Prior to his long tenure as chief film curator at Museum of the Moving Image, David Schwartz learned about the art of film and film programming by spending countless hours in the various repertory theaters, museums, avant-garde showcases, and other independent venues that have long made up the city’s vibrant film culture. These spaces offer an alternative to mainstream movies, and reflect the tastes and vast knowledge of their programmers and the distinct missions of their institutions. They also respond to the interests and passions of their audience members—and in particular those frequent attendees affectionately known as “regulars.”
This series celebrates the ever-changing and always vital world of New York film culture with programs highlighting 17 iconic screening venues—some long gone, some still thriving today. Each theater is represented with programs that give a sense of their unique styles and the preoccupations of such influential programmers as Iris Barry, Amos Vogel, Dan Talbot, Karen Cooper, Bruce Goldstein, Richard Peńa, and Jed Rapfogel. Though each theater presented a wide variety of films, it is also fair to say, for example, that Anthology Film Archives is known for its focus on the international avant-garde; the New Yorker Theater for its mix of forgotten Hollywood films and new releases reflecting the various new waves of the 1960s; the Elgin for its legendary midnight screenings; or the Maysles Documentary Center for an engaging mix reflecting its self-proclaimed identity as “Harlem’s Living Room.”
“And what better venue could there be for this series,” Schwartz asks, “than MoMA, whose film programs started 90 years ago and set the standard around the world—and, more importantly, in New York City—for the appreciation of film art?”
Guest curated by David Schwartz, independent curator and writer. Organized at MoMA by Rajendra Roy, Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film.
Film at MoMA is made possible by CHANEL.
Additional support is provided by the Annual Film Fund. Leadership support for the Annual Film Fund is provided by Debra and Leon D. Black, with major funding from The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art, The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art, Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder, the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), and The Young Patrons Council of The Museum of Modern Art.
