Purchase Tickets Here, starting at $5: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/mother-01948a63-0788-47a3-7090-3ffa8a46e7c4

Actor Kim Hye-Ja, known to be the prototypical mother figure in Korea, stars in Bong Joon Ho’s psychological thriller as the titular “mother” who takes extreme measures to free her only son, imprisoned for the alleged murder of a teenage girl. Kim is brilliant in her subversive depiction of a Korean mother, going against the grain of the types of characters she’s played since the 1960s, all popular and familiar to Korean audiences. Heavily driven by the mother’s agenda, the film’s narrative constantly shifts and reroutes its direction, unfolding new elements derived from the mother’s subjective, instinctual investigation in which the line between truth and deception is neither crucial nor corroborated.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

2009 | 129 min | South Korea | Color | Korean | Rated R | 35mm

DIRECTED BY: Bong Joon Ho

WRITTEN BY: Bong Joon Ho, Park Eun-kyo

WITH: Kim Hye-ja, Won Bin, Jin Goo, Yoon Jae-moon

Purchase Tickets Here, starting at $5: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/jodhaa-akbar-01948a61-dd21-2225-3d5f-72067f968014

Set in the 16th century, Jodhaa Akbar is an epic historical drama that is a fictional depiction of the marriage of the Muslim Mughal Emperor Akbar (Hrithik Roshan) to the Hindu princess Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). Set amid the pomp and pageantry of the Mughal Empire, what begins as a strategic political alliance blossoms into a love story full of palace intrigue, political machinations, and religious barriers, culminating in a message of religious tolerance. The chemistry between the two gorgeous screen idols, plus the soulful music, lavish sets, and costumes makes for a visual feast.

A costume worn by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Jodhaa Akbar is on display in the museum’s exhibition Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema,... on view through July 13, 2025.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.

2008 | 214 min | India | Color | Hindi | Not Rated | DCP

DIRECTED BY: Ashutosh Gowariker

WRITTEN BY: Haidar Ali, Ashutosh Gowariker

WITH: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Poonam S. Sinha

Purchase Tickets Here, starting at $5: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/dilwale-dulhania-le-jayenge-01948a61-456f-77cc-b995-891ae6b2954f

Three decades since its release, the magic of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge remains undiminished; the film still screens daily at the Maratha Mandir Theatre in Mumbai. Audiences will fall in love with the charming Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) and the spirited Simran (Kajol), both Indians raised in the UK, who meet on a train when traveling with their friends across Europe. A frothy love story develops against picture-postcard Alpine landscapes, and the couple’s romance is threatened when Simran’s father takes her to India for an arranged marriage. The film wears its patriotism on its sleeve as it captures the conflict between modern attitudes toward love and traditional Indian values, where duty to the family takes precedence.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.

1995 | 189 min | India | Color | Hindi | Not rated | DCP

DIRECTED/WRITTEN BY: Aditya Chopra

WITH: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal

Purchase Tickets Here, starting at $5: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/hidden-figures-01948b80-b640-dae7-3dcc-9b93d2771d10

Margot Lee Shetterly’s 2016 nonfiction book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race tells the inspiring true story of the women employed by NASA as “human computers” to make the necessary engineering calculations to send the Apollo astronauts to the moon. Writer-director Theodore Melfi and casting director Victoria Thomas assembled the impressive cast led by three remarkable talents portraying the real-life mathematicians: Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Goble, Octavia Spencer in an Oscar-nominated performance as Dorothy Vaughan, and Grammy-nominated recording artist Janelle Monáe in her first leading film role as Mary Jackson.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

2016 | 127 min | USA | Color | Scope | English | Rated PG | DCP

DIRECTED BY: Theodore Melfi

WRITTEN BY: Allison Schroeder, Theodore Melfi

WITH: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner

Purchase Tickets Here, starting at $5: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/e-xisten-z-01948b7f-8bf7-8349-e5cc-ca6616fcc7ab

eXistenZ follows virtual reality video game designer Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh), whose new project is sabotaged by activists. Before becoming a filmmaker, director David Cronenberg studied organic chemistry and cell biology, and this resonates in his approach to themes, props, and makeup: players interact with a fleshy controller that connects to their bodies via umbilical-like power cords. Cronenberg’s fifteenth feature considers cyberpunk concepts like biohacking, wearable technologies, body modification, and transhumanism not through mechanical devices but via common organic material, setting the film in dialogue with similar Y2K-era works of cyberpunk cinema like The Matrix (1999).

Special thanks to Telefilm Canada for program support.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.

