Summer Fridays: the Museum is open until 10:00 p.m. every Friday this summer! Mon Amour café will also remain open, serving a new menu of snacks, drinks, and other beverages, with a new Courtyard kiosk, too!

This June, the Museum presents a wide array of special programs—many with free admission—including an annual Juneteenth celebration, special book and film events, Pride Month programs, and a robust slate of summer movies, many of them part of See It Big: Stunts, which continues through June 15. The month also features live performances, from drag-queen concerts to Laura Splan’s Cryptic Lineages art-and-science performance (June 13), and more.

As part of Open Worlds free community programming, the Museum will present Creature Feature: The Science of Monster Movies and Community Filmmaking, on June 8, anchored by a panel of storytellers comparing fictional beasts with their real-life counterparts, accompanied by a Community Animation Project and screening of Ridley Scott’s 1979 horror classic Alien (ticket required). Then on Thursday, June 19, the Museum will present its annual Celebrate Juneteenth event, honoring the national holiday recognizing the end of slavery in the United States. This year, in partnership with the Louis Armstrong House Museum, the event will focus on the legacy of musician Louis Armstrong and will feature a gallery scavenger hunt, live music and dance performances, a family workshop, and themed activities in the Museum’s Media Game Lab, and a screening of the 1961 film Paris Blues, which features Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier and performances by Armstrong, followed by a discussion led by historian Hyland Harris.

This Pride Month (after a lively kick off this past Saturday with NYC Gaymers and a free afternoon of tabletop gaming, video games, and panel discussions, accompanied by performances), the Museum will present screenings, talks, and performances! On June 13, MoMI will host Fight for Your Right to Party, a Pride Month concert event highlighting voting rights, featuring a variety of performances by members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The Museum will also present Father’s Day weekend screenings of The Birdcage with special guests Carrie Courogen, author of the Elaine May biography Miss May Does Not Exist, and book signing on June 14 and star Nathan Lane in person on June 15! On June 22, MoMI will screen Vincente Minnelli’s 1956 drama Tea and Sympathy, followed by a discussion with MoMI Senior Curator of Film Michael Koresky about his new book Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness, and book signing. And, on June 20, see Sabbath Queen, Sandi DuBowski’s documentary about Amichai Lau-Lavie, an Israeli descended from an unbroken line of 38 rabbis stretching back a thousand years and a gay man who uses performance art to challenge patriarchal orthodoxy; Dubowski will appear in person for a post-film discussion moderated by filmmaker Danielle Durchslag.

For a complete schedule of June 2025, click here for a month view of our Calendar.

Also, with our newly extended late Friday nights, our Friday Date Night promotion becomes extra special. This $50 pass includes admission for two guests, plus a complimentary coffee or drink (for two) at Mon Amour café—featuring a new spring menu—a discount on the popular Museum flipbook, and the option of attending the evening screening.

Among film series, See It Big: Stunts continues through June 15. And we just announced three major summer series: the 22-film retrospective Tom Cruise, Above and Beyond, which captures the full range of his charismatic star performances from the 1980s to present; our annual See It Big: 70mm! summer festival, with Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as its centerpiece; and the weekly Summer Saturdays with Dolby Atmos, featuring a wide-ranging selection of films, from science fiction to musicals, to demonstrate the spectacular audio and visual upgrades to its Sumner M. Redstone Theater.

Highlighted programs are listed below. Additional programs may be added as they are confirmed.

Beyond the Premiere: Creating a Global Lifecycle for XR Projects
Panel discussion followed by reception
Friday, June 6, 6:00 p.m.
This panel discussion gathers producers and strategists from Taiwan’s thriving XR ecosystem to explore what it takes to extend the life cycle of virtual reality projects through international partnerships, curatorial collaborations, and emerging distribution models. Panelists include Chin-Hsuan SUNG, Producer, The Man Who Couldn’t Leave; Uilin WANG, Producer, Dora—two works that are currently on view at the Museum in the exhibition Portals of Solitude: Virtual Realities from Taiwan—and Rae Yen, Content & Culture Technology Senior Manager, TAICCA.

FREE COMMUNITY EVENT
THING+YOU Performance
Saturday, June 7, 12:00–5:00 p.m.
In conjunction with our exhibition, is this thing on?, the Museum will host an all-day, hybrid in-person and livestreamed interactive event with artists Christiphor Clary, Sarah Rothberg, Bhavik Singh, and Molly Soda, taking place throughout the Museum’s ground floor and online via thing.tube. Part of Open Worlds.

Alien
Saturday, June 7, 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 8, 1:00 p.m.
Dir. Ridley Scott. 1979, 117 mins. U.S. DCP. With Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt. Ridley Scott’s elegant creep-show, a gut-wrenching, atmospheric blend of horror and sci-fi, transported the haunted-house genre to outer space. Part of Science on Screen.

