SCIENCE ON SCREEN Series of Films, Talks with Scientists Set for Moving Image

Museum of the Moving Image and its online publication Sloan Science & Film are pleased to join the nationwide film program Science on Screen, an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, in presenting a series of screenings accompanied by discussions with scientists and filmmakers.

The inaugural series at Moving Image, from January 29 through May 21, includes films that span from the silent era through those made for the Internet, and focus on subjects ranging from seahorses to androids. Science on Screen is organized by Sonia Epstein, Executive Editor of Sloan Science & Film.

The series of three programs opens Sunday, January 29 with a screening of Teknolust, Lynn Hershman Leeson's 2002 film starring Tilda Swinton as a bio-geneticist who replicates herself into clones that need to seduce men in order to survive, followed by a discussion with Leeson and biologist Stuart Firestein.

On March 26, a selection of short films by Jean Painlevé, Isabella Rossellini, and Roberto Rossellini-all about sea creatures-will be followed by a conversation with Dr. Mandë Holford, whose research focuses on how the venom of marine snails can be used in drug development for pain and cancer treatment.

And, on May 21, a screening of the German Expressionist cinema masterpiece The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, presented with live musical accompaniment by High Water, will be followed by a discussion with sleep disorder specialist Dr. Carl Bazil and artist Javier Téllez (Caligari and the Sleepwalker). Conversations will be moderated by Sonia Epstein.

"We are thrilled to receive national recognition for our commitment to Science and film," Epstein said. "With this grant we have been able to develop an amazing program which explores the intersection of Science and film, and brings top research scientists to the Museum community. Events incorporate live music and short films, some are family-friendly, and each program could be interesting to film lovers and Science lovers. As only the second museum to ever receive a Science on Screen grant, we are grateful to the Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation for their support."

A full schedule and descriptions are available below and online at movingimage.us/ScienceOnScreen.

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SCHEDULE FOR 'SCIENCE ON SCREEN' AT MOMI, JANUARY 29-MAY 21, 2017:
All events take place at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Avenue (at 37 Street), Astoria. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are $15 adults (ages 18+), $11 (seniors and students), $7 youth (ages 3-17), free for Museum members at the Film Lover and Kids Premium levels, and above. Advance tickets for most screenings and events are available online at movingimage.us. Ticket purchase includes same-day admission to the galleries (when the Museum is open).

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 4:30 P.M.
Craving the Y Chromosome: Screening of Teknolust and discussion with director Lynn Hershman Leeson and biologist Stuart Firestein
Teknolust. Dir. Lynn Hershman Leeson. 2002, 85 mins. Digital projection. With Tilda Swinton, JEREMY DAVIES, James Urbaniak, Karen Black. A bio-geneticist named Rosetta Stone (Tilda Swinton) finds a way to download her DNA onto a computer and replicate it, thereby creating three androids (also played by Swinton). Needing periodic injections of the Y chromosome to survive, the androids venture into the real world to seduce men. As the androids grow close to other people, they begin to question what it means to be human. The screening will be followed by a discussion between the filmmaker and Stuart Firestein, Chair of Biological Sciences, Columbia University.

About the speakers:

Lynn Hershman Leeson is a filmmaker and multimedia artist whose work has been in over 200 large-scale exhibitions around the world and film festivals including Sundance, Toronto, and Berlin. Her artwork is currently on view in the exhibition Dreamlands at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Leeson is represented by Bridget Donahue in New York, which will present a solo exhibition of her work from January 27-March 26, 2017.

Dr. Stuart Firestein is the Chair of Biological Sciences at Columbia University. He runs a laboratory to study the vertebrate olfactory system and neurons that modulate the sense of smell. Dr. Firestein is the author of two acclaimed books, Ignorance: How It Drives Science and Failure: Why Science Is So Successful. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 4:30 P.M.
Love Lives of Sea Creatures: Films by Jean Painlevé, Isabella Rossellini, and Roberto Rossellini
With Dr. Mandë Holford in person
The reproductive behavior of sea creatures is central to these lyrical and wondrous films by Jean Painlevé, Isabella Rossellini, and Roberto Rossellini. The otherworldly films of Jean Painlevé-a French filmmaker and inventor-capture the spectacle of marine biology with one of the first underwater cameras. The program includes rare screenings of four archival 35mm prints: The Sea Horse (1933); ACERA, or The Witches' Dance (1972); How Some Jellyfish Are Born (1960) and The Love Life of the Octopus (1967). Isabella Rossellini's playfully stylized series "Green Porno" explores how the starfish, shrimp, squid, and anchovy reproduce. The program also features a rarity, the first film by Roberto Rossellini (Isabella's father), Fantasia Sottomarina (1940), which is about two fish in love that are threatened by an octopus. The 70-minute program will be followed by a presentation by marine chemical biologist Dr. Mandë Holford.
Credits: Films of Jean Painlevé from Archives Jean Painlevé, Paris; film of Roberto Rossellini from Cinecitta Luce, Rome. Special thanks to Marie Jager, Matteo Zannoni, and Isabella Rossellini

About the speaker:

Dr. Mandë Holford is as an Associate Professor in Chemistry at Hunter College, with scientific appointments at the American Museum of Natural History and Weill Cornell Medical College. Her research focuses on how the venom of marine snails can be used in drug development for pain and cancer treatment. Dr. Holford was named a "New Champion Young Scientist" by the World Economic Forum, served on the advisory committee for the Council on Foreign Relations, and received the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award and an NSF CAREER Award. She is the recipient of research grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, National Science Foundation, and National Institute of Health. Dr. Holford is co-founder of KillerSnails.com, a learning games company, and RAISEW.org, a project of the National Science Foundation to increase the presence of women in science.

SUNDAY, MAY 21, 4:00 P.M.
Somnambulism, When Dreams Come True: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
With Dr. Carl Bazil and artist Javier Téllez in person
Dir. Robert Wiene. 1920, 67 mins. With live musical accompaniment by High Water. Restored DCP. With Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover. In this seminal masterpiece of German Expressionist cinema, a hypnotist (Werner Krauss) brings a man (Conrad Veidt) under his control and turns him into a somnambulist, or sleepwalker, who commits murders. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Dr. Carl Bazil and artist Javier Téllez.

About the speakers:

Dr. Carl Bazil is a sleep disorder professional certified in sleep medicine, and specializing in insomnia, affiliated with New York Presbyterian Hospital. He is the Director of the Epilepsy and Sleep Division of the Department of Neurology at Columbia University.

Javier Téllez is a Venezuelan video installation artist. His film Caligari and the Sleepwalker was made in collaboration with patients of a German psychiatric institution. Téllez's work has been exhibited internationally, and was included in the Whitney Biennial in 2008. In New York, he is represented by Koenig & Clinton gallery.

About the performer:

High Water is a New York-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who plays saxophone and electric piano. He has toured internationally performing at the Sonar Festival in Barcelona, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, The Cinefamily in Los Angeles, SXSW in Texas, MoMA PS1, and more. His debut LP-Crush-was released on Nicolas Jaar's label "Other People".

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The Coolidge Corner Theatre's Science on Screen series has enhanced film and scientific literacy with this popular program, now in its twelfth season. In partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and its pioneering nationwide film program, the Coolidge has expanded Science on Screen to 57 cinemas nationwide. SoS creatively pairs screenings of classic, cult, Science fiction, and documentary films with lively presentations by notable experts from the world of Science and technology. More information at scienceonscreen.org.

Sloan Science & Film (scienceandfilm.org) is an online publication that covers all things Science and film. The site is published by Museum of the Moving Image and funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in New York. Under the direction of Executive Editor Sonia Epstein, Sloan Science & Film publishes articles four times a week and hosts a growing archive of over 40 short films available for streaming any time. The site also catalogues over 500 film projects, including short and feature films, which have been supported via the Sloan Foundation's partners. The site publishes news, interviews with scientists and filmmakers, and commissions critical pieces from notable scientists about film. Follow Sloan Science & Film on Facebook (@scienceandfilm).

Museum of the Moving Image (movingimage.us) advances the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. In its stunning facilities-acclaimed for both its accessibility and bold design-the Museum presents exhibitions; screenings of significant works; discussion programs featuring actors, directors, craftspeople, and business leaders; and education programs which serve more than 50,000 students each year. The Museum also houses a significant collection of moving-image artifacts.