There’s no arguing that the best bagels and pizza that America offers are in NYC, but The Big Apple is also known for the many Film Festivals it hosts annually throughout the boroughs. You’ve probably attended at least one film at some point at De Niro’s prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, or maybe seen a flick or two at the New York Asian Film Festival. My favorite festival coincides with my favorite time of the year, that being the Halloween season with the long running NYC Horror Film Festival in early November and also the newer Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, started in 2016. 

Adding to the list of Film Festivals in the 5-boroughs is the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.  Now in it’s second year it takes place from August 3rd to the 12th. It was founded by three local independent filmmakers with a passion to get movies made. Wanting to expand the reach of artists’ work and recognizing the challenge of the visibility of independent film, their aim is to establish a presence in and spread awareness of cinematic creativity throughout Kew Gardens, Queens and the neighboring communities. This year it is taking place at the UA Midway in Forest Hills.

Kicking off their 2nd year, Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema has partnered with Queens Museum to bring A Midsummer Night’s Feast: A Celebration of Food, Art, and Cinema. This spectacular one night event takes place inside the Queens Museum on Tuesday night, July 31st from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm and will feature over 30 food vendors from Queens and other parts of NYC. Tickets can be purchased through EventBrite at https://bit.ly/2Mm6k28 . 

This year’s Festival includes nearly 110 films (out of over 350 submissions) from 23 countries including the US, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, South Africa, Turkey and more in the categories of Narrative Features, Documentaries, Short Films, Animation, Experimental & Music Video and Web Series.

I’m gonna beat the heat and stay cool checking out a few of their films.  Hope you’ll join me! 

For more information and to purchase tickets for the Festival visit www.kewgardensfestivalofcinema.com . 

– Michael Kim Riegelman