Do you dream of hobnobbing with the Hollywood A-list at top film festivals around the globe? Strolling the Promenade de la Croisette in Cannes, mingling with happening young filmmakers at Sundance and watching the Italian Paparazzi’s flashbulbs go off at Venice are the stuff of cinephile dreams.
For those who want to stay within a subway ride from home, there’s Tribeca each April, a film festival that plays with the big boys. Yes, you can see great movies, but the experience tends to be impersonal.
If you’re looking for a stellar line up of cinematic gems and the opportunity to get up-close with the folks who made them, mark your calendar for the Queens World Film Festival, from March 15-25, 2018.
It’s the 8th edition of this up-and-coming film festival that Paste Magazine named one of the best film festivals in the entire U.S., so its profile is on the rise.
Queens Is A Diverse Borough
Queens, our most diverse borough, is a fitting location for the line-up of provocative shorts and features. Narrative films, documentaries, LGBTQ-themed films, animated works and more are all represented on the jam-packed 10-day schedule.
The festival offers many opportunities to interact with the filmmakers, actors and crew. Films are grouped in thematic blocks. Post-screening talkbacks are a festival hallmark. The ever-present programmers are passionate about the art of film and their contagious spirit permeates each event.
Screenings are held at the Museum of the Moving Image and Kaufman Astoria Studios-Zukor Screening Room.
Films Not To Miss
oM’s top picks include the narrative feature Black Cop screening on March 18, the poignant documentary feature and New York Times Critics Pick Thy Father’s Chair screening on March 25 and the short with a timely theme of immigration, The Fourth Kingdom, screening on March 18.
Refresh With a Local Beer
After you’ve had your fill of movies, take some time to explore this dynamic borough. If your palate is parched, head to one of the fine local breweries and sample something hoppy. Check out our Definitive Guide to Breweries in Queens and start planning your beer crawl.
Get there
To get to the Museum of the Moving Image and Kaufman Astoria Studios take the R/M to Steinway Street or the N/W to Broadway.
Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributes travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She is fluent in Italian and Spanish and laughably adequate in French. Her background as an Early Childhood Educator gives her an added understanding of what it takes to travel with kids in tow. She firmly believes that the most important part of education takes place outside of the classroom, on the road, around the world. She never misses a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. Follow Allison at @gourmetrav.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram