Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) announces its slate of fall film screenings for September and October. In addition to the previously announced series Terence Davies: Time Present and Time Past, MoMI will present Nightmare Comedies, featuring wickedly funny movies that create worlds their characters wish they could wake up from, including 40th anniversary screenings of Martin Scorsese’s After Hours; the spooky-season series Dark Magic: Hexes and Haunts for Halloween, which will coincide with the release of a new anthology of Reverse Shot writing on scary movies; and a slew of special events, including a Jim Henson birthday celebration and an imported 35mm screening of the 1985 Jim Henson’s Creature Shop rarity Dreamchild; and book signings with Neil O’Brien and Daniel Kehlman, following 35mm screenings of The Black Cauldron and Diary of a Lost Girl, respectively.
The Museum has also added special guests in person celebrating the career of Terence Davies, including Cynthia Nixon with A Quiet Passion; Jacob Tierney with The Neon Bible; Agyness Deyn with Sunset Song; and Michael Barker with The House of Mirth. Learn more about the films and guests below.
Among free screenings presented as part of the Museum’s Open Worlds programming are Ivohiboro: The Lost Forest with special guests (Sep. 7); a program of shorts and artist talk with the new media art collective Blockbusters (Sep. 20); and The Birth of Saké (Oct. 11).
On September 20 and 21, the Museum will hold its annual commemoration of Jim Henson’s birthday with activities featuring special guests, a book signing, puppet workshops, collectible swap meet, live music in the courtyard, and more. Plus, Heather Henson and Joe Hennes (of Tough Pigs) will lead a walking tour that culminates at the Museum for the festivities! Most events are free as part of the Museum’s Open Worlds initiative. Tickets are required for the walking tour (very limited) and the screening program Jim Henson Birthday Event: The 70 Greatest Moments in Henson History, organized by series programmer Craig Shemin.
Unless noted, all programs take place in the Sumner M. Redstone Theater and/or the Celeste and Armand Bartos Screening Room at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Ave, Astoria, NY 11106. Schedule and tickets are available at movingimage.org. Schedule is subject to change. Additional programs will be added as they are confirmed.
Fall 2025 Screening Series
Nightmare Comedies
September 6–October 5
You know those days where everything is just going all wrong? The inconveniences and indignities pile up until all you can do is shake your head at the absurdity of life. There’s a subgenre of comedy that leans into this discomfort, provoking laughter, even if it gets caught in the throat. These dark comedies create worlds that their characters wish they could wake up from—and which speak to the relatable, existential dilemma of living in a head-shakingly pitiless universe. From Luis Buñuel to the Coen Brothers to Elaine May, these filmmakers remind us that what can go wrong will go wrong—very wrong—whether it springs from our poor choices or seems utterly out of our control. Of course, with movies as entertaining as these, disaster is delightful!
Films: The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Dir. Luis Buñuel. 1972), A Serious Man (Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen. 2009), After Hours (Dir. Martin Scorsese. 1985, 35mm), 1941 (Dir. Steven Spielberg. 1979), Lost in America (Dir. Albert Brooks. 1985, 35mm), The Heartbreak Kid (Dir. Elaine May. 1972, 35mm), Beau Is Afraid (Dir. Ari Aster. 2023)
Series webpage
Terence Davies: Time Present and Time Past
September 12–21
When Terence Davies passed away in the fall of 2023, the world lost one of its greatest, most uncompromising cinematic artists. The British director all but invented his own film language, using sound and image to radically and meaningfully plumb the depths of human desire and alienation, as well as the joys of family, of poetry, of music, and, of course, movies. Davies created movies as a true artist should, using the form for self-expression and as a means of working through complicated emotions: of wrestling with faith, with his homosexuality, with his familial traumas.
Films and special guests: The Long Day Closes (1992, 35mm), plus special book event for the reprint of Terence Davies’s novel Hallelujah Now; The Terence Davies Trilogy (1976/1980/1983, 35mm); Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988, 35mm); Of Time and the City (2008); The Neon Bible (1995, 16mm), with star Jacob Tierney in person; Benediction (2021); A Quiet Passion (2016), with star Cynthia Nixon in person; The House of Mirth (2000, 35mm), with Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker in person; The Deep Blue Sea (2011, 35mm); Sunset Song (2015), with star Agyness Deyn in person. Series webpage | Press release
New York Film Festival 2025
At MoMI October 3–9
Presented every autumn, the New York Film Festival, organized by Film at Lincoln Center, is among the most cherished and prestigious traditions for cinema lovers in New York. For the fourth year in a row, Museum of the Moving Image is pleased to partner with Film at Lincoln Center to screen highlights from NYFF. Titles to be announced, with special guests.
