MoMI’s First Look films: ‘It’s about discovery’

by Michael Gannon senior news editor

For five days in March, the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria once again will introduce New Yorkers to new films, new directors and very often the future of cinema in its annual First Look Film Festival.

The more than two dozen features, shorts and documentaries have been created by directors from across the globe, and will run from March 15 to 19.

Discussing the festival last week, Edo Choi, associate curator of film at MoMI, quoted the museum’s curator of film, Eric Hynes.

“He likes to say the first rubric of choosing films for First Look is discovery,” Choi told the Chronicle. “First Look is about discovery. We’re looking ourselves to discover new work. But we are also hoping that the audience and our peers in the field will discover that work with us.”

And attendees at First Look Film Festivals past have seen films and directors who have gone on to great success.

One, Choi said, is Kleber Mendonça Filho, a Brazilian director best known for his 2019 film “Bacurau” in 2019, who presented a program of short films at MoMI during the 2013 festival.

“Kleber is now one of the leading figures in international cinema. He’s a major filmmaker, and back then he was still an emerging figure,” he said.

Then there was “An Old New Play” by Chinese director Qui Jiongjiong, which had been at larger international festivals before making its New York debut in the festival last year.

“It has gone on to have successful runs in New York at the Anthology Film Archives,” Choi said. “We’ve been screening it over the last three or four weeks and it has been doing quite well.”

The festival will kick off at 2 p.m. on March 15 with the first of three “Working on It” workshops featuring filmmakers, critics and students.

The first movies begin that night at 7 p.m. with the short film “Away” from director Ruslan Fedetov of Belarus, followed by the U.S. feature “Fremont” by Londonbased Iranian director Babak Jalali. The closing film will be “Mami Wata” by Nigerian director CJ “Fiery” Obasi at 7:30 p.m.

Not having the ability to staff the festival full-time as Cannes, Sundance and other major international festivals do, MoMI does not have a submission platform, as all staffers have regular duties not associated with First Look. But they do attend or at least monitor all the major festivals for new works that have not yet been shown in New York. Most are less than a year old, but Choi said some, such as an interesting work from the Sundance Film Festival, which takes place in Utah in January, can be only weeks into their release before debuting in Astoria.

While any year might have a large num- ber of films from Eastern Europe, East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa or North America, there are no geographic limits.

“If we’re excited about a film ...” Choi said.

All Festival Passes, good for all screenings including Opening Night and Working on It sessions, are on sale for $120. A Weekend Pass is available for $60. Tickets for individual films are $15 for those 18 to 64; $11 for those 65 and over and students 18 and older; and $9 for ages 3 to 17.

And if you want to whet your appetite for new cinema with a classic, MoMI will host showings of the beloved 1952 musical “Singin’ in the Rain” on March 10 (3 p.m.), 11 (1 p.m.) and 12 (5:45 p.m.) as part of its Musical Matinees series.

On March 11, film critic and author Charles Bramesco will introduce the movie and sign copies of his new book, “Colors of Film: The Story of Cinema in 50 Palettes,” in the museum shop after the screening. More information and tickets to the festival, “Singin’ in the Rain” and other events are available online at movingimage.us. Q