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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 ongoing events.
Saturday, January 21, 2017 • 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 p.m.
In conjunction with the temporary exhibition Curious Contraptions, this whimsical program of expressive short films explores the cinematic and kinetic realms of tinkering.
Thursday, January 19, 2017 • 7:30 p.m.
The Musical Art Quintet will play accompaniment to a program of silent films from the early days of cinema, featuring mechanical wonders and inspired inventions.
December 17, 2016 • 2:30 p.m.
With the shortest day of the year fast approaching, we celebrate the bright light of cinema in this family-friendly screening and farewell to our exhibition Gibson + Recoder: Powers of Resolution.
Thursday, December 15, 2016 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
See composer Zachary James Watkins perform alongside Illuminatoria, a kinetic light sculpture by Gibson + Recoder. Learn how lethal chlorine leads to lifesaving sanitation at Everything Matters: Chlorine, and play with circuitry in the Tinkering Studio.
Thursday, November 17, 2016 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
See Occupy the Farm, a film about the controversy surrounding a publicly owned local research farm. Also, consider sulfur’s ancient reputation, essential role in cell biology, and current promise in rechargeable battery research in Everything Matters: Sulfur. Plus, have dinner and drinks by the Bay, crawl through our Tactile Dome, play with exhibits, and explore.
Friday, November 11–Sunday, December 18, 2016 • See below for viewing hours
Lightplay—a series of artists engagements focused on light interventions—begins with Gibson + Recoder: Powers of Resolution, which celebrates the elusive and delicate beauty revealed through immersive experiences with light.
Thursday, November 10, 2016 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
Join us as Cinema Arts presents Attention, a world premiere of new work by Pamela Z with the Del Sol String Quartet. Also tonight, cultivate a taste for science through food at Pairings: Long Live the Olive. Plus, explore our pitch-black Tactile Dome, hundreds of exhibits, and an array of demonstrations.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 7:30 p.m.
Crafted from the four reels of Michael Snow’s three-hour masterwork of structuralist cinema La Région Centrale, La Région Decentrale condenses, reframes, and restructures Snow’s work into an expanded cinema experiment.
Saturday, October 29, 2016 • 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
Get ready for some Halloween mischief! Experience the classics with your kids as Felix the Cat, Betty Boop, and creepy characters appear on in stories filled with fright and delight.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
10:30 a.m. | Spooky Festivities and Treats
10:45 a.m. | Costume Parade
11:00 a.m. | Film Screening
Accordionist Rob Reich plays along with classic animations to set the mood for Halloween mischief. Felix the Cat, Betty Boop, and others appear in stories filled with fright as well as delight.
Thursday, October 27, 2016 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
Join us for a Cinema Arts shorts program—outside on the Embarcadero. And if you’ve ever wondered where your flying car is, find out at Full-Spectrum Science. Also, explore our pitch-black Tactile Dome and an array of demonstrations.Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Noon and 2:00 pm
Explore optical mechanisms through our classic Explainer-led demonstrations—creating your own pinhole camera and viewing a cow eye dissection—and a short film that revels in the aesthetic wonder of light and sight.