New York Greek Film Expo 2025
At MoMI October 10–12
The Hellenic Film Society USA was created to share the richness of Greek films with American audiences, to promote Greek filmmakers, and to help preserve the film heritage of Greece. Now in its seventh iteration, the Greek Film Expo, which takes place at venues around New York City from October 2–12, gives an overview of the range of current filmmaking in Greece, with films that will be of interest to a wide audience. MoMI is pleased to continue its relationship with the Hellenic Film Society, which also programs the Museum’s ongoing screenings Always on Sunday: Greek Film Series.
Dark Magic: Hexes and Haunts for Halloween
October 17–26
This wicked screening series features people across history plagued by curses, hexes, haunts, and all kinds of bad witchery. Ranging from the medieval origins of witchcraft to a 17th-century New England homestead to 19th-century London to the 21st century American suburbs, these are deliciously creepy horror benchmarks, stylish and scary and a hell of a lot of fun. Each of the titles in this program are featured in the new Museum of the Moving Image book Dark Magic: Scary Movies According to Reverse Shot, an anthology of 20 years of Reverse Shot writing that will be available for sale starting this October in the Museum shop.
Films: Cat People (Dir. Jacques Tourneur. 1942, 35mm), Onibaba (Dir. Kaneto Shindo, 1964, 35mm), The Witch (Dir. Robert Eggers. 2015), The Picture of Dorian Gray (Dir. Albert Lewin. 1945, 35mm), Häxan (Dir. Benjamin Christensen. 1922. Live musical accompaniment by Makia Matsumura), Night of the Demon (Dir. Jacques Tourneur. 1957), Drag Me to Hell (Dir. Sam Raimi. 2009), Paperhouse (Dir. Bernard Rose. 1988, 35mm), It Follows (Dir. David Robert Mitchell. 2014)
HIGHLIGHTED SCREENINGS AND EVENTS
Fright Night: 40th Anniversary
Friday, September 5, 6:30 p.m.
Dir. Tom Holland. 1985, 106 mins. U.S. 35mm. With Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys, Roddy McDowall. When teenage horror-hound Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) discovers that the new hunk-next-door Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire, he bands together with his friends and TV monster movie host Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) to battle the undead menace and keep their town safe. From McDowall’s charming rendition of a horror host to Stephen Geoffreys’s unhinged “Evil Ed” character, Fright Night is a thrilling, neon-soaked reanimation of the vampire tale. Part of Disreputable Cinema. Event info
Ivohiboro: The Lost Forest
Sunday, September 7, 12:30–6:00 p.m.
Dirs. Laurent Portes and Fitzgerald Jego. 2024. 52 mins. DCP. With Dr. Patricia Wright, Dr. Mai Fahmy, Dr. Edmund Basham, Dr. Lily Leahy, Alexa Lightbourn, Emile Rajeriarison. Atop the majestic Crystal Mountain, at 1,500 meters high (4,921 feet), lies Ivohiboro, a pristine tropical forest reigning over the rugged plains of Southeast Madagascar. This hidden gem, which stands as one of the last primary forests on the planet, is a mystical sanctuary untouched by time. In fall 2023, Dr. Patricia Wright—renowned primatologist, MacArthur Fellow, and pioneer in rainforest conservation—led a team of young scientists on a daring 30-day expedition into this forest. The forest was only known to a few local communities but was otherwise unstudied by the global scientific community, so the expedition captured breathtaking footage and learned about new species critical to our planet’s future. Followed by discussion with Dr. Patricia Wright, Ivohiboro’s filmmakers, and Dr. Mai Fahmy, hosted by Science Friday producer Kathleen Davis. Free admission; RSVP encouraged.
Part of the Open Worlds: Science program Field Report: The Filmmaker & The Scientist, presented in partnership with Pioneer Works and Centre ValBio, a Stony Brook University research campus in Madagascar. Open Worlds: Science is presented with support from the Simons Foundation. Event info
Can’t Look Away: The Case Against Social Media
With director Matthew O’Neill in person
Sunday, September 7, 3:30 p.m.
Dirs. Matthew O’Neill and Perri Peltz. 2025, 75 mins. U.S. DCP. Can’t Look Away is a gripping documentary that exposes the dark side of social media and its devastating impact on young people. Directors Matthew O’Neill and Perri Peltz take viewers inside the high-stakes legal battle to hold tech companies accountable for the harm caused by their negligence and dangerous algorithms. Based on investigative reporting by Bloomberg News’ Olivia Carville, the film follows the Social Media Victims Law Center fighting for justice on behalf of families whose children suffered tragic consequences linked to social media use. Can’t Look Away underscores the urgent need for industry reform and serves as both a wake-up call about the dangers of these technologies and a call to action to protect future generations. A Jolt Media release. Event info
Sudan, Remember Us
Sunday, September 7, 5:00 p.m.
