For the summer, and coinciding with the start of Open Worlds, the Museum will extend Friday evening hours to 10:00 p.m. beginning May 16. Mon Amour café will also remain open, serving a new menu of snacks, drinks, and other beverages; with a new Courtyard kiosk opening May 17.

This May, the Museum launches the second edition of its Open Worlds free programming, with a festive kick-off event on Saturday, May 17, and a dedicated Open Worlds: Science series that begins May 10. In our new exhibition Mission: Impossible—Story and Spectacle, the Museum will unveil a section featuring objects and video from the new film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which opens in theaters May 23. In related programs, the screening series See It Big: Stunts! continues with big-screen movies featuring practical stunt work, including Hong Kong action films The Heroic Trio, Executioners, and Police Story, plus a members-only Mission: Impossible – Weekend Marathon, featuring the first seven films in the franchise. (Become a Member—it's worth it!)

The Museum’s Mother’s Day weekend offerings include the family-friendly Love Your Mother Earth Mushroom Party, the kick-off event for Open Worlds: Science on May 10, featuring an afternoon of art-making, a neighborhood stroll with the New York City Mycological Society, and screening of a short film Fungi: Web of Life—all celebrating and exploring the natural world with a focus on the third kingdom of life: fungi. Plus, see Serial Mom, John Waters’s black comic cult classic starring Kathleen Turner, on May 9 or 11.

In other exhibitions, in the Jane Henson Amphitheater, the new exhibition Portals of Solitude: Virtual Realities from Taiwan, features four recent VR works from Taiwan. They include: Hungry (Dir. Liu Yushu. 2024, 11 mins.), The Sick Rose (Dir. Huang Yun-Hsien, Tang Zhi-Zhong. 2021, 17 mins.), The Man Who Couldn’t Leave (Dir. Singing Chen. 2022, 35 mins.), and Dora (Dir. Yi Jung Chen. 2024, 30 mins.) All four are free with Museum admission, and reservations can be made in the gallery. In the adjoining Amphitheater Gallery, experience is this thing on?, featuring recorded and livestreamed video by the eponymous art collective. And, starting May 8, works by two new artists will be featured on the Schlosser Media Wall:  by LIA (It Is Black It Is White, 2007, 2019, 2025) and Sarah Ridgley (The Words Were Only Coordinates, 2025).

And, if you need a reason to visit The Jim Henson Exhibition, this Friday is Kermit the Frog's birthday and the 70th anniversary of the Muppets!

For a complete schedule of March 2025, click here for a month view of our Calendar.

Also, with our newly extended late nights, starting May 16, our Friday Date Night promotion becomes extra special. This $50 pass includes admission for two guests, plus a complimentary coffee or drink (for two) at Mon Amour café—featuring a new spring menu—in the Museum lobby, a discount on the popular Museum flipbook, and the option of attending the evening screening.

Highlighted programs are listed below. Additional programs may be added as they are confirmed.

SCREENING SERIES AND EVENT SERIES

See It Big: Stunts!
April 25–June 15
As thrillingly demonstrated in the new exhibition Mission: Impossible—Story and Spectacle, the art, craft, and visual astonishment of practical stunt work remains one of the reasons we still go to the movies, especially in an era when so much CGI has taken the place of human derring-do. This screening series offers a selection of movies from around the world that feature some of the most eye-popping, “how-did-they-do-that?” moments of human physicality ever captured on screen. See It Big: Stunts! is a timely tribute (see the newly announced Oscar category for Stunt Design) to the stuntpeople, the stunt coordinators, and all the fearless innovators who have often risked it all for the sake of unforgettable movie magic. Films include: The Heroic Trio, Executioners, Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, Police Story, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Great Waldo Pepper, and more titles to come in June.

FREE COMMUNITY PROGRAM
Open Worlds 2025
May 2–November 2
Open Worlds is an accessible, 15,500-square-foot, climate-controlled, WiFi-enabled community resource for visitors of all ages looking to convene, find creative inspiration, learn about and experience new media technologies, or participate in many diverse programming selections. This year’s Open Worlds offerings will include a wide range of free public programming spanning themes of performance, arts conservation and accessibility, science, special effects, video gaming, and much more. Programmatic support provided by the William Fox Jr. Foundation.

A subset of these programs, Open Worlds: Science focuses on exploring the world through science and cinema and features seven free public events that include screenings, experiences, and live talks—free for all! Presented with support by Simons Foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division.

Mission: Impossible – Marathon Weekend
May 16–18
Museum of the Moving Image will present a special members-only weekend event screening the first seven Mission: Impossible films, sponsored by Paramount Pictures, in the newly renovated Sumner M. Redstone Theater, just ahead of the studio’s theatrical release of the franchise’s eighth installment, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning on May 23.

HIGHLIGHTED EVENTS

Stelios
Preview screening co-presented by the Hellenic Film Society USA
Thursday, May 8, 6:30 p.m.
Dir. Yorgos Tsemberopoulos. 2025, 132 mins. Greece. DCP. Stelios is the touching story of a child from a Pontic refugee family who managed to survive and thrive against all odds, thanks to his immense talent and resilience in the face of social and personal challenges. This film is a tribute to legendary singer Stelios Kazantzidis, whose voice touched the hearts of Greeks around the world. A Firestorm Entertainment release.

