The 2025 First Look lineup at the Museum of the Moving Image includes Bonjour Tristesse, the Zodiac Killer Project, and several other titles.
A key annual event in New York's programming, and across North America, the Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look will return on March 12, kicking off with the US premiere screening of Durga Chew-Bose’s Bonjour Tristesse. The festival will conclude on March 16 with the US debut of Giovanni Tortorici’s Diciannove, and the intervening days will feature a mix of recent innovative films, along with in-person discussions and seminars.
The segment titled “Working on It” will take place from March 12 to 14, providing “a laboratory for works in progress and process dialogues, bringing together festival attendees, filmmakers, students, writers, and the general public.” Additionally, writers and editors from Reverse Shot “will introduce a new group for its Emerging Critics Workshop, with writers attending throughout the festival.” Submissions can be made here until February 14.
Eric Hynes, MoMI’s Senior Curator of Film and First Look’s Artistic Director, remarks:
“In many respects, First Look is the cornerstone of MoMI’s film programming schedule. Over five days in March, we host select filmmakers from around the globe to unveil their latest works in New York, sharing their creative processes and future aspirations with our audience and each other, while nurturing or establishing connections with our programming team and the broader community. We’ll host first-time filmmakers, experienced professionals making their inaugural visit to MoMI, and veterans of First Look with thrilling new projects. I am looking forward to this year's lineup, proud of its diverse forms and practices, and eager to highlight these remarkable artists.”
First Look 2025 has been curated by Eric Hynes, MoMI Curator of Film & First Look Artistic Director; Edo Choi, First Look Senior Programmer; Sonia Epstein, Curator of Science and Technology; Sarah Luciano, Associate Director of Special Programs; and Eynar Pineda, First Look Producer. The avant-garde films in First Look were programmed by Edo Choi and David Schwartz.
Below is the lineup:
OPENING NIGHT
Bonjour Tristesse
Dir. Durga Chew-Bose. 2024, 110 min. Canada/France. Durga Chew-Bose’s contemporary adaptation of Françoise Sagan’s classic 1954 novel features Lily McInerny as 18-year-old Cécile, who spends her summer holiday on the French Riviera with her widowed father Raymond (Claes Bang). Their carefree, sun-drenched days are disrupted by the arrival of the formidable fashion designer Anne (Chloë Sevigny). A talented new director, Chew-Bose presents a poignant, astutely observed coming-of-age story.
U.S. premiere
CLOSING NIGHT
Diciannove
Dir. Giovanni Tortorici. 2024, 108 mins. Italy. Rising star Manfredi Marini plays Leonardo, who departs from his home in Palermo to attend business school in London, embarking on a journey that takes him to Siena and Torino, where he becomes increasingly intolerant of the broader world and others' perspectives. Tortorici’s debut echoes early works by Arnaud Desplechin as it weaves through time and tone alongside Leonardo’s impulsive, possibly harmful actions.
U.S. premiere
SHOWCASE SCREENING
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958–1989
Dir. Göran Hugo Olsson. 2024, 200 mins. Sweden/Finland. Drawing from thousands of hours of footage archived in Sweden’s national television service SVT, chronicler Olsson presents a meticulously cool and composed portrayal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as observed and reported by Swedish journalists during the Cold War era.
U.S. premiere
SHOWCASE SCREENING
Zodiac Killer Project
Dir. Charlie Shackleton. 2024, 91 min. U.K. When his plans for a true crime documentary falter, Shackleton reconstructs what might have transpired while deconstructing the expectations from an oversaturated genre, utilizing Bay Area visuals, archival footage, reenactments, and clips from film and television, complemented by his own witty and agile voice-over.
New York premiere
SHOWCASE SCREENING
When the Phone Rang
Dir. Iva Radivojević. 2024, 75 mins. Serbia/U.S. On a Friday morning in 1992, eleven-year-old Lana (Ilincic) receives a phone call about a family death, a transformative moment coinciding with the disintegration of Yugoslavian identity and history. Drawing inspiration from her childhood memories, filmmaker Radivojevic revisits that pivotal moment as a form of invocation.
U.S. premiere
100,000,000,000,000 (Cent Mille Milliards)
Dir. Virgil Vernier. 2024, 77 mins. France. Wandering through a surreal Monaco during the eerie
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The 2025 First Look lineup at the Museum of the Moving Image includes Bonjour Tristesse, the Zodiac Killer Project, and several other titles.
A significant annual event in New York's programming landscape (and for North American options overall), the Museum of the Moving Image's First Look will return on March 12 with an opening night screening of the US premiere of Durga Chew Bose's Bonjour Tristesse. It will conclude on March 16 with the US debut of Giovanni Tortorici’s Diciannove, and in the days between, it will feature a selection of recent innovative programming.