The Flaherty Film Seminar at 70 JUNE 19 – 26, 2025

The Museum of Modern Art announces The Flaherty Film Seminar at 70 from June 19 – 26, 2025.

Established in 1954, the Flaherty Film Seminar was among the first events of its kind: an annual gathering where filmmakers, curators, students, and documentary enthusiasts alike could convene to watch films old and new and discuss new directions in nonfiction cinema. In its early years, it routinely combined the newest works of cinéma vérité, newsreels, socially and politically minded independent productions from around the world, and films from the American avant-garde. Over the decades, the seminar has evolved to embrace developments in the documentary field and, while operating largely outside of the industry, has introduced North American audiences to some of the most significant artists and filmmakers of our time. Today, the Flaherty Film Seminar remains a vital exhibition platform for international nonfiction cinema and moving-image art, as well as a forum for dialogue and debate surrounding the medium’s form and function.

MoMA will mark the Seminar’s 70th year in two parts. First, we present this concise selection of films that have screened at past seminars—a robust exhibition history that has featured several generations of MoMA film curators, including Willard Van Dyke, Adrienne Mancia, William Sloan, Jytte Jensen, and Sally Berger, as guest programmers or advisors. On June 26, the Museum will host the opening night of ONWARD!, the 70th Flaherty Film Seminar, which is being held in New York City for the first time. The opening screening program will not be announced in advance, in keeping with the seminar’s tradition.

Public tickets to the June 26 opening night will be available through MoMA; for seminar registration and other details, please visit theflaherty.org.