The Museum of Modern Art is delighted to be the premier showcase for the touring film series Global Lens, an exhibition project conceived by the Global Film Initiative to encourage filmmaking in developing countries. The films presented in this new annual collaboration between GFI and the Department of Film and Media represent a selective survey of contemporary filmmaking from areas where local economic realities make such expensive and technology-driven endeavors a challenge. The ten films in the program are accomplished, entertaining, and thought-provoking; they are also deeply rooted in the social and political realities of the countries where these talented and resourceful filmmakers live and set their stories.

This first installment of Global Lens gives audiences an opportunity to become acquainted with the varied styles and issues of filmmaking from parts of the world too rarely represented on American screens. Each year, two films from the series will play for one full week, allowing them to build an audience and attract critical attention. Several filmmakers will introduce their works.