2012, the year in cinema, will be starting early, even before the Sundance-Rotterdam-Berlin marathon. The Museum of the Moving Image is launching a new series, First Look, showcasing 13 features and seven shorts, all of which — with the exception of Mark Jackson's Without and two shorts by Artavazd Peleshian — are New York premieres. Curated by Dennis Lim, Rachael Rakes and David Schwartz, First Look opens on January 6 with Chantal Akerman on hand to present Almayer's Folly and closes on January 15 with Raya Martin's presentation of his Buenas Noches, España.
The lineup in full (more or less in order of presentation):
Chantal Akerman's Almayer's Folly, an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's first novel. See Dan Sallitt's review, the Venice/Toronto roundup and Darren Hughes's interview with Akerman.
Philippe Garrel's That Summer (Un Eté brulant), which has just made Cahiers du Cinéma's top ten of 2011. See, too, Daniel Kasman's review and the Venice/Toronto roundup.
Pietro Marcello's The Silence of Peleshian (Il silenzio di Pelesjan), a portrait of Armenian filmmaker Artavazd Peleshian, whose short films The Seasons of the Year and Life will be screening as well.
Mark Jackson's feature debut Without, nominated for Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You at the Gotham Awards.
Andrei Zyvagintsev's Elena. Cannes roundup.
Gonçalo Tocha's It's the Earth Not the Moon, a portrait of the island of Corvo in the Azores, the westernmost point of Europe.
Philippe Grandrieux's It May Be That Beauty Has Strengthened Our Resolve: Masao Adachi, a portrait of the controversial Japanese filmmaker, screening with Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt's Palaces of Pity.
Theo Court's feature debut Ocaso, screening with João Rui Guerra da Mata and João Pedro Rodrigues's short Red Dawn.
Valérie Massadian's Nana, winner of the Best First Feature award in Locarno, screening with Lisandro Alonso's Letter to Serra.
Johnnie To's Life Without Principle. Daniel Kasman's review and the roundup from Venice, Toronto and Vancouver.
Gastón Solnicki's Papirosen, a meditation on the meaning of family and the weight of history.
Christoph Hochhäusler's The City Below. See Cargo's Cannes roundup and reviews from San Francisco.
Raya Martin's Buenas Noches, España, screening with two of his shorts, Ars Colonia and Boxing in the Philippine Islands.
Update, 12/14: The full schedule's up now.
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