Dir. Hind Meddeb. 2025, 86 mins. France/Tunisia/Qatar. DCP. Sudan, Remember Us is a powerful portrait of a generation that chose poetry over silence and imagination over fear. Shajane, Maha, Muzamil, Khatab, and the voice of poet Chaikhoon form a cinematic chorus—young, politically defiant, and artistically fearless. In their twenties, they stand at the front lines of a revolution, confronting a corrupted army and paramilitary militias responsible for brutal war crimes in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile. They could have lost hope before they even began. Instead, through chants, poems, and dreams, they built a movement that helped topple a regime. Blending intimate storytelling with sweeping political urgency, Sudan, Remember Us captures the uneven struggle between the fire of militias and the unbreakable voices of the people. Part of Infinite Beauty: Muslim and MENASA Identity on Screen. Event info
Blockbusters: Screening and Artist Talk
Saturday, September 20, 2:00 p.m.
This free screening and artist talk is presented by New York–based video and new media art collective Blockbusters, formed in 2021 to connect the work of members with cultural roots in several countries including Australia, Chile, Iran, Ireland, India, Israel, Pakistan, and the United States. The artists use the video medium to uncover patterns and remnants of histories yet to be told. The screening takes place in the Museum’s Fox Amphitheater and will repeat at 4:00 and 5:00 p.m.
Films: You Transform Everything into a Boat (Camila Galaz, 2017), Life Touching Life (Dakota Gearhart, 2023), Thoughts and Prayer from the Glowing Rectangle (Bahareh Khoshooee, 2023), All My Friends Are in the Cloud (Jonah King, 2017), In the Name of Hypersurface of the Present (Umber Majeed, 2019), For the Birds (Gal Nissim, 2022–2023), Apni’s Alaap (Surabhi Saraf, 2024), spot healing (Ryan Woodring, 2024).
The 2:00 p.m. screening will be followed by a discussion with Galaz, Gearheart, King, Khoshooee, Majeed, Nissim, and Woodring moderated by Rebecca Cleman, Executive Director of Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI). Free admission; part of Open Worlds 2025. Event info
Jim Henson Birthday Event: The 70 Greatest Moments in Henson History
Saturday, September 20, 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 21, 1:00 p.m.
Join MoMI to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the premiere of Sam and Friends and the founding of The Jim Henson Company, with a new compilation highlighting the 70 greatest moments in Henson history. Culled from hundreds of suggestions submitted by fans via a special Tough Pigs survey, the program includes special moments from series, specials, movies, and guest appearances featuring characters from Jim Henson’s world. Part of the ongoing Jim Henson’s World and the Museum’s annual commemoration of Jim Henson’s birthday, a weekend of activities on September 20 & 21 featuring special guests, a book signing, puppet workshops, collectible swap meet, live music in the courtyard, and more. Event info
Showgirls of Pakistan
Screening and Q&A with filmmakers Saad Khan, Anam Abbas, and Joey Chriqui, preceded by reception (at 5:00 p.m.)
Friday, September 26, 7:00 p.m.
Dir. Saad Khan. 2020. 106 min. DCP. Showgirls of Pakistan follows mujra dancers Afreen Khan, Uzma Khan, and Reema Jaan as they defy censorship, predatory managers, and social stigma in pursuit of stardom. The documentary recasts the centuries-old mujra tradition, originally performed by appointed dancers in the courts of the Mughal Empire, as a stage for moral contest. Using the dancers’ own social-media videos and intimate vérité alongside archival footage from decades of Pakistani film and television, Showgirls weaves together their personal journeys with the larger story of the country’s performing arts and screen culture. Showgirls of Pakistan unfolds as an arresting and singular portrait of women who perform, endure, and dream in the spotlight.
As part of the Museum’s Open Worlds 2025 programming, a free reception will be held in the Museum courtyard from 5:00–7:00 p.m., with a DJ mix by Khajistan and an installation of newly unearthed video and artwork from Khajistan’s archive.
Dreamchild
Saturday, October 4, 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 5, 1:00 p.m.
Dir. Gavin Millar, 1985, 94 min. U.K/U.S. Imported 35mm. With Ian Holm, Coral Browne, Peter Gallagher, Nicola Cowper. Among the most extraordinary—and today largely unseen—projects of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop was this deeply moving drama about the creation and legacy of Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland written by Dennis Potter (Pennies from Heaven). Browne stars as the now elderly Alice Liddell, once upon a time the child who inspired Carroll to create the character of Alice. At a centenary celebration of the novel featuring her namesake, she finds herself entering her own unsettled past, as well dream states populated by Carroll’s fanciful characters, which Henson’s team designed to resemble John Tenniel’s original illustrations. Dreamchild—the first project that the Creature Shop worked on that Jim Henson’s company did not produce—is one of the lost gems of the 1980s, a film about the redemptive power of art and love and the difficulty of reckoning with the past. Part of Jim Henson’s World.
