Regal UA Midway, 108-22 Queens Blvd. Forest Hills (Queens Post file photo)
July 29, 2022 By Michael Dorgan
A 10-day film festival will return to Forest Hills next week with a lineup of more than 120 films.
The event, called Festival of Cinema NYC, kicks off Aug. 5 at the Regal UA Midway and will feature independent movies from around the world at the theater through Aug. 13.
The festival will screen movies, documentaries, short films and animations. Twelve world premieres are among the 124 films that will be shown at the decades-old movie theater, located at 108-22 Queens Blvd. The films have been produced in 25 different countries, organizers say.
Cinema-lovers can look forward to movies from Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Denmark, Ireland and many other nations. More than 90 filmmakers are expected to attend the festival, according to organizers.
“This year, we have…worked hard to find amazing films from all over the world to present to our Festival of Cinema NYC film fans, while also celebrating our local filmmakers and the community we call home,” said Jayson Simba, the founder and executive director of Festival of Cinema NYC.
The festival, now in its sixth year, will kick off with the screening of “Black, White and the Greys.” The U.S.-made movie chronicles how a young family is upended when the pandemic strikes and the father loses his job. It also delves into how quarantining affects their relationships.
The festival will kick off with the screening of “Black, White and the Greys.” (Photo: provided by Festival of Cinema NYC)
Other highlights include the documentary “Sign the Show” which draws attention to the lack of equal access to entertainment for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. The documentary includes interviews with over 50 artists, including Kelly Clarkson, D.L. Hughley, Waka Flocka Flame, DJ Whoo Kid, and André 3000.
There is also a thriller called Aamal, which is about a woman chained to a pickup truck and abandoned in the California desert — with a gun as her only apparent means of escape.
The comedy-drama Relative will close out screenings on Aug. 13. The movie explores how time, love, family reunions and online proclivities test its various characters. The film features actress Wendy Robie — who is known for her role as Nadine Hurley in the television series Twin Peaks — and Francis Guinan, who has featured in a host of shows in Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater for more than 40 years.
The comedy-drama Relative will close out screenings on Aug. 13 (Photo: provided by Festival of Cinema NYC)
An award ceremony at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, located at 161-04 Jamaica Ave., will wrap up the festival on Aug. 14. There will be awards in 17 categories up for grabs.
The festival will also include a program of short film screenings, seminars and special guest speakers at the Queens Library. All of the events at the library will be free to attend.
The seminars will cover film industry topics such as film distribution and new approaches to promoting independent films in the media. There will also be a discussion about diversity in the industry and LGBT issues.
Tickets to the Festival of Cinema cost $17 for a block of daily screenings. Opening and closing nights are $30 and include entry into the after-parties following those screenings.
Tickets can be purchased by clicking on this link. For more information on the festival visit http://www.festivalofcinemanyc.com/.
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