The Matrix (1999)
Cyberpunk, a subgenre of science fiction, first appeared in the early 1980s and uniquely captured the anxieties of that decade. Featuring near-future scenarios set in worlds that resemble our own, cyberpunk stories juxtapose technological advances with social upheaval, ecological crisis, and urban decay. Central to these narratives are rebellious characters who fight against corrupt political systems, technology gone haywire, and global mega-corporations. Many draw from a vast body of 20th-century literature, comics, and manga, and the familiar yet fantastic settings of cyberpunk lend themselves to social commentary. Some filmmakers featured in this series use cyberpunk themes to center the perspectives of marginalized peoples and imagine more liberated futures. In doing so, they criticize existing inequalities and power structures, subverting legacies of oppression, colonization, and displacement. This series was programmed to accompany the museum’s exhibition Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema . CYBERPUNK: ENVISIONING POSSIBLE FUTURES THROUGH CINEMA is curated by Doris Berger, vice president of curatorial affairs, with Nicholas Barlow and Emily Rauber Rodriguez, assistant curators, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. CYBERPUNK: ENVISIONING POSSIBLE FUTURES THROUGH CINEMA is among more than 70 exhibitions and programs presented as part of PST ART. PST ART is presented by the Getty. For more information about PST ART: ART & SCIENCE COLLIDE, please visit pst.art. Programmed by K.J. Relth-Miller. Notes by Patrick Lowry and K.J. Relth-Miller adapted from CYBERPUNK exhibition texts. LIMITED SERIES CYBERPUNK: ENVISIONING POSSIBLE FUTURES THROUGH CINEMA JAN 2–FEB 15, 2025
Strange Days in 35mm Thu, Jan 2 | 7:30pm | DGT
Videodrome (Director’s Cut) in 4K Fri, Jan 3 | 7:30pm | DGT In person: David Cronenberg In David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, amoral TV station president Max Renn, on a constant quest to find boundary-pushing new content, is exposed to hyper- violent imagery via an illicit broadcast channel. Instantly enamored, he becomes obsessed with finding its source. As he watches more and delves deeper into the underground world that controls the footage, his sense of reality begins to warp and disturbing hallucinations manifest in the flesh. Is Renn losing his mind or experiencing the next step in human and technological coevolution? Cronenberg’s graphic body-horror is on full display as he explores the melding of technology and human biology. DIRECTED/WRITTEN BY: David Cronenberg. WITH: James Woods, Sonja Smits, Deborah Harry, Peter Dvorsky. 1983. 89 min. USA. Color. English. Not rated. 4K DCP.
Strange Days , which was set in the near future at the time of its production, takes place at the turn of the last millennium in a city on the verge of social upheaval. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow ( The Hurt Locker ), the film was inspired by the tumultuous social and political events of the 1990s, especially the 1992 Los Angeles uprising following the Rodney King verdict. Strange Days hurls headlong into themes of social unrest and questions about immersive technology. Its bold statements seem shockingly prescient today, which has no doubt led to the film’s ardent appreciation and recent surge in fandom. DIRECTED BY: Kathryn Bigelow. WRITTEN BY: James Cameron, Jay Cocks. WITH: Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore. 1995. 145 min. USA. Color. Scope. English. Rated R. 35mm.
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