Release Date: October 18, 2007

National Gallery of Art 2007 Fall Film Series Premieres New Films From Romania and Salutes Edward Hopper and J.M.W. Turner

Washington, DC—An ongoing program of classic cinema, documentaries, avant-garde films, and area premieres is presented each weekend in the National Gallery of Art’s East Building Auditorium, located at Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Programs are open to the public and free of charge. Doors open approximately 30 minutes before each show and seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. The fall season includes films in honor of exhibitions and films that focus on the careers of American artist Edward Hopper and British artist J.M.W. Turner, as well as films that highlight the works of talented young filmmakers from Bucharest.

Films in Honor of Exhibitions

The documentary offered in association with the exhibition The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888–1978: From the Collection of Robert E. Jackson (on view through December 31, 2007) is Other People’s Pictures, which follows nine snapshot collectors as they pursue these one-of-a-kind images.

Two films produced by the National Gallery of Art are also scheduled, Edward Hopper (on view through January 21, 2008) and J.M.W. Turner (on view through January 6, 2008). Edward Hopper, narrated by actor, writer, and collector Steve Martin, includes archival footage of Hopper and new footage of places that inspired him in New York and New England.

J.M.W.Turner, narrated by Academy Award–winning actor Jeremy Irons, provides an overview of the artist’s career and influences, with new footage of Wales, Switzerland, and other locales Turner visited. Edward Hopper is shown several times each week in the East Building Auditorium and Small Auditorium, and J.W.M. Turner is shown several times each week in the East Building Auditorium and continuously in the West Building Project Room.

Edward Hopper and American Movie Culture

Edward Hopper was a film enthusiast inspired by the cinema of the 1930s and 1940s. He left a stylistic legacy for later American filmmakers including Robert Altman, Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, John Dahl, and Terrence Malick. They often recreated the melancholy moods and tense mise-en-scène of Hopper’s compositions. The series Edward Hopper and American Movie Culture consists of three lectures and screenings that explore a range of intersections between Edward Hopper and American cinema. On October 20, the lecture Robert Altman, Edward Hopper, and the Spaces of Unease is followed by a screening of Altman’s Short Cuts. On October 27, the discussion New York-Hollywood: Art, Culture, and Commerce in the 1930s is followed by Harold Clurman’s film Deadline at Dawn. On November 4, the lecture Edward Hopper Goes to the Movies—Silence and Sound in Painting and Film is followed by a screening of Little Caesar, with Edward G. Robinson, and I Was a Communist for the FBI.

Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania

During the past decade, Romania has been commanding the attention of critics and cineastes all over the world with a group of talented young filmmakers from Bucharest. Corneliu Porumboiu, Cristian Nemescu, Cătălin Mitulescu, Cristi Puiu, and Cristian Mungui are a few of the names at the center of this creative vortex. While stylistic characteristics may vary, the defining features of this movement include a gritty realism, accomplished casting and mise-en-scène, and a liberal dose of Balkan surrealism. The series Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania consists of 10 programs of features and shorts, including the recent award winners from the 2006 and 2007 Festival de Cannes. It was organized with assistance from the Romanian Culture Institute and the Embassy of Romania.

New Documentaries

A wide variety of acclaimed new feature-length documentaries are also on the agenda for this fall. They include In the Beginning Was the Image: Conversations with Peter Whitehead, a film screening on October 27, about the legendary 1960s British counterculture figure, who was one of the first filmmakers to record Allen Ginsberg, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix; Fully Awake: Black Mountain College, screening on December 23 and 27, a film that uses archival photographs and interviews to focus on the college’s influential role in the development of American art of the 20th century; and The MacDowell Colony: Centennial Celebration, screening November 3, a new portrait that celebrates the oldest residency program in the United States for creative artists.

For a complete schedule of the 2007 Fall Film Program, click on http://www.nga.gov/programs/film.shtm.

Film Information

Films are shown in their original format. Both East Building auditoria are equipped with special auditory systems. Receivers and neck loops necessary to access these systems can be borrowed from the Art Information Desk located on the Ground Level of the East Building. The Lecture Hall in the West Building is similarly equipped with a special auditory system. Receivers and neck loops for this space can be borrowed from the Art Information Desk at the 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW entrance to the West Building.

Films shown in conjunction with special exhibitions are closed-captioned. With the exception of the East Building Auditorium, a closed-caption button is located at the entrance to every film viewing space within special exhibitions. A closed-caption button is also located at the entrance to the East Building Small Auditorium and West Building Project Room for all films related to special exhibitions.