Museum of the Moving Image Announces July - Sept 2011 Program Overview

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE announces their EXHIBITION AND PROGRAM OVERVIEW for JULY-SEPTEMBER 2011

EXHIBITIONS

Jim Henson'S FANTASTIC WORLD, July 16, 2011-January 16, 2012
The creative genius and singular career of the internationally renowned puppeteer, filmmaker, and television pioneer is explored in this Smithsonian traveling exhibition which features more than 120 artifacts, including drawings, animations, storyboards, props, and video material that illustrate Henson's boundless creativity and innumerable accomplishments. Among the highlights are fifteen iconic original puppets of such characters as Kermit the Frog, Rowlf, Bert, and Ernie. The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive series of special screenings, personal appearances, and workshops. (See below).

Jim Henson's Fantastic World was organized by The Jim Henson Legacy and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in cooperation with the Henson family, The Jim Henson Company, The Muppets Studio, LLC, and Sesame Workshop. This exhibition is made possible by the BIO channel. Additional support has been provided by The Jane Henson Foundation and Cheryl Henson.

BEHIND THE SCREEN, Ongoing
Behind the Screen, the Museum's core exhibition, featuring more than 1,400 historical artifacts, art works, video clips, and interactive experiences that show how moving images are made, marketed, and exhibited-now completely reinstalled with new materials and interactive experiences added.

FILM SERIES AND OTHER PROGRAMS

SEVEN NIGHTS WITH HARRY POTTER (July 6-13)
To coincide with the release Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, the final installment of the most popular franchise in film history, here is a special opportunity to see the first seven Harry Potter films on the big screen. The films, which have earned $6.4 billion worldwide, will be shown in 35mm studio prints from Warner Bros. in the Museum's beautiful new 267-seat theater.
Films: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001, Columbus), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002, Columbus), Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban (2004, Cuarón), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005, Newell), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007, Yates), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009, Yates), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010, Yates)

OUTDOOR CINEMA 2011 AT SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK (July 6-August 24)
The Museum, along with Rooftop Films, is a partner with Socrates Sculpture Park in presenting the 13th annual festival of international film, music, dance, and food. This Epix Movie Free-for-all is powered by Verizon Fios. All screenings take place at the Park in Long Island City. Free admission.
Films: Clermond-Ferrend 2011 Short Films Program, Who Wants to Kill Jessie? (1966, Vorlícek), Caramel (2007, Labaki), The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008, Kim), The Straight Story (1999, Lynch), At The Edge of Russia (2011, Marczak), Biutiful (2010, Iñárritu), Backyard Band/with Silent Film Festival

Paul Newman (July 9-August 7)
Paul Newman created some of the richest and most indelible performances in American film of the past fifty years. While his good looks made him one of Hollywood's most enduring stars, it was his ability to inhabit roles that cut against his handsome physique that made his such a great actor. This thirteen-film series showcases the full range of his abilities.
Films: Cars (2006, Lasseter/Ranft), The Hustler (1961, Rossen), The Color of Money (1986, Scorsese), Hud (1963, Ritt), Somebody Up There Likes Me (Wise, 1956), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958, Brooks), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969, Hill), Slap Shot (1977, Hill), Torn Curtain (1966, Hitchcock), The Sting (Hill, 1973), Hombre (1967, Ritt), Nobody's Fool (1994, Benton), Twilight (1998, Benton)

ERROL MORRIS'S AMERICA (July 12-August 13)
With deadpan wit and an ability to examine large topics by focusing on his subjects with unflinching scrutiny, documentary filmmaker Errol Morris has created a vivid, often comical, often disturbing portrait of America through his films. This film series opens with Morris in person to present a preview screening of his latest film, Tabloid, an examination of Joyce McKinney, a former beauty queen accused of the kidnapping and rape of a Mormon missionary in 1977.
Films: Tabloid (2010), The Thin Blue Line (1988), Gates of Heaven (1978), Fast, Cheap & Out of Control (1997), The Fog of War (2003)

Jim Henson SCREENINGS AND PROGRAMS (Starts July 16)
In conjunction with the exhibition Jim Henson's Fantastic World, the Museum presents family matinee screenings of Muppet movies, Sesame Street compilation programs, The Dark Crystal, and other Henson-related works, with many special guests. A highlight of the first three months of Henson programs will be a rare public conversation with Jane Henson, co-creator of The Muppets and wife of the late Jim Henson, with a screening of Time Piece on September 18.
Films (for July 16-September 25): The Muppet Movie (1979, Frawley), The Dark Crystal (1982, Henson/Oz), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984, Oz), Muppet Treasure Island (1996, Brian Henson), The Great Muppet Caper (1981, Henson), Muppets from Space (1999, Hill), Time Piece (1965, Henson)

THE RURAL ROUTE FILM FESTIVAL (August 5-7)
The Museum hosts this year's Rural Route Film Festival, which was created in 2003 to explore the concept of "rural," highlighting films that deal with people and places outside of the bustle of the city. This year's festival will also feature screenings a few block away from the Museum, on top of the city's largest rooftop farm, Brooklyn Grange, presented in partnership with Rooftop Films. A special kick-off event will take place at Socrates Sculpture Park as part of Outdoor Cinema: a free screening of David Lynch's The Straight Story.
Films: The Straight Story (1999, Lynch), Summer Pasture (2010, Walker), Driftless (2010, Frazier) and Muskrat John (2009, Wada) with other shorts, Truck Farm (2010, Cheney) with shorts, Delicious Peace Grows in a Ugandan Coffee Bean (2010, Fissel) and Land of the Pure (2010, Mallamo), The Greenhorns (2010, Fleming) and Lessons from a Landfill (2010, Miller)

THE FILMS OF Frank Sinatra (August 12-September 4)
The Museum, in collaboration with The Paley Center for Media, will present a dual retrospective to celebrate the legacy of Frank Sinatra as a performer on the big screen and on television. From the 1940s to the 1980s, Sinatra made more than 60 films. Moving Image will screen a dozen of his finest films, showing his range in films including musicals, comedies, melodramas, and thrillers. In September, the Paley Center will present a number of television specials, focusing on Sinatra's collaboration with the Count Basie Band. (For more information, visit www.paleycenter.org)
Films: On the Town (1949, Donen/Kelly), Suddenly! (1954, Allen), From Here to Eternity (1953, Zinnemann), Pal Joey (1957, Sidney), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955, Preminger), High Society (1956, Walters), The Manchurian Candidate (1962, Frankenheimer), Some Came Running (1959, Minnelli), Guys and Dolls (1955, Mankiewicz), Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964, Douglas), Ocean's 11 (1960, Milestone), Von Ryan's Express (1965, Robson)

Gus Van Sant (September 9-30)
On the occasion of the theatrical release of Gus Van Sant's latest feature, Restless, starring Mia Wasikowska and Henry Hopper, the Museum will host a comprehensive retrospective of the director's films, including a preview screening of Restless with Van Sant in person. Van Sant favors stories about characters on society's margins, and experiments boldly with the conventions of narrative filmmaking. He has established himself as one of the most audacious and accomplished American filmmakers of his generation, and one of the few whose films can truly be called independent.
Films: Drugstore Cowboy (1989), Mala Noche (1985), Restless (2011), My Own Private Idaho (1991), Good Will Hunting (1997), Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993), Paranoid Park (2007), To Die For (1995), Gerry (2002), Elephant (2003), Psycho (1998), Last Days (2005), Milk (2008)

Ongoing monthly film series include the martial arts film showcase Fist and Sword and Korean Cinema Now. The Museum will also present a special screening of Founding Fathers, a documentary which offers an alternate history of the origins of hip hop, with directors Hasan Pore and Ron Lawrence in person (July 22); a preview screening of Tom Twyker's Three, presented as part of Newfest: New York's LGBT Film Festival (July 25); and September 11 anniversary screenings of Man on Wire, James Marsh's award-winning 2008 documentary about Philippe Petit's daring tight-rope walk between the Twin Towers.
MUSEUM INFORMATION
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday, 10:30 to 8:00 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Closed on Monday except for holiday openings).
Film Screenings: See schedule above.
Museum Admission: $10.00 for adults; $7.50 for persons over 65 and for students with ID; $5.00 for children ages 3-18. Children under 3 and Museum members are admitted free. Admission to the galleries is free on Fridays, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Paid admission includes film screenings (except for special ticketed events and Friday evenings) Tickets for special screenings and events may be purchased in advance by phone at 718.777.6800.
Location: 35 Avenue at 37 Street in Astoria.
Subway: R or M trains (R on weekends) to Steinway Street. N or Q trains to 36 Avenue.
Program Information: Telephone: 718.777.6888; Website: http://movingimage.us

The Museum is housed in a building owned by the City of New York and its operations are made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Natural Heritage Trust (administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation). The Museum also receives generous support from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. For more information, please visit http://movingimage.us.