Grab the popcorn! The Rockaway Film Festival is bringing five days of independent films, shorts, live music, filmmaker Q&As and more to Arverne. The ninth annual event runs from Wednesday, September 2 through Sunday, September 6 at the Rockaway Film Festival’s indoor and outdoor Arverne Cinemas.
What began in 2018 as a four-day experiment to bring movies back to a peninsula that had gone more than 30 years without a movie theater has since grown into a year-round arts organization, led by Sam Fleischner and Courtney Muller.
Beyond the films themselves, this year’s lineup continues the festival’s tradition of turning a trip to the movies into a larger communal experience, pairing screenings with musicians, filmmakers, food, parties, performances and workshops.
The festival kicks off at the outdoor Arverne Cinema (72-02 Gouverneur Ave.) on Wednesday, September 2 at 7 p.m. with the already sold out screening of “Eternity One,” filmmaker Marnie Ellen Hertzler’s documentary following a 12-year-old girl growing up on Tangier Island, a small Chesapeake Bay fishing community threatened by rising seas and erosion. Live music by Kyp Malone begins at 7 p.m., followed by the 8 p.m. screening and a Q&A with Hertzler. Food will be available for purchase from Brothers. An afterparty with DJ Roch D will follow.
Thursday, September 3 begins at the indoor Arverne Cinema (415 Beach 72nd St.) at 2 p.m. with “Shorts: Wired + Wide-Eyed,” a collection of four short dramas centered around the volatile energy of adolescence. A filmmaker Q&A will follow. At 4:30 p.m., “The Cemetery of Cinema” follows filmmaker Thierno Souleymane Diallo’s search for a lost piece of film history, ultimately becoming an ode to cinema itself.
At the outdoor cinema at 7 p.m., “The Night is Fading Away” tells the story of a projectionist who, after the movie theater where he works faces closure, secretly moves into the building. Music by Frances Chang begins at 7 p.m., the screening starts at 8 p.m., and filmmaker Ramiro Sonzini will participate in a Q&A afterward. Food will be available for purchase from Delroy Delectables.
Friday’s lineup starts at the indoor cinema at 2 p.m. with a restored version of Heiny Srour’s 1984 “Leila and the Wolves,” which blends folklore, oral testimony, archival footage and fantasy to examine the experiences of Arab women during the 20th century.
At 4:30 p.m., “Shorts: Romantasy,” guest curated by Nora Rodriguez, brings together a collection of animated works that play with popular culture through darker, obsessive and dystopian lenses. The program will be followed by live music from Rockaway reggae band Foundation and a filmmaker Q&A.
At the outdoor cinema, Friday closes at 8 p.m. with a work-in-progress screening of Caveh Zahedi’s ”Ulysses, New York.” The film documents Zahedi’s attempt to stage a production of James Joyce’s “Ulysses” in New York with little money and only a month to write, cast and rehearse it. This marks the first chapter of a planned 24-hour epic. The screening will begin with a short one-time-only theatrical performance by Zahedi and will be followed by a panel discussion. Food will be available for purchase by Bunna.
Back at the indoor cinema, Saturday, September 5 offers some of the festival’s most family-friendly programming, beginning at 10 a.m. with a free screening of “The Muppet Movie.” The 1979 classic will be presented by special guest Bonnie Erickson, the legendary puppet designer who created Miss Piggy, who will join for a discussion after.
At 1 p.m., the free program “Effects, Illusion, and the Documentary Real” brings artist and educator Carl Elsaesser together with Rockaway-based magician Cardone for an exploration of practical effects, magic and the sometimes-blurry boundary between reality and illusion.
At 4 p.m., author and artist Jenny Odell guest curates “The Infra-ordinary,” an eclectic collection of short films examining ordinary objects, consumer products and refuse in unexpected ways. Odell, author of “How to Do Nothing” and “Saving Time,” will participate in a Q&A.
Already sold out, Saturday night at the outdoor cinema brings a special advance screening of “The History of Concrete,” the debut feature from John Wilson, creator of HBO’s “How To with John Wilson.” After his basement floods, Wilson’s attempt to fix it himself sends him into an exploration of concrete, New York City’s infrastructure and his own efforts to get a feature film made. Music by Heems starts at 7 p.m., followed by the film at 8 p.m. and a Q&A with Wilson. Food will be available for purchase from La Cevicheria. An afterparty with Nebulus is included with the ticket.
The final day, Sunday, September 6, begins at noon in the courtyard of the indoor cinema with another free offering: a Dabke dance presentation and workshop from El Funoun, one of Palestine’s leading traditional dance companies.
At 2:30 p.m., “Adnan being and time” offers an intimate portrait of Lebanese American poet and artist Etel Adnan, filmed during the final five years of her life by director Marie Valentine Regan. Regan will take part in a Q&A following the 70-minute film.
At 5 p.m., “Shorts: Knowledge Across Bodies” presents four films exploring nature across different landscapes and generations, followed by a Q&A with filmmakers Ramón Rivera Moret and Mars Verrone.
The festival comes to an end Sunday night at the outdoor cinema with “Peter Hutton: On the Hudson,” a program of three silent 16mm films by the late experimental filmmaker focused on the Hudson River. Music by White Magic starts at 7:30 p.m., with the screening beginning at 8:30 p.m. Food will be available for purchase from Brothers. The ticket also includes the festival’s closing-night party.
Tickets range from free to $10, but please reserve a seat. A Shell Pass is also available for $99 offering access to all films, as long as seats are available. A special $299 Shell Pass includes the same benefits, plus a garden luncheon on September 4 and a t-shirt.
For the complete schedule, tickets and additional information, visit: www.rockawayfilmfestival.org. For updates, follow @rockawayfilmfest on Instagram.
