Emmanuelle Demoris's Mafrouza Cycle
March 6–11
The Mafrouza cycle comprises five films shot by Emmanuelle Demoris over a two-year period in the neighborhood of the same name, a shantytown built by its inhabitants on the remains of a Greco-Roman necropolis in Alexandria, Egypt. The area has since been destroyed, but the film captures to a remarkable degree the very special people who lived here–their daily lives of struggle and happiness, and the special strength and heterogeneity of the community. The five films of the Mafrouza cycle will be screened once each in chronological order; each is an autonomous work that can be appreciated independent of the others.
MoMA Presents: Herbert Danska's Right On!
March 6–11
Described as "a conspiracy of ritual, street theater, soul music, and cinema," Right On! is a pioneering concert film, a compelling record of radical Black sentiment in 1960s America, and a precursor of the hip-hop revolution in musical culture. Shot guerilla-style on the streets and rooftops of lower Manhattan, it features the original Last Poets performing 28 numbers adapted from their legendary Concept-East Poetry appearance at New York's Paperback Theater in 1969. The film has rarely screened over the past 30 years, and this is the premiere run of MoMA's new restoration. Poets Felipe Luciano, David Nelson, and Amiri Baraka will be present for a post-screening discussion.
Canadian Front 2013
March 13–18
The 10th annual edition of Canadian Front presents New York premieres of recent Canadian narrative and documentary feature films from both English- and French-speaking Canada. This year's festival includes Filmmaker in Focus: Xavier Dolan, a three-film salute to the Québécois actor and filmmaker, including a weeklong run of his acclaimed 2009 film I Killed My Mother.
Documentary Fortnight 2013: MoMA's International Festival of Nonfiction Film and Media
Through March 4
Since 2001, each February has marked the return of Documentary Fortnight, MoMA's annual showcase of recent nonfiction film and media. The 2013 festival includes an International Selection of 23 films, along with three thematic programs, that examine the relationship between contemporary art and nonfiction filmmaking, and reflect on new areas of nonfiction practice. The final days of the festival focus on MoMA Selects: POV, which highlights award-winning films from the past 25 years of television's award-winning and longest-running showcase for independent documentary.
Modern Mondays
Ongoing
MoMA's ongoing showcase for innovation on screen, Modern Mondays allows contemporary filmmakers and moving image artists to present their work directly to audiences. On March 4, Lithuanian artist Deimantas Narkevicius presents his films from the 1990s, along with his most recent works, including Once in the XX Century (2004). On March 11, in conjunction with the exhibition of her five-film Mafrouza cycle (see above), Emmanuelle Demoris joins us to screen additional scenes that didn't appear in the films.
An Auteurist History of Film
Ongoing
This ongoing screening cycle explores the evolution of film as a medium by charting the careers of several key directorial figures—not in order to establish a formal canon, but to develop one picture of cinematic history. Upcoming screenings include George Cukor's The Actress (1953) and Andrzej Wajda's Ashes and Diamonds (1958).