Astoria, New York, March 22, 2018—The London-based
Fashion in Film Festivalreturns to New York City
April 6 through 22 with three weekends of screenings and events that explore connections between fashion, cinema, and time. In its 10
th anniversary season, the Festival curators Marketa Uhlirova and Tom Gunning explore the theme "Wearing Time: Past, Present, Future, Dream" through a diverse lineup of seventeen feature films and short experimental works spanning nearly a century.
"This is an astonishing series," said the Museum's Chief Curator, David Schwartz. "It is made up of some of the most visually stunning and stylistically adventurous films ever made, and looks at them through a new lens, examining the central role of fashion in cinema." The series opens with the North American premiere of
The Inferno Unseen, a newly mastered edit of rushes created in 1964 in preparation for Henri-Georges Clouzot's legendary unfinished film
Inferno (
L'Enfer), with live music by Rollo Smallcombe, presented in collaboration with Lobster Films and MUBI. Other films include
Barbarella (1968); John Cassavetes's
Opening Night (1977);
Things to Come (1936, Dir. William Cameron Menzies);
Tales of Manhattan (1942, Dir. Julien Duvivier); Paradjanov's
The Color of Pomegranates (1969);
Machines (2016, Dir. Rahul Jain);
Space Is the Place (1974), John Coney's loose biopic of Afrofuturist jazz musician Sun Ra; Tarkovsky's
Solaris(1972); Max Ophüls's
Lola Montès (1955);
Tony Takitani, the 2004 Japanese film based on a short story by Haruki Murakami; Mitchell Leisen's
Lady in the Dark (1944), starring Ginger Rogers, introduced by Gunning; Sembène's
Black Girl (1966);
Beyond the Rocks(1922), featuring Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino in their only film together; the newly restored Czech sci-fi
Voyage to the End of the Universe (Ikarie XB-1) (1963); Leos Carax's
Holy Motors (2012); and more. Many of the films will be shown in 35mm. See schedule below or visit
movingimage.us/fashioninfilm.
In addition to the opening live event and introduction by Tom Gunning, the series includes two illustrated presentations on
Sunday, April 8:
"Fashion: The Fabric of Time," a talk by curator Marketa Uhlirova, with films by Robert Beavers, Christine Noll Brinckmann, Cindy Sherman, Lernert & Sander, and Werner Dressler; and
"After Reel Time," an illustrated 40-minute talk by Alistair O'Neill, exploring the significance of Annabel Nicolson's seminal 1973 performance
Reel Time. Uhlirova and O'Neill both teach at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Admission to both presentations is free.
Probing into four different (though often overlapping) conceptions of time—past, present, future, and dream—the Festival program considers what concrete manifestations of time fashion and clothing enable.
"Few things indicate history to us as immediately as styles of dress—period films are often referred to as costume dramas," said Uhlirova. "At the same time, fashion is one of the most potent visual means through which film can break away from known reality and herald new worlds of
tomorrow. But dress and fabric can also embody the passage of time. Fashion in film has always been an important sign-posting device, deployed in multiple ways: to guide the viewer through time, to confuse, deceive, and disorient them, or even to dress the wounds of time. Examining the idea of clothing as a vehicle for representing time,
Wearing Time goes beyond this, foregrounding the sense of invoking the past, present and future by donning its clothing. Dress allows us to wear time, even as time wears us out."
SCHEDULE FOR 'FASHION IN FILM FESTIVAL: WEARING TIME: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE, DREAM,' APRIL 6–22, 2018Unless otherwise noted, tickets are $15 with discounts for seniors, students, and youth. Museum members at the Film Lover and MoMI Kids Premium levels may receive free tickets for most screenings. Advance tickets are available online at
movingimage.us/fashioninfilm. Ticket purchase includes same-day admission to the galleries (when the Museum is open).
Click here to view and download the full press release with film descriptions.OPENING NIGHT EVENT
The Inferno Unseen
With live music by Rollo Smallcombe. Followed by a reception.Presented in partnership with Lobster Films and MUBI
FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 7:00 P.M.Edited by Rollo Smallcombe and Marketa Uhlirova. 2017, 68 mins. DCP. Henri-Georges Clouzot's
The Inferno, starring Romy Schneider, is one of the most tantalizing uncompleted projects in film history.
The Inferno Unseen is a newly edited assemblage of rushes filmed in 1964. With his cinematographers Andréas Winding, Armand Thirard, and Claude Renoir, Clouzot staged seemingly endless kinetic and optical experiments focusing primarily on Schneider performing simple, seductive actions in carefully composed
mises-en-scène. Departing from Serge Bromberg’s critically acclaimed documentary about the making of Clouzot's film (2009),
The Inferno Unseen focuses solely on Clouzot's intoxicating visions, allowing them to build their own momentum as they unfurl in all their glory. Rollo Smallcombe is a London-based music producer, composer and filmmaker. His sonic inspirations range from the early experiments of Musique Concrete through to modern video-game, film, and horror scores.
