Museum of the Moving Image is pleased to announce the complete lineup for the 15th edition of First Look, the Museum’s festival of new and innovative international cinema, which will take place over two weekends from April 23–May 3, 2026. Each year, First Look offers a diverse slate of major New York premieres, discussions and panels, and fresh perspectives on the art and process of filmmaking.
“In this, First Look’s fifteenth edition, we are excited to bring some fresh perspectives and ideas to the festival, and the idiosyncratic and utterly independent artists behind our opening and closing night films, James N. Kienitz Wilkins and Isabel Sandoval, are the perfect representations of the adventurous ethos of First Look,” said Michael Koresky, MoMI’s Senior Curator of Film and head programmer of First Look. “It’s also been such a pleasure to work with an expanded number of programmers, whose perspectives and voices shine through these films and have created a wonderful, democratic selection process. This year, we are pleased to offer titles from an array of genres, from horror to documentary to romance to films from a crop of ‘new cult’ filmmakers.”
Tickets & Passes are now on sale at movingimage.org/series/firstlook2026
MoMI celebrates the history, art, technology, and future of the moving image in all of its forms. Located in Astoria, New York, the Museum presents exhibitions; screenings; discussion programs featuring actors, directors, and creative leaders; and education programs. It houses the nation’s most comprehensive collection of moving image artifacts and screens over 500 films annually. Its exhibitions—including the core exhibition Behind the Screen and The Jim Henson Exhibition—are noted for their integration of material objects, interactive experiences, and audiovisual presentations.