Did you know women directed only 4% of the top 100 films in 2018? Although unfortunately true, this number seems disproportionate because according to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) report, 51% of 2018 moviegoers are women. To this date, of all the five women directors to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director (Lina Wertmüller, Jane Campion, Kathryn Bigelow, Sofia Coppola, and Greta Gerwig), only Bigelow has won the award for her 2008 film, The Hurt Locker.
This summer, Films on the Green hopes to give a platform to female filmmakers as well as empower the next generation of female storytellers by focusing the 12th edition on Women Behind the Camera. This theme not only pays tribute to women directors, but audiences can also expect to see movies with strong female leads with stories that range from coming-of-age, LGBTQ love stories, friendships, and perseverance.
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Recommended: Summer on the Hudson 2019
Films on the Green is produced annually by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, FACE Foundation, and NYC Parks. From May 31st to September 3rd, there will be free screenings open to the public all across New York City – including screenings in Central Park, Riverside Park, and at Columbia University. Movie lovers and Francophiles can enjoy Sequins by Élenore Faucher on July 19th at Pier I in Riverside Park South, and Chocolat by Clair Denis the following weekend, on July 26th at the same waterside location. The final screening of the festival, Olivia by Jaqueline Audry, will be at Columbia University on September 3rd.
Most of the screenings will be accompanied by DJs from NYU’s radio station, WNYU 89.1 FM and Hunter College’s WHCS, which will spin French and Francophone music on-site before the movie plays. All films will have English subtitles and will begin at sunset.
Films on the Green 2019 Schedule
May 31 – Central Park (79th St & Fifth Ave): Coco Before Chanel by Anne Fontaine
June 7 – Washington Sq. Park: Where Do We Go Now? by Nadine Labaki
June 10 – McGolrick Park (Brooklyn): Minuscule, Valley of the Lost Ants by Hélène Giraud & Thomas Szabo
June 14 – Washington Sq. Park: In Safe Hands by Jeanne Herry
June 21 – Transmitter Park (Brooklyn): Peppermint Soda by Diane Kurys
June 28 – Transmitter Park (Brooklyn): Mustang by Deniz Gamze Ergüven
July 5 – Tompkins Sq. Park: Tomboy by Céline Sciamma
July 10 – J. Hood Wright Park (West 173th St): The Amazing Catfish by Claudia Sainte-Luce
July 12 – Tompkins Sq. Park: Aya Of Yop City by Marguerite Abouet & Clément Oubrerie
July 19 – Riverside Park, Pier I (at 70th St): Sequins by Éléonore Faucher
July 26 – Riverside Park, Pier I (at 70th St): Chocolat by Claire Denis
Aug. 31 – Fort Lee Community Center (New Jersey): Jacquot De Nantes by Agnès Varda
Preceded by Matrimony’s Speed Limit by Alice Guy-Blaché
Sept. 3 – Columbia University (at 116th St): Olivia by Jacqueline Audry
To learn more, follow Films on the Green on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and the hashtag #FilmsOnTheGreen
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