1999 | 97 min | UK/France/Canada | Color | English | Rated R | DCP

DIRECTED/WRITTEN BY: David Cronenberg

WITH: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Ian Holm, Willem Dafoe

Purchase Tickets Here, starting at $5: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/snowpiercer-01948b7e-a402-a2bd-f474-14e82638e717

Bong Joon Ho’s first English-language feature is a postapocalyptic epic based on Le Transperceneige, a graphic novel series by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette. It takes place on a nonstop express train that carries the survivors of the Earth’s new ice age, a disaster caused by a failed experiment to address global warming. The passengers are segregated into different socioeconomic categories, with the rich at the front of the train and the poor crammed in the rear cars. Bong’s dystopian fantasy is realized with horror, humor, and magnificent visuals, and is coded with social commentary. It features a stellar cast including Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, and Song Kang-ho.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

2013 | 126 min | South Korea | Color | English, Korean | Rated R | 35mm

DIRECTED BY: Bong Joon Ho

WRITTEN BY: Bong Joon Ho, Kelly Masterson

WITH: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris

Purchase Tickets Here, starting at $25: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/okja-01948b7d-94b1-8684-33b1-c4060a78753f

Parasite is a 132-minute masterpiece that won Oscars for Best Picture, International Feature Film, Directing, and Original Screenplay, becoming the first non–English language feature to win Best Picture. An ironic anxiety driven by the narrative’s unpredictability throughout the film is a crucial component that shapes its eccentric undertone. Director Bong Joon Ho meticulously crafted and achieved this with help from his brilliant ensemble cast, including Song Kang-ho, who portrays the father of a struggling family that infiltrates the household of a wealthy one.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

2019 | 132 min | South Korea | Color | Scope | Korean | Rated R | 4K DCP

DIRECTED BY: Bong Joon Ho

WRITTEN BY: Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin Won

WITH: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik

Purchase Tickets Here, starting at $25: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/okja-01948b7d-94b1-8684-33b1-c4060a78753f

In person: Steven Yeun and Bong Joon Ho.

A one-of-a-kind child-and-pet adventure, Okja runs the gamut of emotions from exhilarating action to comedy and heartwarming drama. Featuring magnificent special visual effects, the film takes the audience on a journey led by Mija, a young girl on a rescue mission to save Okja, a massive “superpig” who gets snatched away by a gigantic meat industry conglomerate. An incredible cast including An Seo Hyun, Paul Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal, Steven Yeun, and Tilda Swinton deliver superb character realization, adding dimensions to Bong Joon Ho’s fantastical world.

Academy Museum film programming is generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

2017 | 120 min | South Korea | Color | Scope | English, Korean | 4K DCP

DIRECTED BY: Bong Joon Ho

WRITTEN BY: Bong Joon Ho, Jon Ronson

WITH: An Seo Hyun, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal

Link to Purchase Tickets: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/the-thing-01948b7c-9296-d4dc-d043-5e568ec5f69b

In person: John Carpenter and Bong Joon Ho.

Museum member presale begins 2/19.

Public tickets open 2/21.

A research team in a remote Antarctic outpost runs afoul of a shapeshifting alien menace in this bleak and stylish sci-fi horror thriller from director John Carpenter. Bill Lancaster’s screenplay is a faithful adaptation of John W. Campbell’s 1938 novella Who Goes There?, which was first filmed in 1951 as The Thing from Another World. Upon its release, Carpenter’s film was overlooked in favor of Steven Spielberg’s record-breaking, friendly alien adventure E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, but in the ensuing decades, The Thing has become a contemporary classic, influencing many filmmakers, including Bong Joon Ho, who selected the film for a special screening and conversation.

Note by Robert Reneau.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.

1982 | 108 min | USA | Color | Scope | English | Rated R | 4K DCP

DIRECTED BY: John Carpenter

WRITTEN BY: Bill Lancaster

WITH: Kurt Russell, Wilford A. Brimley, T. K. Carter, David Clennon

Link to Purchase Tickets: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/the-magic-of-mary-poppins-a-visual-effects-demo-with-paul-debevec-0194d767-142f-ec57-8e4c-05872446cab0

Join us for a visual effects demonstration inspired by the classic Disney film, Mary Poppins (1964).

The Education team invites families to join us in the Shirley Temple Education Studio for a demonstration inspired by the classic Disney film Mary Poppins (1964).

We will be joined by visual effects artist Paul Debevec, who will give a demonstration of the sodium vapor process that was originally used in the film to create the effect of merging live actors with animated characters.

We encourage visitors to attend the screening of Mary Poppins at 2:30pm in the Ted Mann Theater. A separate ticket is required for this screening.

Check back soon for upcoming workshop themes!

If you have any questions or need assistance planning your visit, please email museumeducation@oscars.org.

Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025

Time: 12:30–2:30pm

Location: Shirley Temple Education Studio, LL1

Ages: This program is designed for all ages

Cost: The demonstration is free with museum General Admission and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Museum admission is free for youth ages 17 and under.

Link to Purchase Tickets: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/devdas-019475d9-aebd-f2f4-0eaa-30e676e34fde

Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1917 novel Devdas has acquired an almost mythical status in India, having been adapted for the screen a record twenty times in multiple languages since the first silent film version in 1928. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s adaptation is a sumptuously mounted romantic period drama with opulent sets, luxurious costumes, and spectacular choreography that tells the tragic tale of star-crossed lovers Devdas (Shah Rukh Khan) and Paro (Aishwarya Rai) on a grand operatic scale. Childhood sweethearts, Devdas and Paro’s plans to marry are rebuffed by Devdas’s wealthy family. In retaliation, Paro’s family arranges her marriage to an older aristocrat while a heartbroken Devdas leaves his home and descends into alcoholism, finding solace with a warm-hearted courtesan (Madhuri Dixit).