The Birth of Saké
Saturday, October 11, 12:30 p.m.
Dir. Erik Shirai. 2015, 94 mins. USA. DCP. In Japanese with English subtitles. The Birth of Saké reveals the story of passionate saké-makers at Yoshida Brewery, a 144-year-old family-owned small brewery in northern Japan. The workers here are an eclectic cast of characters, ranging from 20 to 70 years old, led by charismatic veteran brewmaster Yamamoto (65) and the brewery’s sixth-generation heir, Yasuyuki Yoshida (27). They must live and work for a six-month period through the brutal winter. Currently, stiff competition and the eventual retirement of experienced workers intensify the pressure of preserving quality of taste, tradition, and brand reputation for Yoshida Brewery. As craftsmen who must dedicate their whole lives to the making of this world-class saké, their private sacrifices are often sizable and unseen. Free admission; RSVP encouraged.
Part of the Open Worlds: Science program Live Cultures, exploring the microorganisms that make life delicious in our drinks, bread and more. Open Worlds: Science is presented with support from the Simons Foundation. Event info
The Black Cauldron
40th Anniversary Screening & Book Signing with Neil O’Brien (After Disney)
Saturday, October 11, 1:00 p.m.
Dir. Ted Berman, Richard Rich. 1985, 80 mins. U.S. 35mm. With the voices of Grant Bardsley, Nigel Hawthorne, Susan Sheridan, Freddie Jones. Disney’s big-budget animated feature from summer 1985 is an elaborate, medieval fantasy set in the Dark Ages adapted from Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain epic. Humble pig farmer Taran dreams of becoming a famous warrior; he gets his chance, and more than he bargained for, when he teams up with Princess Eilonwy and the furry creature Gurgi to defeat the evil Horned King, intent on finding the fabled Black Cauldron to help raise an army of the dead and conquer the world. This rare 35mm screening of The Black Cauldron will be followed by a discussion and book signing with Neil O’Brien whose new book After Disney charts the tumultuous history of Walt Disney Studios in the years following its founder’s death. Part of World of Animation.
Diary of a Lost Girl + Book Signing with Daniel Kehlman (The Director)
Featuring live piano accompaniment by Makia Matsumura
Saturday, October 19, 1:00 p.m.
Dir. G. W. Pabst. 1929, 110 mins. Germany. 35mm. With Louise Brooks, Fritz Rasp, André Roanne, Josef Rovensky. Like American star Louise Brooks and German director G. W. Pabst’s previous collaboration Pandora’s Box, this sensational and dazzling melodrama is one of the great German films of the silent era. The ever-incandescent Brooks plays the innocent pharmacist’s daughter, Thymian, who experiences corruption and abuse before finding spiritual and social liberation. The screening will be followed by a discussion and book signing with best-selling Daniel Kehlmann, whose acclaimed new book The Director (Summit Books), was inspired by the life of Pabst, who later would flee to Hollywood to resist the Nazis only to return to his homeland to create propaganda films for the German Reich. Kehlmann’s The Director was a Late Show with Stephen Colbert Book Club Pick and was called “nothing short of brilliant” by The Wall Street Journal. Part of Silents, Please.
Abbott and Costello’s Scaredy Cat Double Feature
Friday, October 31, 6:30 p.m.
Hold That Ghost (Dir. Arthur Lubin. 1941, 85 mins. U.S. 35mm). Two bumbling service station attendants with dreams of owning their own nightclub think their fortunes have turned around when they stumble their way into inheriting the estate of a bumped-off gangster. However, before they can claim their new riches, they are left stranded in a supposedly haunted house with a group of suspicious strangers in this early foray into comedy-horror from Abbott and Costello, whose rapid-fire banter and classic bits are perfectly complemented by creaky doors, flickering lights, and suspicious noises.
Followed by Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Dir. Charles Barton. 1948, 82 mins. U.S. 35mm.) Jeepers! The creepers are after Bud and Lou! The classic comedy duo find themselves matching whatever wits they can muster with the terrifying trifecta of Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi, returning to his signature role after 17 years), the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.), and Frankenstein’s Monster (Glenn Strange), doing their best to thwart Dracula’s wicked plans for Costello’s poor brain. Part of Disreputable Cinema. Event info
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