Image via Queens World Film Festival on Facebook
March 13, 2018 By Tara Law
Features and short films made by Queens filmmakers will grace the silver screen alongside movies from around the world at the 8th annual Queens World Film Festival in Astoria this month.
The festival will take place from March 15 to 25 at Kaufman Astoria Studios (34-12 36th St.) and the Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Ave). Narratives, documentaries and animated works will be screened and the festival will include a number of special events.
More than 30 of the festival films were made by Queens filmmakers, including a Long Island City filmmaker as well as nine from Astoria, six from Jackson Heights and Elmhurst and three from Sunnyside.
“Do You Want to Buy Some Cookies?” by LIC director Tomas Griffin will screen at the Museum of the Moving Image as part of the “Family Friendly” series, March 24 starting at 3 p.m. The short film centers on a determined girl scout selling cookies and a stressed out guy she meets on her route.
Seven short films will be featured on the “Queens Corner” themed evening, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. on March 25 at the Museum of the Moving Image’s Redstone Theater (scroll to bottom of page for theme tickets).
“Queens Corner” kicks off with “Oatmeal,” directed by Alessia Gatti and written by Kew Gardens resident Martha Frances Williams. The film follows a woman who rediscovers the joy in life after reuniting with a childhood friend.
The film will be followed by a showing of “Violetta,” by Jackson Heights director Aaron Lehmann. The short film depicts a voyeuristic young woman who pushes back against a difficult home life.
“Tom and the Domme,” created by Sunnyside filmmaker Keith Marlin, is a dark comedy about intimacy, experimentation and compatibility between a long-term couple.
The day’s lineup will also include “Rudy’s Hobby Shop,” a five-minute documentary created by Astoria filmmaker Jason Guzman, which profiles the Astoria store Rudy’s Hobby & Art and its owner, Marvin Cochran.
Sunnyside director Kate Marks will also show a film during the “Queens Corner” block. The short film “Miracle Maker” depicts a 12-year-old vacuum cleaner salesman’s assistant, who travels to the desert to visit a person who can deliver miracles.
Other themed days during the Queens World Film Festival include “Young and Out: LGBTQ Friday,” which starts at 6 p.m. at Kaufman Astoria Studios on March 16.
“Iran Mon Amour,” which will feature three examples of Iranian underground cinema, will take place at the Museum of the Moving Image on March 18 at 1:45 p.m.
“Family Friendly,” which will feature eight PG films appropriate for all ages, will take place on March 24 at 3 p.m. at the Museum of the Moving Image (scroll to bottom of page for theme tickets).
Single program tickets for the festival are $15. Festival passes for 10 tickets are $100, or 20 for $200.
Festival passes are available online at Brown Paper Tickets.
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One Comment
Thank you, LIC Post, for the mention. As the LIC filmmaker in question in this article, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Queens World Film Festival organizers for a well-run event. Any newbie filmmakers in the New York/tri-state area and indeed worldwide looking for a festival to submit to, should seriously consider the QWFF as a perfect starting point. Plenty of chances for networking, schmoozing and generating publicity for your creation! Highly recommended! Tom Griffin, Director of “Do You Want To Buy Some Cookies?” short film. http://www.KickBlue22.com