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.

2002 | 185 min | India | Color | Hindi | Not rated | DCP

DIRECTED BY: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

WRITTEN BY: Prakash Ranjit Kapadia, Sanjay Leela Bhansali

WITH: Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai, Jackie Shroff

Link to Purchase Tickets: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/archiving-the-academy-awards-0193b2ac-7f37-56b5-be49-1fe2c7f40603

Date: Friday, March 21

Time: 12pm

Location: Netflix Lounge, L2

Cost: Free with General Admission

Go behind the scenes with the Academy Museum and their work on preserving and conserving cinematic history.

The Academy Awards have always had triumphs, surprises, and heartbreaks. Since 1929, the Oscars have recognized excellence in cinematic achievements. But what happens after the show ends? How do we remember it, and most importantly, how do we preserve the movies, memories, and objects from it?

Go behind the scenes with the Academy Museum and their work on preserving and conserving cinematic history. 

Visitors are encouraged to explore the Academy Awards History gallery on Level 2 before or after the program.

If you have any questions or need assistance planning your visit, please email museumeducation@oscars.org.  

How Women’s Liberation Transformed America: In Conversation with Clara Bingham

Thursday, March 20th 11:00 AM PDT’

Register: https://libraryc.org/smclibrary/68798/?uMarketingSource=_LSC_IEN_03_main

Join us online for a transformative conversation with award-winning journalist and author, Clara Bingham, as she chats with us about her new book, The Movement: How Women’s Liberation Transformed America, 1963-1973. 

The Movement is a comprehensive and engaging oral history of the decade that defined the feminist movement, including interviews with living icons and unsung heroes. The Movement is the first oral history of the decade that built the modern feminist movement. Through the captivating individual voices of the people who lived it, The Movement tells the intimate inside story of what it felt like to be at the forefront of the modern feminist crusade when women rejected thousands of years of custom and demanded the freedom to be who they wanted and needed to be.

This engaging history traces women’s awakening, organizing, and agitating between 1963 and 1973 when a decentralized collection of people and events coalesced to create a spontaneous combustion. From Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique to the underground abortion network the Janes, to Shirley Chisholm’s presidential campaign and Billie Jean King’s 1973 battle of the sexes, Bingham artfully weaves together the fragments of that explosion person by person, bringing to life the emotions of this personal, cultural, and political revolution. Artists and politicians, athletes and lawyers, Black and white, The Movement brings readers into the rooms where these women insisted on being treated as first-class citizens and, in the process, changed the fabric of American life.

About the Author: Clara Bingham is an award-winning journalist and the author of The Movement, Witness to the Revolution, Women on the Hill, and the co-writer of Class Action. A former Washington, DC, correspondent for Newsweek, her writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, The Guardian, and The Daily Beast, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Link to Purchase Tickets, starting at $53: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/cinema-her-way-with-gas-food-lodging-0194ae8c-cd94-f3c0-5635-d2fd99eaf4b5

Author Marya E. Gates will be signing her book Cinema Her Way: Visionary Female Directors in Their Own Words and join filmmaker Allison Anders for a conversation before a screening of Gas Food Lodging (1992). Includes the book, book signing, author meet-and-greet, screening, and conversation.

Join film critic and historian Marya E. Gates for a signing of her book Cinema Her Way: Visionary Female Directors in Their Own Words. Gates’ book celebrates women directors and their contributions to cinema. The book includes in-depth conversations with directors about their filmmaking processes and their journeys in the film industry.

After the signing, Marya will join director and writer Allison Anders for a conversation before a screening of Anders’ film Gas Food Lodging (1992).

SCHEDULE:

• 6:30–7:15pm | Book signing of Cinema Her Way | Ted Mann Theater Lobby

• 7:30pm | Conversation and screening of Gas Food Lodging (1992) in 35mm | Ted Man Theater

Gas Food Lodging (1992) in 35mm

From her first feature, Border Radio (1987), filmmaker Allison Anders has always been interested in interrogating the “mainstream” by exploring and ultimately exploding genre. In doing so, her films upset the values maintained and encouraged by the dominant filmmaking industry. In its localized view of relationships and small-town dreams in the fictional border town of Laramie, New Mexico, her second feature, Gas Food Lodging (1992), focuses on a single mother (Brooke Adams) raising two teenage daughters (Ione Skye and Fairuza Balk), and explores their relationships within and outside the family unit. Inspired by her work as a production assistant for Wim Wenders on Paris, Texas (1984), Anders opens Gas Food Lodging... on an image of the open road, inviting us into the emotional landscape of these complex women. J Mascis’s reverb-drenched score and Dean Lent’s gorgeous cinematography envelop the protagonists in a world entirely of Anders’s making.

1992 | 101 min | USA | Color | English | Rated R | 35mm | Print courtesy of UCLA Film & Television Archive

DIRECTED/WRITTEN BY: Allison Anders

WITH: Brooke Adams, Ione Skye, Fairuza Balk, James Brolin

Outline 101:
Outlining Your Pilot
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 | 5-6:30 PM PT | Online

If you’re struggling with your story, you may want to go back to your outline. Join us for Outline 101, which will take a deep look into the prewriting process and ways to get started, so that writing your first draft is (slightly) less painful.

This informational conversation will discuss and clarify what screenwriters are advised to try when planning their first pilot, and why so many established screenwriters use outlines.

Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0OoqzGMvRBmh4Hqkf1QEiA

PANELIST

Alicia Carroll
Screenwriter, Writing Pad Instructor

Alicia Carroll is a screenwriter and playwright. She most recently wrote on the Pitch Perfect spinoff Bumper In Berlin on Peacock starring Adam Devine & Jameela Jamil, showrun by Megan Amram and Executive Produced and co-created by Elizabeth Banks. Before that, Alicia was the Story Editor for the Hitchcockian thriller The Watchful Eye for Freeform and was staffed on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist for NBC. Previously, Alicia wrote for Crooked Media’s comedic live show and podcast, Lovett Or Leave It, as well as the Facebook Watch series, Text Stories, produced by New Form. Alicia has been a speaker at TEDxBeaconStreet in Boston, was a 2019 Film Independent: Project Involve Fellow, a Women In Film: Insight Fellow, and one of IAMA Theatre's 2020 Under 30 Playwrights Lab participants. Alicia is a graduate of Emerson College who got her start in news before moving over to screenwriting.

MODERATOR

Marilyn Friedman
Writer, Writing Pad Co-Founder

Marilyn is a freelance journalist and the Co-Founder of Writing Pad, an award-winning creative writing school whose instructors are writers from the top TV shows and publications and has existed in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Online since 2005. Her essays, stories, and op-ed’s have been published in the New York Times, Salon.com, Narratively, The Frisky, and the San Francisco Chronicle. She is currently working on a pilot and a memoir about her experiences as a swing dancer. She has taught writing for fifteen years, including classes at Pixar, Walt Disney Studios, The Writing Salon, and the Southern California Writers Conference. Her poetry has been published in Pearl, Squaw Valley Review, California Quarterly, Karamu, and The Great American Poetry Show and has written articles on love and dating for Match.com. Marilyn has a BA in English and Writing from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and a Master’s Degree from Boston University.

Link to Purchase Tickets: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/mirch-masala-019475d3-7ee7-8a35-71d0-c85bb9eb746b

The color red is as much a character in this powerful feminist tale as Sonbai (Smita Patil), a feisty village woman who stands firm against the lustful advances of a tax collector (Naseeruddin Shah) in colonial India. Enraged by Sonbai’s rejection, the tax collector threatens to destroy the village. The villagers pressure Sonbai to give in, to avoid dire consequences. Despite the patriarchy, misogyny, and caste discrimination faced by the village women, they come together in a moment of sisterhood to protect Sonbai in one of the most stunning climaxes of Indian cinema.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.

1987 | 118 min | India | Color | Hindi | Not rated | DCP

DIRECTED BY: Ketan Mehta

WRITTEN BY: Ketan Mehta, Shafi Hakim

WITH: Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Suresh Oberoi

Link to Purchase Tickets: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/koyaanisqatsi-019475d1-c9f3-ad38-69b2-b9356b9d0a24

Shot between 1975 and 1982, this visually poetic documentary showcases the beauty of nature while examining modern urban life. The juxtaposition of images demonstrates the effects of industrialization on the environment and humanity’s drift from nature. Composer Philip Glass aptly balances invoking a feeling of doom with a simultaneous sense of wonder and fascination in one of his earliest feature film scores. Borrowed from the Hopi language, Koyaanisqatsi translates to “chaotic life” or “life out of balance,” and appears in connection with a Hopi prophecy that warns of future catastrophe if we only take from nature’s resources instead of protecting them.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.

1982 | 86 min | USA | Color | English | Not rated | 35mm

DIRECTED BY: Godfrey Reggio

WRITTEN BY: Ron Fricke, Godfrey Reggio, Michael Hoenig, Alton Walpole.

Link to Purchase Tickets, Starting at $5: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/narcisa-hirsh-visual-improvisations-019475d0-064c-dc03-5e5d-11bbcc8c51ae

Self-described as a “famous unknown filmmaker” (una famosa cineasta desconocida), Narcisa Hirsch (1928–2024) was a pioneer of Argentine experimental film. As an independent artist who moved outside the traditional global and local art circuits, her low-budget projects allowed her radical freedom to experiment with the medium of film, in dialogue with other artists (Michael Snow, Steve Reich, Michelangelo Antonioni, Nina Simone, Jorge Luis Borges) and art forms (music, dance, painting, graffiti, performance, narrative). Her work, which ranged from structural to lyrical films, from documented happenings to celluloid love letters, was in large part unavailable to the public until recently. Thanks to a collaboration between the Filmoteca Narcisa Hirsch and the USC Digital Repository, Hirsch’s entire archive—consisting mainly of Super 8 and 16mm films—is now available... digitally and has been featured in programs and exhibitions in New York, Vienna, San Francisco, London, Montreal, Madrid, Buenos Aires, A Coruña, and Los Angeles.

