Starting Thursday, May 9 - Sunday, May 12, the American Museum of Natural History invites you to explore humanity not only through its halls, but via the Margaret Mead Film Festival. The four days of festival will present storytelling, documentary films, and live performances. Tickets for opening night, individual screenings, and a weekend pass are available with discounts for Museum members. Entrance to the festival is on the 77th Street side of the building between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue.
The festival kicks off Thursday with a performance by Soundtrack '63 and a complimentary welcome toast following. The Opening Night film is SUGARCANE on Friday night.
Playing throughout the festival is a four part documentary series All Day - ICE COLD: The Untold Story of Hip Hop Jewelry. The series is an "exploration of one of rap music's most elaborate forms of personal expression — jewelry. ICE COLD delves deeply into the cultural significance and craftsmanship behind hip hop jewelry, exploring its evolution from a symbol of status to a form of self-expression. In celebration of the Museum's opening of Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery within the Museum's new Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals."
Saturday, the festival will have a shorts family-friendly film set that will be free to attend with museum admission. Sunday, the films Above and Below the Ground and 23 Mile will tackle political issues of the day. The festival concludes with The Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award and the Audience Award.