FREE COMMUNITY PROGRAM
Creature Feature: The Science of Monster Movies and Community Filmmaking
Sunday, June 8, 12:00–6:00 p.m.
Join us for live storytelling about the weird and wonderful creatures in monster movies and real biology (3:00–4:30). A paleontologist contrasts the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park to their feathered, paleontologically accurate—and much scarier—real-life counterparts. This afternoon also features a community animation project (12:00–6:00 p.m.): visitors are invited to color animation cels for a scientifically correct monster movie. The final collaborative short films will be shared on the Museum’s social channels following the event. Part of Open Worlds: Science. Free admission. This program is supported by the Simons Foundation.

FREE COMMUNITY PROGRAM
Fight for Your Right to Party
Friday, June 13, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
In celebration of Pride Month and the right to vote, this concert event will feature a variety of performances by members of the LGBTQIA+ community, including drag queen Freeda Kulo, musician Jerome Jordan, and rapper Audry Funk with DJ Kaykay47. Sunnyside Community Services will be available to answer any questions about the voting process. Please note the Museum is an early voting site for the 2025 Primary Elections in New York City. Part of Open Worlds 2025.

Reframe: Cryptic Lineages, a performance by Laura Splan
Friday, June 13, 7:00 p.m.
Laura Splan’s live screening performance explores the convergence of biology and digital computation through the concept of reservoir computing—a framework that harnesses the natural dynamics of biological forms, such as water or bacterial colonies, to process information. Laura Splan is a New York City–based artist working at the intersections of Science, Technology, and Culture. Free with RSVP.

The Birdcage
June 14: Introduced by Carrie Courogen, author of the Elaine May biography Miss May Does Not Exist, and followed by a book signing
June 15: with star Nathan Lane in person
Dir. Mike Nichols. 1996, 117 mins. U.S. DCP. With Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest. The legendary team of director Mike Nichols and writer Elaine May reunited for this smash adaptation of the French farce La Cage aux Folles, starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.

FREE COMMUNITY PROGRAM
Celebrate Juneteenth 2025
Thursday, June 19, 12:00–6:00 p.m.
The Museum will honor Juneteenth, a holiday which commemorates the official end of slavery in Galveston, Texas, with a day of eclectic programming for all ages, spotlighting the legacy of the great Black American musician Louis Armstrong. Activities include a gallery scavenger hunt, dance performances by community partner Edge School of the Arts and music by The Entrfied Band, a workshop organized by the Louis Armstrong House Museum, themed activities in the Museum’s Media Game Lab, a screening of Paris Blues (ticket purchase rewuired), starring Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman, and Louis Armstrong followed by a discussion led by historian Hyland Harris. Access to the galleries is free 2:00–6:00 p.m.

Paris Blues
Thursday, June 19, 4:00 p.m.
Dir. Martin Ritt. 1961, 98 mins. U.S. 35mm. With Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, Louis Armstrong, Diahann Carroll, Joanne Woodward. Set amidst the jazz scene in 1960s Paris, this film follows two musicians—trombonist and aspiring composer Ram Bowen (Paul Newman) and saxophonist Eddie Scott (Sidney Poitier)—who dream of success as they play nightclubs and hone their craft. June 19 screening followed by a conversation with Louis Armstrong House Museum Historian Hyland Harris about Louis Armstrong’s film performances, featuring a presentation of archival materials. Also showing Saturday, June 21, 1:00 p.m.

Sabbath Queen
Followed by discussion with director Sandi DuBowski moderated by filmmaker Danielle Durchslag
Friday, June 20, 6:30 p.m.
Dir. Sandi DuBowski. 2025, 105 mins. U.S. DCP. Shot over the course of 21 years, Sandi DuBowski’s documentary follows Amichai Lau-Lavie, an Israeli descended from an unbroken line of 38 rabbis stretching back a thousand years. Powerful, funny, and beautifully shot, Sabbath Queen confronts complex questions about the embodiment of contemporary Judaism. Part of New Adventures in Nonfiction.

The Muppets Take Manhattan
Introduced by Craig Shemin, president of the Jim Henson Legacy, featuring special behind-the-scenes footage
Saturday, June 21, 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 22, 1:00 p.m.
Dir. Frank Oz. U.S., 1984, 94 mins. DCP. With Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Steve Whitmire. When the Muppets’ college revue is a big hit, they decide to take the show all the way to Broadway. Adjusting to the hustle and bustle of New York City, Kermit takes a job at a local restaurant while he searches for a producer. Introduced by Craig Shemin, president of the Jim Henson Legacy, featuring special behind-the-scenes footage.

Tea and Sympathy
Followed by discussion with Michael Koresky and book signing
Sunday, June 22, 3:30 p.m.
Dir. Vincente Minnelli. 1956, 122 mins. U.S. 35mm. With Deborah Kerr, John Kerr, Leif Erickson, Darryl Hickman, Norma Crane. Vincente Minnelli’s sensitive and multilayered 1956 adaptation of Robert Anderson’s Broadway hit about a mild-mannered boarding school student mercilessly mistreated for his possible homosexuality created a storm of controversy. Followed by a discussion with MoMI’s Senior Curator of Film Michael Koresky, and a signing of his new book Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness.