You are reading

10th Queens World Film Festival To Be Streamed Online for Free

Queens World Film Festival (Image: Facebook).

March 17, 2020 By Michael Dorgan

Organizers of the Queens World Film Festival have announced the event will go ahead this week and will be live-streamed over the Internet.

The event – which kicks off Thursday, March 19 – will screen over 200 films from 32 nations after receiving submissions from almost 800 moviemakers across the globe. The films will be available to watch for free.

Organizers have made a last-minute deal with online streaming platform DISCOVERED.TV to ensure the festival’s 10th anniversary will take place despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The opening night will go ahead as scheduled on Thursday from 7 p.m. and will feature six short movies by filmmakers from Iran to Brooklyn under the theme, Tales of Connectedness, which seeks to demonstrate human connectivity.

Moviegoers can watch screenings from the comfort of their homes via the DISCOVERED.TV website link here. On Saturday all the remaining movies planned for the festival will be uploaded and free to watch on-demand.

The festival was originally going to take place at the Museum of the Moving Image, located at 36-01 35th Ave. But as restrictions on public gatherings took hold due to the coronavirus, organizers decided to move the entire event online as opposed to postpone it.

“We’ve been working on this since July 1, 2019, and we wanted everyone in the borough to be so proud of our tenth showing and we were on course to have an incredible experience. People were coming from all over the world to be here including Finland, Russia, Italy, Chile and Brazil,” said QWFF Executive Director Katha Cato.

Moving the festival online ensures important topics discussed in the films are still shown to the public.

“In these times of crisis, it is even more important that we gather around the humanity provided in film,” Cato added.

The decision also means nominations and awards can also be announced as planned on the festival’s original closing day, March 29.

Twenty-four of the movies that will be shown have been produced by Queens residents; 26 from Brooklynites; and 10 have been made from children in QWFF’s education program.

There are 84 movies produced by women that will be shown and 43 screenings from Asian filmmakers.

Movies will be uploaded into thematic groups online, in line with the festival’s original programming, according to Cato.

Themes include Women’s Voices, Twisted Love Stories, and Kid’s Corner with three segments dedicated to LGBTQ issues.

“We literally have something for everyone,” said QWFF Artistic Director Don Cato.

“Expect to be delighted by cinematic treasures presented in thematic blocks from filmmakers residing from all over the globe—yet all engaged in similar conversations,” he added.

email the author: [email protected]
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Maspeth man charged with manslaughter in hit-and-run death of 3-year-old Flushing boy: DA

A Maspeth man was criminally charged with manslaughter in the death of a 3-year-old boy in Flushing last week, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Ton Dec. 7.

Kevin Gomez, 20, of 60th Road, is accused of hitting the child with his car and dragging him approximately 10 feet before driving away. Gomez is charged on a 14-count indictment for manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, assault and other crimes.

“New York’s Funniest Stand-Up” with Matt Koff

Dec. 6, 2023 by Jill Carvajal

The “New York’s Funniest Stand-Up” competition recently celebrated its 15th year as part of the annual New York Comedy Festival both founded by Caroline Hirsch of Caroline’s on Broadway. New York’s Funniest and previous winners have gone on to become some of the biggest names in comedy.

CB 7 votes to approve phase two of development plan that would bring NYCFC soccer stadium, affordable housing to Willets Point

Community Board 7 (CB 7) on Dec. 4 voted overwhelmingly to approve phase two of the Willets Point Revitalization Plan that will bring 2,500 units of 100% affordable housing — the city’s biggest affordable housing community since the 1980s — a 650-seat public elementary school, a 250-room hotel and a 25,000 soccer stadium as the new home for the New York City Football Club, on what was known as the Iron Triangle across Tom Seaver Way from Citi Field.