Release Date: March 27, 2014

Spring Film Season at the National Gallery of Art Celebrates Restored Polish Classics, Experiments from Eastern Europe, and Finnish, Czech, and New American Independents; Plus New Washington Venues Added

Film still from A Short Film About Killing (Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1988, DCP, subtitles, 84 minutes), to be shown on Sunday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m. at the National Gallery of Art, as part of the film series Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema. Image courtesy Milestone Film and Video

Washington, DC—Celebrating the rich and bold heritage of Czech, Finnish, and Polish cinema this season, the National Gallery of Art presents four film series in collaboration with international curators, historians, and archives. Artists, Amateurs, Alternative Spaces: Experimental Cinema in Eastern Europe, 1960–1990 gathers more than 60 rarely screened films that reflect nonconformist sensibilities in the countries of the former socialist Eastern Bloc. Independent of Reality: Films of Jan Němec is the first complete retrospective in the United States of the Czech director’s feature films, assembled by independent curator Irena Kovarova, and presented jointly with the American Film Institute (AFI). Hard Thawing—Experimental Film and Video from Finland is a two-part event presenting a view of Finnish artistic practice seldom seen in North America. Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema, a retrospective of the modern cinema of Poland from 1956 through 1989, brings together 21 films selected by Scorsese, shown in collaboration with Di-Factory and Milestone Film and presented jointly by the Gallery and the AFI.

Other screening events include a ciné-concert with Alloy Orchestra, two screenings of Ingmar Bergman’s The Magic Flute shown in conjunction with the Washington National Opera’s production of Mozart’s opera, and artist Bill Morrison’s latest work, The Great Flood.

In April, the Gallery presents the film series On the Street in conjunction with the exhibition Garry Winogrand. This series initiates the film program’s venue collaboration with American University’s Malsi Doyle and Michael Forman Theater.

New Venues Added

During the renovation of the East Building, screenings will take place in three locations. At the Gallery, films are presented in the East Building Auditorium (located at 4th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW) and the West Building Lecture Hall (located at 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW). Off-site, the Gallery also presents films at American University’s School of Communication, Malsi Doyle and Michael Forman Theater, McKinley Building (located at 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW). Free parking at the School of International Service is available; enter at the intersection of Nebraska and New Mexico Avenues. The venue for each film is noted. Additional locations will be added in the summer and fall.

Seating for all film events is on a first-come, first-seated basis. Doors open 30 minutes before show time. Whenever possible, works are presented in original format.

For full descriptions of film programs, as well as dates and screening times, visit http://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/calendar/film/pdfs/2014/ngafilm-2014-spring.pdf.