Regal Cinemas UA Midway, where festival screenings will take place. (Google Maps)
July 10, 2019 Staff Report
A 10-day film festival featuring over 120 films will come to Forest Hills at the beginning of August.
Non-profit Festival of Cinema NYC is returning to Queens for the third successive year. Previously called the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema, this year’s festival will take place in Forest Hills from August 2 to August 11.
Kicking off the festival at 7 p.m. on Friday August 2 will be the East Coast premiere of Camilo Vila’s “5th of July,” which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. The event will take place at Regal Cinemas UA Midway and will be accompanied by a red carpet.
The East Coast premiere of “Quest” by director Santiago Rizzo, which features Lou Diamond Phillips, Dash Mihok and Betsy Brandt, closes the festival on Saturday, August 10.
On Sunday August 11, an awards celebration will be held by Queens Brewery in Ridgewood.
Festival of Cinema NYC has partnered with a number of local institutions, including the Forest Hills branch of the Queens Library and the Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which will both be hosting events at the festival.
The Queens Library will host a variety of free events, including special screenings, presentations and workshops, while the Queens Museum will present work from non-profit organizations Arte East and the Asian American Film Club.
The festival will also be the culmination of a month-long indie filmmaking challenge. Throughout July, 12 filmmaking teams will be developing short films from seven to 10 minutes in length.
On Wednesday, August 7, the films will be screened for the first time at Regal Cinemas UA Midway and judged in competition. Buffalo Wild Wings in Forest Hills will host an afterparty.
In total, the festival will screen 125 films from 40 different countries in the categories of Narrative Features, Documentaries, Short Films, Web Series and Animation, Experimental and Music Videos., selected from a shortlist of 425 films.
Tickets are on sale now and are priced at $16 for regular events and $25 for opening, closing, challenge and red-carpet events.
For more information or to buy tickets, visit http://www.festivalofcinemanyc.com/.
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