“Everyone Deserves to be Heard!” / It’s Time to Listen.
The Queens World Film Festival has maintained a strong global presence since the initial days of the pandemic when we were the first in the world to offer the entire festival online in response to the pandemic on March 19, 2020.
Now, on the anniversary of that day, Queens World invites you to attend a free gathering to celebrate messages of Hope and Resilience at a public screening of The Listening Tour.
March 19, 7:30 PM
The Local: 1302 44th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
“Everyone deserves to be heard. We have a platform, and we are using it to bring unheard voices forward,” says Artistic Director/Executive Producer Donald Preston Cato who also teaches at the Digital Film Academy. “Everyone has a story.”
Queens World engages interns from Reelworks and John Jay College to help gather small groups of people together to record their thoughts on hope and resilience. Queens World sought out Queens’ residents, small business owners, facilities and maintenance staff, young students and others to make space for them to speak.
There are 9 short videos finished and scores more in the pipeline featuring community members of all ages, background and interests.
“Making art is hopeful, telling your story is healing, and recognizing that every human being has lived experiences establishes equity. We hope for a world with more ease between us all, more space for imagining, listening, and hoping.” said Katha Cato,
Queens World is building a library for the videos on their website and can be seen here https://queensworldfilmfestival.org/queens-world-listening-tour/. When finished, the entire library will be archived in the Queens Memory Project (www.queensmemory.org) so that future generations may know how we felt, what we thought and how we learned to listen.
The short videos are here: https://queensworldfilmfestival.org/queens-world-listening-tour/.
For more information contact: kcato@queensworldfilmfestival.com.
Submissions for the 12th Annual Queens World Film Festival will open in May via FilmFreeway.com and the festival is returning to Queens Theatre, the Local, MoMI and other venues in Queens. The 12th Queens World Film Festival is set to run Nov 1 – 5, 2022
In 2021, Queens World integrated the theme of HOPE across their programming. Using HOPE as the acronym for Healing Opportunities Promote Equity the 11th Annual event featured films that revealed an increased concern for the weakest among us, expressing the yearning for connection that has been deprived us all throughout the quarantine.
According to Katha “Queens World is all about HOPE and features maverick filmmakers of all orientation, ethnicities, countries, and cultures. We are committed to making sure creative expression and a passion for truth is alive and well in Queens. This is a tough time on and for our planet. Now is the time to hold up a mirror to show us who we are, what we have done, and who we can be.”
In addition to the annual festival, Queens World includes year-round screening opportunities for festival alumni, special events to bring the Indie film community together, industry networking events, and an educational initiative for youth and seniors.
In 2021, Queens World was supported by Festival Sponsors including Investors Bank, Kaufman Astoria Studios, Queens Council on the Arts, Queens Economic Development Corporation, Resorts World, with several hotels in Queens offering discounts to the visiting filmmakers and their guests – including the Paper Factory.
Media sponsors included PIX11, Queens Chronicle and Schneps Communication. Queens World is made possible in part with funds from the Decentralization Program, a re-grant program at the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Both are administered by the Queens Council on the Arts.
The Queens World Film Festival is a program of the Queens World Film Initiative, Inc., a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization.