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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

Colorful soap film
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
Saturday Cinema: The Haunted Classroom

Saturday, October 26, 2013 • 2:00 p.m.

Off the Screen: An Evening of Investigation Featuring a Screening of The Institute, a Documentary by Spencer McCall

Friday, October 25, 2013 • 6:00–10:00 pm.

Bay Area Science Festival: History Science Theater

Thursday, October 24, 2013 • 8:00 p.m.

Take a trip to the classrooms of yesteryear during this lively celebration of a once pervasive learning tool—16mm films.
Off the Screen: Paul Clipson’s Light Year

Wednesday, October 23, 2013 • 8:00–10:00 p.m.

An abstract 16mm film study of the area surrounding our new downtown waterfront site at Pier 15, by Exploratorium Cinema Artist-in-Residence and San Francisco–based filmmaker Paul Clipson.
[CANCELLED] The Urban Edge of San Francisco Bay – A landscape of change and imagination.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013 • 6:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.

Saturday Cinema: Home Movie Day

Saturday, October 19, 2013 • 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 pm.

Celebrate the 11th annual Home Movie Day with screenings of amatuer-made cinema.
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
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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