Organized by New York’s Museum of Modern Art and presented by the Hammer Museum, “The Contenders” series presents 10 influential, innovative films made in the past year that MoMA’s Department of Film believes are bound for big things (whether that means awards season glory or cult classic status). In addition to screenings of all 10 films, most will be accompanied by a discussion with the director or an actor from the project.
This year’s picks include Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (with an intro from Rian Johnson), Decision to Leave, Corsage, Everything Everywhere All at Once (with Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), The Whale (with Brendan Fraser, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins and Samuel D. Hunter), Saint Omer, Sr. (with Chris Smith, Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey), Women Talking (with Claire Foy), Bones and All (with Taylor Russell) and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (introduced by Guillermo del Toro).
“The Contenders” isn’t strictly an awards season spoiler; MoMA considers its picks as movies that will stand the test of time. But the series has turned out to be a pretty good Oscars predictor, with nearly all films nabbing nominations in recent years.
Tickets go on sale November 14 to the general public; they’re already on sale to Hammer members.
