exploratorium

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.

Daytime Tickets
After Dark Tickets
Plan Your Visit

Upcoming Events
At Home: Prelinger Archives Home Movie Collection

Tuesday, January 7–Sunday, February 2, 2020

These selections showcase personal stories with universal appeal. From families traveling to far-flung landscapes to birthday parties for toddlers, these intimate films made by strangers feel quite familiar.

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Cinema Arts: Color Visions

Saturday, February 1, 2020 • Noon and 2:00 p.m.

In this collection of shorts, watch vibrant colors pop off the screen that reflect the pigments of the natural world, conjure saturated landscapes, and creatively display the rainbow spectrum. 

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Cinema Arts: Color Visions

Sunday, February 2, 2020 • Noon and 2:00 p.m.

In this collection of shorts, watch vibrant colors pop off the screen that reflect the pigments of the natural world, conjure saturated landscapes, and creatively display the rainbow spectrum. 

Past Events
Off the Screen: The Future Starts Here

Thursday, October 17, 2013 • 8:30 p.m.

Cinema Arts is pleased to present this special screening of "The Future Starts Here" with filmmaker Tiffany Shlain and other special guests in attendance.
Saturday Cinema: Stories from the Sea

Saturday, October 12, 2013 | 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.

Immerse yourself in a range of oceanic narratives—from the microscopic lives of plankton to the complex relationships between humans and the world beneath the waves.
Off the Screen with San Francisco Cinematheque: Madness and Mindfulness

Wednesday, October 9, 2013 | 7:00 pm.

Four Films by Ken Paul Rosenthal with filmmaker Ken Paul Rosenthal in person
Saturday Cinema: Visual Music

Saturday, October 5, 2013 | 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 pm.

With Hardly Strictly Bluegrass energizing San Francisco this weekend, Cinema Arts celebrates the synesthetic experience of cinema.
After Dark, Fog: Fog City

Thursday, October 3, 2013 | 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Join us for the premiere of filmmaker Sam Green's Fog City, a cinematic study of Bay Area fog.
Off the Screen: Fog City with Sam Green and live music by The Quavers

Wednesday, October 2, 2013 | 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

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Exploratorium Fog Festival

Saturday, September 28, 2013 | 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.

Interspatial: E.A.T., Cybernetic Serendipity, and the Future of Creative Collaboration

Saturday, September 21, 2013
10:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Symposium
7:00–8:30 p.m. Screening and Performance including Collusion by Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst

This day-long symposium focused on architectural and metaphorical conceptions of space.
Off the Screen: Computations, Animations

Thursday, September 19, 2013 | 8:30 p.m.

Celebrating the tradition of filmmakers using computer technology to shape the cinematic experience.
Saturday Cinema: Chromatic Cinema

Saturday, September 14, 2013 | 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.

Experience a kaleidoscope of color on the big screen. These dynamic shorts pop, dance, and spin through the color wheel—visualizing the unseen, exploring the expanses of our visual depth, and offering subtle insight into just how colors are made.
Off the Screen: Science as Cinema, Science as Photograph

Wednesday, September 25, 2013 | 7:00 p.m.

Ukichiro Nakaya and Iwanami Films
Saturday Cinema: Learning with the Lights Out

Saturday, September 7, 2013 | 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.

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