Monk in Pieces

Opens Friday, July 25, 2025

Special Events

  • Thu Jul 24 : 

    Sneak Preview + Q&A with Meredith Monk & dir. Billy Shebar moderated by John Schaefer at 6:45

    Sold Out
  • Fri Jul 25 : 

    Q&A with Meredith Monk & dir. Billy Shebar moderated by Nadia Sirota at 6:45

    Buy Tickets

SHOWTIMES AT IFC CENTER

Thursday, July 24 at 6:45 p.m.: Sneak Preview + Q&A with Meredith Monk and director Billy Shebar moderated by WNYC’s John Schaefer after the show

Friday, July 25 at 6:45 p.m.: Q&A with Meredith Monk and director Billy Shebar moderated by Nadia Sirota

Meredith Monk – composer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist – is one of the great artistic pioneers of our time, yet her profound cultural influence is largely unrecognized. With Monk’s music at its center, and featuring interviews with Björk and David Byrne, MONK IN PIECES is a mosaic that mirrors the structure of Monk’s own work, and illuminates her wildly original vocabulary of sound and imagery.

As a female artist in the male-dominated downtown arts scene of the 1960s and ‘70s, Monk had to fight for recognition and resources. Early reviews in The New York Times were vicious and sexist: “A disgrace to the name of dancing,” wrote Clive Barnes, and “so earnestly strange in a talented little-girl way,” wrote John Rockwell. Yet as her celebrated contemporary, Philip Glass, says, “she, among all of us, was – and still is – the uniquely gifted one.”

Official Selection: Berlin International Film Festival

A Zeitgeist Films release in association with Kino Lorber.


Theatrical engagement starts July 25th! Additional showtimes for the week of July 25-31 to be announced.

  • Country USA, Germany, France
  • Running Time 95 minutes
  • Format DCP
  • Distributor Zeitgeist Films
  • Director Billy Shebar, David Roberts
  • Cast Meredith Monk, Bjork, David Byrne, John Schaefer, Ping Chong, Joanna Lynn-Jacobs, Lanny Harrison, Julia Wolfe
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.