The Brooklyn Museum is under fire today from the Daily News, which is horribly offended by the institution's plans to screen an avant-garde film with a 10-second shot of ants crawling over a crucifix. The tabloid previously flipped its lid over the Museum's graffiti exhibit, so this shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but this is a debate that's staler than communion wafers. more ›

Gather 'round for a night of highbrow art appreciation this Friday at the New York Public Library, which is celebrating the 70th birthday of avant-garde theater director Robert Wilson, with a little help from some of his famous friends. Wilson collaborators like musician/author/elder statesman Lou Reed, operatically inclined singer Rufus Wainwright and dancer/choreographer Lucinda Childs will all be on hand to toast to Wilson's life and works. more ›

If you're going through the hassle of living in overpriced New York City and not bothering to check out Richard Foreman's annual phantasmagoria, you're really missing out. Stepping into the little theater at St. Mark's Church every February is like taking a mental vacation to another dimension. And this year's Gothic baroque extravaganza is more dynamic than the past few years, in which Foreman experimented with film and a more subdued stagecraft. For now at least, he's dropped the film and picked up avant-garde composer John Zorn, who's composed a feral, heavy metal score for the show, with occasional bursts of Tasmanian Devil vocalization. more ›

For thoughts on four other Under the Radar productions (Tim Crouch's site-specific England; Pan Pan Theatre's The Crumb Trail; Kassys's LIGA, 50% reward & 50% punishment; Reggie Watts's Transition) click on the above images. more ›

Drawing on his roots in the fecund 1970s East Village avant-garde film scene, critic J. Hoberman has spent his three decades at the Village Voice introducing readers to the more adventurous cinematic worlds awaiting beyond the realm of Hollywood. He is the author of nine books, most recently The Dream Life: Movies, Media, and the Mythology of the Sixties, which was described by Slate as "an extraordinary publishing event." To commemorate his thirty years at the Voice, BAMcinématek has invited Hoberman to select films that have sparked some of his most stimulating reviews and articles, as well as a few personal favorites. more ›

We've reached the midpoint of this year's 44th annual New York Film Festival but there's still plenty of stellar cinema to come. Here's a few flicks Gothamist has caught that we've loved. more ›

Priscilla Grim, Membership & Advocacy Director AIVF more ›