The Museum of Modern Art Announces Dates for Its 2026 Film Festivals and Annual Series

Photo: Jonathan Dorado © The Museum of Modern Art

MoMA’s Department of Film to Present Celebrated Festivals of Film Preservation, Nonfiction Films, and Films by Emerging Directors, and Annual Series Featuring Recent Silent Film Restorations and Picks for Most Important Films of 2026

The Museum of Modern Art announces dates for its film festival lineup for 2026. To Save and Project returns for its 22nd year to present newly preserved and restored films from around the world, from January 8 to February 1, 2026; Doc Fortnight will mark its 25th anniversary of highlighting the next crop of innovative nonfiction films, from February 26 to March 11, 2026; and the 55th edition of New Directors/New Films, co-presented by MoMA and Film at Lincoln Center, brings new work by emerging directors to the silver screen from April 8 to 19, 2026. Returning for its fourth year, Silent Movie Week brings seven silent-film restorations to MoMA over the course of one week, from July 29 to August 4, 2026. The popular annual film series The Contenders will return on October 29, 2026, and continue into January 2027, with the Department’s picks for the year’s standout films. All lineups to be announced.

To Save and Project: The 22nd MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation

January 8–February 1, 2026

As the first cultural institution to collect film as an art form, The Museum of Modern Art has long been at the forefront of the preservation and restoration of moving-image material. Founded in 2003, MoMA’s annual To Save and Project festival has become the Museum’s showcase for presenting new restorations from its archive as well as work from colleagues around the world—archives, foundations, studios, and others—engaged in maintaining and presenting this precious audiovisual heritage.

Organized by Joshua Siegel, Curator, Department of Film, MoMA.

Doc Fortnight 2026: MoMA’s Festival of International Nonfiction Film and Media

February 26–March 11, 2026

Established in 2001, MoMA’s annual festival of nonfiction film celebrates important new discoveries in documentary cinema, bringing adventurous voices and thought-provoking perspectives from around the world to New York audiences. Highlighting emerging and established directors working across the nonfiction field and addressing urgent issues of our time, Doc Fortnight showcases the enduring vitality of the documentary art form. Now in its third decade, the festival has premiered films by Chantal Akerman, Kevin Jerome Everson, William Greaves, Barbara Hammer, Barbara Kopple, Sergei Loznitsa, Stanley Nelson, Anand Patwardhan, Laura Poitras, Lynne Sachs, Trinh T. Minh-ha, Nanfu Wang, and many other artists and filmmakers.

Organized by Sophie Cavoulacos, Associate Curator, Department of Film, MoMA, and guest curator Jesse Cumming.

New Directors/New Films 2026

April 8–19, 2026

Founded in 1972, the New Directors/New Films festival is jointly presented by Film at Lincoln Center and MoMA, showcasing a wide-ranging group of films by emerging directors working at the vanguard of cinema. Throughout its history, the festival has presented works by Pedro Almodóvar, Souleymane Cissé, Guillermo del Toro, Luca Guadagnino, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Michael Haneke, Agnieszka Holland, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Jia Zhangke, Spike Lee, Euzhan Palcy, Lynne Ramsay, Kelly Reichardt, Wong Kar Wai, and over a thousand others.

Organized by Dan Sullivan (Co-Chair, Film at Lincoln Center), La Frances Hui (Co-Chair, MoMA), Madeline Whittle (Film at Lincoln Center), Tyler Wilson (Film at Lincoln Center), Katie Zwick (Film at Lincoln Center), Rajendra Roy (MoMA), Joshua Siegel (MoMA), and Francisco Valente (MoMA).

Silent Movie Week 2026

July 29–August 4, 2026

As a commercial medium, silent film lasted for only about 30 years, but those 30 years represented a creative explosion with few parallels in the art world. It’s estimated that only 20 percent of the films made between 1895 and 1930 survive, and yet the work of preserving and restoring the remaining films continues. MoMA is one of several archives around the world with significant silent film holdings, and this program is an attempt to catch up with some of the recent restoration work done by MoMA and colleagues around the world.

Organized by Dave Kehr, Curator, Department of Film, MoMA.

The Contenders 2026

October 29, 2026–January 2027

For this annual series, the Department of Film combs through major studio releases and the top film festivals in the world, selecting influential, innovative films made in the past 12 months that MoMA’s curators believe will stand the test of time. Every year there are films that resonate far beyond a theatrical release—if they manage to find their way to a commercial screen at all—or film festival appearance. Their significance can be attributed to a variety of factors, from structure to subject matter to language, but these films are united in their lasting impact on the cinematic art form. Whether bound for awards glory ordestined to become a cult classic, each of these films is a contender for lasting historical significance. Many screenings will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker.

Organized by MoMA’s Department of Film.

MoMA SPONSORSHIP:

Film at MoMA is made possible by CHANEL.

Additional support is provided by the Annual Film Fund. Leadership support for the Annual Film Fund is provided by Debra and Leon D. Black, with major funding from The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art, The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art, Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder, the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), and The Young Patrons Council of The Museum of Modern Art.