Marabunta (Swarm)

• 1967. 8 min. Argentina. B&W. Sound. Digital.

Aída

• 1976. 7 min. Argentina. Color. Sound. Digital. US premiere of new scan by the USC Digital Repository.

Bach Surely Closed the Door When He Wanted to Work (Seguro que Bach cerraba su puerta cuando quería trabajar)

• 1979. 27 min. Argentina. Color. Spanish with English subtitles. Digital. US premiere of new scan by the USC Digital Repository.

Rafael, August 1984

• 1984. 12 min. Argentina. Color. Spanish with English subtitles. Digital.

The Aleph (El Aleph)

• 2005. 1 min. Argentina. Spanish with English subtitles. Digital.

Come Out

• 1974. 11 min. Argentina. Color. Sound. Digital.

This program contains some explicit adult content.

Programmed and note by Erin Graff Zivin, professor and Director of Experimental Humanities Lab at the University of Southern California.

All films directed by Narcisa Hirsch. Films courtesy of the Filmoteca Narcisa Hirsch. Digital scans by USC Digital Repository.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

1967–2005 | 66 min | Digital

DIRECTED BY: Narcisa Hirsch

This program contains some explicit adult content.

DATE & TIME

Thursday, March 13, 2025
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM EDT

RSVP DEADLINE: March 13, 2025 @ 8:00 PM

Price: $75.00

LOCATION

Virtual Online: https://rsvp.thegotham.org/DAF3B8D6-9737-41ED-9D45900EF8E98123/?mc_cid=2b6074b65a&mc_eid=76b21566a3

RSVP INSTRUCTIONS

GOTHAM MEMBERS: Enroll in this class through your Member Dashboard to receive your 20% discount.

Not yet a member? The Gotham community has access to year-round programming, resources, and support, plus exclusive perks and discounts. Learn more about membership. 

This event will occur virtually via Zoom. The recording will be shared with all registrants upon conclusion of the event.

If you are coming with a guest, they must RSVP separately.

CONTACT

Questions about the event? Contact membership@thegotham.org

Join Us for an Advanced Essentials workshop on Story Structure in Documentaries!

OVERVIEW

How do you shape a compelling documentary without forcing real life into a rigid structure? In Unstructured: Breaking Form in Documentary Filmmaking, award-winning filmmaker Laurie Townshend (A Mother Apart, Charley) examines alternative storytelling frameworks that embrace complexity, nuance, and real-world unpredictability. Through case studies, hands-on exercises, and an interview with a guest filmmaker, this three-hour course will challenge traditional narrative models and help filmmakers craft authentic, dynamic stories.

Laurie brings her unique perspective as a writer, director, and educator whose work explores acts of courage that spark quiet revolutions. Her acclaimed documentary A Mother Apart—a Top 3 Audience Favorite at Hot Docs 2024—exemplifies her approach to structure, centering emotional truth over imposed arcs. Join her for a thought-provoking session designed to reshape how you think about storytelling in documentary filmmaking.

GOTHAM MEMBERS: Enroll in this class through your Member Dashboard to receive your 20% discount.

INSTRUCTORS

Laurie Townshend

Laurie Townshend is a writer, director, and educator from Toronto, Canada. Raised by a Jamaican mother—the family’s eloquent griot—she learned early on that stories shape us as much as we shape them.

Her work explores human acts of courage that spark quiet revolutions, including The Railpath Hero (2013) and Charley (2016), a documentary linking civil rights activist Charles Roach to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Her latest feature, A Mother Apart (Top 3 Audience Favourite, HotDocs ‘24; Best First Feature, Best Canadian Feature, Audience Award, Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival ‘24), follows acclaimed poet-performer Staceyann Chin as she confronts the trauma of maternal abandonment and its impact on raising her own daughter.

Laurie was recently selected for UnionDocs' Pod intensive to develop an audio project that continues her exploration of identity, resilience, and the ways human connection shapes our lives.

The Importance of Fellowships and Labs

How do you find the right fellowship for your project and use it as a fundraising tool? Learn more with with Gabriella Garcia Pardo

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-importance-of-fellowships-and-labs-tickets-1269973989389?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

About this event

Fellowships and labs are offered across film and media organizations in the U.S, and internationally on producing, editing, screenwriting, you name it. But how do you find the right one for you and your project and then use it to develop your project, meet potential collaborators, and as an effective fundraising strategy? WMM welcomes filmmaker/cinematographer Gabriella Garcia Pardo – whose work includes Barbara Kopple’s GUMBO COALITION, Penny Lane’s CONFESSIONS OF A GOOD SAMARITAN, Julie Wyman’s THE TALLEST DWARF premiering at SXSW, and many more – joins us for the first time to discuss the importance of fellowships and labs. She’ll share how these immersive opportunities can have an invaluable impact on the development of your project – giving you visibility and credibility and providing you with a unique opportunity to build a strong network of collaborators, supporters, and funders.

Whether you're eyeing a seasonal or year-round program, this webinar will give you the tools and confidence to land that career-changing opportunity. Don't miss out on this chance to take your filmmaking journey to the next level.

