Roy Scheider cant believe JAWS is coming back for another summer
There’s nothing quite like catching a free movie in the summer in New York City, lying on a blanket in a park, gathering on an aircraft carrier, or huddling in an air-conditioned theater. The season’s free festivals are slowly being announced, with more to come. Below are the day-by-day listings of favorites as well as lesser-known festivals, including the Intrepid Summer Movie Series, Syfy Movies with a View, SummerScreen, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Films on the Green, SummerStage, RiverFlicks, Celebrate Brooklyn!, Coney Island Flicks on the Beach, the Central Park Conservancy Film Festival, Roosevelt Island’s Outdoor Summer Movie Series, Passport Thursdays at the Queens Museum, the Urban Drive-In at Abrons Arts Center, Red Hook Flicks at Valentino Pier, and other movies in the parks. Keep watching this page as more festivals are announced. (Films without exact start times generally begin around sunset.)
Friday, May 15
Movie Night: Annie (Will Gluck, 2014), Victor Hanson Recreation Center, Rochdale Park
Friday, May 22
Summer Movie Series: Top Gun (Tony Scott, 1986), introduced by Scott D. Altman, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Friday, May 29
Films on the Green: . . . And God Created Woman (Roger Vadim, 1956), Central Park, 79th St. & Fifth Ave.
Movie Night: Space Jam (Joe Pytka, 1996), Frederick B Judge Playground
Tuesday, June 2
FAB Flicks: Soul Power (Jeff Levy-Hinte, 2008), Putnam Triangle Plaza
Thursday, June 4
Rooftop Films: Sundance Film Festival Shorts, with Palm Rot (Ryan Gillis), The Face of Ukraine (Kitty Green), Papa Machete (Jonathan David Kane), Mynarski Death Plummet (Matthew Rankin), Volta (Stella Kyriakopoulos), Pop-Up Porno: m4m (Stephen Dunn), Mulignans (Shaka King), Myrna the Monster (Ian Samuels), and Storm Hits Jacket (Paul Cabon), MetroTech Commons, live music by Balancer at 8:30, screening at 9:00
Friday, June 5
Films on the Green: Caramel (Nadine Labaki, 2008), Washington Square Park
Free Summer Movies: The Lego Movie (Chris Miller & Phil Lord, 2014), Crocheron Park
Sunday, June 7
SummerStage: BattleFest League Dancers and screening of Flex Is Kings (Michael Beach Nichols & Deidre Schoo, 2013), Red Hook Park, 7:00
Tuesday, June 9
FAB Flicks: Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (Michel Gondry, 2006), Putnam Triangle Plaza
Thursday, June 11
Summer on the Hudson Picture Show: Hyde Park on Hudson (Roger Michell, 2012), Riverside Park, 72nd Track and Lawn
Friday, June 12
Films on the Green: Pépé le Moko (Julien Duvivier, 1937), Washington Square Park
Movie Night: Frozen (Jennifer Lee & Chris Buck, 2013), MacNeil Park
Monday, June 15
Outdoor Movie Night: Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975), Touchdown of the 103rd St. Footbridge, Randall’s Island Park
Tuesday, June 16
FAB Flicks: Shake! Otis at Monterey (D. A. Pennebaker & Chris Hegedus, 1987) and Jimi Plays Monterey (D. A. Pennebaker & Chris Hegedus, 1986), Putnam Triangle Plaza
Friday, June 19
Films on the Green: Priceless (Pierre Salvadori, 2008), Tompkins Square Park
Sunday, June 21
SummerStage: The Bullitts + DJ Spinna, with screening of They Die By Dawn (Jeymes Samuel, 2013), Herbert Von King Park, 7:00
Monday, June 22
Bryant Park Summer Film Festival: Ghostbusters (Ivan Reitman, 1984), Bryant Park
Friday, June 26
Films on the Green: Zarafa (Rémi Bezançon & Jean-Christophe Lie, 2012), Tompkins Square Park
Monday, June 29
Bryant Park Summer Film Festival: The Killers (Richard Siodmark, 1946), Bryant Park Lawn
Tuesday, June 30
Summer Movie Night: Despicable Me 2 (Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud, 2013), Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson Community Garden
Wednesday, July 1
Summer on the Hudson Picture Show: Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993), Pier 1, Riverside Park South
Outdoor Cinema: Don’t Look Back (D. A. Pennebaker, 1967), with a prescreening performance by Pam Reyes and Guests, Socrates Sculpture Park
Friday, July 3
Free Summer Movies: The Young Girls of Rochefort (Jacques Démy, 1967), Castle Clinton, Battery Park
Monday, July 6
Bryant Park Summer Film Festival: The Poseidon Adventure (Ronald Neame, 1972), Bryant Park Lawn
Coney Island Flicks on the Beach: The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984), West Tenth St.
The Iron Giant rules the Rockaways on July 7
Tuesday, July 7
Movie Nights in the Rockaways: The Iron Giant (Brad Bird, 1999), Beach 17th St. & Seagirt Blvd.
Red Hook Flicks: Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993), Valentino Pier
Wednesday, July 8
SummerScreen: Clueless (Amy Heckerling, 1995), McCarren Park
Outdoor Cinema: Live-in Maid (Jorge Gaggero, 2005), with a prescreening performance by the Adam Tully Trio, Socrates Sculpture Park
Hudson RiverFlicks, Big Hit Wednesdays: The Imitation Game (Morten Tyldum, 2014), Pier 63, Hudson River Park, Chelsea Piers
Summer on the Hudson Picture Show: Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton, 1990), Pier 1, Riverside Park South
Thursday, July 9
Summer Movie Series: October Sky (Joe Johnston, 1999), introduced by Kayla Rajsky, the Intrepid sea, Air & Space Museum
Urban Drive-In: His People (Edward Sloman, 1925), Abrons Arts Center
SyFy Movies with a View: High Noon (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park
Summer on the Hudson Picture Show: Pride & Prejudice (Joe Wright, 2005), Riverside Park, 72nd Track and Lawn
Friday, July 10
Films on the Green: Goha (Jacques Baratier, 1958), Riverside Park, Pier I at 70th St.
Hudson RiverFlicks, Family Fridays: SpongeBob: Sponge Out of Water (Paul Tibbitt, 2015), Pier 46, Hudson River Park, Greenwich Village
Sunday, July 12
SummerStage: Gerardo Contino y Los Habaneros and screening of Celia: The Queen (Joe Cardona & Mario de Varona, 2008), St. Mary’s Park, 7:00
Monday, July 13
Outdoor Movie Night: Back to the Future Part II (Robert Zemeckis, 2989), Touchdown of the 103rd St. Footbridge, Randall’s Island Park
Bryant Park Summer Film Festival: I’m No Angel (Wesley Ruggles, 1933), Bryant Park Lawn
Coney Island Flicks on the Beach: The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014), West Tenth St.
Tuesday, July 14
Summer Movie Night: All Dogs Go to Heaven (Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, & Dan Kuenster, 1989), 103rd St. Community Garden
Rooftop Films @ Bronx Terminal Market: The Lego Movie (Chris Miller & Phil Lord, 2014), Bronx Terminal Market
Red Hook Flicks: Coming to America (John Landis, 1988), Valentino Pier
Wednesday, July 15
SummerScreen: Wet Hot American Summer (David Wain, 2001), McCarren Park
Summer on the Hudson Picture Show: The Natural (Barry Levinson, 1984), Pier 1, Riverside Park South
Hudson RiverFlicks, Big Hit Wednesdays: Neighbors (Nicholas Stoller, 2014), Pier 63, Hudson River Park, Chelsea Piers
POSTPONED UNTIL AUGUST 26: Outdoor Cinema: Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (Joann Sfar, 2010), with a prescreening performance by Ginkgoa, Socrates Sculpture Park
Thursday, July 16
Passport Thursdays – Caribbean: Braata Folk Singers, Pan! Our Music Odyssey (Jérôme Guiot, 2014), Queens Museum
Summer Movie Series: Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009), introduced by Dr. Charles Marmar, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Urban Drive-In: The Naked City (Jules Dassin, 1948), Abrons Arts Center
SyFy Movies with a View: Sharknado 2 (Anthony C. Ferrante, 2014), Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park
Friday, July 17
Films on the Green: Queen to Play (Caroline Bottaro, 2011), Riverside Park, Pier I at 70th St.
Celebrate Brooklyn! The Son of the Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1926) with live score by Alloy Orchestra, and Ghost Train Orchestra, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Hudson RiverFlicks, Family Fridays: The BoxTrolls (Graham Annable & Anthony Stacchi, 2014), Pier 46, Hudson River Park, Greenwich Village
Sunday, July 19
SummerStage: Pete Rock and screening of Time Is Illmatic (One9, 2014), Queensbridge Park, 7:00
Monday, July 20
Bryant Park Summer Film Festival: Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973), Bryant Park Lawn
Coney Island Flicks on the Beach: The Goonies (Richard Donner, 1985), West Tenth St.
