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Immigrant Nation: People in Transit
July 03, 2026 – September 10, 2026
The Museum of Modern Art
Moving people have always produced moving images. As collective efforts, films, like our daily lives, emerge from multiple cultures, languages, and origins—they are the result of an incessant flow of personal exchanges. Unsurprisingly, immigration is a recurring theme in cinema, reflecting the colossal efforts people make to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to find happiness and freedom—or to sacrifice their own for the benefit of others.
Immigration was at the heart of the country’s evolution and transformation even before the founding of the United States 250 years ago. The pursuit of a dream—the American Dream—and the hope for a better future has come to define the lives of millions of people. This series highlights the illusions and disillusions of that dream: utopia and harsh reality, opportunity and mistrust, wealth and hardship.
While the films in this series focuses on immigrants’ experiences in—and journeys to—the US, Immigrant Nation also looks abroad to capture the global nature of movement across borders. In the communal space of the theater, we discover a common thread: a universal longing for acceptance and dignity that transcends national boundaries, and the hope that people in transit will see future generations lead better lives.
Please refer to the screening schedule here.
Organized by Francisco Valente, Curatorial Associate, Department of Film.
Film at MoMA is made possible by CHANEL.
Additional support is provided by the Annual Film Fund. Leadership support for the Annual Film Fund is provided by The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art, Agnes Gund through The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art, the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), and The Young Patrons Council of The Museum of Modern Art.
Images
A Drowning Man. 2017. Denmark/United Kingdom/Greece. Directed by Mahdi Fleifel. Courtesy the filmmaker
Afrique sur Seine. 1955. France. Directed by Mamadou Sarr, Paulin Soumanou Vieyra. Courtesy PSV-Films
Al otro lado (To the Other Side). 2005. Mexico. Directed by Natalia Almada. Courtesy Icarus Films
Alamo Bay. 1985. USA. Directed by Louis Malle. Courtesy TriStar/Photofest
Ali au pays des merveilles (Ali in Wonderland). 1975. France. Directed by Djouhra Abouda, Alain Bonnamy. Courtesy Talitha
Alyam, Alyam. 1978. Morocco. Directed by Ahmed El Maanouni. Courtesy Janus Films
America, America. 1963. USA. Directed by Elia Kazan. Courtesy Park Circus/Warner Bros.
An American Romance. 1944. USA. Directed by King Vidor. Courtesy Deutsche Kinemathek
Angst essen Seele auf (Ali: Fear Eats the Soul). 1974. West Germany. Directed by Rainer W. Fassbinder. Courtesy Janus Films
Atlantique (Atlantics). 2018. France/Senegal/Belgium. Directed by Mati Diop. Courtesy Netflix
Bittersweet Survival. 1982. USA. Directed by Christine Choy. Courtesy Third World Newsreel
Bushman. 1971. USA. Directed by David Schickele. Courtesy Kino Lorber
Chan is Missing. 1982. USA. Directed by Wayne Wang. Courtesy Strand Releasing
Chicana. 1979. USA. Directed by Sylvia Morales. Courtesy Women Make Movies
De l’autre côté (From the Other Side). 2012. France/Belgium/Australia/Finland. Directed by Chantal Akerman. Courtesy Icarus Films
Diario inacabado (Unfinished Diary). 1982. Chile. Directed by Marilú Mallet. Courtesy Women Make Movies
El Otro Lado. 1978. USA. Directed by Danny Lyon. Courtesy Rebecca Lyon.
Elefsina Notre Amour. 2023. Greece. Directed by Mahdi Fleifel. Courtesy the filmmaker
Emigrants [i.e. Immigrants] landing at Ellis Island. 1903. USA. Directed by Thomas A. Edison, Inc. Courtesy Library of Congress
First Cow. 2019. USA. Directed by Kelly Reichardt. Courtesy A24
Four Sons. 1928. USA. Directed by John Ford. Courtesy Criterion Pictures/Anuvu
From Spikes to Spindles. 1976. USA. Directed by Christine Choy. Courtesy Third World Newsreel
Ghost Tropic. 2019. Belgium. Directed by Bas Devos. Courtesy The Cinema Guild
Heaven’s Gate. 1980. USA. Directed by Michael Cimino. Courtesy Park Circus/Amazon MGM
Hester Street. 1975. USA. Directed by Joan Micklin Silver. Courtesy Cohen Film Collection
Hope. 2014. France. Directed by Boris Lojkine. Courtesy Pyramide Films
Il cammino della speranza (The Path of Hope). 1950. Italy. Directed by Pietro Germi. Courtesy Cristaldi Film
In Jackson Heights. 2015. USA. Directed by Frederick Wiseman. Courtesy Zipporah Films
Inventur – Metzstrasse 11 (Inventory). 1975. West Germany. Directed by Želimir Žilnik. Courtesy the filmmaker
Italianamerican. 1974. USA. Directed by Martin Scorsese. Courtesy Janus Films
Ixcanul. 2015. Guatemala/France. Directed by Jayro Bustamante. Courtesy Kino Lorber
La noire de… (Black Girl). 1963. France/Senegal. Directed by Ousmane Sembène. Courtesy Janus Films
La permanence (On Call). 2016. France. Directed by Alice Diop. Courtesy Athénaïse
Le Havre. 2011. Finland/France/Germany. Directed by Aki Kaurismäki. Courtesy Janus Films
Lingua Franca. 2019. USA/Philippines. Directed by Isabel Sandoval. Courtesy Array Releasing.
