Fresh off the wildly successful grand opening of the Portland Art Museum’s campus expansion and renovation in November, PAM CUT is putting the final piece in place, bringing film back to the newly renovated Whitsell Auditorium. PAM CUT @ The Whitsell Auditorium is a reimagined cinematic destination at the heart of the Museum featuring exhibition-style programming that showcases work by local and global artists, filmmakers, and culturemakers past and present.

The inaugural series, Maximalist Dreamscapes, draws inspiration from Marco Brambilla’s exhibition of the same name just outside the Whitsell on level 0 of the Museum. The films don’t just show us what is—they construct alternate possibilities, expand our perception of the world, and open portals to entirely new dimensions.

Curated collaboratively by Amy Dotson, PAM CUT Director and PAM Curator, Film & New Media, and PAM CUT Head of Programming, Joanna Sokolowski, along with creative guest programmers polymath Carrie Brownstein, multi-faceted director Lance Bangs, fashion expert Looks on Screen, writer and content creator Remy Solomon, actor and content creator Michele Venlee, and artists and partners in conjunction with the Portland Art Museum’s new Black Art and Experiences Gallery. Inaugural partners include Criterion, which will be sharing giveaways of iconic films from its Collection and access to the Criterion Channel throughout the opening series.

We asked Amy and Joanna to share more about the inspiration for PAM CUT @ The Whitsell.

“PAM CUT’s Whitsell reopening is more than a launch - it’s an invitation to visit Portland’s new home for cinematic inspiration in a space that celebrates film as a vital art form with a capital A! Sharing cinematic visions new and old, PAM CUT @ The Whitsell Auditorium continues our mission to redefine how audiences experience media arts and storytelling. We invite you to join us to collectively dream, to reflect, and to help us move media art and culture forward into a tomorrow full of possibility.”

— Amy Dotson, Director of PAM CUT and Curator, Film & New Media, Portland Art Museum

“We are thrilled to open our doors and welcome film audiences back to the Portland Art Museum! Our film series have been thoughtfully considered to deepen our conversations with the art around us and the world we inhabit. At a time when so many are in need of grounding connection, we hope the re-imagined theater is a space where folks can gather, be in community, laugh, cry, reconnect with old favorites, or discover something wholly new.”

— Joanna Sokolowski, PAM CUT Head of Programming

HOW TO

Screenings every Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave., level 0 

Film only: $15 | Film for PAM members:  $10 | Film plus PAM admission ticket (adult): $35

Get tickets

UPCOMING

January 24, 2 p.m. – The Substance (2024), Directed by Coralie Fargeat

January 25, 2 p.m. – The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), Guest programmed by Looks on Screen, Directed by Peter Greenaway

January 31, 2 p.m. – The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), Directed by Luis Buñuel

February 1, 2 p.m. – Daisies (1966), Guest programmed by Remy Solomon, Directed by Věra Chytilová

February 7, 2 p.m. – The Holy Mountain (1973), Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky

February 8, 2 p.m. – Mulholland Drive (2001), Directed by David Lynch

February 14, 2 p.m. – Paprika (2006), Guest Programmed by Remy Solomon, Directed by Satoshi Kon

February 15, 2 p.m. – Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Guest programmed by Lance Bangs, Directed by George Miller

February 21, 2 p.m. – Inception (2010), Directed by Christopher Nolan

February 22, 2 p.m. – Amadeus (1984) – 4k restoration, Guest programmed by Carrie Brownstein, Directed by Miloš Forman

February 28, 2 p.m. – Black Orpheus (1959), Guest programmed by artists and partners in conjunction with PAM’s Black Art and Experience Gallery, Directed by Marcel Camus

March 1, 2  p.m. – Brazil (1985) – 4k restoration, Directed by Terry Gilliam

March 7, 2 p.m. – Sorcerer (1977) – 4k restoration, Directed by William Friedkin

March 8, 2 p.m. – Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), Directed by Paul Schrader