Tickets: $15 public/$11.25 for Museum members/Free for Silver Screen and above.Lady in the Dark and Rose Hobart
Introduced by Tom GunningSATURDAY, APRIL 7, 1:30 P.M.Lady in the Dark. Dir. Mitchell Leisen. 1944, 100 mins. 35mm. With Ginger Rogers, Ray Milland.
Preceded by
Rose Hobart. Dir. Joseph Cornell. 1936, 18 mins. 16mm.
Tony TakitaniSATURDAY, APRIL 7, 4:15 P.M.Dir. Jun Ichikawa. 2004, 105 mins. 35mm. With Issei Ogata, Rie Miyazawa, Shinohara Takahuma. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Beyond the RocksWith live music by Donald Sosin and Joana SeatonSUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2:00 P.M.Dir. Sam Wood. 1922, 80 mins. 35mm. With Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson, Edythe Chapman.
Fashion: The Fabric of Time
A talk by Marketa Uhlirova, with films by Robert Beavers, Christine Noll Brinckmann, Cindy Sherman, Lernert & Sander, and Werner DresslerSUNDAY, APRIL 8, 4:00 P.M.This film talk by series co-curator Marketa Uhlirova presents a selection of films offering contrasting perspectives on fashion, time, and the moving image—from recordings of the manufacturing process to explorations of fashion chronologies, metamorphoses and fantasy, to moments when dress and artifice come to embody the texture of time. With films by Robert Beavers (
Amor), Christine Noll Brinckmann (
Dress Rehearsal and
Karola 2), Cindy Sherman (
Doll Clothes), Lernert & Sander (
Last Season), and Werner Dressler (
Of Spinning and Weaving).
Free Admission. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.After Reel Time
A Film Talk by Alistair O'NeillSUNDAY, APRIL 8, 6:00 P.M.This illustrated 40-minute talk explores the significance of Annabel Nicolson's seminal 1973 performance
Reel Time, which drew an explicit connection between the technologies of film and clothing, conjoining a film projector and a sewing machine through a loop of celluloid. Alistair O'Neill will discuss the legacy of the artwork, showcasing artists' films and photographs of the late twentieth century that notably foregrounded textiles, clothing and accessories. O'Neill teaches fashion history and theory at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, London.
Free Admission. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.Opening NightSUNDAY, APRIL 8, 7:00 P.M.Dir. John Cassavetes. 1977, 144 mins. 35mm. With Gena Rowlands.
Holy MotorsFRIDAY, APRIL 13, 7:00 P.M.Dir. Leos Carax. 2012, 116 mins. Digital projection. With Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue. In French with English subtitles.
Black Girl (La Noire de…)SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 3:00 P.M.Dir. Ousmane Sembène. 1966, 80 mins. Digital projection. With Mbissine Thérèse Diop. In French with English subtitles.
MachinesSATURDAY, APRIL 14, 5:00 P.M.Dir. Rahul Jain. 2017, 71 mins. Digital projection. In Hindi and English with English subtitles.
Lola MontèsSUNDAY, APRIL 15, 3:00 P.M.Dir. Max Ophüls. 1955, 116 mins., 35mm. With Martine Carol, Peter Ustinov, Anton Walbrook. In French with English subtitles.
The Color of Pomegranates (Sayat Nova)SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 5:30 P.M.Dir. Sergei Paradjanov. 1969, 79 mins. DCP of a new restoration sponsored by the World Cinema Foundation. With Sofiko Chiaureli, Melkon Alekyan, Vilen Galstyan. In Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian with English subtitles.
Don't Look NowSUNDAY, APRIL 15, 7:00 P.M.Dir. Nicolas Roeg. 1973, 110 mins. Imported 35mm print. With Donald Sutherland, Julie Christie.
BarbarellaFRIDAY, APRIL 20, 7:00 P.M.Dir. Roger Vadim. 1968, 98 mins. 35mm. With Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Anita Pallenberg.
Things to ComeSATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2:00 P.M.Dir. William Cameron Menzies. 1936, 97 mins. Imported 35mm print from the British Film Institute. With Raymond Massey, Edward Chapman, Ralph Richardson.
Tales of ManhattanSATURDAY, APRIL 21, 4:00 P.M.Dir. Julien Duvivier. 1942, 127 mins. 35mm. With Charles Boyer, Rita Hayworth, Ginger Rogers.
Space Is the PlaceSUNDAY, APRIL 22, 2:00 P.M.Dir. John Coney. 1974, 85 mins. Restored DCP. With Barbara Deloney, Sun Ra, Raymond Johnson, Marhsall Allen.
Voyage to the End of the Universe (Ikarie XB-1)SUNDAY, APRIL 22, 4:30 P.M.Dir. Jindřich Polák. 1963, 88 mins. Imported 35mm print from the Czech Film Archive. With Zdeněk Štěpánek, František Smolík, Dana Medřická. In Czech with English subtitles.
SolarisSUNDAY, APRIL 22, 6:30 P.M.Dir. Andrei Tarkovsky. 1972, 166 mins. DCP. With Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Jüri Järvet. In Russian and German with English subtitles.