Little Odessa. 1994. USA. Directed by James Gray. Courtesy Swank
Making an American Citizen. 1912. USA. Directed by Alice Guy Blaché. Courtesy Flicker Alley
Man Push Cart. 2005. USA. Directed by Ramin Bahrani. Courtesy the filmmaker
Me Broni Ba (My White Baby). 2009. Ghana/USA. Directed by Akosua Adoma Owusu. Courtesy Akosua Adoma Owusu
Measures of a Distance. 1988. Canada/UK. Directed by Mona Hatoum. Courtesy Video Data Bank
Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno. 2017. France/Italy. Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche. Courtesy Pathé/The Festival Agency
Mississippi Masala. 1991. USA. Directed by Mira Nair. Courtesy Janus Films
Mississippi Triangle. 1984. USA. Directed by Christine Choy, Worth Long, Allan Siegel. Courtesy Third World Newsreel
My Beautiful Laundrette. 1985. UK. Directed by Stephen Frears. Courtesy Park Circus/Film Four
Nationalité immigré (Nationality: Immigrant). 1976. France/Mauritania. Directed by Sidney Sokhona. Courtesy Talitha
Nybyggarna (The New Land). 1972. Sweden. Directed by Jan Troell. Courtesy Swedish Film Institute
Pushing Hands. 1991. Taiwan/USA. Directed by Ang Lee. Courtesy Film Movement
Salt of the Earth. 1954. USA. Directed by Herbert Biberman. Courtesy The Museum of Modern Art Film Stills Archive, New York
Soleil Ô (Oh, Sun!). 1967. Mauritania/France. Directed by Med Hondo. Courtesy Janus Films
Statue of Liberty. 1898. USA. Directed by Thomas A. Edison, Inc. Courtesy Library of Congress
Stranger Than Paradise. 1984. USA. Directed by Jim Jarmusch. Courtesy Janus Films
Stroszek. 1977. West Germany. Directed by Werner Herzog. Courtesy American Genre Film Archive
Take Out. 2004. USA. Directed by Sean Baker, Shih-Ching Tsou. Courtesy Janus Films
The Exiles. 1961. USA. Directed by Kent MacKenzie. Courtesy Kino Lorber
The Face Behind the Mask. 1941. USA. Directed by Robert Florey. Courtesy Columbia Pictures/Photofest
The Godfather: Part II. 1974. USA. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Courtesy Paramount Pictures
The Illegal Immigrant. 1985. Hong Kong. Directed by Mabel Cheung. Courtesy Celestial Pictures
The Immigrant. 1917. USA. Directed by Charlie Chaplin. Courtesy Flicker Alley
Toni. 1935. France. Directed by Jean Renoir. Courtesy Janus Films
Touki Bouki. 1973. Senegal. Directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty. Courtesy Janus Films
Transit. 2018. Germany. Directed by Christian Petzold. Courtesy Music Box Films
Utvandrarna (The Emigrants). 1971. Sweden. Directed by Jan Troell. Courtesy Swedish Film Institute
Waalo Fendo (là où la terre gèle) (Waalo Fendo – Where the Earth Freezes). 1997. Switzerland. Directed by Mohammed Soudani. Courtesy Cinémathèque Suisse & Amka Films
We Were So Beloved. 1985. USA. Directed by Manfred Kirchheimer. Courtesy of the filmmaker
Wesh wesh, qu’est-ce qui se passe ? (Wesh, Wesh, What’s Happening?). 2001. France. Directed by Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche. Courtesy Sarrazink Productions
愛在別鄉的季節 (Farewell China). 1990. Hong Kong. Directed by Clara Law. Courtesy Janus Films
甜蜜蜜 (Comrades, Almost a Love Story). 1996. Hong Kong. Directed by Peter Chan. Courtesy Park Circus/Warner Bros.