainstay The Wicker Man as part of Disreputable Cinema; and Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia in World of Animation. Please find a schedule below and online here.
 
In the galleries, on November 24, the Museum will open Reflected Forms: Story and Character in the Films of Todd Haynes within its core exhibition Behind the Screen. Other current exhibits and installations include Horrible Sites: Makeup and Production Design for The Exorcist; Eva Davidova’s Global Mode >, an interactive installation, on view in the lobby through February 12; and David Levine’s hologram-like sculpture Dissolution, on view in the Amphitheater Gallery through March 1. Plus, The Jim Henson Exhibition is a perennial favorite for all ages.
 
SCHEDULE & DESCRIPTIONS
All programs take place at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Ave, Astoria, Queens, NY. General admission ($10–$20) includes a ticket to one same-day film screening. Tickets for screenings are also available separately: $15 adults / $11 seniors and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free or discounted for MoMI members.
 
FILM SERIES
 
Todd Haynes
December 1–30
As part of a multifaceted program celebrating Todd Haynes and coinciding with the release of his latest film May December, MoMI presents a complete film retrospective, plus crucial early films and television work, with the director in person at select screenings on opening weekend. Programs: Early Works by Todd Haynes (including The Suicide [1978] and Assassins: A Film Concerning Rimbaud [1985], Dec. 1, 9), Dottie Gets Spanked (1993) and Other Films (Dec. 1), Poison (1991, 35mm. Dec. 2, 15), Safe (1995, 35mm. Dec. 2, 30), Six by Sondheim (2013. Dec. 3), Far from Heaven (2002, 35mm. Dec. 3, 23), Carol (2015. Dec. 3, 22, 23), May December (2023, 35mm, Dec. 3), Wonderstruck (2017. Dec. 8, 9), Dark Waters (2019. Dec. 16, 30), The Velvet Underground (2021. Dec. 9, 17), Velvet Goldmine (1998, 35mm. Dec. 9, 17), Mildred Pierce (2011. Dec. 10), I’m Not There (2007, 35mm. Dec. 10, 29). Series info | Press release
 
Science on Screen: Welcome to the Machine
December 8–March 1
Artist David Levine, whose new hologram-like sculpture Dissolution is on view at the Museum, co-programs a series of films that depict humans reconstituted in computerized worlds and will participate in a panel discussion titled “<types furiously> I’m in!” Organized by Sonia Epstein, Curator of Science & Technology. Films: The Matrix (1999, 35mm. Dec. 8), The Operator (2022. Dec. 8), Ghost in the Shell (1995. Dec. 22); in 2024: Tron (1982), The Lawnmower Man (1992), eXistenZ (1999), Alphaville (1965), THX 1138 (1971), and World on a Wire (1973). Series info
 
Being Human: The Films of Roy Andersson
December 15–31
Swedish director Roy Andersson’s feature films are made of loosely related vignettes, filmed in long takes and meticulously crafted compositions worthy of Jacques Tati or Buster Keaton. MoMI presents a full retrospective, starting with his charming debut A Swedish Love Story, through his most recent feature, About Endlessness, which garnered him Best Director at the 2019 Venice Film Festival. All screenings will include a selection of commercials directed by Andersson; with special guest speakers at select shows. Films: Songs from the Second Floor (2000), Tomorrow’s Another Day (2011), You, the Living + World of Glory (2007, 35mm), A Swedish Love Story (1970), The White Game (1968), A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014), About Endlessness + Something Happened (2019), Giliap (1975). Series info
Organized by David Schwartz, Curator-at-large, the series is made possible with assistance from the Consulate General of Sweden in New York (Aviva Neuman).
 
Reverse Shot at 20: Selections from a Century
Through November 26
On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, MoMI’s house publication for criticism Reverse Shot selected some of its contributors’ favorite films from the 21st century to be shown on the Museum’s big screen. The final films in the series include: 35 Shots of Rum (2008, 35mm. Nov. 18); Manakamana (2013. Nov. 18, 19) with director Pacho Velez in person on Nov. 19; Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018. Nov. 18, 19); The Wise Kids (2011. Nov. 18) and Princess Cyd (2017. Nov. 18, 24), both with director Stephen Cone in person on Nov. 18; Feast of the Epiphany (2018. Nov. 24); and Richard Linklater’s trilogy Before Sunrise (1995, 35mm. Nov. 25, 26), Before Sunset (2004, 35mm. Nov. 25, 26), and Before Midnight (2013, 35mm. Nov. 25, 26) presented back-to-back over Thanksgiving weekend. Series info | Press release

