Socrates Sculpture Park Outdoor Cinema

An international film festival every Wednesday in July and August

Details Date: August 30, 2017 iCal
Start: 7:00 PM
End: 10:00 PM
Socrates Sculpture Park (map)
32-01 Vernon Blvd
Long Island City, NY 11106

Outdoor Cinema 2017 features eight weeks of movies shown under the stars on Wednesday evenings, July 5 through August 30. While our city hosts many outdoor movie series, this festival has always distinguished itself by its critically-acclaimed, international array of titles, each celebrating a different country or culture. This summer’s lineup includes films from Mauritania, Greece, Sweden, Venezuela, Spain, and the USA, among others and were selected through partnerships with Film Forum and Rooftop Films.

The films are presented in their original language with English subtitles. This evening series is intended for an adult audience and is not appropriate for children.

Each evening features regional cuisine from neighboring Queens restaurants and performances by local musicians and dancers that celebrate the culture of the film’s country of origin. Pre-screening performances begin at 7:00pm and films begin at sunset (weather permitting). The evening’s food and performance line-up will be announced the week prior.

This week’s film is The Challenge (Qatar/France/Italy)

If you have it, spend it: Italian artist Yuri Ancarani’s visually striking documentary enters the surreal world of wealthy Qatari sheikhs who moonlight as amateur falconers, with no expenses spared along the way. The Challenge follows these men through the rituals that define their lives: perilously racing blacked-out SUVs up and down sand dunes; sharing communal meals; taking their Ferraris out for a spin with their pet cheetahs riding shotgun; and much more. Ancarani’s film is a sly meditation on the collective pursuit of idiosyncratic desires.

Arrive at 7PM to enjoy a pre-screening performance of classic and modern Arabic music by Simon Moushabeck and Brian Prunka from the band Sharq Attack and Samer Ali of Takht Al-Nagham. Food vendor Joon will be serving up delicious Persian stews and kebabs in crispy rice bowls.

Visit http://socratessculpturepark.org/programs/films/ for more information.