Q&As - News - Reviews

Q&As on Friday (10/10), Saturday (10/11) & Sunday (10/12) after the 6:00 PM shows with Director Fred Kuwornu. Exhibited at the Central Pavilion of the 60th Venice Art Biennale, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, We Were Here sheds light on the often-overlooked presence of African and Black individuals in Renaissance Europe, highlighting their depiction in masterpieces by some of the era’s most celebrated artists. How did they come to Europe? Why were they portrayed? Were they truly all servants or slaves? If the Black faces portrayed in these Renaissance masterpieces could speak, what stories would they tell?   This documentary embarks on a long journey through art history, uncovering figures such as Alessandro de’ Medici, Saint Benedict the Moor, Juan de Pareja, Juan Latino, and Ne Vunda the ambassador. Filmed across Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, the UK, the Netherlands, and Brazil, it challenges dominant narratives by revealing a shared history extending into the present day. The film questions contemporary notions of European whiteness and explores the often-denied rights of those labeled “foreigners.” As Stuart Hall stated, “Identity is not as transparent or unproblematic as we think.”

Fri., 10/24 Q&As after 7:00pm show with Director Gabe Polsky, Rev. Patrick McCollum, Academy Award winner, Executive Producer Peter Farrelly, Moderated by Ben McGrath, The New Yorker Sat., 10/25 Q&As after 7:00pm show with Director Gabe Polsky, Rev. Patrick McCollum, Alan Steinfeld, Best-selling Author & Host of New Realities Sun., 10/26 Q&As after 7:00pm show with Cultivating Impact: How Sustainable Agriculture Can Save the World, Moderated by Qiana Mickie   Post Screening Q&As All Week.

Friday, October 10 Q&A after the 7:00pm show with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons. Saturday, October 11 Q&As after the 2:00pm and 7:00pm shows with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons. Sunday, October 12 Q&As after the 2:00pm and 7:00pm shows with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons. Monday, October 13 Q&A after the 7:00pm show with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons. Tuesday, October 14 Q&A after the 7:00pm show with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons. Wednesday, October 15 Q&A after the 7:00pm show with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons. Thursday, October 16 Q&A after the 7:00pm show with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons.

In our current information economy, math is everywhere. The people we date, the news we see, the influence of our votes, the candidates who win elections, the education we have access to, the jobs we get—all of it is underwritten by an invisible layer of math that few of us understand, or even notice. But whether we know it or not, our numeric literacy—whether we can speak the language of math, and how well—is a critical determinant of social and economic power.

A disgraced journalist seeks redemption by interviewing a death row inmate, an enigmatic transgender revolutionary named Shy, uncovering a searing clash of ideology, justice, and identity in a world desperate for moral clarity.

New York Shorts International Film Festival is one of the largest showcases of short films in North America. Featuring a wide spectrum of film genres from emerging to established filmmakers around the world. New York Shorts has become a career stepping stone, establishing a tradition of discovering and promoting filmmakers who have gone on to be Academy Awards Nominees. NY Shorts offers short-form filmmakers an ideal platform to screen their film and gain recognition in the heart of New York City. In 2012 NY Shorts premiered Ricky Gervais ‘Derek”, which became a popular British television show picked up by Netflix. NY Shorts events include receptions, as well as workshops with industry experts and top filmmaking professionals sharing their practical advice to attending filmmakers. The heart of the festival is the quality and scope of extraordinary film programming to enthusiastic audiences in the vibrant filmmaking enclave of New York City. NY Shorts feels that short-form cinema and its creators should have their own premiere film festival in New York deserving similar recognition given to the feature film and its creators.

Q&As on Friday (9/19), Saturday (9/20) & Sunday (9/21) after the 6:30pm shows. Cassie Cole, true crime blogger and Dolly Parton wannabe, is an eccentric southern belle living with her pet parrot, Rainbow, in New York City. Intrigued by the many unsolved murders surrounding her, Cassie becomes an inadvertent witness. When her pet Rainbow is kidnapped by the Russian Mob, Cassie seeks help from the skeptical Detective who had not previously believed her stories, but now knows he must solve her conundrum before she becomes the next victim.

FIDDLER ON THE MOON, a half-hour documentary short, finally answers the question that has plagued scientists, theologians, and comedians for millennia: Will Judaism survive in space? Starring Neil deGrasse Tyson, astronauts Jeffrey Hoffman and Jessica Meir, and a quorum of rabbis and researchers.

This cinema verité documentary feature film tells the story of Alliance for Positive Change and their work to help people living with HIV and other chronic health conditions since 1990. Our film recounts the early days of the HIV epidemic through the voices of people who survived and thrived. We see the work of the organization through its Peer Recovery Education Program (PREP), a training that helps people use their life experiences to help others in their journey to health, recovery and well-being. Follow the 30th year of a PREP class, hear stories and testimonials from past graduates, and see the same graduates from our class pay it forward to help others. Our film is a history of HIV/AIDS, the work of Alliance for Positive Change towards ending the epidemic, and a celebration of untold stories from our diverse communities, including Black/African American, Latinx, and LGBTQ people. The film is an optimistic story of people finding agency amidst systemic inequities—to help themselves and others to Rise Up!