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Margaret Mead Film Festival

Submissions to the 2019 Margaret Mead Film Festival are now closed.

About the Mead

The American Museum of Natural History's 2019 Margaret Mead Film Festival, October 17–20, features documentary films, shorts, and other media that increase our understanding of the complexity and diversity of peoples and cultures around the world. Inspired by anthropologist Margaret Mead's groundbreaking use of film and photography, the Mead celebrates ever-changing modes of storytelling, new technologies, and increased access to communities near and far while presenting the best in non-fiction film and hybrid works. 

The Mead aims to connect viewers to cultures and communities around the world, creating empathy and understanding through visual media. Hundreds of filmmakers and scholars, thousands of moviegoers, and more than 40 international nonfiction films and media converge over four thrilling days of screenings, conversations, and parties.

See you at the Mead!

 

2018 Festival Highlights 

movie theater showing image of lion coffin. On the left of the stage is one of his masterpiece coffins from the Museum’s anthropology collections.
Hundreds of filmmakers and scholars, thousands of moviegoers, and over 40 international nonfiction films and media converge over four thrilling days of screenings, conversations, and parties at the Mead.
Copper card hood with tribal bird glyph
Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is a contemporary Northwest Coast artist from the Haida nation and a descendant of Charles Edenshaw, who more than 100 years ago created dozens of carvings for the Museum’s Northwest Coast Hall (currently under renovation). In this installation of an automobile hood covered in copper plate, the artist fuses parallel signifiers of social and economic status: Haida copper shields, a traditional symbol of wealth, and cars, which can serve a similar function in contemporary society. Yahgulanaas will be on-site to discuss his work.
One man applies red paint to his face while another man with black paint glyphs on his chest and abdomen films closely
Special events and dialogues complement our extraordinary slate of films each year. Join us for dynamic conversation exploring what it means for community-based artists and filmmakers to tell their own stories.
girl wearing vr headset and smiling
Anthropologist Margaret Mead documented cultures and helped others connect to communities around the world using the groundbreaking medium of her time, film. The Mixed Media Lounge  showcases virtual reality, augmented reality, and more as modes to encounter diverse cultural stories.
A crew of filmmakers barefooted shooting a scene in a creek
NEW THIS YEAR: A rich trove of storytelling lies beyond mainstream film markets across collectives that have sprung up in dynamic numbers since 1986. Collectively illuminates how media empowers communities whose voices were previously underrepresented. The three collectives showcased this year represent a diverse group of visual storytellers—East African filmmakers, Indigenous voices of the Brazilian Amazon, Cambodia’s multimedia memory-makers—and provide training and access to filmmaking equipment as well as mentorship. The resulting stories offer unique and vital cultural perspectives celebrated by the Margaret Mead Film Festival.
Mead Award Slide
The Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award recognizes documentary filmmakers who embody the spirit, energy, and innovation demonstrated by anthropologist Margaret Mead. The award is given to a filmmaker whose US premiere feature-length film displays artistic excellence and original cultural storytelling. Learn more about this year’s contenders and jury!
Mead volunteer smiling at a VR check in table
Mead volunteers are integral to festival operations—from flyer distribution to screen testing films to staffing our virtual reality stations. We are lucky to work with such a talented and passionate group! Learn how to get involved.

The Margaret Mead Film Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. 

Special Support provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 

Support for the Margaret Mead Film Festival is provided, in part, by the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc. and the family of Frederick H. Leonhardt. 

Contact Us

Phone and Email

Phone: 212.769.5305
Fax: 212.769.5329
meadfest@amnh.org

 

Mead Festival Location

American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th St
New York, NY 10024

 

Mead Festival Social Media

 

Mailing List

Sign up for the Mead mailing list on our Newsletter page - select "Film at the Museum" to receive film details, event updates, and special promos.