Tuesday, July 21
Summer Movie Night: The Rescuers Down Under (Mike Gabriel & Hendel Butoy, 1997), Westervelt Community Garden
Red Hook Flicks: Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009), Valentino Pier
Wednesday, July 22
SummerScreen: Dirty Dancing (Emile Ardolino, 1987), McCarren Park
The Great Gatsby brings the party to Riverside Park on July 22
Summer on the Hudson Picture Show: The Great Gatsby (Baz Luhrmann, 2013), Pier 1, Riverside Park South
Hudson RiverFlicks, Big Hit Wednesdays: Selma (Ana DuVernay, 2014), Pier 63, Hudson River Park, Chelsea Piers
Outdoor Cinema: Iron Crows (Bong-nam Park, 2009), with a prescreening performance by Bangladeafy, Socrates Sculpture Park
Thursday, July 23
Passport Thursdays – Taiwan: Taiwanese Music Ensemble of New York, Zone Pro Site: The Moveable Feast (Zung Pou Si, 2013), Queens Museum
Summer Movie Series: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977), introduced by Dr. Steve B. Howell, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Urban Drive-In: Hester Street (Joan Micklin Silver, 1975), Abrons Arts Center
SyFy Movies with a View: Attack the Block (Joe Cornish, 2011), Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park
Friday, July 24
Films on the Green: La Dérive (Paula Delsol, 1964), Transmitter Park
Hudson RiverFlicks, Family Fridays: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (Tim Burton, 1985), Pier 46, Hudson River Park, Greenwich Village
Saturday, July 25
Roosevelt Island’s Outdoor Summer Movie Series: The Wiz (Sidney Lumet, 1978), Firefighters Field
Monday, July 27
Summer of Music: Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (D. A. Pennebaker, 1973), introduced by D. A. Pennebaker, preceded by Night of 1000 Bowies’ Dance Party and Look-a-Like Contest with DJ Cosmo Baker, Reel Harlem: The Historic Harlem Parks Film Festival, Morningside Park
Bryant Park Summer Film Festival: Footloose (Herbert Ross, 1984), Bryant Park Lawn
Coney Island Flicks on the Beach: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg, 1984), West Tenth St.
Tuesday, July 28
Summer Movie Night: How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Dean DeBlois, 2014), Swindler Cove, Sherman Creek
Red Hook Flicks: Trouble in Little China (John Carpenter, 1986), Valentino Pier
Wednesday, July 29
SummerScreen: Dazed and Confused (Richard Linklater, 1993), McCarren Park
Summer on the Hudson Picture Show: Beasts of the Southern Wild (Behn Zeitlin, 2012), Pier 1, Riverside Park South
Hudson RiverFlicks, Big Hit Wednesdays: St. Vincent (Theodore Melfi, 2014), Pier 63, Hudson River Park, Chelsea Piers
Outdoor Cinema: Kings of the Wind & Electric Queens (Gaspard Kuentz & Cédric Dupire, 2015), with a prescreening performance, Socrates Sculpture Park
Thursday, July 30
Passport Thursdays – India: Parul Shah Dance Company, Haider (Vishal Bhardwaj, 2014), Queens Museum
Rooftop Films at Brookfield Place: Animation Block Party, with Almost There (Julia Glassman), Meanwhile (Stephen McNally), Beach Flags (Sarah Saidan), Aubade (Mauro Carraro), Little Doorman (Matt Marblo), Stella Nova (Ted Wiggin), Positronic (Ryan Mauskopf), Itch (Su-An Ng), Harvey Beaks (C. H. Greenblatt), and sneak peaks from Dreamworks TV, 230 Vesey St., live music at 7:30, films at 8:45
Summer Movie Series: Wall-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008), the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER: Urban Drive-In: Crossing Delancey (Joan Micklin Silver, 1988), Abrons Arts Center
SyFy Movies with a View: Clue (Jonathan Lynn, 1985), Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park
Friday, July 31
Films on the Green: La Collectionneuse (Eric Rohmer, 1967), Transmitter Park
Hudson RiverFlicks, Family Fridays: Annie (Will Gluck, 2014), Pier 46, Hudson River Park, Greenwich Village
Rooftop Films at Brookfield Place: Racing Extinction (Louie Psihoyos, 2015), 230 Vesey St., live music at 7:30, films at 8:45
Lincoln Center Out of Doors — “Silent” Movie: Rocky Horror Picture Show (Jim Sharman, 1975), Damrosch Park Bandshell, 11:45
Saturday, August 1
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: A Celebration of the Life of Geoffrey Holder, with the panel discussion “The Life and Work of Geoffrey Holder” and screening of documentary Carmen and Geoffrey (Nick Doob, 2005) and rare archival footage, Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, 1:00
Rooftop Films at Brookfield Place: Stop Making Sense (Jonathan Demme, 1999), 230 Vesey St., live music at 7:30, films at 8:45
Monday, August 3
Bryant Park Summer Film Festival: Marathon Man (John Schlesinger, 1976), Bryant Park Lawn
Coney Island Flicks on the Beach: Big Hero 6 (Chris Williams, 2014), West Tenth St.
