The Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in Astoria, New York, is set to host the 14th edition of its annual First Look festival from March 12 to 16, 2025. This event showcases new and innovative international cinema, providing a platform for filmmakers to present their latest works to New York audiences.
Established in 2012, the First Look festival was conceived as MoMI's commitment to celebrating adventurous new cinema. Over the years, it has introduced audiences to formally inventive works that seek to redefine the art form while engaging in a wide range of subjects and styles. The festival has been the New York launching point for new works by filmmakers such as Chantal Akerman, Sergei Loznitsa, and Claire Simon. Each edition aims to expose audiences to new art, artists to new audiences, and everyone to different methods, perspectives, interrogations, and encounters.
This year's festival promises a diverse lineup of 38 films from 21 countries, including 20 feature films, with four world premieres and 23 U.S. or North American premieres. The festival will open with the New York premiere of Durga Chew-Bose's "Bonjour Tristesse," starring Lily McInerny and Claes Bang. The closing night will feature Giovanni Tortorici's "Diciannove," a film that has garnered attention for its deft storytelling. The full schedule and advance tickets are available here.
The festival will host an exciting roster of filmmakers, including:
- Durga Chew-Bose: Director of "Bonjour Tristesse."
- Giovanni Tortorici: Director of "Diciannove."
- Göran Hugo Olsson: Renowned for his archival compositions, Olsson will present the U.S. premiere of "Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958–1989."
- Iva Radivojević: Her film "When the Phone Rang" offers an incantatory, war-torn autofiction narrative.
- Charlie Shackleton: Returning to First Look, Shackleton will present the New York premiere of "Zodiac Killer Project," which recently won the NEXT Innovator Award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
- Claire Simon: The documentary master's latest work, "Elementary," will have its U.S. premiere at the festival.
- Sofia Bohdanowicz: Her film "Measures for a Funeral" is described as an engrossing gothic fever dream.
- Brigid McCaffrey: She will present "Sanctuary Station," a film that weaves encounters with women living among the wildlife of northwestern California.
- Deniz Eroglu: His film "The Shipwrecked Triptych" offers a surreal treatise on contemporary Germany.
- Omar Mismar: His film "A Frown Gone Mad" received the Outstanding Artistic Contribution award at IDFA 2024.
- Yoko Yamanaka: Director of "Desert of Namibia," which won the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes 2024.
- So Yo-Hen: His film "Park" won the Grand Prize at the Taiwan International Documentary Festival.
- Lina Vdovîi and Radu Ciorniciuc: Their film "Tata" earned Best Director at the 2024 Astra Film Festival.
- Dominique Cabrera: Her film "The Fifth Shot of La Jetée" won the Golden Dove at Dok Leipzig 2024.
In addition to these feature filmmakers, the festival's "Illuminations" program will showcase avant-garde works by artists such as Ben Balcom, James Edmonds, Kevin Jerome Everson, Eva Giolo, and Ewelina Rosinska.
Special Programs and Initiatives
Concurrent with First Look, the "Working on It" program will run from March 12 to 14, offering a laboratory for work-in-progress screenings, workshops, and discussions about the artistic process. This initiative provides filmmakers, critics, and students a platform to engage in conversations about the creative process, fostering collaboration and innovation.
The festival continues its collaboration with the Jonathan B. Murray Center for Documentary Journalism at the Missouri School of Journalism, presenting award-winning student films. These films offer fresh perspectives and showcase the talents of emerging documentary filmmakers. This year's selections include:
- "Cowboy Strike" by Matt Pehl: Investigates the 1883 cowboy strike in the Texas Panhandle.
- "I Will Take the Blame" by Elena Fu: A young Chinese woman endeavors to mend her parents' fractured marriage.
- "Satan's Greatest Lies" by Michael Coleman: Documents George Russell's fight to preserve East Texas's wilderness.
- "Victim" by Tess Jagger-Wells: Investigates the unsolved 1950 murder of Janett Christman.
With its rich history and commitment to showcasing groundbreaking works, First Look continues to be a cornerstone event for cinephiles and industry professionals alike.
