Rewind & Play

MMoCA’s Rooftop Cinema series brighten's State Street’s night sky as the museum screens art films for four Thursdays this month. The final week brings Rewind & Play, which combines rediscovered film of a 1969 performance by musical giant Thelonious Monk, along with some previously cut portions of a contemporary French television interview. Bring your own chair or blanket; water and snacks will be sold on-site (no carry-ins). Films begin about 20 minutes after sunset and it’s recommended attendees find their seats by 8:10 p.m. More info at mmoca.org.

media release: Bring a friend, bring a blanket or camp chairs, and prepare yourself for an evening of independent films and videos under the stars. Rooftop Cinema returns to the Museum’s Rooftop Sculpture Garden each Thursday this August for its eighteenth season. Films begin at sundown, approximately 20 minutes after sunset.

Rooftop Cinema is $7 per screening/free for MMoCA members (including the free membership tier Friends of MMoCA) and ages 18 and younger. Tickets told at 7:30 PM in the MMoCA Lobby the night of the film screening. Screenings relocate to the Lecture Hall if rain is predicted.

Recently discovered footage of Thelonious Monk from late 1969 provides new insight to his music and career in two significant ways. First, rarely seen performance footage reminds us of his musical genius. Second, deleted footage from an interview on French television clearly illustrates how Monk had to deal with casual racism throughout his life despite his acclaim as a musician.

“A minor masterwork of historical investigation and a fervent tribute to the epochally great musician… Monk’s solo performances [are] spectacular.” –Richard Brody, The New Yorker

“With Gomis’s arrangement of footage, viewers bear witness to Monk as he subtly challenges his interlocutor… and ultimately Monk’s effortlessly innovative compositions.” –Anthony Hawley, Hyperallergic

Watch the trailer and learn more about the film at Grasshopper Films’ website.