SCREENING & EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
 
JIM HENSON’S WORLD
Don’t Eat the Pictures
Saturday, November 18, 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 19, 12:30 p.m.
Friday, November 24, 1:00 p.m.
Dir. Jon Stone. 1983, 59 mins. With Caroll Spinney, Martin P. Robinson, Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Jerry Nelson. The Sesame Street gang get locked in the Metropolitan Museum of Art overnight. With special guests on November 18 and 19 including Chris Cerf (songwriter), Noel MacNeal (Muppet performer/wrangler), Martin P. Robinson (Muppet performer–Mr. Snuffleupagus), Richard Termine (Muppet builder/wrangler), and cast members. Event info

DISREPUTABLE CINEMA
They Live
Saturday, November 18, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, November 24, 6:30 p.m.
Dir. John Carpenter. 1988, 94 mins. 35mm. With “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster. A wanderer named Nada stumbles upon a pair of sunglasses that reveals the horrifying true nature of the world in this thrilling sci-fi action cult classic from director John Carpenter. Event info

MoMI MOVIEHOUSE: THE COMPLETE HEPBURN & GRANT
Holiday
Friday, November 24, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 25, 3:00 p.m.
Dir. George Cukor. 1938, 95 mins. 35mm. With Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Lew Ayres. Katharine Hepburn reteamed with George Cukor and reprised a role that had been a Broadway hit for her a decade earlier. The result was one of her most sophisticated and successful movies. Event Info

QUEENS ON SCREEN
A Thousand and One
With director A.V. Rockwell in person
Saturday, November 25, 5:30 p.m.
Dir. A.V. Rockwell. 2023, 116 mins. With Teyana Taylor, Will Catlett. The Grand Jury Prize winner at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival is a work of emotional complexity and finely tuned historical detail from one of the most exciting new American filmmakers in years: the Queens-born-and-raised A.V. Rockwell. Event info
 
INFINITE BEAUTY / NEW ADVENTURES IN NONFICTION
Joonam
Preview screening with director Sierra Urich in person
Sunday, November 26, 5:30 p.m.
Dir. Sierra Urich. 2023, 100 mins. Named for a Farsi term of endearment, Joonam is a personal film that echoes common experiences of the Iranian diasporic community, and will speak to anyone affected by the dislocation of the immigration experience. Event info
 
WORLD OF ANIMATION
Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia
Saturday, Nov 25 at 1:00 p.m. in French with English subtitles
Sunday, Nov 26 at 1:00 p.m. dubbed in English
Dirs. Julien Chheng, Jean-Christophe Roger. 2022, 80 mins. Ten years after the original Ernest & Celestine film introduced the world to the unlikely friendship between a bear and a mouse, this new adventure takes the duo to a remote mountain village where music has been outlawed. Event info

LAS PREMIERES
The Shadow of the Sun (La Sombra del Sol)
With director Miguel Ángel Ferrer in person
Sunday, November 26, 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Miguel Ángel Ferrer. Venezuela/USA, 2023, 100 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. DCP. With Carlos Manuel Gonzalez, Anyelo Lopez. See Venezuela’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature: the story of Leo, a blue-collar worker who participates in a musical contest in the capital of Caracas to help solve his economic problems. Co-presented with Cinema Tropical. Event info

NEW ADVENTURES IN NONFICTION
Apolonia, Apolonia
With Lea Glob in person
Thursday, November 30, 6:30 p.m.
Dir. Lea Glob. 2022, 116 mins. In English, French, Danish, Polish and Russian with English subtitles.

MoMI MOVIEHOUSE
Popeye
Saturday, December 2, 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 3, 1:00 p.m.
Dir. Robert Altman. 1980, 114 mins. 35mm print courtesy of the Robert Altman Collection at the UCLA Film & Television Archive. With Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall. Overlooked at the time of its release, Popeye is now regarded not only as one of Altman’s neglected gems but also as one of Robin Williams’s most brilliant screen performances. Event info
 
LAS PREMIERES
Hurricane Season (Temporada De Huracanes)
With director Elisa Miller in person
Sunday, December 3, 3:30 p.m.
Dir. Elisa Miller. Mexico, 2023. 112 min. DCP. In Spanish with English subtitles. From Elisa Miller (who won the Golden Palm at Cannes for best short film) and based on the brilliant and intense novel by Fernanda Melchor, Hurricane Season is a powerful and stunning film, with an impressive ensemble cast and impeccable cinematography by María Secco. Co-presented with Cinema Tropical. Event info

NEW ADVENTURES IN NON-FICTION
A Still Small Voice
With director Luke Lorentzen in person
Friday, December 8, 7:00 p.m.
Dir. Luke Lorentzen. 2023, 93 mins. Winner of the Sundance Film Festival Prize for Best Director, U.S. Documentary Competition. Lorentzen spends a year inside New York’s Mount Sinai hospital following Mati, a chaplain-in-training who’s completing a residency providing spiritual care to people confronting profound life changes. Event info
 
