M+ Cinema summer edition

M+ Cinema presents a summer season of unforgettable classics, audience favourites, and playful encounters. On the Grand Stair, Stair in the Dark—Big Leap Forward celebrates American actress Kirsten Dunst with three landmark films from her stellar career. Art at the Stair presents Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests (1963–1966) alongside his durational film Sleep (1963), inviting audiences to a late-night ‘slow cinema’ experience. Encore! Stair in the Dark Favourites highlights previous popular titles Trainspotting (1996), Twilight (2008), Belladonna of Sadness (1973), and American Psycho (2000), this time screening in the M+ Cinema. Rediscoveries showcases two landmark films: Jaws (1975) by Steven Spielberg and Raging Bull (1980) by Martin Scorsese. The fourth ASEAN Film Festival also returns this summer with a programmatic focus on the role of music and sound in Southeast Asian cinema through screenings, talks, and a listening session. 

Stair in the Dark continues to focus on filmmakers and performers who take bold leaps into the unknown. This edition spotlights three watershed moments in American actress Kirsten Dunst’s illustrious career: her early breakthrough in Interview with the Vampire (1994) by Neil Jordan, her defining role in Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides (1999), and her award-winning performance in Lars von Trier’s Melancholia (2011). Together, these films showcase Dunst’s enduring influence and her seamless shifts between genres and sensibilities.

Art at the Stair presents ten Screen Tests (1963–1966) by leading American Pop artist Andy Warhol. The works transform stillness and duration into compelling cinematic experiences, featuring filmed portraits of artists, poets, actors, and musicians, such as Salvador Dalí, Bob Dylan, Marcel Duchamp, and John Giorno. The series will be presented at the Grand Stair during museum opening hours. Across six Friday nights, audiences are invited to bring pillows and sleeping bags to rest alongside Warhol’s Sleep (1963), a five-hour film that captures poet John Giorno asleep, challenging conventional ideas of narrative, attention, and filmmaking. This Art at the Stair presentation coincides with the exhibition Dial-A-Poem Hong Kong, featuring the latest international edition of Giorno’s groundbreaking work.

Marking the fourth year of Stair in the Dark, M+ presents Encore! Stair in the Dark Favourites, bringing back four beloved titles for special screenings at M+ Cinema: Trainspotting (1996) by Danny Boyle, Twilight (2008) by Catherine Hardwicke, Belladonna of Sadness (1973) by Eiichi Yamamoto, and American Psycho (2000) by Mary Harron. The programme offers audiences a rare opportunity to revisit these iconic films in the cinema.

Rediscoveries will feature Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975), widely regarded as the film that established the modern summer blockbuster, and Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull (1980), a powerful black-and-white exploration of violence and self-destruction. Together, these films examine primal instincts and reaffirm the enduring impact of cinema.

Finally, M+ is proud to co-present the fourth edition of the ASEAN Film Festival with the Hong Kong-ASEAN Foundation. This year’s programme emphasises the integral role of music and sound in shaping Southeast Asian cinema culture, while also foregrounding new voices. Programme highlights include Usmar Ismail’s Lewat Djam Malam (After the Curfew) (1954), a monument of Indonesian film history, alongside a diverse selection of restored classics and contemporary short films where song and music transcend atmosphere to drive modern storytelling.