The Museum of Modern Art’s third annual Film Benefit, to be held on November 10, will honor writer-director Kathryn Bigelow. Renowned for her Academy Award-winning film The Hurt Locker (2008), for over 30 years Bigelow has crafted a body of films that defy genre and gender expectations including such acclaimed works as Near Dark (1987), Point Break (1991), and Strange Days (1995).
Kathryn Bigelow on the set of The Hurt Locker. Photo: Jonathan Olley, © 2009 Summit Entertainment
As the first female director to garner directing awards by the Academy, BAFTA, and the DGA, Bigelow creates immersive movies that leave the viewer simultaneously exhilarated and affected, thinking, and feeling, while transforming the language of genre films to serve her content.
Within the Museum’s collection, a selection of Bigelow’s films are represented, including Point Break, Blue Steel (1989), Near Dark, The Loveless (1982), and The Set-Up (1978). In June 2011, MoMA’s Department of Film will present a retrospective of Bigelow’s entire career with screenings of all of her feature films. In conjunction with the retrospective, the Museum has acquired Bigelow’s paper archive which documents all of her film projects from The Set-Up to The Hurt Locker, from pre-production research through production notes to post-release publicity and press materials. The archive contains both process and creative documentation such as storyboards, scripts, filming schedules, location scouting reports, and casting notes. The collection also includes unrealized scripts and other projects.
In addition to a reception and dinner, the Film Benefit will be highlighted by a special presentation recognizing Bigelow’s acclaimed directorial work. The event raises funds to ensure that great works of cinema continue to join the collection of The Museum of Modern Art.
Tables to the Film Benefit are available for $75,000, $50,000, and $25,000; individual tickets are $5,000 and $2,500 per person. Tables and individual tickets may be reserved by calling 212-708-9680 or by visiting MoMA.org/filmbenefit2010.
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