Adrienne Mancia on the occasion of receiving the San Francisco International Film Festival Mel Novikoff Award in 1998. SOURCE: MOMA.

On the occasion of the current “In Memoriam” film exhibition at MoMA from November 1st to December 22nd, entitled Modern Matinees: In Celebration of Adrienne Mancia, GME would like to pay special tribute to Mancia, who was a cherished colleague and friend of ours. This series features 27 films and filmmakers that Mancia championed, including work from Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, India, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Russia, and the United States. Jon Gartenberg of GME conferred with MoMA curator Ron Magliozzi, providing suggestions of films to show in this series, based on the archive of Mancia’s writings; he will also introduce three programs in Adrienne’s honor.

Adrienne Mancia (1927—2022) was undoubtedly, for decades, the most pre-eminent curator of film exhibitions from a global perspective. Her career at MoMA spanned thirty-five years (from 1964 to 1998), during which time her eclectic programming tastes and interest in all genres of cinema — documentaries, animation, experimental, independent, and fiction films from all corners of the globe — brought international attention to emerging filmmakers as well as significant moving image works from prior eras of film history. She was quoted in 1987 in New York’s Daily News as saying, “To discover people who have new ways of saying things with film is thrilling… It keeps the idea alive that there are still surprises out there.”

Jon Gartenberg with Adrienne Mancia at the Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy, ca. 2010.

Over the course of her career at MoMA, Adrienne would spend weeks at a time delving into historic films in foreign archives as well as discovering contemporary movies at film festivals around the world. Upon her return to New York City, she would organize extensive programs of films in MoMA’s theaters that she was eager to share with the public. As this was before the age of videotape, the internet, and niche movie channels, the recognition for the films that she curated at MoMA garnered an outsized importance in terms of New York film culture and beyond.

Adrienne Mancia was a major bridge between the creation of cinematic works and the process of curation. Her mentoring went far, wide, and deep; she exerted a lasting influence on careers of a generation of filmmakers, distributors, curators, programmers, and other film professionals. Ron Magliozzi once wrote: “If only a little of Adrienne’s unmatched passion for cinema rubbed off on you, it was enough to fuel your career.”

On both a professional and personal level, Adrienne Mancia was a pillar of integrity and inspiration. She set a high bar that other programmers and film professionals aspired to emulate. She cultivated a spirit of collaboration, rather than competition. She was open and generous, earthy and unpretentious. She demonstrated to us all that character is the most important quality in an individual’s work and personal life, and this is what we believe that she would most want to be remembered by.

Mancia in repose, wearing her signature blazer. Photo Credit: Gartenberg Media Enterprises.

Ahead of MoMA’s tribute, you can read Karl McCool’s interview with MoMA curator Ron Magliozzi regarding Adrienne’s career and legacy — including her close connection with Jon Gartenberg — which was published yesterday (October 31st, 2023) on Screen Slate.