Films on the Green 2021 Festival – July 9-30 Online and in Four Manhattan Parks

From July 9 to 30 the “Films on the Green 2021 Festival” promises to enchant us with eight films and a recorded concert focused on the theme “Music & Cinema.” In its 13th edition, this beloved festival, produced annually by the French Embassy, FACE Foundation, and NYC Parks, is presented for the first time as a hybrid of online screenings and, every Friday, an in-person screening in one of the four Manhattan parks participating in the festival: Central Park, Washington Square Park, Seward Park, and Riverside Park. The festival program showcases an astounding diversity of French, Francophone, and international cinema through compelling stories and spellbinding actors. All throughout, music has its own starring role, ranging from an iconic Miles Davis soundtrack to Bossa Nova, Tuareg guitar music, the rhythms of flamenco, Daft Punk, and the thrilling artistry of Chavela Vargas, among other musical treasures. After being canceled last summer, the “Films on the Green” Festival is back at last, inviting us to celebrate New York City’s reopening through cinema and music. 

Film schedule (all films begin at 8:30pm):

La Boum ©courtesy of Gaumont

July 9 – Central Park (79th St & Fifth Ave) & Virtual Cinema: La Boum by Claude Pinoteau; with music by Vladimir Cosma.

Elevator to the Gallows ©courtesy of Janus Films

July 12 – Virtual Cinema: Elevator to the Gallows by Louis Malle; music by Miles Davis.

July 16 – Washington Square Park & Virtual Cinema: Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem by Leiji Matsumoto; music by Daft Punk, Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo.

July 19 – Virtual Cinema: Chavela by Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi; featuring the music of Chavela Vargas.

July 21 – Virtual Cinema: Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai by Christopher Kirkley; music by Mdou Moctar.

Satin Rouge ©courtesy of Pyramide Films

July 23 – Seward Park (Lower East Side) & Virtual Cinema: Satin Rouge by Raja Amari; music by Nawfel El Manaa.

Les Amazones d’Afrique ©courtesy of Qwest TV

July 26 – Virtual Cinema: Concert: Les Amazones d’Afrique, featuring Amnaté Danté, Babani Koné, Doctor L, Joseph Palmer, Kandia Kouyaté, Llorenç Barcelo Rives, Mamadou Diakité, Mamani Keita, Maria Doumbia, Maria Koné, Rokia Koné.

July 28 – Virtual Cinema: Vengo by Tony Gatlif; music by Tomatito, Sheikh Ahmad Al Tuni, La Caita, Gritos de Guerra, Remedios Silva Pisa, La Paquera de Jerez.

July 30 – Riverside Park, Pier I (at 70th St) & Virtual Cinema: Black Orpheus by Marcel Camus; music by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfá.

For detailed information, please visit the “Films on the Green 2021” website.

For those who live in Washington, D.C.: “Films on the Green DC 2021” is up and running until September 23rd. Find out more here

Top photo credit: N. Charles

About Maria-Cristina Necula (181 Articles)
Maria-Cristina Necula’s published work includes the books "The Don Carlos Enigma: Variations of Historical Fictions" and "Life in Opera: Truth, Tempo and Soul," two translations: "Europe à la carte" and Molière’s "The School for Wives," and the collection of poems "Evanescent." Her articles and interviews have been featured in "Classical Singer" Magazine, "Opera America," "Das Opernglas," "Studies in European Cinema," and "Opera News." As a classically trained singer she has performed in the New York City area at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Florence Gould Hall, and the Westchester Broadway Theatre, and has presented on opera at The Graduate Center, Baruch, The City College of New York, and UCLA Southland. She speaks six languages, two of which she honed at the Sorbonne University in Paris and the University of Vienna, and she holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from The Graduate Center, CUNY. In 2022, Maria-Cristina was awarded a New York Press Club Award in the Critical Arts Review category for her review of Matthew Aucoin's "Eurydice" at the Metropolitan Opera, published on Woman Around Town. She is a 2022-24 Fellow of The Writers' Institute at The Graduate Center.