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

Something Wonderful . . .

Thursday, July 1–Sunday, October 31, 2021

Visual delights, ingenious craft, and luminous phenomena. Something wonderful awaits you in this collection of artist-made films.

Past Events

Light Walk: Bob Miller and the Exploratorium

October 25, 2014–February 13, 2015
Hours vary; please check SFPL's calendar for details

An investigation of the work of Bob Miller, natural philosopher, light artist, and author of many of the museum's most iconic exhibits, is on view at the San Francisco Main Library from October 25, 2014 to February 13, 2015.

Saturday Cinema: Avant-Garde Amateurs

Saturday, October 18, 2014 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

In celebration of the 11th Annual Home Movie Day, Cinema Arts presents this program of amateur artistry.

Off the Screen: Eskimo Remastered

Thursday, October 16, 2014 • 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.

In this one-time-only event, The Residents’ album Eskimo (1979) is presented as a multichannel, 3D sound spectacular accompanied by the equally innovative visuals of their companion Eskimo DVD (2002).

Off the Screen: Moving Pictures and Written Words: Celebrating The George Kuchar Reader

Wednesday, October 15, 2014 • 7:00 p.m.

The George Kuchar Reader, edited by Andrew Lampert, features never-before published and long out-of-print words, comics, and photos. To celebrate the book’s release, Lampert will read a few selections and present rarely screened 16mm films from Kuchar’s catalog.

Saturday Cinema: A Cinematic Study of San Francisco Fog

Saturday, October 4, 2014 • 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00 and 3:30 p.m.

Created in collaboration with cinematographer Andy Black, Sam Green's A Cinematic Study takes a poetic view of a complex natural phenomenon that for many months each year defines the psycho-geography of the region.

Saturday Cinema: Bodies

Saturday, September 27, 2014 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

In breaking down motion and considering the inner workings of our physical forms, this program examines the central element of each moment. Bodies become invitations to exploration in these inside, up-close, slowed-down, and inventive looks at our corporeal selves.

Off the Screen: Impossible Light

Thursday, September 25, 2014 • 7:30 p.m.

Gather outside on the Exploratorium Bay Observatory Terrace to watch the drama of creating The Bay Lights installation unfold in the new documentary Impossible Light, while the artwork itself glimmers just beyond the screen.

Saturday Cinema: Experimental Films by Kids from the Film-Makers’ Cooperative

Saturday, September 20, 2014 • 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.

This program focuses on two nearly forgotten films from the collection of the New York–based Film-Makers’ Cooperative. Created by youths raised by artists, their works demonstrate levels of skill and complexity that belie their ages.

Off the Screen: Technicolor N.G.

Thursday, September 18, 2014 • 8:00 p.m.

The haunting effects of a Technicolor printing error take center stage in this performance and talk by John Klacsmann and Walter Forsberg. In Technicolor N.G., a misprinted Western reveals cyan ghosts and cinema’s psychedelic underpinnings.

Saturday Cinema: The Mascot

Saturday, September 6, 2014 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

One of the greatest short films ever made, The Mascot is an inventive stop-motion animation featuring a troupe of charismatic puppets and a stuffed dog’s quest to bring his dying owner an orange.

Saturday Cinema: Exploratorium!

Saturday, August 30, 2014 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

Join us for a glimpse of the Exploratorium’s early years with the 1974 film Exploratorium. Commissioned by founder Frank Oppenheimer, the film presents a tone poem of space in motion foregrounded by exhibits and visitor interactions, highlighting innovation and wonder.

Off the Screen: Imagine Science Film Festival

Friday, August 22, 2014 • 7:00 p.m.

New York–based Imagine Science Films brings their first West Coast program to the Exploratorium. “Experiments on Film” presents inventive takes on the science experiment. The evening concludes with an informal panel discussion.