In the city’s most international borough, it only seems fitting that Queens be the site for a film festival celebrating a range of cultures from across the globe.
On Wednesday evenings in July and August, Socrates Sculpture Park, in collaboration with the American Museum of the Moving Image and Partnerships for Parks, will present the fifth annual international festival of open air cinema, music, dance and food.
Visitors to the park will be able to sample regional cuisine from neighborhood restaurants, picnic on the grass as the sun sets over the city, enjoy performances by local musicians and dancers, and, as the sky darkens, see exceptional international films on a large-format screen, all set against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline.
Pre-screening performances begin at 7 p.m., and films will begin at sunset. All performances and screenings take place in the park and admission is free. In the event of rain, screenings will be held at 8 p.m. at the American Museum of the Moving Image, 35th Avenue at 36th Street in Astoria.
July 9 — Italy
The Bicycle Thief, 1947, 90 minutes. Not rated.
Directed by Vittorio DeSica.
A father and son search for a stolen bicycle in this universal, yet historically specific classic of Italian neorealism.
July 16 — Senegal
Faat-Kiné, 2000, 118 minutes. Not rated.
Directed by Ousmane Sembène.
A contemporary story set in Dakar, Faat-Kiné explores postcolonial tensions between modernity and African cultural traditions through the story of Kiné, whose rise from gas station attendant to owner is a tribute to the “everyday heroism of African women.” Presented in partnership with the Museum for African Art.
July 23 — Brazil
Two Summers, 2002, 75 minutes. Not rated.
Directed by Jorge Furtado.
A coming of age dramatic comedy chronicling the lives of several teenagers who meet and form relationships over the course of two summers spent on the beach in southern Brazil.
Presented in conjunction with Premiere Brazil!, a collaborative program of The Museum of Modern Art’s Department of Film and Media, The Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival and the Brazilian Film Festival of Miami. This screening is produced in partnership with Cinema Tropical.
July 30 — Taiwan
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000, 119 minutes. Rated PG-13.
Directed by Ang Lee.
Based on a pre-World War II novel, this film brings together romance, period drama, epic storytelling, and spectacular Hong Kong-style action sequences.
Aug. 6 — Argentina
Nine Queens, 2001, 115 minutes. Rated R.
Directed by Fabián Bielinsky.
This thriller about two con artists and a beautiful woman is a dazzling house of games set in Buenos Aires amid Argentina’s economic crisis.
Aug. 13 — India
Monsoon Wedding, 2001, 114 minutes. Rated R.
Directed by Mira Nair.
A high-strung father tries to plan his daughter’s arranged marriage, but chaos and cultural clashes break out in a film that blends independent film-making and Bollywood exuberance.
Aug. 20 — Yugoslavia
Black Cat, White Cat, 1998, 129 minutes. Rated R.
Directed by Emir Kusturica.
A wedding brings together two gypsy patriarchs and their unruly families in this boisterous and wildly carnivalesque comedy.
Aug. 27 — Greece
Landscape in the Mist, 1988, 126 minutes. Not Rated.
Directed by Theo Angelopoulos.
Two children search for their father in a visually spellbinding story that poetically evokes Greek history.
This program is made possible through the the Kaplan Foundation.
For additional information about the park, event performers, or participating restaurants, call Lisa Gold at 718-956-1819 or send an e-mail to info@socratessculpturepark.org.