SCIENCE ON SCREEN: WELCOME TO THE MACHINE
The Matrix
Introduced by artist David Levine
Friday, December 8, 2023, 7:00 p.m.
Dir. The Wachowskis. 1999, 136 mins. 35mm. With Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving. Screening with Operator (Dir. Hannah Whitaker. 2022, 8 mins.). Artist David Levine introduces the Wachowskis' epochal cyberpunk film, along with a short by Hannah Whitaker that frames women in scenes that make them seem both human and machine-like. Event info
 
SILENTS, PLEASE!
Our Hospitality
Saturday, December 9, 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 16, 12:30 p.m.
Dirs. Buster Keaton, John G. Blystone. 1923, 74 mins. DCP. With Buster Keaton, Joe Roberts, Natalie Talmadge. Buster Keaton's lovingly detailed parody of the legendary feud between the Hatfields of West Virginia and McCoys of Kentucky is filled with perfectly timed sight gags that culminate in one of Keaton’s literally death-defying set pieces. Event info
 
ALWAYS ON SUNDAY: GREEK FILM SERIES
Maria by Callas: In Her Own Words
December 10, 3:00 p.m.
Dir. Tom Volf. 2017. 113 mins. DCP. A documentary about the life of the legendary opera singer, presented in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Maria Callas. Co-presented with the Hellenic Film Society USA. Event info
 
MoMI MOVIEHOUSE: THE COMPLETE HEPBURN & GRANT
The Philadelphia Story
Sunday, December 10, 12:30 p.m.
Friday, December 15, 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 16, 1:00 p.m.
Dir. George Cukor. 1940, 112 mins. 35mm. With Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, Ruth Hussey. Three of Hollywood’s greatest stars teamed up in this enduring classic that revolves around Hepburn’s Tracy Lord, a high society divorcée whose second wedding is disrupted by her first husband (Grant) and a cynical tabloid reporter (Stewart, Best Actor Oscar winner for his note-perfect comic frustration) who falls for her charms. Event info
 
MoMI LOVES
The Shop Around the Corner
Friday, December 22, 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 23, 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 24, 3:00 p.m.
Dir. Ernst Lubitsch. 1940, 99 mins. DCP. With Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan, Joseph Schildkraut, Sara Haden. Lubitsch’s exquisite, Christmas-set workplace romantic comedy with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan is a MoMI holiday tradition. Event info
 
JIM HENSON’S WORLD
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street—45th Anniversary Screening!
Saturday, December 23, 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 24, 12:30 p.m.
Dir. Jon Stone. 1978. Digital projection. With Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Linda Bove, Northern Calloway, Debbie Chen, Will Lee, Loretta Long, Sonia Manzano, Bob McGrath, Roscoe Orman. In this beloved 1978 special, Big Bird deals with a major question—how does Santa fit down the chimney?—and Bert and Ernie face their own gift-giving dilemma. This special holiday screening will be preceded by a brief compilation of Henson holiday clips. This screening is courtesy of Sesame Workshop, New York, New York. Event info

WORLD OF ANIMATION / WINTER RECESS
Wallace & Gromit Shorts
December 26–31, 12:30 p.m. daily
This beloved trio of shorts from Aardman Animations introduced the world to the clueless inventor Wallace and his smart, loyal dog, Gromit. Created by Nick Park and animated using clay, the films are laugh-out-loud funny, sending the duo into situations that spiral into mayhem. See the films on the big screen and pair them with a visit to our galleries and Media and Game Lab for hands-on animation and other media-making activities. The films are: A Grand Day Out (Dir. Nick Park. 1989, 23 mins.), The Wrong Trousers (Dir. Nick Park. 1993, 29 mins.), A Close Shave (Dir. Nick Park. 1995, 30 mins.) Event info
Please note: families can add on Museum admission, which gives access to the drop-in Media and Game Labs for hands on media-making activities, and all exhibitions, including The Jim Henson Exhibition and the core exhibition Behind the Screen.
 
DISREPUTABLE CINEMA
The Wicker Man
Saturday, December 30, 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 31, 3:00 p.m.
Dir. Robin Hardy. 1973, 87 mins. DCP. With Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland. Police sergeant Neil Howie (Woodward) arrives at a seemingly quiet island village in search of a missing young woman in this seminal work of folk horror. Event info

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 stunning 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.

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Photo: Wallace & Gromit - courtesy of Aardman

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

PRESS IMAGES

MUSEUM INFORMATION

Hours: Thursday, 2:00–6:00 p.m. Friday, 2:00–8:00 p.m. Saturday–Sunday, 12:00–6:00 p.m. Plus holiday hours.
General Museum Admission: $20 adults, $12 senior citizens (ages 65+) and students (ages 18+) with ID, $10 youth (ages 3–17). Children under 3 and Museum members are admitted free. General admission is free every Thursday, 2:00–6:00 p.m.
Address: 36-01 35 Avenue (at 37 Street), Astoria (Queens), NY, 11106
Subway: R to Steinway Street. W (weekdays only) or N to 36 Ave.
Program Information: Telephone: 718 777 6888; Website: movingimage.us
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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.

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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.us