NEWSLETTER
Astoria, New York, October 30, 2024 — This November, Museum of the Moving Image welcomes boundary-pushing documentarian Lana Wilson for a career retrospective, featuring in-person appearances with screenings of Pretty Baby, Miss Americana, her latest film Look into My Eyes, and more; the six-film series Godzilla vs. MoMI, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the King of the Monsters; The Many Wonderful Lives of Argentine Animation; the conclusion of The Magic of Oz: A Frank Oz Retrospective, including a special sold-out appearance by Oz and Steve Martin with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; and more.
The Museum’s annual free community celebration of Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) will take place Saturday, November 2, 4:00–6:00 p.m., presented in collaboration with the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York.
Our Open Worlds initiative continues through the fall and winter, with free community access to the Museum’s first floor spaces, including the courtyard (weather-permitting) and café where Mon Amour continues their residency (Friday–Sunday).
Programs are listed below and online at movingimage.org (schedule subject to change).
SCREENING SERIES
The Magic of Oz: A Frank Oz Retrospective
Through November 30
Whether behind the camera or acting in front of it, creating a character with only his voice or animating one through puppetry, Frank Oz has been one of the most versatile, eclectic, influential, and industrious moving image artists of the last half-century. The Museum’s comprehensive retrospective, features all 15 films for which he served as director, plus films in which he performed, and other special events. Oz will appear at the Museum will screenings of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Nov. 9, also with Steve Martin—sold out) and Derek DelGaudio’s In and of Itself (Nov. 24). This month, the series also features Housesitter, In & Out, The Indian in the Cupboard; an encore screening of Little Shop of Horrors (Director’s Cut), and much more. Press release | Event info
Reverse Shot presents: A Few Great Pumpkins: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Fog, and The Seventh Victim
October 26–November 1
Every October since 2006, MoMI’s house publication for criticism, Reverse Shot, has provided an annual week-long lineup of short essays celebrating seven great scary movies titled A Few Great Pumpkins. This Halloween, Reverse Shot will present three classic American horror movies from past Pumpkins: John Carpenter’s 1980 The Fog (recent 4K digital restoration), Val Lewton/Mark Robson’s 1943 The Seventh Victim (archival 35mm print from the Library of Congress), and Tobe Hooper’s 1974 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (50th anniversary release). Bleak and beautiful, these are magnificently sinister films featuring breathtakingly evocative cinematography. Event info
Godzilla vs. MoMI
November 1–3
First appearing in the 1954 Toho classic Gojira, Godzilla has reigned as King of the Monsters for 70 years. Inspired by American films like King Kong and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, this first film stood out from most contemporary Western science fiction films for the bleak tone captured in Ishiro Honda’s direction and Eiji Tsuburaya’s spectacular special effects, which would revolutionize the tokusatsu genre in Japan. After the success of Gojira, Toho would revive Godzilla for 32 sequels, over the course of which, the kaiju would evolve into a hero (and back to villain again) and fight opponents who’d become icons in their own right. To honor Godzilla’s 70th anniversary, MoMI presents screenings of Gojira (Ishiro Honda, 1954), Mothra vs. Godzilla (Ishiro Honda, 1964), Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (Ishiro Honda, 1964), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (Jun Fukuda, 1974), The Return of Godzilla (Koji Hashimoto, 1984); plus the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One (Takashi Yamazaki, 2023) to top it all off on Sunday evening! Part of the ongoing series Disreputable Cinema. Event info
The Many Wonderful Lives of Argentine Animation
November 2–3
Since its beginnings, Argentine animation has been a hub of inventors, storytellers, and tireless alchemists of the medium. Among the pioneering filmmakers are Quirino Cristiani, Luis Bras, Manuel García Ferré, and Juan Pablo Zaramella. Characterized by elegance, visual power, anarchic spirit, and diversity, Argentine animation stands as one of the most vibrant corners of world cinema. This series of four programs, organized by guest programmer Juan Manuel Dominguez from the collection of the Museo del Cine Pablo Ducrós Hicken in Buenos Aires, features a range of films, from early 20th-century shorts for kids to popular TV shows, commercials, and contemporary work, all ripe for discovery. The four programs—including one for children, and another for teens—are also part of the Museum’s ongoing series World of Animation. Dominguez will introduce all shows. Event Info
Come Alive: A Lana Wilson Retrospective
November 22–24
In just ten years, Lana Wilson has established herself as one of the most compelling and accomplished nonfiction filmmakers of her generation. This complete, early-career retrospective celebrates an Emmy-winning and two-time Spirit Award–nominated filmmaker of uncommon dexterity and integrity, including her patient and observant look at third-trimester abortion doctors and their patients, After Tiller (co-directed by Martha Shane); her atypically intimate, unmistakably feminist portraits of superstars Taylor Swift (Miss Americana) and Brooke Shields (Pretty Baby); and her sui generis, impeccably crafted works of heart-swollen humanism such as The Departure and her latest, Look into My Eyes, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and was produced and distributed by A24. Press release | Event Info
Eyeworks Experimental Animation Series 2024: Program One
Saturday, December 7, 3:30 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. The aim of Eyeworks, founded in 2010, is to present works that engage the enormous potential inherent in the artform of animation, and to show pieces that use animation as part of distinctly personal, conceptual, exploratory, and critical practices. 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
FREE COMMUNITY PROGRAM
Day of the Dead 2024
Saturday, November 2, 4:00–6:00 p.m.
Celebrate a vibrant Day of the Dead at Museum of the Moving Image, and in collaboration with the Mexican Cultural Institute in New York, with a performance of Aztec Mexica dance, ofrendas honoring loved ones who have died, fun digital media activities for kids and families, and music from Indigenous dance troupe Yayauhki Tezcatlipoka. There will also be a face-painting session inspired by historical characters from Día de Muertos. All are welcome to join the festive event in the Museum’s courtyard, which will include a catrina and catrin contest hosted by artist historian Rosa Ruíz and Catrinamía. The celebration culminates in a 6:30 p.m. screening of Alejandro Amenábar’s The Others (2001); ticket purchase necessary, use code DAYOFTHEDEAD for 20% off), featuring Nicole Kidman in one of the most elegant and devastating ghost stories of the 21st century. Event info
Presented with support from Con Edison.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Steve Martin and Frank Oz in person
Saturday, November 9, 5:30 p.m.
Dir. Frank Oz. 1988, 110 mins. 35mm. With Steve Martin, Michael Caine, Glenne Headly, Anton Rodgers, Barbara Harris. In this riotous farce set on the sparkling French Riviera, debonair con man Lawrence (Caine) meets his match when he comes across uncouth American hustler Freddy (Martin). Full of uproarious gags, twists, and turns, Oz’s remake of the 1964 comedy Bedtime Story is one of the funniest comedies of the 1980s, and features one of Martin’s most delightfully unhinged performances. Event info
This event is sold out.
Fonissa (Murderess)
Director Eva Nathena in person for a post-screening Q&A
Sunday, November 10, 3:00 p.m.
Dir. Eva Nathena. 2023, 97 mins. Greece. In Greek with English subtitles. DCP. With Karyofyllia Karabeti, Maria Protopappa, Penelope Tsilika. Based on the classic novel by Alexandros Papadiamantis. Driven to despair over women’s oppressive living conditions in her island community circa 1900, a midwife finds a violent solution to confront the evils of a male-dominated society. Seeing herself as a savior of sorts, she takes the lives of young girls to spare them from a future of hardship and servitude. Part of Always on Sunday: Greek Film Series, co-presented by the Hellenic Film Society USA. Event info
FREE COMMUNITY PROGRAM
Undulating Patterns: On Trans Visibility in Video & Poetry
Friday, November 15, 5:30 p.m.
In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, MoMI presents Queens-born artist ray ferreira’s video An echo wails, whispers an undulating pattern during the weekend of November 15–17. On November 15, 5:30–8:00 p.m., in collaboration with The American LGBTQ+ Museum, we will host an opening event including poetry readings by ray ferreira and Paolo Javier, and an artists’ discussion with Imara Jones, followed by a reception and collective writing activity. Transgender Day of Remembrance celebrates queer visibility and remembers transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming persons whose lives were lost in acts of targeted violence.
This event is Free with RSVP. Event info
The Best of Frank Oz: Frank’s Favorites
Hosted by series programmer Craig Shemin, President of the Jim Henson Legacy
Saturday, November 16, 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 17, 1:00 p.m.
In 1961, Jim Henson, searching for a new puppeteer to join the Muppets, met Frank Oznowicz at a Puppeteers of America Festival in Asilomar, California. Jim was impressed by Frank’s puppetry, but young Oznowicz was still in high school, so Jim hired his performing partner Jerry Juhl instead. Two years later, Frank arrived in New York City and began his long association with the Henson organization (and was reunited with Juhl, who would become the Muppets’ head writer for many years). This all-new compilation, created in consultation with Mr. Oz, presents some of Frank’s favorite Henson moments—ranging from his first collaboration with Jim, as Rowlf’s right hand on The Jimmy Dean Show, to his own major characters on Muppet television shows, feature films, and guest appearances. Part of Jim Henson’s World and The Magic of Oz: A Frank Oz Retrospective. Event info
Vanishing Point Forever: Revisiting a Cult Classic
Followed by discussion with Robert M. Rubin, author of Vanishing Point Forever + book signing
Sunday, November 17, 3:30 p.m.
Dir. Richard C. Sarafian. United States. 1971, 98 mins. 4K DCP. With Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, Dean Jagger. The great American car chase movie, directed by maverick Armenian-American filmmaker Richard C. Sarafian, is nominally the saga of a Vietnam vet on the lam in his Dodge Challenger, but it’s simultaneously a modern-day western, a dystopian allegory, and a love letter to the muscle car. A cult classic, adored by artists and filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino and Steven, Vanishing Point had a storied production, the lore and legends of which are now lovingly collected in Robert M. Rubin’s mythic illustrated account Vanishing Point Forever. Event info
Derek DelGaudio’s In and of Itself
With Frank Oz and Derek DelGaudio in person
Sunday, November 24, 3:30 p.m.
Dir. Frank Oz. 2020, 90 mins. DCP. In this film adaptation of a long-running, critically acclaimed play that he also directed, Oz introduces us to Derek DelGaudio, a solo storyteller and conceptual magician who casts an unsettling, existential spell. “Who am I?” DelGaudio asks, fighting to see through the illusion of his own identity, only to discover that identity itself is an illusion. His personal journey expands to a collective experience that forces both the audience in the theater and the one watching the film to confront the boundaries of their own identities. Event info
INSTALLATIONS AND EXHIBITIONS
Waxwing
Ongoing
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
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.
Exhibit info
Auriea Harvey: My Veins Are the Wires, My Body Is Your Keyboard
Final month. Exhibition closes December 1
A new digital publication to accompany the exhibition, edited by MoMI's Associate Curator of Media Arts Regina Harsanyi, is now available as a free download. The collection features creative responses to Auriea Harvey's work by poet Sasha Stiles and artist Morehshin Allahyari; an in-depth interview with Harvey and Jon Ippolito; and a personal introduction by Harsanyi. Download here.
More info | View press release
Sasha Stiles
Through November 21
Transforming the poem she wrote in MoMI’s Exhibition Reader for the Auriea Harvey exhibition, Sasha Stiles’s video explores the ability for deep connection cultivated through the web. A media-rich version of the poem A TO Z is available for visitors to collect for free from the Museum Without Walls station in our lobby and online, minted on Tezos. More info
The Jim Henson Exhibition
Ongoing
Find costume inspiration in the Museum’s dynamic exploration of Jim Henson’s groundbreaking work for film and television and his transformative impact on culture. The 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
Of particular note, Horrible Sites: Makeup and Production Design for The Exorcist continues to be on view as part of the Museum’s core exhibition. Exhibit 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
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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).