What is the Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival?
The Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival is the longest-running showcase for international documentaries in the United States, encompassing a broad spectrum of work, from indigenous community media to experimental nonfiction. The Festival is distinguished by its outstanding selection of titles, which tackle diverse and challenging subjects, representing a range of issues and perspectives, and by the forums for discussion with filmmakers and speakers.

The Festival was founded by the American Museum of Natural History in 1977, in honor of pioneering anthropologist Margaret Mead on her seventy-fifth birthday and her fiftieth year at the Museum. A film festival represented an especially apt form with which to celebrate Mead's life, as she was one of the first anthropologists to recognize the significance of film for fieldwork. From 1936 to 1938, working among the Balinese with Gregory Bateson and cinematographer Jane Belo, Mead produced "Trance and Dance in Bali," "Learning to Dance in Bali," and "Karba's First Years." She also produced films that examined child rearing from a cross-cultural perspective, including "Bathing Babies in Three Cultures." The Festival occasionally screens Mead's films.

Are all the films in the Festival made by anthropologists?
Most of the films and videos are produced by independent artists, however each year about 20% of the works screened have some anthropological input, whether it be through the director, producer, or researcher. Festival programmers try to strike a balance among works produced by social scientists, independent filmmakers, students, and indigenous media-makers.

How many titles are submitted each year?
Every year the Festival receives approximately 1000 submissions. Festival programmers learn about new works through attending other festivals, maintaining contacts with filmmakers and film centers in the U.S. and abroad, and conducting an international call for entries. In 1992, the Festival wove video into its programming; today, nearly three quarters of the submissions are in video format. The Festival is held in the fall, typically in November, and the submission period takes place in spring/summer. Entry forms can be downloaded from the Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival website at that time.

How are the program themes designed?
The Mead Festival differs from a curated film event, in that not all themes and topics are pre-planned. Every year's Festival includes predetermined program themes: examples include "Fake Documentary," "International Film Collectives," and retrospectives of the work of various filmmakers. Other programs are created from the strongest submissions which have themes in common. Regional and topical diversity are also significant factors in Festival programming.

Who comes to the Festival?
As one of the few festivals in the US devoted exclusively to nonfiction film, we draw a diverse audience that is interested in documentary cinema and in the featured topics and issues.

Are there special features for filmmakers?
Yes. The Festival provides an ideal venue for filmmakers: question-and-answer sessions are scheduled around screenings, as well as a number of special events (roundtables, performances, etc.), offering forums for in-depth and lively discussion among independent filmmakers, cinema-studies specialists, social scientists, and the general public. Collaborations with film, cultural, and academic organizations additionally promote films across broad audiences and generate community participation. Parties and gatherings throughout the Festival offer informal meeting places for filmmakers and people in the film industry.

Does the Festival own the films and videos it screens?
The Festival does not own any of the titles, but most of the distributors and directors permit preview videos to be held in the library of the American Museum of Natural History. It is possible to arrange for an on-site screening of titles from past Festivals. Please call 212-769-5419 for an appointment. If you are interested in renting or purchasing a title, you must contact the distributor directly. The distributors of each year's titles are listed on the Web site. (The Films made by Margaret Mead are currently distributed by Penn State Audio Visual Services, 800-826-0132.)

Does the Festival occur only in New York City?
In 1992, the Festival developed the Margaret Mead Traveling Film & Video Festival. Each year a selection of titles from that year's Mead Festival travels to independent film and community centers, museums, and universities throughout the nation. Since 1997, the Traveling Festival has been featured at international sites as well.

How do I get to the Museum?
The Museum is located on Central Park West at 79th Street. For the Mead Festival, enter at 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus.

By Subway: Take the B (weekdays only) or C to 81st Street. Two blocks west of the Museum, the 1 and 9 trains stop at Broadway and West 79th Street. For a subway map, visit the Metropolitan Transit Authority website.

By Bus: The M79 bus travels east/west on W. 79th Street across Central Park, with a stop next to the Museum on W. 81st Street. Other buses also stop at or near the Museum, including the M7, M10, M11, M86 and M104 buses.

Parking: Museum parking garage information.

back to top