The Cleveland Museum of Art boasts one of the oldest museum film programs in the U.S. (The first films were shown here in 1917.) Today the museum presents three film screenings per week (approximately 150 screenings annually). Most movies are shown in the 158-seat Morley Lecture Hall, which has two variable-speed 35mm projectors.
The Cleveland Museum of Art possesses one of the oldest museum film programs in the United States. Frances Bolton purchased the first film projector in 1935 and the museum showed films and hosted some prominent visiting filmmakers (e.g., Maya Deren) in an auditorium located in what later became part of the Asian galleries.
Starting in the early 1970s, the museum presented free screenings of 16mm films in Gartner Auditorium. Films at that time ranged from 1930s American comedies (W.C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, et al.) and other international classics to popular recent English-language period pieces (The Go-Between) to cutting-edge new movies (1970s German films by Wenders, Herzog, and Fassbinder).
The film program is a major year-long presence that attracts thousands of people to the museum. Since July 1986, the museum has presented at least two different feature films every week (on Wednesday nights, Fridays nights, or Sunday afternoons), and numerous special events are peppered throughout the year. With about 90 different movies shown annually, our film program is one of the most adventurous and respected museum film programs in the U.S.
11150 East Boulevard
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
Tel 216-421-7340