Marvels of Media Festival Opening Night 2025

Presented by Museum of the Moving Image

Date & Time: Thursday, 3/27/25 from 6:30 to 9:30 PM EST

Location: Redstone Theater,  36-01 35th Avenue in Astoria, Queens, NY 11106

About the Event: Join us to celebrate the outstanding talents of award-winning actor-director Sue Ann Pien (As We See It) with the New York premieres of two short films: Once More, Like Rain Man and Elegy for the Future. The screenings will be followed by a discussion about autistic representation behind and in front of the camera with Sue Ann Pien, actress Bella Zoe Martinez, and director Christina Phensy moderated by filmmaker-playwright Jackson Tucker-Meyer, and preceded by remarks by producer Darren Dean, founder of Marvels of Media Josh Sapan, MoMI’s Executive Director Aziz Isham, MoMI’s Director of Education Leonardo Santana-Zubieta, and Access Consultant Miranda Lee.   

Following the film presentation, guests are invited to the reception and opening of the Marvels of Media Exhibition featuring five experimental films, two virtual reality experiences, and five video games. 

Once More, Like Rain Man 

Dir. Sue Ann Pien. 2024, 15 mins. With Bella Zoe Martinez, Matt Jones, Sue Ann Pien, Sosie Bacon, Tal Anderson, Joe Mantegna. Once More, Like Rain Man presents a “day in the life” of autistic actress Zoe (Martinez), who travels across Los Angeles for auditions only to keep running into the same stereotypical parts. Produced by Darren Dean (The Florida Project, Tangerine), Pien’s directorial debut exposes the restraints of autistic casting and ableism in the film industry. East Coast premiere. Content warning: micro-aggressions, insults 

Elegy for the Future  

Dir. Christina Phensy. 2024, 14 mins. With Sue Ann Pien, Jordan Hull, Arden Lassalle, Anna Mongeluzo. In an alternate technocratic future, digital sex worker Sybil (Pien) struggles to find meaning in an isolated world. Everything changes when she meets Ophelia, an AI created from a once living being. As Sybil navigates different levels of relationships among clients, friends, and a mysterious new lover, viewers are invited to question what it means to engage with a screen. East Coast premiere.

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