The Cinema Arts Program

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.

Upcoming Events

There's always something interesting happening here—check out our upcoming events calendar.

Past Events

Members-Only Screening: Spooky Celluloid

Saturday, October 29, 2016
10:30 a.m. | Spooky Festivities and Treats
10:45 a.m. | Costume Parade
11:00 a.m. | Film Screening

Accordionist Rob Reich plays along with classic animations to set the mood for Halloween mischief. Felix the Cat, Betty Boop, and others appear in stories filled with fright as well as delight.

Cinema Arts and Full-Spectrum Science

Thursday, October 27, 2016 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.

Join us for a Cinema Arts shorts program—outside on the Embarcadero. And if you’ve ever wondered where your flying car is, find out at Full-Spectrum Science. Also, explore our pitch-black Tactile Dome and an array of demonstrations.

Saturday Cinema: Eye Sight

Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Noon and 2:00 pm

Explore optical mechanisms through our classic Explainer-led demonstrations—creating your own pinhole camera and viewing a cow eye dissection—and a short film that revels in the aesthetic wonder of light and sight.

Cinema Arts and Everything Matters

Thursday, October 20, 2016 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.

Learn the novel and nefarious uses of phosphorus at Everything Matters, or take a look at revolutionary visual storytelling from the ’60s and ’70s in the Cinema Arts program Seasons of Unrest: Activist Filmmaking in the Vietnam Era. Also, enjoy our pitch-black Tactile Dome, hundreds of exhibits, and an array of demonstrations.

Saturday Cinema: Made to Persuade, Part II

Saturday, October 8, 2016 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

Investigate merry ways animation has been drafted to deliver targeted messages, from questionable paeans to industry to the patriotic—and occasionally subversive—WWII adventures of Donald Duck.

Saturday Cinema: Made to Persuade, Part I

Saturday, September 17, 2016 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

In this lighthearted program, explore how films convince us to believe what we see, whether by using beloved cartoon characters or cleverly edited ruses that blend fiction and nonfiction together.

The Sea Ranch Songs

Thursday, September 15, 2016 • 7:30 p.m.

The Sea Ranch Songs is a lush contemporary composition by composer Aleksandra Vrebalov performed by Kronos Quartet that features documented sounds from the coastal community, coupled with an evocative cinematic exploration by videographer Andrew Lyndon.

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.

Saturday Cinema: Powers of Observation

Saturday, September 10, 2016 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

With a little patience, our powers of perception deliver information, surprises, and deeper understanding. Join us for a series of inspiring short films and watch as wonders are revealed.

Saturday Cinema: Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land

Saturday, August 27, 2016 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

From music to sculpture, Donald’s misconceptions about math are transformed through fun, whimsical, and (uh-oh!) educational vignettes.

Cinema Arts: Too Big for the Building

Thursday, August 18, 2016

This shorts program, inspired by Theo Jansen’s work, featured imaginative creatures and inventions that embodied a larger-than-life attitude. Lucky guests experienced cartoonish destruction, mechanical mayhem, and absurd inventions that were too big for the building—and took the movies outdoors.

Saturday Cinema: Endo Machina

Saturday, August 13, 2016

This collection of short films explored the poetry of mechanical motion with a series of cinematic portraits capturing the inner workings of various automated machines—from industrial glass bottle-makers to whimsical kinetic sculptures.

Botanicollage and Other Strategies: The Films of Caryn Cline

Sunday, July 24, 2016 • 4:30 p.m.

Caryn Cline handcrafts intimate films that reframe the familiar through experiments in scale and context. This free program showcases her “botanicollage” technique of creating direct animation films using botanical elements.