Lucas Museum Unveils Inaugural Film Program at San Diego Comic-Con Ahead of September Opening
By Richard Ren | LAPost
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (July 23, 2026) — Less than two months before opening its doors to the public, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art unveiled its inaugural Film Program during a Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, highlighting cinema as both a storytelling medium and an evolving visual art form.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 23: (L-R) Keke Palmer, Senior Curator and Head of Film Programs, Lucas Museum Ryan Linkof, co-founders of Stoopid Buddy Stoodios Matthew Senreich and Seth Green, and DC’s President, Publisher, and CCO Jim Lee attend “Inside the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art” at San Diego Comic-Con International 2026 at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art )
The announcement was made during a panel featuring Ryan Linkof, Senior Curator and Head of Film Programs at the Lucas Museum; Seth Green and Matthew Senreich of Stoopid Buddy Studios; Jim Lee, President, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC; and actress and producer Keke Palmer, who moderated the discussion.
Designed as a continuous, gallery-style experience rather than a traditional scheduled screening program, the museum’s film offerings will run throughout the day in two dedicated theaters, allowing visitors to enter and exit freely while exploring the museum.
“We are excited to share details of our inaugural Film Program,” said Tracey Bates, CEO of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. “George Lucas named the theaters to honor two innovators of cinema: Robert Flaherty and Slavko Vorkapich. The theaters will be spaces to connect with moving images as one of the most transformative modes of visual storytelling, making the Film Program an essential component of a visit to the Lucas Museum.”
Ryan Linkof said the museum intentionally reimagined how audiences experience films in a museum setting.
“We wanted to offer an alternative to the traditional museum film program and create a dynamic, open-door experience designed for discovery, allowing audiences to encounter cinema as a living, breathing art form at their own pace,” Linkof said. “Our inaugural programming will shed light on the evolution of film form and the creative process more broadly, tracing a direct line from early innovators to the modern masterworks of visual storytelling that shape our culture today.”
Two Theaters, Two Perspectives on Cinema
The museum’s film program is organized around two theaters, each celebrating a distinct aspect of cinematic history.
The Robert Flaherty Theater, named after documentary filmmaking pioneer Robert Flaherty (1884–1951), focuses on cinema’s role in documenting reality, artistic creation, and human experience. Its programming includes documentaries about influential artists and storytellers featured in the museum’s inaugural exhibitions.
Photo from The Lucas Museum
Among the featured works are episodes of the Lucas Museum’s newly commissioned documentary series Seeing is Believing: The Story of Narrative Art, directed by Robin Dashwood; episodes from the acclaimed 2024 television series The Power of Film, created by Howard Suber and directed by Laura Gabbert; documentaries profiling artists including Norman Rockwell, Jim Lee, Charles Schulz, Maurice Sendak, Diego Rivera, J.C. Leyendecker, and Weegee; as well as Comic Book Confidential.
The Slavko Vorkapich Theater, named after legendary montage artist and visual effects innovator Slavko Vorkapich (1894–1976), explores the artistic possibilities of movement, editing, sound, color, and cinematic experimentation. Vorkapich created groundbreaking montage sequences for dozens of Hollywood films during the 1920s through the 1940s and later served as chair of the University of Southern California’s Department of Film from 1948 to 1950, years before George Lucas attended USC.
Programming in the theater spans more than a century of film history, featuring Vorkapich’s celebrated montage sequences, early silent films by Georges Méliès and other pioneers, classic animations by Winsor McCay, experimental works by Man Ray and László Moholy-Nagy, early Walt Disney and Fleischer Studios animations, Looney Tunes, abstract “visual music” films, excerpts from Busby Berkeley musicals, avant-garde films from the 1960s, experimental animation, selections from Cowboy Bebop and Star Wars: Visions, as well as George Lucas’ student films created between 1965 and 1969.
Individual films range from just a few minutes to approximately 90 minutes, enabling guests to experience the screenings at their own pace while exploring the museum.
Museum Opens September 22
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art officially opens on September 22, 2026, in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park. General admission tickets are currently available for visits from opening day through February 2027.
Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum is dedicated to celebrating the universal tradition of storytelling through images. Its collection spans thousands of years—from prehistoric cave paintings and illustrated manuscripts to comic books, photography, paintings, film, animation, and contemporary digital media—highlighting the enduring power of visual narrative across cultures and generations.
The museum is housed in a 300,000-square-foot landmark building designed by architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects in collaboration with Stantec. Surrounding the museum is an 11-acre landscaped campus created by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA, designed as a public green space that extends the museum’s educational mission beyond its galleries.
