AMNH Presents 2012 Margaret Mead Film Festival, Now thru 12/2

The 2012 Margaret Mead Film Festival, as the preeminent showcase for contemporary cultural storytelling, will screen 29 outstanding films and host special multi-media events and performances. The Margaret Mead Film Festival strives to illuminate the complexity and diversity of peoples and cultures from around the world. Encompassing a broad spectrum of creative storytelling from indigenous community media to experimental documentaries, the films present a range of cultural perspectives and offer forums for discussion with filmmakers and renowned speakers.

Film highlights and events of this year’s lineup include:

· The Other Half of Tomorrow, directed by Sadia Shepard and Samina Quraeshi
OPENING NIGHT: TONIGHT, November 29, at 8 pm
A world premiere and Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award contender, this series of vivid vignettes explores the disparate realities of contemporary Pakistan through the perspectives of women.

· Bhangra Dance Party with DJ Rekha
Friday, November 30 at 10 pm
DJ Rekha, founder and host of the legendary Basement Bhangra and Bollywood Disco parties, lights up the Cullman Hall of the Universe with a feast of South Asian sound, color, and movement.

· Maori Boy Genius, directed by Pietra Brettkelly
Saturday, December 1, at 8:30 pm
A U.S. premiere and Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award contender, this film follows 16-year-old Ngaa Rauuira, a prodigy and national hero. How will he rise to the extraordinary challenge of being the voice and hope of the Maori community while dealing with the ordinary trials of being a teenager?

· Whose Story Is It?
Saturday, December 1, at 6 pm
This program is an interactive event that will explore the role of stories in our contemporary lives and dig deep into the theme of this year’s festival: Whose Story Is It? Part of this year’s Mead Dialogues, Story Lounge participants include anthropologist Pegi Vail, Moth founder George Green and artistic director Catherine Burns, POV executive director Simon Kilmurry, and StoryCorps senior producer Michael Garofalo and producer Lizzie Jacobs.

· Jai Bhim Comrade, directed by Anand Patwardhan
Sunday, December 2, at 1:30 pm
A New York premiere, the film is a 14-year examination by acclaimed political documentarian Anand Patwardhan of the music of protest of the Dalit, India’s “untouchable” caste.

The Margaret Mead Film Festival is proudly produced by the American Museum of Natural History. In conjunction with the new exhibition Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture (opening November 17), the festival will also present special food-themed films, including Himself He Cooks and Sweet Dreams. In the spirit of exploration, the Museum will open the vault to the AMNH archives and showcase scientific expedition filmmaking, including rarely seen early 20th-century Carl Akeley footage to present-day field research.

The festival takes place today, November 29 to Sunday, December 2, 2012, at the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, Samual J. and Ethel LeFrak Theater, Kaufmann Theater, Linder Theater, and Leonhardt People Center.

Tickets are $15 Opening and Closing nights screenings or $12 for Members, students, and senior citizens; $12 general public. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 212-769-5200, online at amnh.org/mead, or at any of the American Museum of Natural History admission desks. For more information or to request a schedule by mail, the public should call 212-769-5305 or download the schedule at amnh.org/mead.