The Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) is preparing for a busy fall season in Astoria, Queens, with a lineup spanning classic cinema, horror, photography, animation, science, music and hands-on public programs.
Among the season’s highlights is a complete retrospective of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, along with the Handcrafted Horrors screening series and a selection of films by father-and-daughter filmmakers Vincente Minnelli and Liza Minnelli. The museum will also welcome special guests including film critic and author J. Hoberman, filmmaker Kogonada, director Lynne Littman and filmmaker Susan Seidelman.
Opening October 10, the exhibition Seeing the Cinema: Photographic Visions of Movie Theaters will examine the movie theater as both an architectural landmark and a cultural gathering place. Running through March 21, 2027, the exhibition brings together photographs by Thomas R. Schiff, Hiroshi Sugimoto, John Margolies and Joseph Holmes.
Schiff’s panoramic images document neighborhood movie theater exteriors, while Sugimoto’s celebrated long-exposure photographs capture theaters from inside. Margolies photographed drive-in theaters, and Holmes focused on projectionists. Together, the photographers offer different perspectives on the spaces and people that have shaped moviegoing culture.
The exhibition Overexposed: Art, Technology, and the Body will remain on view through January 3, 2027. The exhibition explores how technologies including cinema and X-ray imaging changed the ways people see and understand the human body. It combines more than a century of research films with contemporary artwork by 16 artists.
MoMI will also continue its Open Worlds free programming, which features activities designed to encourage creativity and exploration. Fall offerings include a life-mask-making demonstration, a walking tour examining physical internet infrastructure with author Ingrid Burrington, a screening of 1990s music videos with director Nigel Dick, anime-inspired model-kit building and the monthly Spin Series featuring DJs and dancing.
Seasonal events will include the museum’s annual Halloween Party and Día de Muertos celebrations. MoMI will also introduce MoMI Merch Meet, an artisan market highlighting local creators and their work inspired by the moving image.
Open Worlds: Science concludes its current season with Wild City on September 19 and Arcade Science October 16–18. The latter will feature independently created arcade games alongside discussions of the mathematics and engineering behind them.
Located at 36-01 35th Avenue in Astoria, MoMI will offer advance tickets and reservations for free programs through its website. Additional fall programs are expected to be announced as they are confirmed.