Masks are required for all visitors 2+. Vaccines recommended. Plan your visit
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.
There's always something interesting happening here—check out our upcoming events calendar.
Saturday, July 15, 2017 • Noon–4:00 p.m.
Guided by artist Caryl Kientz, this workshop reveals the process of building a shadow theater performance from the ground up. You’ll learn about each of the complex, handcrafted ingredients that are essential to shadow theater.
Saturday, July 1, 2017 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.
Inspired by Welcome to WildCard’s foray into roadside attractions and timed to celebrate our most patriotic holiday, we’ll take a look at some of the weird and wonderful places and people spanning the nation.
Saturday, June 17, 2017 • 2:00 p.m.
Enter the inventive worlds of animator and troubadour Jeremy Rourke during a program that fuses animation with live musical performance and surprising off-the-screen interactions.
Thursday, June 8, 2017 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
See Bay Area cityscapes reframed in short poetic documentaries that meditate on urban environments presented by Dominic Angerame, or join us at Pairings for robust presentations and refreshing conversation about nuts. Also, crawl through our pitch-black Tactile Dome, experience exhibits, and more.
Saturday, May 27, 2017 • 11:00 a.m–2:00 p.m.
Obscurus Projectum reimagines the multipurpose theatrical setting of the Exploratorium's Kanbar Forum as a large-scale camera obscura, drawing cinematic inspiration from a window overlooking the San Francisco Bay.
Saturday, May 13, 2017 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.
Join us for a program of shorts that explore how varying temperatures in natural and industrial environments influence our experience of the world.
Thursday, May 11, 2017 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
Follow the amazing migration of California salmon with NOAA ecologist Eric Danner at Pairings. See new work by filmmaker Chip Lord at Greetings from Amarillo. And watch sewing artist Paul Nosa embroider your ideas on fabric at Sewn Scenarios.
Friday, May 5 • 8:00 p.m.
From bodies in motion to catalyzing reactions, Cinema Arts has selected energizing shorts from its film collection to motivate creativity and scientific inquiry.
Saturday, April 29, 2017 • 2:00 p.m.
An artist of unmatched, playful meticulousness, filmmaking-tour-de-force Jodie Mack joins us to present a screening highlighting the fun side of language in experimental cinema.
Saturday, April 22, 2017 • 11:00 a.m–2:00 p.m.
Obscurus Projectum reimagines the multipurpose theatrical setting of the Exploratorium's Kanbar Forum as a large-scale camera obscura, drawing cinematic inspiration from a window overlooking the San Francisco Bay.
Thursday, April 20, 2017 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
See how scandium illuminates important chemical and physical processes in the ocean at Everything Matters. Watch eighteen finalist and awarded-winning shorts from the 2016 Punto y Raya Film Festival at Eye Candy. And see sewing artist Paul Nosa embroider your ideas on fabric at Sewn Scenarios.
Thursday, March 30, 2017 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
Join us for a live performance by The Residents and a screening of Rushing Like a Banshee by John Sanborn. And watch sewing artist Paul Nosa embroider your ideas on fabric at Sewn Scenarios. Crawl through our pitch-black Tactile Dome, play with hands-on exhibits, experience Explainer-led demonstrations, and grab dinner and drinks by the Bay.