Perspective Film Series:
Perspective Film Series: Godzilla (1954), dir. Ishirō Honda
September 20
5:30 PM | Dome Theatre
The 1954 classic Gojira (Godzilla) is a haunting, allegorical horror film in which American nuclear testing awakens and mutates a prehistoric sea creature, unleashing destruction on Tokyo. Beyond its terrifying spectacle, the film explores the consequences of humanity’s technological hubris, the ethical dilemmas of scientific discovery, and the lingering fears of nuclear devastation, reflecting postwar anxieties in a society grappling with the power – and peril – of atomic energy.
Country: Japan
96 minutes, in Japanese with English subtitles
Disclaimer: This film contains some difficult subject matter, including violence and nudity, which may be triggering for some viewers.
FREE for members. Non-members: $10—your ticket to this screening includes admission to Contemporary Calgary. Our galleries are open from 12-5 PM for viewing prior to attending the program.
About Perspective Film Series
Curated by associate curator Muriel N. Kahwagi, the 2026 edition of Perspective is conceived as a sustained meditation on disaster in its broadest and most resonant terms. While ecological catastrophe remains a central point of reference, the series extends beyond literal scenarios of environmental collapse or speculative visions of planetary ruin, approaching disaster as a condition that permeates both collective structures and private lives, unfolding across social, political, and emotional terrains. In this sense, disaster is understood not only as a single event, but as an ongoing state – slow, uneven, and often normalized through systems of power, habit, and belief. The films in this series examine how moments of crisis reshape perception and behaviour, revealing fractures in meaning, and reflecting on the ways in which hope may persist long after the moment of rupture has passed.
About the Curator
Muriel N. Kahwagi ((she/her)) is a writer and curator, working primarily across publishing and programming. Her research is centered on the politics of collecting and archiving the performative; and the act of listening as a form of preservation in and of itself. In 2023, she was the TD Curatorial Fellow at Art Windsor-Essex, and a curator as part of Vtape’s Curatorial Incubator, v.19. She is currently the Assistant Curator at Contemporary Calgary, and a programmer at the Toronto Arab Film Festival.
