Events & Activities

Movies at a museum? We may not have popcorn, but we do screen thought-provoking movies with themes that often directly relate to our current exhibitions or collections. Screenings are followed by related discussion, often led by topic experts.

Our No Festival Required series just scooped a Best of Phoenix award in the Phoenix New Times. Check it out.

Films

Films are free on a first-come, first-seated basis unless otherwise noted.

	Cézanne in Provence September 8, 7pm This new high-definition documentary explores the deep connection between Post Impressionist master Paul Cézanne - credited by many as the father of modern art - and his native Provence, illuminating how the region and its history fostered the painter's genius. Featuring footage of some of the same locales made timeless by Cézanne and his work. Runtime: 60 minutes.
	An Evening of Elia Kazan September 10, 6:30pm - 10pm The evening will begin with a screening of the new documentary "A Letter to Elia" directed by Martin Scorsese. "A Letter to Elia" is Martin Scorsese's intensely personal and deeply moving tribute to the films of director Elia Kazan. Kazan's body of work, including A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Gentleman's Agreement, On The Waterfront and East of Eden, captivated Scorsese as a young man, mirroring his life story and inspiring him to become a filmmaker. Following the film "A Letter to Elia" enjoy the classic "Gentleman's Agreement". This is Elia Kazan’s first major film triumph, resulting in an ACADEMY AWARD® for Best Picture and Kazan’s first OSCAR® for Best Directing. Gregory Peck stars as a journalist who poses as a Jew to investigate anti-Semitism in postwar America. Film discussion will be moderated by film critic Colin Boyd. Reserve tickets. The is event is presented courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
	The Rape of the Sabine Women September 15, 7pm Contemporary artist Eve Sussman reinterprets the Roman myth, updated and set in the idealistic 1960s. It is an allegory based loosely on the ancient myth of Romulus's founding of Rome, in which Roman soldiers abducted women from the neighboring Sabine family in order to procure wives and assure the future of their city-state. The film is accompanied by a sound-scape that replaces all dialogue and is conceived in an operatic, five-act structure that opens in Berlin, moves to Athens's Agora meat market, is followed by a classic modern 1960s dream house overlooking the Aegean, and finally, Athens's ancient Herodion Theatre. The film pits mid-20th century ideals against the eternal themes of power, longing and desire. This special screening is at Harkins Camelview 5. Seating is free and on a first-come, first-seated basis. Runtime: 80 minutes. Presented by the Museum's Contemporary Forum and Harkins Theatres; Sponsored by Lisa Sette Gallery
	The Cotton Club September 19, 1pm This film is Francis Ford Coppola's stunning look at the famed Depression-era nightclub that gave birth to some of the era's hottest jazz and most notorious criminals. Filled with the sounds of a time gone by, it uses rich detail to create a dynamic and fascinating tribute to a great institution. With a stellar cast including Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, Nicholas Cage, Jennifer Grey and Laurence Fishburne, and featuring outstanding hoofing by Gregory Hines. Introduction and Q&A by Gary Zaro, professor of communications and humanities at Paradise Valley Community College. "Nothing less than brilliant." Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune Runtime: 127 minutes.
	Treasure Island September 26, 1pm Robert Louis Stevenson's tale fired the imagination of generations of children with visions of treasure maps marked with an X, buried plunder, peg-legged pirates named Long John Silver and salty wisecracking parrots. Jackie Cooper stars as the young Jim Hawkins, who discovers the pirate Billy Bones's treasure map and unknowingly sets sail with a motley crew of cutthroats for an adventure of a lifetime. "As fine a lot of cutthroats as ever have infested a film." New York Times Runtime: 103 minutes. Presented by Arizona Opera
	The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant) October 10, 1pm This tale of intermingled love and hate, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, explores the universal dynamics of close human relationships. Petra is a fashion designer who divorced the husband she no longer loved. Until recently, she has been in a fairly satisfactory relationship with her assistant, Marlene. When she develops an obsession with her fashion model, however, things become far more complicated. "Be sure to sit tight for a superb surprise finale in which the quietest of customers brings down the house." Film 4 Great Britain Adult content. In German with English subtitles. Runtime: 124 minutes.
	Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore October 24, 1pm Martin Scorsese's first Hollywood studio production that inspired a hit TV series, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore stars Ellen Burstyn (who won an Oscar and a BAFTA for her title role) as a widow who travels with her son across the American Southwest in search of a better life. In Tucson, she meets a rancher (Kris Kristofferson), the embodiment of a different kind of cowboy. Introduction and Q&A by Aaron Baker, Ph.D., associate professor of film and media studies at ASU and editor of a volume of essays on Martin Scorsese. "Alice keeps us interested by going against our expectations and giving us real-life drama instead of 'drama' drama." DVDTalk.com Runtime: 112 minutes. Sponsored by ASU’s Center for Film, Media and Popular Culture
	The Pianist November 7, 1pm This brilliant film tells the true story of Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman. Managing to escape deportation to a Nazi concentration camp, he survived the horrors of the Warsaw ghetto by losing himself in his music. When he is finally aided by a German officer, he must literally use music to save his life. The Pianist won 48 major film awards, including the Palme d'Or at Cannes and Oscars for Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Director (Roman Polanski) and Best Adapted Screenplay. "This is certainly the best work Mr. Polanski has done in many years... and it is also one of the very few non-documentary movies about Jewish life and death under the Nazis that can be called definitive..." New York Times Adult content. Runtime: 150 minutes. Presented by The Phoenix Symphony
	Koolhaas HouseLife November 10, 7pm Explore Bordeaux House, one of the masterpieces of contemporary architecture designed in 1998 by Rem Koolhaas/OMA. The film uniquely approaches the architecture by following Guadalupe Acedo, the home's caretaker and housekeeper, through her daily chores. The stories that emerge give us entry into the invisible bubble of the daily intimacy of an architectural icon. Introduction by ASU's Darren Petrucci, director of the School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture. "A thoroughly delightful film." The Wall Street Journal In French with English subtitles. Runtime: 58 minutes. Watch the trailer. Visit the film site. Presented by the Museum's Contemporary Forum; Sponsored by Bentley Gallery/Bentley Projects
	The Searchers November 21, 1pm Set in the 1860s, John Ford's The Searchers stars John Wayne as Ethan Edwards, a man who mysteriously returns home years after the Civil War. After his family is killed and his niece abducted in an Indian attack, Ethan begins an obsessive five-year quest for revenge. Introduction and Q&A by Peter Lehman, Ph.D., director of ASU's Center for Film, Media and Popular Culture and co-editor of The Searchers: Essays and Reflections on John Ford's Classic Western. "With dazzling on-location, gorgeous VistaVision cinematography (including the stunning red sandstone rock formations of Monument Valley)... the film handsomely captures the beauty and isolating danger of the frontier." AMC Filmsite "The Searchers... is often brought up as being not just the greatest Western of all time, but greatest movie, period." Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic Presented in Blu-ray. Runtime: 119 minutes. Sponsored by ASU’s Center for Film, Media and Popular Culture