First Look 2013

Programmed by Dennis Lim, editor of Moving Image Source; Rachael Rakes, Assistant Curator of Film; and David Schwartz, Chief Curator

First Look is the Museum’s annual showcase for inventive, groundbreaking new international cinema. Many of the films in this year’s edition take the form of journeys—geographical, emotional, and artistic—and the series itself is a journey, with 26 works, feature-length and short films, from a dozen countries. The films are by established masters and emerging filmmakers, and almost all are New York premieres.

With its debut in 2012, First Look was instantly recognized as a vital new addition to New York’s film scene, an oasis of thoughtful and provocative filmmaking amid the hype and noise of the awards season. It is a great way for New York filmgoers to start the year, just ahead of the Sundance and Rotterdam film festivals. In its second year, First Look has expanded its breadth, with genre-defying and boundary-pushing works of all forms, demonstrating how cinematic creativity and depth can be found in modes as divergent as action movies and the avant-garde.

The opening night selection is Bruno Dumont’s Outside Satan.

“Now in just its second year, the Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look is already proving itself to be one of the most noteworthy curatorial efforts anywhere.”—David Hudson, Fandor

Tickets for screenings (with the exception of opening night) are included with Museum admission ($12 adults / $9 students and senior citizens). A First Look series pass, allowing the holder admission to the Museum and all First Look screenings for the run of the series, will again be available. All screenings are free for Museum members. Memberships start at $75 with benefits that include year-round free admission to the Museum and its programs, reservation privileges, and discounts on special programs.

Series presented with support from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beyond Kombucha, Cinema Tropical, Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States, The Korea Society, Pragda.