Masks and vaccinations are recommended. Plan your visit
Approaching movies as an active viewing experience, staff in the Cinema Arts Program view the projection screen as a portal to investigation. We engage with filmmakers who create works that inspire the imagination and instigate conversation. Animation, documentary, poetic observations, and abstract visuals serve a broad spectrum of curious audiences while blending the methods and aesthetics of artists and scientists. Through our programming, we aim to provide an opportunity for visitors to explore the compelling people, places, and ideas that extend through the museum and beyond. Our collection of films and events offer a rich resource for public audiences, and also provide an important research collection for both our teaching programs and exhibit development teams.
Thursday, November 17, 2022–Sunday, January 29, 2023
The dimmed atmosphere of the microcinema sets the perfect scene to luxuriate in these abstract, transportive, and luminescent motion pictures.
Saturday, January 28, 2023 • 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
Animated and abstract short films shimmer in the theater’s darkness to conjure luminous worlds, both kinetic and contemplative.
Saturday, January 14, 2023 • 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
Animated and abstract short films shimmer in the theater’s darkness to conjure luminous worlds, both kinetic and contemplative.
Saturday, December 10, 2022 • 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
Animated and abstract short films shimmer in the theater’s darkness to conjure luminous worlds, both kinetic and contemplative.
Saturday, December 3, 2022 • 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
Animated and abstract short films shimmer in the theater’s darkness to conjure luminous worlds, both kinetic and contemplative.
Saturday, November 19, 2022 • 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
Animated and abstract short films shimmer in the theater’s darkness to conjure luminous worlds, both kinetic and contemplative.
Saturday, September 3, 2022 • 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
An array of animated and kinetic short films explore the inventive ways that amateurs, artists, and tinkerers manipulate the moving image in surprising and/or captivating ways.
Tuesday, August 9–Sunday, August 14, 2022
Create your own form of live cinema in an installation designed by Emmy Award–winning Manual Cinema.
Saturday, July 30, 2022 • 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 31, 2022 • 2:00 p.m.
Join us for the premiere of Facing West Shadows: Phantasmagoria, a live, multimedia, shadow-theater opera inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “The Robber Bridegroom.”
Saturday, July 16, 2022 • 1:00 p.m. PT
In celebration of our summer exhibition The Art of Tinkering, we are pleased to be joined by filmmaker Mark Decena for the Bay Area theatrical premiere Me & My Robot, which documents the 2018 World Robot Olympiad in Thailand.
Saturday, July 9, 2022 • 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. PT
An array of animated and kinetic short films explore the inventive ways that amateurs, artists, and tinkerers manipulate the moving image in surprising and/or captivating ways.
Saturday, June 18–Monday, September 5, 2022
Celebrate the spirit of playfulness in moviemaking. These shorts explore creative uses of familiar materials, revealing imaginative landscapes, humorous inventions, and curious surprises.
Saturday, April 23, 2022 • 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. PT
Ecological restoration methods are progressing in new directions thanks to modern observational tools, which allow scientists to see, study, and protect the environment. Join the Science Communication Lab's team and guests for a screening and discussion of their award-winning short film.