Activate: This Year at the Mead
Activate connection at the 2017 Margaret Mead Film Festival. More than 40 ground-breaking, international, nonfiction films and media present fresh cross-cultural perspectives. Honoring legendary anthropologist Margaret Mead, the festival reinforces our search for deeper understanding of the limitless diversity and complex texture that is human experience. Come for the long weekend of film screenings, conversations, parties, an installation by stop-motion animation artist Amanda Strong, and the new Mead Mixed Media Lounge where filmmakers, scholars, and thousands of audiences exchange new ideas. Come see what the Mead will activate for you.
The 2017 Margaret Mead Film Festival will be held October 19–22.
Films in the Spotlight
Opening Night Film: Brimstone & Glory | Thursday, October 19 at 7 pm | Once a year, an annual pyrotechnics festival erupts through the small city of Tultepec, Mexico, transforming it into a blaze of sparks and flames.
Spirit Game: Pride of a Nation | Friday, October 20 at 9 pm | An Iroquois Lacrosse team fights to be recognized as from a sovereign nation by the Federation of International Lacrosse—and succeeds.
Pre-Crime | Saturday, October 21 at 8 pm | Sci-fi creeps closer to reality as police use predictive software to preemptively target potential criminals.
Gun Runners | Saturday, October 21 at Noon | Two Kenyan militiamen trade in their guns for sneakers and pursue the lifelong dream of becoming professional marathon runners.
So Long Asleep: Waking the Ghosts of a War | Saturday, October 21 at 2:30 pm | A Japanese priest leads a movement to excavate and repatriate the remains of Korean forced laborers who died on Japanese soil during WWII.
The Valley of Salt (La Vallée du Sel) | Saturday, October 21 at 2:30 pm | Christophe Saber returns home to Cairo where his Christian parents receive death threats from the Muslim Brotherhood.
In Procedure | Saturday, October 21 at 2:30 pm | A Syrian father flees to the Netherlands and begins a lengthy asylum procedure while his family anxiously waits back home.
About the Mead
The American Museum of Natural History's Margaret Mead Film Festival screens documentaries that increase our understanding of the complexity and diversity of the peoples and cultures that populate our planet. The Mead Festival has evolved with the times while maintaining its important history and has grown steadily to reflect the ever-evolving incarnations of storytelling, technology and growing access to communities near and far. The Mead Festival presents the best in documentary, experimental films, animation, hybrid works, and more.
Join us for Opening Night on Thursday, October 19 at 7 pm and kick off a weekend that promises a good time for the Mead’s community of globally curious and open-hearted festivalgoers.
Stop-motion animation artist Amanda Strong is an Indigenous (Michif) filmmaker currently based on the unceded Coast Salish territory of Vancouver. On view Thursday, October 19 to Sunday, October 22 during festival hours, visit Stories as Living Beings: An Installation featuring the stunning characters and environments from Strong's award-winning short films.
Featured events and dialogues complement the extraordinary slate of films and serve to further illuminate the many cultures celebrated at this year’s Margaret Mead Film Festival. These special programs offer audiences a forum for dynamic conversations about festival themes, close looks at unique collaborations, and opportunities to engage with artists and scholars. All programs are free with any Mead ticket or festival pass.
The Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award recognizes documentary filmmakers who embody the spirit, energy, and innovation demonstrated by anthropologist Margaret Mead in her research, fieldwork, films, and writings. Check out this year's contenders.
Contact Us
Phone and Email
Mead Festival Location
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th St
New York, NY 10024
Volunteer
- The Mead seeks reliable, kind, and enthusiastic film fans for the 2017 Margaret Mead Film Festival. Learn more
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