This is the first session in the four-part webinar series: STRATEGIES IN A CHANGING MEDIA LANDSCAPE

REGISTER FOR THE SERIES BEFORE MARCH 10 TO RECEIVE A DISCOUNTED PRICE

Gabriella is a Colombian-American documentary filmmaker drawn to stories of our relationship to land, place, and the non-human. Gabriella’s produced and co-wrote LA BONGA (True/False, 2023), from directors Sebastián Pinzón Silva and Canela Reyes. The film is a co-production with the town featured and centers on the collective return to the home from which they were displaced. LA BONGA played at over 60 international festivals including Cinema du Réel, SFFilm, DMZ, and MoMA Doc Fortnight. She’s currently producing BACKSIDE, which follows the migrant workers behind the Kentucky Derby. Directed by Raúl Paz Pastrana, the feature is a co-production with ITVS. Gabriella’s work as a cinematographer has premiered at festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Full Frame, IDFA, Tribeca, and Hot Docs. Previously, Gabriella created short-form documentaries at National Geographic as a one-person-band, filmed over 150 musicians at NPR’s Tiny Desk, and led horse treks through Chile. Gabriella believes deeply in community building and founded the Washington, DC Video Consortium where she spent four years curating monthly events and facilitating mentorship for filmmakers and journalists. She is a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, where she studied narrative and documentary film. Her projects have been supported by the Sundance Institute, Catapult Films, Creative Capital Awards, ITVS, Firelight, Princess Grace, IFP, BAVC, Visions sud Est, and NOFS, among others. 

Accessibility: Real-time captions are provided, and recordings are available after the sessions to watch on-demand with captions. Email fsprogram@wmm.com with needs or questions.

IMPORTANT WEBINAR REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

• If you register for this entire series, you will have access to all 4 live webinars in this series, as well as the recordings.

• If you have a promo code, please enter that when selecting your ticket type BEFORE proceeding to checkout. After clicking "tickets" above, there will be ticket options and a link that says "enter promo code". You will not be able to do so at checkout.

• If you are a WMM filmmaker or member of one of our partner organizations and do not have the promo code reach out to fsprogram@wmm.com for a discount

• Once registered, you will receive an order confirmation email. Please do not delete it. Your confirmation email will contain a button that says "View the Event" which will bring you to the event page. You must be logged in to Eventbrite with the email address you used to register for this to work.

• Alternatively, if the button isn't working for you, please scroll down your order confirmation email to find and click the Zoom link there.

• If you do not see your order confirmation email within 10mins of registering, please check your junk/spam box or promotional emails. If not in those locations, please email fsprogram@wmm.com so we can reissue the confirmation email. We receive a high volume of calls and emails in the hours before the webinar, so please make sure you have what you need in advance to avoid delays in joining the event.

• If you are unable to participate live, a recording of this webinar will be emailed to all registrants and available for three months after the recording is posted.

Women Make Movies gratefully acknowledges the support of our funders: The National Endowment for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Humanities, the New York State Council on the Arts, and with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Golden Globe Foundation, and the Jerome Foundation.

Link to Purchase Tickets, Starting at $5: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/pulp-fiction-019475cf-10ae-a904-4503-7b2f110de31f

Director Quentin Tarantino (with cowriter Roger Avary) won an Oscar for his hugely influential original screenplay telling intertwining, darkly comic tales of Southern California crime. An expertly chosen cast brought the script to life, with nominated performances by John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Samuel L. Jackson—in his star-making turn as the acerbic, Bible-quoting hit man Jules—as well as memorable roles for a galaxy of performers including Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Rosanna Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, and Ving Rhames. The film received seven nominations including Best Picture and Directing.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

1994 | 154 min | USA | Color | Scope | English | Rated R

DIRECTED/WRITTEN BY: Quentin Tarantino

STORY BY: Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary

WITH: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis

BAVC Media VERSED Screenwriting Session 3: In conversation with Boots Riley

Join us for the third workshop of our VERSED screenwriting series.

About this event

Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bavc-media-versed-screenwriting-session-3-in-conversation-with-boots-riley-tickets-1115095714299?aff=odeimcmailchimp

With so much momentum behind independent voices and filmmakers in the Bay Area, BAVC Media is excited to launch a series of VERSED workshops at the beginning of the new year to help screenwriters develop, refine, and complete their narrative features and pilots.

Join us for the third workshop of this VERSED screenwriting series! For Session 3, we will be joined by writer / director Boots Riley in conversation with Azucena Rasilla.

In advance of this session, please be sure to submit your questions for Boots ahead of time: https://ga9rmr10qsn.typeform.com/to/S2oUhykg

Join us for the third workshop of this VERSED screenwriting series! More information to follow.

If you're a writer who plans to submit to the Bay List or another Black List program, or even if you just want to learn more about screenwriting, then this three-part workshop series will help you gain essential tools and expert guidance on how to strengthen your work. The workshops will focus on foundational screenwriting elements such as formatting, structure, and industry best practices. While they won’t include creative feedback or individualized notes, the goal is to equip writers with the tools you need to complete your scripts and present your strongest work.

