Margaret Mead Film Festival

Alvaro Keding/© AMNH

Nestled in the Museum’s iconic halls, the Margaret Mead Film Festival serves as more than a cinematic event. It is a celebration of voices and perspectives from around the world, inviting attendees to come together to explore the rich, vibrant tapestry that is our shared human experience.

Explore Past Festivals

Read about the full lineups and award winners for the last three Margaret Mead Film Festivals.

Learn more »

Billy Luther (right) speaks into a microphone to Erica Tremblay and Steven Paul Judd (seated on stage) and Sterlin Harjo (on screen behind them).

Mead Advisor Billy Luther (right) moderates a panel discussion about Native-led stories with Sterlin Harjo (on screen), Erica Tremblay, and Steven Paul Judd.
Daniel Kim/© AMNH

View the trailer for the 2026 Mead Festival.

[MUSIC BEGINS]

Text “American Museum of Natural History Margaret Mead Film Festival” appears over footage from Bucks Harbor of a couple, shot from behind, watching a large fireworks display.

14-year-old Qihuo, the subject of Whispers in May, and a friend look into a mirror. Qihuo is wearing red lipstick and an elaborate headdress with a metal panel on the front that has dangling metal pieces.

Three people, their faces obscured by shadow, walk through a corn field in footage from Black Zombie.

A person with long hair, from River Dreams, dances on a pole, gripping the pole with their legs and holding a canister in one hand, spraying a cloud of blue into the air in a structure with a partially open roof.

Two baby polar bears, from Nuisance Bear, walk around an top of an adult polar bear who is resting outside in the snow.

An elderly person wearing a pink dress shot from a low angle, a subject of Daughters of the Forest, stands in a forest, picks up a large mushroom, and holds it out.

The text “Special Events” appears over an overhead view of a crowd of people walking around and sitting in the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploration Atrium inside of the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation.

Close-up on the face of a child.

An elderly person wearing a knit cap and paisley print shawl sits on the edge of a neatly made bed.

Black and white footage of two children blowing out candles on a birthday cake held out to them by an adult, from Time and Water.

Two older people blow out wavy candles on a cake held out to them by another older person, as a child looks on, also from Time and Water. The table is strewn with mostly empty cups and a mostly empty liter bottle of Coca-Cola. They laugh after they blow out the candles.

A bearded person bathed in pink light, a subject of Jaripeo, wears a glittery turtleneck, large shiny earrings, and a cowboy hat bedazzled with rhinestones and dances in front of a large disco ball with their arms extended.

Text “American Museum of Natural History Margaret Mead Film Festival May 1-3” appears over footage of a subject of Bucks Harbor standing beside a large, outdoor fire as the flames grow bigger.

[MUSIC ENDS]

Text “American Museum of Natural History Learn more: amnh.org/mead” appears over a black screen.

Awards Information

The Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award

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.

The award is selected by a jury and given to a filmmaker whose feature-length documentary displays artistic excellence and originality in storytelling technique while offering a new perspective on cultures and communities. Filmmakers with works making their New York premieres at the festival are eligible.

Audience Award

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Generous support for the Margaret Mead Film Festival has been provided by
The Mead Trust.

A portion of the Margaret Mead Film Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.