Behind the Screen: Nuestros sonidos Tour
Friday, May 9, 5:00 p.m.
Explore Behind the Screen with a guided tour highlighting the artistry and talent of often overlooked Latin American and Caribbean artists in film and television history, such as the work of sound designer Gonzalo Gavira who created groundbreaking sound effects for The Exorcist; wig-maker Josephine Turner; actress Rita Moreno; and more. Presented in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Nuestros sonidos (Our Sounds) program, celebrating the vibrant sounds, pioneering rhythms, endlessly diverse traditions, and enormous influence of Latin culture in the United States. Recommended for ages 6 and up.

MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND SCREENING
Serial Mom
Friday, May 9, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 11, 1:00 p.m.
Dir. John Waters. 1994, 95 mins. U.S. DCP. With Kathleen Turner, Sam Waterston, Ricki Lake. Beneath the pastels and propriety of American conformity lies the dark camp heart of John Waters’s nastiest ’90s comedy, starring a hilarious, fully committed Kathleen Turner as a suburban matriarch who makes a home like Donna Reed but makes a killing like Ed Gein. Part of MoMI Loves.

2025 Teen Film Festival
Friday, May 9, 7:00 p.m.
Join us for the annual Teen Film Festival, organized, programmed by, and hosted by the MoMI Teen Council! The festival will feature a screening of twelve selected short film works by teen filmmakers from New York City’s five boroughs. Free with RSVP.

Two Dogs + Wild Hogs and Saffron
Followed by a discussion with filmmaker Andy Sarjahani, series programmer Farihah Zaman, and ArteEast Gelareh Kiazand and Lila Nazemian
Saturday, May 10, 3:00 p.m.
Two Dogs. Dir. Amir Azizi. 2019, 82 mins. Iran. Persian with English subtitles. DCP. With Sajjad Dolati, Ali Bagheri. Iman and Sajjad are two young men facing the struggles of their thirties in contemporary Iran: unemployment, depression, and lack of self-confidence. Both men own dogs that eerily resemble their personalities. In a traditional Iranian society where the men often feel like outsiders, their dogs become their closest companions, offering them a rare sense of connection and solace. Wild Hogs and Saffron. Dir. Andy Sarjahani. 2024, 18 mins. U.S. DCP. Iranian-American filmmaker Sarjahani and his childhood friend Bubba Samuels go on a wild hog hunt in their native Ozarks. Unexpected conversations have a lasting impact on their friendship. Part of Infinite Beauty: Muslim and MENASA Identity Onscreen.

FREE COMMUNITY PROGRAM
Love Your Mother Earth Mushroom Party
Saturday, May 10, 12:30–4:30 p.m.
Join MoMI, the New York Mycological Society (NYMS), and special guests on Mother’s Day weekend to celebrate Mother Earth and observe the third kingdom of life: fungi. The New York Mycological Society will lead a walk around MoMI’s neighborhood exploring the mushrooms, lichen, and mycelium in our everyday landscape that we may not have noticed. MoMI then presents the not-to-be-missed New York City premiere of Fungi: Web of Life featuring noted mycologist Merlin Sheldrake and narrated by Björk. Space is limited; RSVP encouraged. Part of Open Worlds: Science.

FREE COMMUNITY PROGRAM
Open Worlds Opening Party
Saturday, May 17, 2:00 p.m.
Join MoMI to celebrate the season and officially kick off Open Worlds 2025, with free gallery admission from 2:00–6:00 p.m., a DJ, complimentary cocktails courtesy of Via Carota, and a VR experience in the Fox Amphitheater. Open Worlds is an accessible, 15,500-square-foot, climate-controlled, WiFi-enabled community resource for visitors of all ages looking to convene, find creative inspiration, learn about and experience new media technologies, or participate in many diverse programming selections. This year’s Open Worlds offerings will include a wide range of free public programming from May to November, spanning themes of performance, arts conservation and accessibility, science, special effects, video gaming, and much more.

Troma’s Curse of the Weredeer
New York City premiere followed by Q&A with director Ben Johnson
Saturday, May 31, 6:30 p.m.
Randy and his friends are on their way to South Tromaville for a backwoods bachelor party hunting trip they won’t soon forget, because there’s something in them woods, and it’s killin’ hunters! When Randy is bitten by a strange creature, his world is turned upside down and all hell breaks loose in this delightfully delirious movie massacre rich in the irreverence and black humor that is the trademark of Troma Entertainment. Part of Disreputable Cinema.

FREE COMMUNITY PROGRAM
Gaymer Pride
Saturday, May 31, 12:00–6:00 p.m.
To kick off Pride Month, MoMI welcomes NYC Gaymers for the 2nd annual Gaymer Pride, celebrating all aspects of gaming within the LGBTQIA+ community. Enjoy a free afternoon of panels, video games, board games, national- and NYC-based game houses, community groups, and more! NYC Gaymers Inc. empowers gamers across the intersections of orientation, identity, expression, race, and ability in order to uplift and center our most marginalized community members through education, advocacy, and the creation of safer spaces.