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Film Admission Tickets for film programs in Theaters 1 and 2 are available at the Museum lobby information desk and at the film desk. Tickets for film programs in Theater 3 are available at the Museum lobby

For detailed February film descriptions, please visit MoMA.org/film.

Feb 1–16

The Story of Film: An OdysseyProdigious, poetic, and unlike any other “history” of cinema, Mark Cousins’s The Story of Film: An Odyssey is, as the title promises, a thrilling journey. Cousins’s personal voyage—complete with side-trips and retraced steps—is an illuminating, idiosyncratic tour of the emotional and intellectual pleasures of cinema. Framed in eight chapters, with a combined running time of 15 hours, the film is a treasure trove of clips from films both famous and underappreciated, interviews from a global who’s-who of filmmakers, and passionate, provocative commentary.Organized by Laurence Kardish, Senior Curator, and Sally Berger, Assistant Curator, Department of Film.

The Story of Film: An Odyssey. 2011. Great Britain. Directed by Mark Cousins. Produced by John Archer for Hopscotch Films. Edited by Timo Langer. With Wim Wenders, Stanley Donen, Robert Towne, Claire Denis. Eight parts; total running time approx. 900 min.

pArT 1 (120 min.), wed, Feb 1, 1:00 T3; pArT 2 (120 min.), Thu, Feb 2, 1:00 T3; pArT 3 (120 min.), Fri, Feb 3, 1:00 T3; pArTS 1–4 (480 min.; 30-min. inTermiSSiOn), SAT, Feb 4, 2:00 T1; pArTS 5–8 (420 min.; 30-min. inTermiSSiOn), Sun, Feb 5, 1:30 T1; pArT 4 (120 min.), wed, Feb 8, 1:00 T3; pArT 5 (120 min.), Thu, Feb 9, 1:00 T3; pArT 6 (120 min.), Fri, Feb 10, 1:00 T3; pArT 7 (120 min.), wed, Feb 15, 1:00 T3; pArT 8 (60 min.), Thu, Feb 16, 1:00 T3

Feb 1–13

Oscar’s Docs, 1950–87: Creative ExpressionOscar’s Docs, the annual collaboration between the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and MoMA’s Department of Film, surveys Oscar nominees and winners in the categories of Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short Subject. Diverging from the previous editions, which included films that documented wartime, social change, and scientific explorations, this fifth edition of Oscar’s Docs focuses on the arts and humanities. Examining well-known subjects— Jacques d’Amboise, Arthur Rubinstein, Robert Frost, Saul Bass, and Marc Chagall, among others—established

Filminformation desk and at the lobby desk of The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Education and Research Building. Please see page 48 for hours and further information.

Woodstock. 1970. USA. Directed by Michael Wadleigh. Image courtesy Photofest [pg. 30]

Film

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in the fields of music, dance, art, and literature, as well as amateurs and craftsmen, the filmmakers were often first-time producer/directors, inspired by their subjects to use the nonfiction medium as a tool to express their own creativity. Organized by Rajendra Roy, The Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, Jenny He, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Film, and Ed Carter, Documentary Curator, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All prints are courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.

Flamenco at 5:15. 1983. Canada. Directed by Cynthia Scott. Supported by the National Film Board of Canada, Scott had set out to document the evolution of a ballet dancer. While doing research at the National Ballet School of Canada, she became enthralled with the lively 5:15 p.m. class led by flamenco teachers Susan and Antonio Robledo, and soon changed the focus of her film. This documentary short captures the infectious energy of dance and the inspirational effect of enthusiastic instructors. 29 min.

he makes me Feel Like dancin’. 1983. USA. Directed by Emile Adolino. With Jacques d’Amboise, Kevin Kline. With cinematographic and editing styles that emulate its kinetic subject, this documentary follows dancer d’Amboise as he trains performers for the National Dance Institute’s

“Event of the Year,” a production of Fat City at Madison Square Garden that features Kline, amateur dancers from the NYPD, and 1,000 kids. D’Amboise founded the institute in 1976 to help public school children discover the arts through dance, and this film encapsulates the positive (and at times fanatical) influence of show business on the young aspiring dancers. 48 min. wed, Feb 1, 4:00; SAT, Feb 11, 7:00 T2

Close harmony. 1981. USA. Directed by Nigel Noble. After attending a stirring joint performance by the student chorus of Brooklyn Friends School and members of the Council Center for Senior

Citizens in Flatbush, Brooklyn, Noble was inspired to tell the story of their annual collaboration. Going behind the scenes as the two choral groups prepare for their performance, Noble’s directorial debut demonstrates music’s ability to bridge divides and serve as common ground for different generations. 30 min. paul robeson: Tribute to an Artist. 1979. USA. Directed by Saul J. Turell. Narrated by Sidney Poitier. Using extensive archival footage, this biography recounts the rise and fall of Robeson’s career. An outspoken civil rights pioneer, Robeson broke through racial barriers on screen and stage with his noted performances as Othello and the Emperor Jones, as well as his concert tours in the U.S. and Europe. After WWII, his pro-Soviet views led to his blacklisting in America, and the State Department revoked his passport, ostensibly ending his career. Turell crafted this filmic tribute shortly after Robeson’s death, in 1976, in an effort to restore the reputation of a brilliant

performer maligned by politics. 30 min. wed, Feb 1, 7:00; Fri, Feb 10, 4:00 T2

From mao to mozart: isaac Stern in China. 1980. USA. Directed by Murray Lerner. At the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1979, China reopened its doors to the West (and Western ideas). As part of this renewed openness, the Chinese government invited renowned violinist Isaac Stern to perform with the China Central Symphony. The film follows Stern during rehearsals, performances, and student lectures, gradually revealing the personal and political impact of this groundbreaking cultural exchange. 84 min. Thu, Feb 2, 4:00 (inTrOduCed by And q&A wiTh Lerner); SAT, Feb 11, 4:00 T2

Artie Shaw: Time is All you’ve Got. 1986. Canada. Directed by Brigitte Berman. This in-depth examination of the life and career of clarinetist and bandleader Artie Shaw cuts between archival footage, location shots, and an interview with Shaw himself. Berman illustrates the tumultuous,

Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist. 1979. USA. Directed by Saul J. Turell

Flamenco at 5:15. 1983. Canada. Directed by Cynthia Scott

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complicated, and remarkable legacy of a man who brought numerous innovations to jazz and swing music during the big-band era. 114 min. Thu, Feb 2, 7:00 (inTrOduCed by And q&A wiTh bermAn); Sun, Feb 12, 5:00 T2

woodstock. 1970. USA. Directed by Michael Wadleigh. With a list of collaborators including Thelma Schoonmaker and Martin Scorsese, the pedigree of this epic concert film/cutural document is nearly as legendary as the line-up of musical talent it captured—including Joan Baez, The Who, Arlo Guthrie, and Jimi Hendrix. Plagued by production difficulties and the last-minute exit of the original directors, Albert and David Maysles, this now-classic rock-doc almost didn’t happen. 185 min. Fri, Feb 3, 6:00; wed, Feb 8, 4:00 T2

Arthur rubinstein: Love of Life. 1969. France. Directed by Gérard Patris, Françoise Reichenbach. One of the titans of 20th-century classical music, internationally acclaimed pianist Arthur Rubinstein was especially known for his interpretations of Chopin and Mozart. This documentary

“highlights his unconditionally

joyous attitude, as well as his boundless enthusiasm for music. It reveals Rubinstein the man as much as Rubinstein the artist. He’s a witty, erudite, cosmopolitan, elegant raconteur, as adept at acting out a humorous story as interpreting a sonata” (Luisa Ribeiro and Ed Carter, Academy Film Archive). In English and French; English subtitles. 89 min. SAT, Feb 4, 4:00 (inTrOduCed by evA rubinSTein); Thu, Feb 9, 7:00 T2

robert Frost: A Lover’s quarrel with the world. 1963. USA. Directed by Shirley Clarke. Codirected by Robert Hughes, Terence Macartney-Filgate. An intimate portrait of the sage of American poets, set in the environs of his beloved Vermont. 51 min. dylan Thomas. 1962. Great Britain. Written, produced, and directed by Jack Howells. Narrated by Richard Burton.

“A film of love. Love, and perhaps a longing for a past that no longer exists. A love of the Welsh landscape, and the small seaside towns from which Dylan’s words and poetry have grown” (John Reed, National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales). 31 min. SAT, Feb 4, 7:00; Thu, Feb 9, 4:00 T2

why man Creates. 1968. USA. Produced and directed by Saul Bass. Written by Bass, Mayo Simon. “I was trying to demonstrate in both the content and form of the film the nature of the creative process. And, in passing, to celebrate the variety, the richness and importance of the creative vision” (Saul Bass). 29 min. The Ten-year Lunch: The wit and Legend of the Algonquin round Table. 1987. USA. Produced and directed by Aviva Slesin. Hosted by Heywood Hale Broun. The result of years of dedication by director Slesin, this inspired film grants us a seat at the legendary 1920s-era gatherings of literary and theatrical writers and critics at the Algonquin Hotel. 56 min. Sun, Feb 5, 2:00 (inTrOduCed by And q&A wiTh SLeSin); Fri, Feb 10, 7:00 T2

Gravity is my enemy. 1977. USA. Directed and edited by John Joseph. Mark Hicks, artist and quadriplegic, is the inspirational center of this exploration of art’s potential to free the mind from the limits of the body. 26 min. The Titan: Story of michelangelo. 1950. Switzerland/West Germany. Directed by Richard Lyford. Screenplay by Norman Borisoff, Michael Sonnabend, adapted from the film Michelangelo: The Life of a Titan. Narrated by Fredric Marsh. Born of the passion of producer Robert Snyder, this seminal art documentary (one of the few to have won an Academy Award) melds several narratives about the Renaissance master. 60 min. Chagall. 1963. USA. Directed by Lauro Venturi. Screenplay by Leonard Neubauer. Narrated

by Vincent Price. “Born in the shadows, Marc Chagall charted his course through a Magic Universe of his own creation. And here, among the sunlit hills of southern France, at last he reached his home” (Leonard Neubauer). 25 min. Glass. 1959. The Netherlands. Written and directed by Bert Haanstra. One of the most popular documentary shorts ever to win an Oscar, this inquisitive comparison of handmade and mechanical glass production has been described as visual poetry. 8 min. Program 119 min. Sun, Feb 5, 5:00; mOn, Feb 13, 4:00 T2

Feb 16–28

Documentary Fortnight 2012: MoMA’s International Festival of Nonfiction Film and MediaEstablished in 2001, MoMA’s annual two-week showcase of recent nonfiction film and media takes place each February. This international selection of films presents a wide range of creative categories that extend the idea of the documentary form, examines the relationship between contemporary art and nonfiction filmmaking, and reflects on new areas of nonfiction practice. This year’s festival includes both feature-length and short documentary films, a retrospective of works from Paper Tiger Television’s 30 years of media activism, and a seminar on database documentary practices— an emergent form of interactive narrative and nonlinear filmmaking that employs computer and Web-based media. The majority of films in

Robert Frost: A Lover’s Quarrel with the World. 1963. USA. Directed by Shirley Clarke

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the festival are New York City premieres, and filmmakers will be present at most screenings. Special off-site events take place at Light Industry in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (Centerpiece), and at Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (Closing Night).

Organized by Sally Berger, Assistant Curator, Department of Film. The Selection Committee consists of Sally Berger; Chi-hui Yang, independent curator; and Sam Green, documentary filmmaker. Special thanks to collaborating partners Ambulante, Cinema Tropical, Light Industry, and Nitehawk Cinema.

OnGOinG

Modern Mondays Where is the cutting edge of the motion picture? Discover it first at MoMA. Building upon the Museum’s long tradition of exploring cinematic experimentation, Modern Mondays is a weekly showcase for innovation on screen. Engage with contemporary filmmakers and moving-image artists, and rediscover landmark works that changed the way we experience film and media.

Organized by the Department of Film and the Department of Media and Performance Art.

Modern Mondays is made possible by Anna Marie and Robert F. Shapiro. Additional support is provided by The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art.

An evening with tom kAlin And dovemAn The collaboration between musician Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) (American, b. 1981) and filmmaker Tom Kalin (American, b. 1962) began as a series of short films inspired by Doveman’s 2009 album The Conformist. Their ongoing project explores the intersection of recorded and live music, digital composition, and projected film. The pair draw inspiration from themes of broken romance, the truth of small gestures, and transcendentalism in addressing such contemporary issues as displacement and urban isolation. Kalin, a prominent figure in the New Queer Cinema movement, is well known as both a feature filmmaker (Swoon [1992], Savage Grace [2007] and as an experimental filmmaker (Third Known Nest, 1991–99). He was a founding member of the AIDS activist collective

Gran Fury, known for its provocative public art projects. Doveman is a band founded by the 30-year-old Bartlett, who studied piano with Maria Curcio in London before moving to New York City to attend Columbia University. His ongoing live performances, known as The Burgundy Stain Sessions, occur monthly at Manhattan’s Le Poisson Rouge. mOn, Feb 6, 7:00 T2

An evening with AllAn sekulA Allan Sekula (b. 1951, Erie, Pennsylvania) presents his most recent essay film, The Forgotten Space (2010, codirected by Noël Burch), a critique of the global supply chain, its disastrous impact on the environment and workers’ rights, and the standardization of a capitalist world economy. The documentary follows container cargo aboard barges, trains, and trucks, as well as the individuals involved in—and marginalized by—the global transport system. Inspired by Sekula’s

book Fish Story (1995), The Forgotten Space seeks to understand contemporary maritime culture in relation to symbolic notions of the sea. A pioneer in the use of documentary photography as both an art form and a historical record, Sekula, a self-described “critical realist,” is regarded as one of the foremost photography theorists of our time. From the onset of his career, he has expanded his practice by introducing photographic works into spatial installations and slide projections. By appearing in several of his own works, Sekula subtly combines the contradictory fields of photojournalism and performance. mOn, Feb 13, 7:00 T2

modern mondAys: documentAry Fortnight A filmmaker featured in Documentary Fortnight 2012 (see page 31) presents their work. Visit MoMA.org/film for details. mOn, Feb 27, 7:00 T2

Play a Special Role at MoMAFor a contribution of $5,000, your name or the name of someone you wish to honor or remember can be placed on a seat in the Museum’s Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1.

To name a seat or for more information, please contact Lisa Mantone, Director of Development, at (212) 708-9671. Contributions to name theater seats are 100% tax deductible.

Without Gorky. 2011. Italy. Directed by Cosima Spender. Image courtesy Cosima Spender. On view in Documentary Fortnight 2012