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Watch more than 130 movies from around the world at the Queens World Film Festival

QWFF
Photo courtesy of QWFF

The seventh annual Queens World Film Festival (QWFF), kicking off with a party tonight, is screening 135 films from 35 countries.

Opening night was scheduled to take place on the evening of Tuesday, March 14, but the screening was canceled due to snow. However, the opening night party will still be taking place on March 14 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Armondo’s Italian Restaurant in Jackson Heights, according to the Queens World Film Festival website.

Opening night tickets will be honored at one of the following screenings, all taking place at the Redstone Theater at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in Astoria:

  1. “Daughters of the Dust” (Wednesday, March 15, at 7 p.m.)
  2. “Scumbag” (Saturday, March 18, at 8 p.m.)
  3. The Queens Corner block of films (Sunday, March 19, at 4:30 p.m.)

This year, the festival is honoring Queens native Julie Dash with the 2017 Spirit of Queens Award for her “outstanding contribution to cinema,” according to organizers.

Dash, a Long Island City native, produced, wrote and directed “Daughters of the Dust,” the first full-length feature film by an African-American woman with general theatrical release in the United States. The film’s March 15 screening will be followed by a Q&A with Greg Tate.

The festival will take place through March 19 at several theaters, including the Zukor Theater at Kaufman Astoria Studios and the Redstone and Bartos theaters at MoMI.

Films are presented in blocks and are separated by similar themes. There will be four films about the undocumented immigrant experience, four films that will chronicle stories about people with challenging mental health conditions, LGBT films, animated films and more.

Queens filmmakers will also be highlighted during the Queens Corner block. In total, 23 films from locals will be screened throughout the week, but a number of them will be shown at 4:30 p.m. on March 19 at the Redstone Theater.

Films featuring stars like Macaulay Culkin, Zoe Kravitz and Alia Shawkat will also be screened.

For a full list of films and showtimes, as well as any further weather-related updates, visit the QWFF website.