You are reading

Queens World Film Festival Returns for Fourth Year

Audience on Opening Night 2013

Feb. 13, 2014 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.

Katha and Don Cato

Katha and Don Cato

The screening will take place at PS 69.

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.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

Astoria doctor sentenced to more than two decades in prison for rape and sexual abuse: DA

An Astoria doctor was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Thursday in Queens Supreme Court for raping unconscious acquaintances and sexually abusing hospital patients.

Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, 35, of Broadway, pleaded guilty on June 30 to four counts of rape in the first degree and three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree in satisfaction of the consolidated indictments against him. He additionally entered an Alford plea to one count of sexual abuse. The defendant — a former gastroenterologist at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital — recorded the abuse of his unconscious victims with his cell phone in both his Astoria apartment and at the hospital.