See It Big: Summer Movies and Queer Cinema Series Anchor May and June Programs at MoMI

Holiday opening: Monday, June 19, 12:00–6:00 p.m. (Juneteenth); plus, FREE gallery hours every Thursday, 2:00–6:00 p.m.

Just added: special screening of Beau Is Afraid with director Ari Aster in person on Tuesday, May 9, 6:30 p.m.

Astoria, NY (May 4, 2023) — This May and June, Museum of the Moving Image embraces summer movies with its signature See It Big series, featuring nearly two-dozen films from the 1970s and ’80s, starting this Friday; presents Queer Cinema, Top to Bottom, a screening series guest-programmed by critic Kyle Turner on the occasion of his new book The Queer Film Guide, that opens May 20 and continues through Pride Month; celebrates milestones for Andrew Bujalski’s film Computer Chess with special guests (part of Science on Screen) and the 30th anniversary of The Jim Henson Legacy, The organization that was integral to the establishment of The Jim Henson Exhibition at the Museum. MoMI also offers programming and holiday hours for Juneteenth; plus screenings of Pixar’s delightful Turning Red for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and MoMI favorite A.I. Artificial Intelligence during Mother’s Day weekend. See below for highlights and schedule; additional programs will be added as they are confirmed.

Over Juneteenth weekend, June 17–19, the Museum will be open daily 12:00–6:00 p.m. and will present screenings of The Watermelon Woman (1996), The Wiz (1978), and Beat Street (1984). A screening of The Wiz on Sunday, June 18, will be preceded by a live performance of local dancers from the Edge School of the Arts and an African drum circle.

Additional upcoming screenings include Rex Ingram’s The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921, 35mm) on May 20, and Erich von Stroheim’s masterpiece Foolish Wives (1922) in a new archival 35mm print on June 10 and 11, both part of Silents, Please!; Clive Barker’s Hellraiser (1987) on May 20 and 27, as part of Disreputable Cinema; Diem Ha Le’s Children of the Mist, winner of the Best Director award at IDFA 2021, on May 19, as part of New Adventures in Nonfiction; and Ramin Bahrani’s Willets Point–set Chop Shop (2007), as part of Queens on Screen. Details will be added to the Museum’s website soon.

In the galleries, Cinema of Sensations: The Never-Ending Screen of Val del Omar, exploring the innovative and influential work of the visionary Spanish artist and filmmaker José Val del Omar, continues through October 1, with a special live event and screening on May 13 that features contemporary filmmakers whose work carries the spirit of Val del Omar. The recently opened elevator installation Refreshing the Loop, featuring animated GIFs by Francoise Gamma and p1xelfool, is on view through July 23, alongside the core exhibition Behind the Screen and The Jim Henson Exhibition. See all exhibitions here.

Starting Thursday, May 4, to coincide with the inaugural Claire Shulman Awards, honoring business innovators and leaders in Queens, movie posters of films set in Queens, such as The Wrong Man, Saving Face, and In Jackson Heights—many of which were screened at the Museum as part of the ongoing Queens on Screen series—will be on view in the lobby.

FILM PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

See It Big: Summer Movies (’70s and ’80s Edition)
MAY 5–JULY 28
It may be as American as apple pie, but the summer movie is still a relatively recent phenomenon. Steven Spielberg’s Jaws revolutionized the industry with its June 1975 media blitz, instantly iconic branding, and mammoth success (it didn’t hurt that the film was brilliant). George Lucas followed suit and upped the ante two summers later with Star Wars. After this, every movie studio began to rethink its annual release slate to capitalize on audience expectations for summer spectacle. This series brings together blockbuster selections from the first two decades of the American summer movie, as well as some smaller hot-month titles released to appeal to alternative art-house crowds, from romantic comedies to adult erotic thrillers to serious social dramas. Organized by Curator of Film Eric Hynes, Associate Curator of Film Edo Choi, and Reverse Shot editors Michael Koresky and Jeff Reichert. Featuring: Jaws (1975, 35mm), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), The Omen (1976), Star Wars (1977), The Rescuers (1977), Blow Out (1981, 35mm), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, 35mm), The Green Ray (Le rayon vert) (1986, 35mm), Beat Street (1984, 35mm), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Risky Business (1983, 35mm), Back to the Future (1985, 35mm), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), An American Werewolf in London (1981), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), Purple Rain (1984), Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985, 35mm), Do the Right Thing (1989), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982, 35mm), Body Heat (1981, 35mm), La Bamba (1987), and Chocolat (1988, New 35mm print).
Schedule & Tickets | Program Schedule (PDF)

Queer Cinema, Top to Bottom
MAY 20–JULY 2
For much of cinema’s history, queerness was woven secretly into its fabric. As the decades wore on, and as queer artists wrestled with often inhospitable cultures and government or industry restrictions loosened, they began to assert their perspectives and sensibilities, playing with aesthetics to articulate a sense of queerness, decisively and cinematically. To commemorate the publication of The Queer Film Guide: 100 Films That Tell LGBTQIA+ Stories (2023, Smith Street Books and Rizzoli), author and critic Kyle Turner has guest programmed a selection of films that epitomize the complex, contradictory, and compelling ways queerness finds itself as code, language, or point of view. Featuring: Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001), The Watermelon Woman (Cheryl Dunye, 1996), Morocco (Josef von Sternberg, 1930), Rope (Alfred Hitchcock, 1948), The Fly (David Cronenberg, 1986), Jennifer’s Body (Karyn Kusama, 2009), Nitrate Kisses (Barbara Hammer, 1992), Querelle (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1982), and O Fantasma (Joao Pedro Rodrigues, 2000).
Schedule & Tickets | Program Schedule (PDF)

Turning Red
SATURDAY, MAY 6, 1:00 P.M.
SUNDAY, MAY 7, 12:30 P.M.
FRIDAY, MAY 12, 3:00 P.M.
This delightful 2022 Pixar comedy directed by Domee Shi embraces the confidence and dorkiness of its protagonist, 13-year-old Mei, who turns into a giant red panda when she gets emotional. An overachiever in school and at home, Mei is also smitten with the boy band 4*Town and schemes with her friends to raise money to go see the band perform—a plan that goes awry on the night of the concert. One of the only Pixar films directed by a woman, Turning Red is a hilarious and compassionate coming-of-age tale. Recommended for ages 10 and up. Event info (Part of World of Animation)

Forest of Bliss
Preceded by Luminous People
SATURDAY, MAY 6, 5:00 P.M.
These innovative works of nonfiction offer astonishing visuals and a profound ability to capture the essence of place and people. Robert Gardner’s 1986 ethnographic masterpiece Forest of Bliss (90 mins.) offers a poetic and meditative exploration of life and death in the Indian city of Benares (aka Varanasi), a sacred site for Hindus. Preceded by Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s short Luminous People (2011, 19 mins.). Event info (Part of Persistent Visions)

In Jackson Heights
SATURDAY, MAY 6, 1:30 P.M.
SUNDAY, MAY 7,1:30 P.M.
Frederick Wiseman's In Jackson Heights (2015, 190 mins.) celebrates the teeming diversity of one neighborhood in the context of the larger landscape of Queens itself. Event info (Part of Queens on Screen)

Man of God
SUNDAY, MAY 7, 3:00 P.M.
Yelena Popovic’s Man of God brings to life the incredible true story of Saint Nektarios of Aegina, Greece. A priest of the common people, he annoyed the prideful orthodox clergy of the day with his humility. Part of Always on Sunday: Greek Film Showcase, co-presented by the Hellenic Film Society USA. Event info

A.I. Artificial Intelligence
FRIDAY, MAY 12, 6:30 P.M.
SATURDAY, MAY 13, 6:00 P.M.
Steven Spielberg’s monumental production of Stanley Kubrick’s unrealized science-fiction dream project is a bold, humanistic vision that pays tribute to Kubrick’s aesthetic while also remaining a quintessential Spielberg film. This high-tech Pinocchio story—about a robot child (a brilliant Haley Joel Osment) on a quest to become a real boy—is one of Spielberg’s most challenging and visually astonishing films, featuring one unforgettable sight after another. Presented in 35mm. Event info (Part of MoMI Loves)

Computer Chess – 10th Anniversary Screening
With actor Robin Schwartz and computer scientist and AI researcher Suresh Venkatasubramanian in person
FRIDAY, MAY 12, 7:00 P.M.
Andrew Bujalski’s daring, prescient Computer Chess (2013), set in the 1980s at the start of the tech revolution, provides a refreshing lens on our relationship to technology and artificial intelligence. The film was shot entirely on a consumer-grade Sony video camera and features meticulous production design to tell the story of a group of computer chess programmers pitting their programs against each other during a hotel convention. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with actor Robin Schwartz, who plays the tournament’s sole woman participant, and Suresh Venkatasubramanian, Brown University’s Director of the Center for Tech Responsibility, computer scientist, and co-author of the “Blueprint for an A.I. Bill of Rights.” Presented in 35mm. Event info (Part of Science on Screen)

Colección Privada: Spain’s Super 8 and 16mm Scene
With filmmakers in person
SATURDAY, MAY 13, 3:30 P.M.
Over the last fifteen years, arts communities in Spanish cities have shown an increasing devotion to maintaining analog film culture. Through material exchange, mutual influence, informal screenings, and friendship, multiple generations of filmmakers intermingle in Madrid, Barcelona, and San Sebastian. See the exciting work of filmmakers Valentina Alvarado Matos, Juan Bufill, Jorge Suárez-Quiñones Rivas, and Carlos Vásquez Méndez in this special program as they go beyond theatrical conventions through the performative use of multiple projectors, supplementary screens, live sound, and their own bodies. Presented in conjunction with the Museum’s exhibition Cinema of Sensations: The Never-Ending Screen of Val del Omar. This event is also part of a series at Anthology Film Archives that surveys the output of 24 filmmakers who continue to work in 16mm and Super 8 in Spain. Event info

Children of the Mist
FRIDAY, MAY 19, 7:00 P.M.
Dir. Diem Ha Le, 2021, 92 mins. In Hmong and Vietnamese with subtitles. In a village hidden in the mist-shrouded Northwest Vietnamese mountains resides an indigenous Hmong community, home to 12-year-old Di, part of the first generation of her people with access to formal education. A free spirit, Di happily recounts her experiences to Vietnamese filmmaker Diem Ha Le, who lived with Di and her family for three years, documenting a coming-of-age story without precedent in their community. As Di grows older, her carefree childhood gives way to an impulsive and sensitive adolescence, and a gathering resistance to her culture’s long-accepted ritual of “bride kidnapping,” in which she’s nearly old enough to participate. An uncommon closeness between subject and filmmaker further complicates things, challenging the director’s ability to observe rather than intervene, and challenging the audience to reckon with the painful fault lines between tradition and modernity, family and freedom. Winner of the Best Director award at IDFA 2021 and shortlisted for the 2022 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. (Part of New Adventures in Nonfiction)

The Wiz
SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 12:45 P.M.
SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 12:45 P.M. Preceded by celebratory Juneteenth performance
MONDAY, JUNE 19, 1:00 P.M. Note: the Museum is open 12:00–6:00 p.m. for the Juneteenth holiday
Did you know this jazzy retelling of The Wizard of Oz was filmed at the Astoria studio (now the Kaufman Astoria Studios) right next to where the Museum now stands? This beloved 1978 musical, directed by Sidney Lumet, features a dazzling all Black cast and scenes of New York City, such as the ruins of the New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows Corona Park transformed into a magical cityscape. Diana Ross plays Harlem schoolteacher Dorothy, who finds herself in the magical land of Oz. To get back home to Manhattan, Dorothy must find the Wiz (Richard Pryor), with help from the Scarecrow (Michael Jackson), the Tin Man (Nipsey Russell), and the Cowardly Lion (Ted Ross). The June 18 screening will be accompanied by a Juneteenth Celebration performance including dancers from community partner Edge School of the Arts and an African drum circle. Event info (Part of Musical Matinees and Queens on Screen).

