The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Thursday unveiled its inaugural film program, featuring two theaters that will offer continuous screenings ranging from silent films and animation to documentaries and experimental works when the museum opens next month.
The announcement was made Thursday during a panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego with Lucas Museum Senior Curator and Head of Film Programs Ryan Linkof, actor Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, DC President Jim Lee and moderator Keke Palmer, according to the museum.
Officials said the Robert Flaherty Theater and the Slavko Vorkapich Theater will provide nonstop, drop-in screenings throughout the day, allowing visitors to come and go while exploring cinema as both a storytelling medium and a visual art form.
“We are excited to share details of our inaugural Film Program,” Lucas Museum CEO Tracey Bates said in a statement. “George Lucas named the theaters to honor two innovators of cinema: Robert Flaherty and Slavko Vorkapich. The theaters will be spaces to connect with moving images as one of the most transformative modes of visual storytelling, making the Film Program an essential component of a visit to the Lucas Museum.”
The Robert Flaherty Theater will focus on documentary filmmaking and artistic storytelling, with programming including the new Lucas Museum-commissioned documentary series “Seeing is Believing: The Story of Narrative Art,” episodes of “The Power of Film” and documentaries about artists featured in the museum’s inaugural exhibitions, officials said.
The Slavko Vorkapich Theater will highlight the evolution of film technique through screenings of early silent films, classic animation, experimental works, excerpts from Hollywood films, “Looney Tunes,” “Cowboy Bebop,” an episode of “Star Wars: Visions” and student films created by George Lucas between 1965 and 1969.
“We wanted to offer an alternative to the traditional museum film program and create a dynamic, open-door experience designed for discovery, allowing audiences to encounter cinema as a living, breathing art form at their own pace,” Linkof said.
Films will range in length from a few minutes to 90 minutes, with visitors free to enter and leave the theaters throughout the day.
Tickets for the museum went on sale Tuesday ahead of the institution’s opening.
Earlier this month, the museum announced it would offer free admission to residents living in the 90037 ZIP code surrounding Exposition Park through its LM37 pass program. Pass holders will be able to reserve free admission for themselves and one guest, with registration expected to open in August.
The museum will also host a community preview day on Sept. 13, giving local residents, community partners, business owners and civic leaders an opportunity to tour the facility before it opens to the public.
Tickets for the Sept. 13 preview event will be distributed through community organizations, local government officials and registered pass holders, according to the museum.
The museum is housed in a 300,000-square-foot building designed by architect Ma Yansong. The campus also includes an 11-acre park designed by landscape architect Mia Lehrer and Studio-MLA.
The Lucas Museum said the inaugural presentations will feature more than 1,200 artworks displayed across approximately 100,000 square feet of gallery space.
Among the opening exhibitions will be “Star Wars in Motion,” featuring props, costumes and vehicle designs from the first six films in the franchise, including Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder and the first physical build of General Grievous’ Wheel Bike.
Other galleries will explore comic and graphic storytelling through works by artists including Jack Kirby and Alison Bechdel, while additional exhibitions will highlight Japanese manga and anime, children’s book illustrations and imagery from film and popular culture, officials said.
The inaugural lineup will also include works by artists and illustrators including Thomas Hart Benton, Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth and Frank Frazetta, as well as photography by Dorothea Lange and Gordon Parks and large-scale mural works by artists including Diego Rivera.
More information can be found at lucasmuseum.org/.