VERSED is a series of hybrid workshops, hands-on labs, virtual and in-person trainings for creators of all ages and skill levels to spark and sustain careers in the media arts on a free or below-market basis.

Please email isanakazawa@bavc.org for any accessibility needs.

Please note: Participation doesn’t mean you have any preference in the BayList selection process that will take place in 2025.

Writing Life 101:
Career Planning and Longevity for Writers
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 | 5-6:30 PM PT | Online

RSVP: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_P5HN1tKHRbiYkEgDpM5GYA

There’s no one way, career path, or linear road to take in any field and the same goes for the professional writer. In the same way that it helps to have an outline before you write a script, it helps to have a career plan.

This conversation will explore breaking in, the tools you may want to cultivate when obstacles could potentially derail you, and how having a strong community can keep you accountable and help support you through challenging times.

Cynthia Adarkwa
Writer, Black Boy Writes Media Mentor

Cynthia Adarkwa is a Ghanaian American writer and producer. She earned a BFA in Dramatic Writing from the Savannah College of Art & Design, then went on to write for a number of shows including the CW’s Legacies, Hulu's Saint X and MGM+’s Emperor of Ocean Park. Ultimately, Cynthia tells stories about Black women finding their place in the world.

Andre J. Ferguson
Writer, Black Boy Writes Media Mentor

Andre J. Ferguson was raised in the inner city of Jamaica Queens New York, with a father who served as a NYPD narcotics detective and a mother who was a NYC public school art teacher.

Later he moved to Los Angeles where he began writing screenplays and submitted his spec script to showrunner Courtney Kemp, which led him to being hired as a staff writer for the hit series Power. Andre is currently a producer on the hit Starz series Power Book: II Ghost.

Kirby Marshall-Collins
Writer, 2022 Black Boy Writes/Black Girl Writes Mentee

Kirby Marshall-Collins is a Black TV writer and director who amplifies the voices of Black and queer people through ambitious and endearing genre-bending stories. She’s drawn to shows that foster community and inspire hope. Regardless of scale, Kirby’s strengths lie in her empathetic approach to character, her pattern recognition/strong grasp of story structure, and her ear for dialogue. (Thanks to many years in theater!) She’s a pleasure to have in any writers’ room, and specifically will strengthen and advocate for the stories of traditionally de-centered and underrepresented communities, and yes, that includes the kids.

She was a 2023 Disney Writing Fellow -- chosen from thousands for the highly competitive TV staffing program. She experienced her first staffing and show cancellation in quick succession. Since then, her debut short, Ways To Fly (2024), earned her grants from Panavision New Filmmaker Program and Los Angeles Performance Practice before premiering at the Pan African Film Festival. She previously excelled as a Writers' Assistant on Nancy Drew (CW). Through it all, her greatest accomplishment is that she used her Disney perks to take her niece and nephews to Disney World for Christmas.

Joshua L. Myers
Writer, 2021 Black Boy Writes/Black Girl Writes Mentee

Growing up in backwoods South Carolina, Joshua L. Myers' parents often told him watching too much TV would rot his brain. Well, joke’s on you mom and dad -- your youngest works in television now! In the short few years he's lived in LA, Josh has already worked as a writer on ALLBK’s comedy series, Send Help, as well as an assistant on Amazon's upcoming Michael B. Jordan produced Muhammad Ali series, The Greatest. Bringing his southern charm to Hollywood, Josh aims to craft stories that provide heartfelt laughs while shining a light on the beauty, complexities, and universality of the Black and queer experiences. And if he can inspire other Black kids who are told they watch too much TV along the way, then it’ll be a job well done.

Jackie Penn
Writer, Black Boy Writes Media Mentor

Forced to fend for herself at an early age, Jackie Penn found comfort in either reading or watching TV. After several years as a Spanish teacher, Jackie left teaching to pursue a career as a TV writer. Now an LA-based drama writer, Jackie’s writing focuses primarily on diverse female-driven stories that explore friendship, found family, identity, and love. She was an assistant on several shows including Siren and Ginny & Georgia before her first staff writing job on Turner & Hooch for Disney+. She was most recently a story editor on the CW’s 4400 and a WGA Strike Captain. She was selected for Coverfly's 2023 Next List and is currently a member of the Rideback Rise Circle cohort.

MODERATOR

Heather Daughtry
Chief of Programming, Black Boy Writes Media

Heather Daughtry's career has been characterized by impactful contributions and a dedication to cultivating strategic marketing, programming and partnerships. In her previous role managing Sponsorships and Partnerships at Final Draft, Inc., Heather played a pivotal part in fostering mutually beneficial relationships and providing crucial sponsorship support to various screenwriting organizations, film festivals, schools, and mentorship programs. Notably, her efforts have been dedicated to amplifying the voices of underrepresented writers, reflecting her passion for inclusivity and diversity within the industry. Heather currently serves as Chief of Programming for Black Boy Writes/Black Girl Writes Mentorship Program founded by Mike Gauyo.

With nearly ten years in the industry, Heather has refined her skills drawing from her versatile and adaptable background in both studio and agency settings, providing a deep understanding of the ever-changing entertainment landscape. Beyond her work, she passionately pursues the arts, particularly acting and music, demonstrating a multifaceted expertise and unwavering dedication to excellence, collaboration, and advocacy. Born and raised in South Los Angeles, Heather graduated from California State University Long Beach where she earned her degree in Communication with an emphasis in Performance Studies and a minor in Music.

Link to Purchase Tickets, Starting at $5: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/videodrome-019475ce-7749-ac2f-ccfc-36fdb7d5a789

In David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, amoral TV station president Max Renn, on a constant quest to find boundary-pushing new content, is exposed to hyper-violent imagery via an illicit broadcast channel. Instantly enamored, he becomes obsessed with finding its source. As he watches more and delves deeper into the underground world that controls the footage, his sense of reality begins to warp and disturbing hallucinations manifest in the flesh. Is Renn losing his mind or experiencing the next step in human and technological coevolution? Cronenberg’s graphic body-horror is on full display as he explores the melding of technology and human biology.

Special thanks to Telefilm Canada for program support.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

1983 | 89 min | USA | Color | English | Not rated | 4K DCP

DIRECTED/WRITTEN BY: David Cronenberg

WITH: James Woods, Sonja Smits, Deborah Harry, Peter Dvorsky

Event Details

Date: Tuesday, March 11th

Time: 8 to 9:30pm ET/5 to 6:30PM PT

Location: Zoom
https://community.blackfilmspace.com/events/88CA15

Free Event
Join Black Film Space for an exclusive webinar featuring Regina Hoyles, the Director and Producer of the short film, Missing Rhythms. Regina successfully raised over $25,000 with support of Black Film Space’s Fiscal Sponsorship Program. Regina will guide you through her journey of creating a successful campaign—from setting the right goals for your project to finding the right donors and investors. Additionally, Regina will discuss directing and producing on set, as well as her experiences navigating film festivals and her festival strategy. The session will conclude with a live Q&A.

Bio

Regina Hoyles is an award-winning writer, actor, and filmmaker who began her career at age nine and graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She created the acclaimed web series NAPSand made her directorial debut with the short film ADULLAM, which premiered at the Bentonville Film Festival and earned accolades such as Best Screenplay at Black Girls Rock! Film Fest. As the founder of RLH Productions, she is dedicated to amplifying Black stories through projects like Tender, Look Back At It, and WELCOME HOME.

Regina has also contributed as a writer on Disney’s animated series HEY AJ! and directed the Black women-centered psychological thriller MISSING RHYTHMS. Her acting credits include appearances on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Chi, All Rise, and 9-1-1: Lone Star. Additionally, she serves as the Pre-Production Supervisor for Black Girls Film Camp, providing script feedback and production support to emerging Black filmmakers.

Become a Member:

Black Film Space membership provides a unique opportunity for Black filmmakers to connect, learn, and grow in their craft. For only $75 per year, you will have access to exclusive resources and support that will enable you to thrive in the industry. Our mission is to provide a platform for Black filmmakers to showcase their talent, network with industry professionals and access the resources they need to succeed.

Black Film Space

Black Film Space is a 501c3 dedicated to improving the careers of Black filmmakers through skill enhancing and community building programming.

Link to Purchase Tickets, Starting at $55: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/moxie-the-daring-women-of-classic-hollywood-book-signing-and-conversation-0194ae7c-80c5-fe57-46e7-7de46177355e

Authors Ira M. Resnick and Raissa Bretaña join the Academy Museum for a book signing and conversation to discuss their new book Moxie: The Daring Women of Classic Hollywood.

Authors Ira M. Resnick and Raissa Bretaña join the Academy Museum for a book signing and conversation to discuss their new book Moxie: The Daring Women of Classic Hollywood, which profiles 15 leading ladies during the studio system, a period from the 1920s to the 1950s when a small number of companies dominated the production and distribution of films in America.

The book is comprised of more than two hundred film stills, publicity photos, and lobby cards from the collection of Ira M. Resnick―many published here for the first time. Together, these captivating images reveal how the stars of the Golden Age used pose and performance, fashion and glamour to shape their images both onscreen and off.

Conversation: 12-1pm

Book Signing: 1:15-2pm

Location: Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby

Purchase Tickets Here, starting at $5: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/97th-academy-award-animated-feature-film-winner-0193b28f-b499-679b-176c-53ab3c9da384

Enjoy a screening of the 97th Academy Award Winner for Animated Feature Film.

Title to be announced after the 97th Awards ceremony.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

Purchase Tickets Here, starting at $5: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/97th-academy-award-international-feature-film-winner-0193b28f-6032-3311-0a70-d62ea10da91d

Join us for a screening of the 97th Academy Award Winner for International Feature Film.

Title to be announced after the 97th Awards ceremony.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

Purchase Tickets Here, starting at $5: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/97th-academy-award-best-picture-winner-0193b28f-f271-c0ac-efeb-4d13239cde0c

Enjoy a screening of the 97th Academy Award Winner for Best Picture.

Title to be announced after the 97th Awards ceremony.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.