Release Date: July 2, 2014

National Gallery of Art Takes Film Program on the Road this Summer; Partners with 5 Washington-area Institutions

Still from Pasadena Freeway Stills by Gary Beydler, 1974, to be shown as part of the film series From Vault to Screen: Canyon Cinema 16 mm in the program Sweet California on Sunday, July 13 at 4:00 p.m. at the National Gallery of Art, West Building Lecture Hall. Image courtesy Canyon Cinema Foundation

Washington, DC—This summer, the Gallery is very grateful to the five Washington institutions opening their theater doors to the Gallery’s film program during the ongoing renovation of the East Building: American University, Malsi Doyle and Michael Forman Theater (McKinley Building, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW); the Embassy of France (4100 Reservoir Road NW); the National Archives, McGowan Theater (7th Street and Constitution Avenue NW); the National Museum of American History, Warner Bros. Theater (14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW); and the National Portrait Gallery, McEvoy Auditorium (8th and F Streets NW). Some films will still be screened onsite in the Gallery's West Building Lecture Hall (7th Street and Constitution Avenue NW).

The Gallery is pleased to continue its venue collaboration with American University, which was inaugurated this spring with the series On the Street in conjunction with the exhibition Garry Winogrand. On September 26, in collaboration with American University's School of Communication and the Embassy of Italy, the Gallery presents Roberto Rossellini's modernist masterpiece Journey to Italy, starring acting greats Ingrid Bergman and George Saunders. This is followed on September 28 by a screening of the Italian cult classic Il Sorpasso.

On August 23, in conjunction with the exhibition Andrew Wyeth: Looking Out, Looking In, the Gallery presents a ciné-concert at the National Museum of American History's Warner Bros. Theater. Andrew Simpson will provide musical accompaniment to King Vidor's groundbreaking anti-war film The Big Parade. During the course of his life, Wyeth viewed the film some two hundred times, and many of his most famous paintings, including Christina's World (1948), were influenced by key moments in the movie.

The Gallery's annual summer preservation festival this year celebrates the work of Canyon Cinema Foundation, the historic San Francisco-based cooperative founded in the early 1960s and dedicated to the non-commercial, experimental, artist-made movies still available from Canyon in original 16 mm film format (all titles in the series are presented as 16 mm prints).

Honoring the late French director Alain Resnais, the Gallery joins the Embassy of France on July 16 and 23 in presenting the program Reminiscence: Alain Resnais. The annual recap of The Black Maria Festival takes place in July with twenty-five new shorts screened over two days and introduced by festival director Jane Steuerwald. The series Master Class: Pina and Tanaquil features the Washington premiere of Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq at the National Archives on August 28. Broadcast Culture presents a critical look (in three parts) at programming trends in European television and radio. In September, the series A Sense of Time and Place: Peter von Bagh introduces the work of the famed Finnish critic, author, and filmmaker to Washington audiences with screenings in the West Building Lecture Hall and at the National Portrait Gallery.

In addition to Peter von Bagh, the Gallery is honored to welcome the following filmmakers to introduce their new documentaries, experimental narratives, and retrospective programs throughout the summer season: Stephanie Barber, Nancy Buirski, Gustav Deutsch, Mark Kendall, Jesse Lerner, Michael Maglaras, and Ramuntcho Matta.

Seating for all events is on a first-come, first-seated basis unless otherwise noted. Doors open thirty minutes before showtime. Whenever possible, works are presented in their original formats. Please note that the West Building Lecture Hall seats up to 150 visitors.

For full descriptions of film programs, as well as venues, dates, and screening times, visit www.nga.gov/film.