Audience at opening night 2013
By Michael Florio
The Queens World Film Festival (QWFF), which will showcase more than 100 independent films from across the globe, is coming back for a fourth year.
The film festival will open March 4 at the Museum of Moving Image in Astoria and will run until March 9.
Over the five day period, the event will also take place at two Long Island City venues—the Secret Theatre and the Nesva Hotel—as well as PS 69 in Jackson Heights.
The festival will feature 127 independent films from countries such as Belgium, Iran, India, Spain, Kosovo, Switzerland, Vietnam, the UK and Canada.
In addition, the work of 18 filmmakers from Queens will be screened.
There will be a one-night only screening and world premiere of the director’s cut of the 2014 Academy Award Nominated Documentary “The Act of Killing” directed by UK filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer. The film, which examines a country where death squad leaders are deemed heroes, will be shown on Thursday March 5.
“We are working on skyping with the director [Oppenheimer] at the screening, but he will be with us on closing night,” Katha Cato, the festival director, said.
“We really want all of our staff and everyone to come see this incredible, incredible documentary,” Cato said.
The screening will take place at PS 69.
Katha Cato (left)
The Jackson Heights venue has a capacity of 400 people. The larger films that are believed to have a wider appeal will be screened at PS 69, with the more artistic and edgier films being held at the Long Island City theaters, which are smaller.
Tickets for the festival are now on sale.
Cato has high hopes for the festival going forward.
“Our vision is to bring the world to Queens,” she said. “I see a day in a few short years where you won’t be able to get a hotel in Queens the last week of February and the first week of March cause everyone will be here.”
