The 13th Annual Queens World Film Festival is right around the corner with 152 films from 19 nations screening at the Museum of the Moving Image and Kaufman Astoria Studios.
The exciting part is that 67 of those filmmakers are from NYC with 28 from QUEENS.
Below are the films by people from Queens:
DOSE: Episode 1 Psilocybin “Ghost In The Mushroom” Faced with the trauma of losing his wife fashion maven Jeremy (Dominic Bogart) finds himself on the edge of a total psychotic break. He risks his sanity with a dangerous dose of psilocybin in an experimental psychedelic-assisted therapy session. PETER P CLARK (Hunters Point) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/dose-episode-1- psilocybin-ghost-in-the-mushroom/
Passenger Seat A young Pakistani girl from Queens NY finds her relationship to her father shifting as his taxi business starts to decline with the rise of ride-share apps. Neha Gautam (Woodside) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/passenger-seat/
Blood is Thicker Two sisters living in completely different worlds reconnect over a meal. A mother suffering dementia pulls them back home but before they can return the trauma of their past must be addressed. Melissa Skirboll (LIC) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/blood-is-thicker/
Brown Sugar On her 12th birthday Rue is questioning beauty standards. This is a snapshot of a confident girl who feels compromised by her lack of authority in her own life. Along the way she finds her voice. Ruhi Radke (LIC) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/brown-sugar/
While Mortals Sleep What do angels do at night? And why did God create the world? A juxtaposition of Lutheran doctrine with Jewish mysticism (Kabala) reveals the crossroads of humans and the other world. Natalia ‘Saw Lady’ Paruz (Astoria) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/while-mortalssleep/
Jules Jules takes place over the course of an evening as a teenager struggles to cope with her mom’s manic episode. After years of experiencing her mom’s mental illness our main character Tara must figure out where to put the anger she feels. Jenny Ward (Astoria) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/jules/
Twink Time at Barbizon An urban pastoral for non-normative gender explorers to experience a queer poetics inspired by the outdoor optical and sensorial pleasures of the Barbizon school of French painting. Patricia Silva (Astoria) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/twink-time-atbarbizon/
Under Construction examines the work of 15 visual artists who find inspiration amidst rapidly changing urban landscapes. Neighborhood enclaves once home to particular groups of people manufacturing industries and warehouses have been razed and replaced by high-rise luxury condominiums and completely transformed our sense of place. Nancy Gesimondo Natalia Stevenson (Sunnyside) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/under-construction/
A Ramble Towards Rain A terminally ill cable TV star drafts a fantasy novel as a desperate attempt to leave behind a legacy of significance. As cancer spreads throughout his body the characters he creates and the relationship he forges with them leads him to come to terms with his insecurities and regrets. Lisa Angell (Astoria) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/a-ramble-towardsrain/
Cheery Up Baby! “Cheery Up Baby!” is one woman’s fight to cope with the hardest parts of life through the power of dance gratitude cheeriness and the color pink! Michel Dominguez Beddome Michael R Dominguez Beddome (Astoria) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/cheery-up-baby/
Always Already Starring Cara Buono (“Stranger Things” “Mad Men” “The Sopranos”) the film takes viewers on a journey through the complexities of the human experience. Shot almost entirely on 16mm film it creates a unique cinematic experience that blurs the lines between fiction and reality to explore the intricate and changing nature of identity. Ken Sackheim (Astoria) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/alwaysalready/
Curbside Composting The NYC Curbside Composting Program has expanded to Queens! Have you heard of it? This is a kids-eye-view encouraging you to start composting. The Veggie Nuggets (Jackson Heights Astoria) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/curbsidecomposting/
Lobe Yourself Alone with her wine as the clock ticks towards New Year’s 21-yearold Gracie navigates coming-of-age while her roommate’s flawless life feels outof- range. Danielle Cummings (Astoria) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/lobeyourself/
Your Blue Heart While Lito waits for his son he takes his pills reads the newspaper tidies his apartment but Rey does not appear. Lito irons his clothes but Rey doesn’t appear. Lito goes to Rey’s room and encounters his son as a small boy the present fades away and they make peace with what happened between them. Don Castro (Astoria) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/your-blueheart/
Birdhouse A curious young boy and his family arrive at an AirBnb filled with whimsical and haunting birdhouses. Birdhouse explores the fine line between fear and bravery and the price paid for curiosity. This intimate film captures how one boy silences fear and leans into the adventure in front of him. Jesca Prudencio (Astoria) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/birdhouse/
…in darkness there is light A handmade portrait of an elevated subway burial in the immigrant communities of Queens (NY). A meditation on presence in absence told through an American haiku structure. Celluloid and subway tracks merge through emotional color abstractions for which “hungry ghosts” find transcendence. Daniel Maldonado (Astoria) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/indarkness- there-is-light/
(re)collection An autobiographical stop motion animation James O’Connor (Bayside) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/recollection/
The Dark Forest To honor his late father Martin Del Carpio delivers a personal carefully veiled fabric of emotions with dreamlike beauty. The imagery is the result of a tight-knit collaboration between writer / director Del Carpio and DoP / editor William Murray with Dan Shaked’s ruminative voice-over and M. Nomized’s haunting score. Martin Del Carpio (Flushing) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/the-darkforest/
How To Power A City Climate impact is worsening every year. Devastating storms air pollution sacrifice zones and fossil fuel price hikes are the new normal. We know the problems of a fossil fuel economy. HOW TO POWER A CITY is a front-row seat to finding solutions and measures of environmental justice. Melanie LaRosa (Jackson Heights) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/how-topower- a-city/
S.P.I.C. JOHNNY is a 12-yearold Latino boy whose mom an undocumented immigrant has been arrested by I.C.E. She needs an immigration lawyer but a good lawyer costs $5K. EMILIO Johnny’s dad must consider working for ÁLVARO a drug dealer within his illegal drug enterprise. Heidi Miami Marshall (Elmhurst) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/s-p-i-c/
The Sound of Southside In a rapidly gentrifying Queens NYC Maliki a young Jazz musician sets out to continue his father’s legacy and reopen his famous Jazz club along the way he meets Afeni a passionate actress from Jamaica. When Maliki secretly accepts an ill-advised donation from a local philanthropist he finds himself in a web of corruption and deceit. Tyrel Hunt (Jamaica) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/the-soundof- southside/
Ambrosia When Bobbi brings her girlfriend Lily to her mother’s funeral her sister Joanne insists their mother would have been offended by her sister’s bisexuality. When Bobbi reveals that their mother in fact knew and accepted that Bobbi was bi Joanne is forced to face her own beliefs and bias. Amy Northup (Arverne) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/ambrosia/
Necessary Evil Adapted from the bestselling novel “Necessary Evil” by Kareem (INF) Hayes this tale of violence and brotherhood comes to life. After escaping the grip of street life Jamaal embraces metaphysics and finds his footing as a black entrepreneur with his guiding light Samaya at his side. But the past refuses to die. Jamal Hodge (Rockaway) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/necessaryevil/
Sucker Two Chinese-American brothers are navigating through their day in their hometown of Flushing Queens. When Andy loses his job he is confronted with the realities of caretaking for his brother and must decide if his hopes for an ideal future are worth sacrificing to provide a better life for his little brother. Deni Cheng (Flushing) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/sucker/
Highway Nowhere After losing my job in the travel industry I took long walks through old LIC which brought me to the neighborhood of Blissville located between the LIE Old Calvary Cemetery and Newtown Creek. I did some research and found that residents from the neighboring town Laurel Hill had been forced out when the city demolished their homes to connect the LIE and BQE. It reminded me of what George Carlin said: “It’s called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.” Charles A. Jimenez queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/highwaynowhere/
An Occurrence A distant culturallymixed family attempts a ceremonial day together. Lifelong emotions surface through small gestures while the world around them keeps changing and carries on. Dien Vo (Glendale) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/anoccurrence/
Exit Interview Fresh off 90 days of no contact Makeba and Che’s post-breakup dinner brings waves of emotions as they navigate their unresolved feelings towards each other and the past. Victorious De Costa (Elmont) queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/exitinterview/
Una Carta a Mis Hijas An undocumented mother living in NYC struggles with her pursuit of the American dream as she writes a letter to the children she left back home. JT Doran Flushing queensworldfilmfestival.org/films/una-cartaa- mis-hijas/
For a listing and descriptions of all the films, visit queensworldfilmfestival.org/2024-queens-world-film-festival-film-blocs/
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