The Great Muppet Caper
Hosted by Craig Shemin, President of The Jim Henson Legacy and series curator
SUNDAY, JUNE 25, 12:30 P.M.
FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 2:30 P.M.
Jim Henson’s feature directorial debut brings the Muppets to England, where reporters Kermit and Fozzie (and their photographer Gonzo) are tracking down jewel thieves who have set their sights on the incredibly valuable Baseball Diamond. Dame Diana Rigg appears as Lady Holiday and Charles Grodin plays her scoundrel brother Nicky, who is infatuated with Miss Piggy—a prime suspect in the jewelry thefts. Filled with Joe Raposo musical numbers and cameo appearances by John Cleese, Peter Falk, Jack Warden, and more, The Great Muppet Caper is a true Henson classic. (1981, 95 mins.) Event info (Part of Jim Henson’s World)

LIVE EVENTS
LARP: Creatures of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
FRIDAY, MAY 5, 6:00 P.M.
SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 5:00 P.M.
Designed and led by game designer, writer, and interactive artist Sharang Biswas in collaboration with Museum educators, this live-action role-playing game explores the fantastical and sometimes terrifying stories of the planet of Thra, part of the world of the Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. The game will take place in the Museum and include a visit to see objects and puppets featured in the exhibit Creatures from the Land of Thra: Character Design for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Note that each group has a maximum of 15 participants. Event info

The Jim Henson Legacy: A 30th Anniversary Celebration
SATURDAY, MAY 13, 1:00 P.M.
To commemorate 30 years of The Jim Henson Legacy’s work preserving Jim Henson’s art, past and present members of the Board of Trustees and staff will discuss the organization’s accomplishments. Following the panel, clips from historic footage located and preserved by The Legacy will be presented. Panelists include The Jim Henson Legacy Trustees Craig Shemin, Karen Falk, Cheryl Henson, Heather Henson, and Bonnie Erickson. Copies of a 30th anniversary commemorative book will be available to the public as a gift with a $20 donation to Museum of the Moving Image. Tickets for this program are included with Museum admission. Event info

Program X: Cultural Activism and Media Festival
SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1:30 P.M.
See powerful short documentaries made by local filmmakers Neha Gautam, Milton X. Trujillo, Rachel Brown and Frisly Soberanis as well as the films created during the Museum’s workshop series Program X: Cultural Activism and Media. Inspired by the findings of a community needs assessment, each short addresses a critical issue in our Queens community, such as housing and transportation. Followed by a reception with refreshments and music by DJ Aguapanela Mami in the Kaufman Courtyard, the event includes two film programs and community discussions. The first program will present work by the mentors and the second program will premiere Surviving in Queens (Adriana Ariza, Guadalupe Jimenez, Luis Rios, with Rachel Brown), Queens in Motion (Jose Payares, Caro Yao, Shayma Aziz, @mx.enigma, with Neha Gautam) and Yerba Mala (Maria Diaz, Aracelly Marmolejo, Monica Aviles, Norberto Hernandez, with Milton X. Trujillo). Free with RSVP. Event info

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Press contacts:
Tomoko Kawamoto, MoMI, tkawamoto@movingimage.us, 718 777 6830
Alex Cutler and Hayley Brinkman, Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis, momi@ssmandl.com

PRESS IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE HERE.

MUSEUM INFORMATION
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.

Hours: Thursday, 2:00–6:00 p.m. Friday, 2:00–8:00 p.m. Saturday–Sunday, 12:00–6:00 p.m. 
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.
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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

Photo: Jaws (1975. Dir. Steven Spielberg / Universal Pictures). PRESS IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE.