Saturday, January 4, 2014

2014 Film Season Opens at National Gallery of Art

Victor Fleming's Mantrap (1926)

From our friends at the National Gallery of Art...

2014 Film Season at National Gallery of Art Opens with New Experimental and Documentary Films, Recent Restorations, Tributes to Legendary Directors, and More

The new year at the National Gallery of Art brings a new slate of nonfiction, experimental, and classic narrative films, including tributes to legendary directors, contemporary groundbreak­ers, and a few often-overlooked motion picture artists.

The Gallery welcomes Canadian-born artist Michael Snow, who will introduce several of his seminal films (among them 1967's Wavelength, one of the most influential experimental films ever made) and welcomes back British documentarian and historian Tony Palmer with a national premiere of Nocturne: Britten, his recent film on the legacy of composer Benjamin Britten. Other guests include John Gianvito, Caroline Martel, and Pacho Velez—all visiting to present and speak about their current work.

CinĂ©-concerts include silent films by masters Max Linder and Buster Keaton, with original scores by Andrew Simpson; a special presentation of The Yellow Ticket, with a score commissioned by the Foundation for Jewish Culture's New Jewish Culture Network; and a screening of Victor Fleming's silent Mantrap, starring 1920s "It Girl" Clara Bow—just one of the recently restored gems presented during the UCLA Film & Television Archive's biennial preservation festival, with musical accompaniment by Ben Model.

Other highlights include the two-part celebration Masterworks of Czech Animation, an investigation into the archive of video pioneers Videofreex, the Cine Manifest collective's newly restored Northern Lights, and a new look at the work of influential modernist Hans Richter.

Unless otherwise noted, films are screened in the East Building Auditorium, located at Fourth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Works are presented in original formats and seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. Doors open 30 minutes before each show and programs are subject to change. For more information, visit www.nga.gov/film or call (202) 842-6799.

For full descriptions of film programs, as well as dates and screening times, visit: http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/calendar/film-programs.html?category=Film%20Programs&pageNumber=1