Hammer Museum Announces Lineup for “The Contenders,” the first Los Angeles presentation of The Museum of Modern Art’s annual series of the best films of 2014, featuring intimate conversations with actors and filmmakers.

The Hammer Museum reveals the lineup for The Contenders, The Museum of Modern Art’s renowned end-of-the-year film series that offers filmgoers the opportunity to see recently released films that are bound for awards glory or destined to become a cult classic.

See image: Nightcrawler with writer/director Dan Gilroy and actor Rene Russo
 
Presented for the first time in Los Angeles, The Contenders features intimate post-screening conversations with directors and actors.

Selected from major studio releases and top film festivals by curators in MoMA’s Department of Film, selections shown in The Contenders represent the best of mainstream movies, independents, foreign-language films, documentaries, and art-house sensations. Now in its seventh year, the series highlights films that are contenders for lasting historical significance, often with special appearances by directors and actors. Previous guests have included directors Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, 2013), Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty, 2012), and David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, 2012) and actors Jake Gyllenhaal (Prisoners, 2013), Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street, 2013), and Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids, 2011). The exhibition is organized by Rajendra Roy, The Celeste Bartos Chief Curator, and Sean Egan, Producer, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art.

Opening the series at the Hammer on December 8 is Snowpiercer (2014), directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, and Ed Harris. Bong Joon-ho will participate in a post-screening discussion immediately following the film.

Schedule:
Monday, December 8, 7:30pm, Snowpiercer with director Bong Joon-ho (South Korea)
Wednesday, December 10, 7:30pm, Mommy with director Xavier Dolan (Canada)
Tuesday, December 16, 7:30pm, Obvious Child with lead actor Jenny Slate
Thursday, December 18, 7:30pm, Nightcrawler with writer/director Dan Gilroy and actor Rene Russo
Monday, January 5, 7:30pm, The Imitation Game (U.K.)
Tuesday, January 6, 7:30pm, Citizenfour
Wednesday, January 7, 7:30pm, The Theory of Everything with lead actor Eddie Redmayne
Thursday, January 8, 7:30pm, Boyhood with director Richard Linklater
Tuesday, January 13, 7:30pm, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night with director Ana Lily Amirpour (Iran/U.S.)

See image: Boyhood with director Richard Linklater

Tickets $15 general public / $10 for HAMMER PLUS members.
Tickets will be available on site at the Hammer Museum’s Billy Wilder Theater Box Office and online.

What: Film Series
Where: The Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd. (NE corner of Westwood and Wilshire)
When: Dec 8 thru Jan 13 – 7:30 pm
Website: hammer.ucla.edu