Museum of the Moving Image Offers President's Week Screenings Of A TOWN CALLED PANIC

Museum of the Moving Image will be a lively destination for film lovers and families during the President's Week holiday period. From Saturday, February 13, through Sunday, February 21, the Museum will be open every day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to its major exhibition Behind the Screen, the Museum will feature daily screenings of the acclaimed Belgian stop-motion animation A Town Called Panic. There will also be hands-on workshops for children and special demonstrations in the galleries.

Made with plastic toys, painted sets, a surreal sense of humor, and boundless imagination, the Belgian animated film A Town Called Panic is the first stop-motion movie to be an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. The film stars three toys named Cowboy, Indian, and Horse, who share a house in a rural town; Cowboy and Indian's plan to make a homemade barbecue for Horse goes awry when they accidentally order 50 million bricks.

The film will be shown in Tut's Fever (1986-88), the spectacular one-of-a-kind art work and 35-seat theater created by Red Grooms and Lysiane Luong. An homage to the ornate movie palaces of the 1920s, Tut's Fever is part of the Museum's core exhibition Behind the Screen and has been described as a "surrealistic movie palace." Every surface is covered with witty Egyptian-inspired motifs and cartoon-like caricatures of larger-than-life figures from Hollywood's golden age-Orson Welles, Cecil B. DeMille, the Marx Brothers, Marilyn Monroe, and Charlie Chaplin among them.

"A Town Called Panic is one of the most charming and inventive animated movies released in 2009," said David Schwartz, the Museum's Chief Curator. "It will be a very special experience to see this colorful and playful movie inside the equally colorful and playful Tut's Fever."

Presidents' Week at Moving Image
Saturday, February 13-Sunday, February 21

A Town Called Panic
Daily at 11:00 a.m., 12:30, 2:00, and 3:30 p.m. in Tut's Fever Movie Palace
Recommended for ages 8 and older.
2008, 75 mins. Zeitgeist Films. In French with English subtitles. Directed by Stéphane Aubier & Vincent Patar. Made with plastic toys, painted sets, a surreal sense of humor, and boundless imagination, the Beligian animated film A Town Called Panic is the first stop-motion movie to be an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. The film stars three toys named Cowboy, Indian, and Horse, who share a house in a rural town; Cowboy and Indian's plan to make a homemade barbecue for Horse goes awry when they accidentally order 50 million bricks. A supremely silly film with echoes of Buster Keaton, A Town Called Panic is a treat for children and adults. Tickets: $10 per person for film and Museum admission / Free for Museum members. Members may call 718.784.4520 to reserve tickets.

Moving Pictures Workshop
Daily at 11:30 a.m. (45 mins.)
Ages 6-12. Children discover what makes moving images move and make their own Thaumatropes-nineteenth-century optical toys-to take home. Materials fee: $5 per child (free for Museum members). Space is limited; register at the admissions desk.

Stop-Motion Animation Workshop
Daily at 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. (60 mins.)
Ages 10 and older. Children learn about the technique of stop-motion animation and create their own animated movies, which are shared online. To view a sample animation created by a workshop participant, go to http://youtube.com/mmieducation. Materials fee: $10 per child ($5 for Museum members). Space is limited; register at the admissions desk.

Gallery Demonstrations:
Kinetoscope at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m.
Watch a film on Thomas Edison's movie-viewing machine.
Sound Editing at 1:00, 2:30, and 4:00 p.m.
Learn how the soundtrack for Titanic (1997) was designed, mixed, and layered.
Video Game Technology at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
See how video games were invented, and play popular historic console games.

Every Day at Moving Image: Behind the Screen
The Museum's core exhibition Behind the Screen immerses visitors in the creative process of making moving images, through a unique combination of interactive experiences, rare and unusual artifacts, one-of-a-kind artworks and demonstrations of professional crafts and equipment. Visitors can make animations, experiment with sound effects, and dub their voices onto a famous movie scene. Behind the Screen also features thirteen playable video arcade games, including Ms. Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Defender, and Battlezone, and four popular home console games including Super Mario Brothers and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Special Holiday Hours for Presidents' Week
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, February 13, through Sunday, February 2.
At other times, the Museum is open Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and school groups by appointment.

Suggested Admission
$7 for adults, senior citizens, college students, children 8-18 (additional fees for film tickets and workshops).
Free for Museum members and children under 8.
(Please note: Strollers must be left at Coat Check.)

About Museum of the Moving Image
Founded in 1981, Museum of the Moving Image is the only institution in the United States that deals comprehensively with the art, technology and social impact of film, television and digital media. It houses the nation's largest collection of moving image artifacts; screens hundreds of films annually; and offers education programs to thousands of New York City students and teachers. Its exhibitions-including the core exhibition, Behind the Screen-are noted for their integration of material objects, computer-based interactive experiences, and audiovisual presentations.

A major expansion and renovation of the Museum's facility is currently underway. Designed by architect Thomas Leeser, the project will double the size of the Museum and includes a new 264-seat theater, a 71-seat screening room, new galleries for the exhibition of digital art, and a multi-classroom education center. When it opens in the fall of 2010, the new Museum building will be ideal for showcasing the moving image in all its forms, ensuring the Museum's place-creatively, intellectually, and physically-as one of the great moving-image institutions of the world.

Museum of the Moving Image is grateful for the generous support of numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. The Museum receives vital annual funding from the City of New York through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Additional government support for operations is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Natural Heritage Trust (administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation). The Museum occupies a building owned by the City of New York.

Museum of the Moving Image
35 Avenue at 36 Street, Astoria, NY 11106
Recorded Information Line: 718.784.0077
Website: http://movingimage.us

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