Film Festival coming to Jackson Heights

Scheduled for three dates in the fall, the Jackson Heights Film Festival kicked off its fundraising and promotion campaign with an event held at Novo Restaurant in Jackson Heights.
Proceeds from the event, held on Saturday, July 8, went towards the festival, which will be held on Thursday, September 14, Thursday, October 12, and Thursday, November 9 at the Native Roots Theater, at 82-22 Northern Boulevard.
Featuring high-quality international short films and a smorgasbord of food, the festival will highlight different cultures and ethnicities of Jackson Heights residents, who do not always interact with one another, through the universal themes within the movies. Following the films - which explore a variety of topics including love, immigration, family, and civil liberties - audience members will be able to participate in a discussion with a panel of directors, actors and community leaders. Local restaurants will provide food for the festival dates, and each event will conclude with a party with live music and entertainment.
The festival is the brainchild of the New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), which partnered with the Jackson Heights Parents Association, the Brooklyn International Film Festival, Cinema Tropical, and a large number of community members in Western Queens, to start &#8220the 7 International Arts Express,” the three-day festival. The Queens Courier is a corporate sponsor of the Festival that organizers hope will become an annual event and be the first of many programs aimed at exploring local diversity.