Organizer Information
MONO NO AWARE is a 501(c)(3) cinema-arts nonprofit organization and film-positive community based in Brooklyn, NY, working to promote connectivity through the cinematic experience. Founded in 2007, the organization began as an exhibition of expanded cinema presenting works that blended live film projection with live sound or performance, motivated partly by a rejection of the growing isolation of device-based streaming and a commitment to shared, in-person cinematic experience. The annual festival of expanded cinema now draws an audience of nearly 4,000, with dozens of international artists exhibiting works that incorporate Super 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, or altered light projections as part of a live performance or installation. Beyond the festival, MONO NO AWARE runs analogue filmmaking workshops, monthly artist screenings, equipment rentals, film stock sales, a library of cinema books and technical manuals, and dry/wet lab and editing facilities for motion picture film. The organization is led by founder and Executive Director Steve Cossman, supported by a board of directors and an advisory board drawn from the experimental film and archival community.
Title & Description
MONO NO AWARE XX (20th Anniversary Program) — Call for Entries: Expanded Cinema
This is the open call for the 20th anniversary edition of MONO NO AWARE, the organization's biennial exhibition of expanded cinema. The call invites submissions of installation, single/dual/multiple-channel durational projection, and performance art that incorporates the moving image on Super 8mm, 16mm, or 35mm film, or as an altered light projection. The exhibition takes place over multiple nights in New York City, with selected works presented as part of the festival's program. Submitting requires the ability to attend and present the work in person, since the event centers on live projection and performance rather than passive screening.
Categories
- Video/Film
- Performance
- Installation
- New Media
- Multimedia
- Curatorial
Eligibility
- Open internationally to any artist or group of artists working in expanded cinema, installation, or performance incorporating Super 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, or altered light projection
- No digital video works are eligible
- Applicants must be able to attend and present their work in person in New York City
Program Benefits & Awards
- Selected works are exhibited as part of the MONO NO AWARE XX festival program in New York City, December 2–13, 2026
- No cash prizes stated in the source
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 15 October 2026
- Notification of submission status: 1 November 2026
- Event dates: December 2–13, 2026
Location
New York City, United States
Additional Details
This year's call for entries image is a still from "Thames Path," a 16mm film by London-based experimental filmmaker Adrian Cousins, whose work explores custom developing processes to create films of everyday subjects with estranged color palettes; the featured piece uses developers made from Oakmoss, Chaparral, and Woad to produce two-color images on black-and-white high-contrast film stock.