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The Cinema Arts Program

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

Film still from Attraction by Emily Scaife
Glow Cinema: Illuminated Frames

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.

Past Events

Character Day
Character Day

Friday, September 18, 2015 • 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Discover the neuroscience and social science exploring the idea that we can shape who we are in The Science of Character (2014, 8 min.), a “cloud film” made collaboratively with people all over the world.

Saturday Cinema: Science on Screen

Saturday, July 18, 2015 • 2:00 p.m.

See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world, and explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. See fascinating stories of marine minutiae with the producers of KQED’s Deep Look YouTube series.

Saturday Cinema: Primary Vision

Saturday, July 11, 2015 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

Join us for a vibrant afternoon of unusual and unexpected film color. See celluloid images separated into RGB through lenses, filters, dyes, and elaborate technical processes, and then recombined into dazzling, artistic visions.

Off the Screen: Pelican Dreams

Thursday, June 18, 2015 • 7:00 p.m.

This intimate documentary follows a wayward pelican from her “arrest” on the Golden Gate Bridge into care at a wildlife rehabilitation facility, and from there explores pelicans’ nesting grounds, Pacific coast migration, and survival challenges.

Saturday Cinema: Seeking Summer

Saturday, June 13, 2015 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

With the summer solstice just around the corner, pause to consider the shifts in the season and rejoice in the promise of summer.

Saturday Cinema: Experimental Films for Kids

Saturday, May 23, 2015 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

A family-friendly introduction to alternative cinema, this playful program features historic examples of avant-garde filmmaking as well as new works highlighting technological and narrative innovations.

Off the Screen: Creeping Garden

Thursday, May 21, 2015 • 7:30 p.m.

A real-life science fiction movie, The Creeping Garden is a feature-length, creative documentary following the work of fringe scientists, mycologists, and artists engaged with the extraordinary plasmodial slime mold.

Saturday Cinema: Animal World

Saturday, May 16, 2015 • 2:00 p.m.

Students from Cal State Monterey Bay’s environmental filmmaking class present five short documentaries about endangered species.

Off the Screen: Counting from Infinity—Yitang Zhang and the Twin Prime Conjecture

Thursday, May 14, 2015 • 7:00 p.m.

Counting from Infinity is a study of Zhang's unexpected and unconventional rise from obscurity and a disadvantaged youth to mathematical celebrity.

Saturday Cinema: Celebrating Family

Saturday, May 9, 2015 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

Short animations illustrate the complexities of mothers’ relationships with their children, and historic home movies highlight immediately recognizable aspects of the universal family experience.

Saturday Cinema: The Element of Surprise

Saturday, May 2, 2015 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

Unexpected twists, red herrings, and visual trickery take center stage in this surprising collection.

Saturday Cinema: Art & Industry

Saturday, April 25, 2015 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

To celebrate the artistry inherent to industry, this Saturday Cinema features two visionary shorts that reimagine factories as sites of elaborate choreographies that just happen to result in useful, omnipresent technology.

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The Kanbar Forum
The Kanbar Forum

Experience our state-of-the-art venue for films, music, and more.

Contact Us

For questions about the Exploratorium Cinema Arts Program, please contact us at:
cinemaarts@ exploratorium.edu

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