Tuesday, August 4
Movie Nights in the Rockaways: Back to the Future Part II (Robert Zemeckis, 1989), Beach 17th St. & Seagirt Blvd.
Red Hook Flicks: When We Were Kings (Leon Gast, 1996), Valentino Pier
Nitehawk Presents BuzzFeed Throwback Theater: Twentieth anniversary screening of Mallrats (Kevin Smith, 1995), preceded by a DJ set by Steve Reynolds and a Q&A with Smith and costar Jason Mewes, 50 Kent, Brooklyn
Wednesday, August 5
Outdoor Cinema — Cold Conflicts: Swedish Short Films, with I Turn to You (Victor Lindgren, 2015), Bath House (Niki Lindroth von Bahr, 2014), and Pussy Have the Power (Lovisa Sirén, 2014), with a prescreening performance, Socrates Sculpture Park
Free Movies in the Park: Big Hero 6 (Chris Williams, 2014), Flushing Meadows Corona Park
SummerScreen: Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg 1993), McCarren Park
Summer on the Hudson Picture Show: Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson, 2012), Pier 1, Riverside Park South
Hudson RiverFlicks, Big Hit Wednesdays: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (Francis Lawrence, 2014), Pier 63, Hudson River Park, Chelsea Piers
Thursday, August 6
Passport Thursdays – Colombia: M.A.K.U. Sound System, Mateo (Maria Gamboa, 2014), Queens Museum
SyFy Movies with a View: Friday (F. Gary Gray, 1995), Brooklyn Bridge Park
Friday, August 7
Hudson RiverFlicks, Family Fridays: Jumanji (Joe Johnston, 1995), Pier 46, Hudson River Park, Greenwich Village
Saturday, August 8
Roosevelt Island’s Outdoor Summer Movie Series: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Richard Brooks, 1958), Firefighters Field
Monday, August 10
Bryant Park Summer Film Festival: Desk Set (Walter Lang, 1957), Bryant Park Lawn
Roosevelt Island’s Outdoor Summer Movie Series: A Streetcar Named Desire (Elia Kazaon, 1951), Firefighters Field
Coney Island Flicks on the Beach: Mrs. Doubtfire (Chris Columbus, 1993), West Tenth St.
Tuesday, August 11
Summer Movie Night: Flight of the Navigator (Randal Kleiser, 1986) 103rd St. Community Garden
Rooftop Films @ Bronx Terminal Market: Big Hero 6 (Chris Williams, 2014), Bronx Terminal Market
Red Hook Flicks: High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, 2000), Valentino Pier
Wednesday, August 12
Outdoor Cinema: Wadjda (Haifaa al-Monsour, 2012) and Me and My Moulton (Torill Kove, 2014), with a prescreening performance by Nashaz with Shelley Thomas, Socrates Sculpture Park
SummerScreen: Audience Pick, McCarren Park
Summer on the Hudson Picture Show: Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (Chris Renaud &Kyle Balda, 2012), Pier 1, Riverside Park South
A young boy grows up before our eyes in BOYHOOD
Hudson RiverFlicks, Big Hit Wednesdays: Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014), Pier 63, Hudson River Park, Chelsea Piers
Thursday, August 13
Passport Thursdays – South Korea: Korean Traditional Music & Dance Center, Miss Granny (Hwang Dong-hyuk, 2014), Queens Museum
Summer on the Hudson Picture Show Extension: The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009), Riverside Park, 72nd Track and Lawn
SyFy Movies with a View: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Stanley Kubrick, 1964), Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park
Friday, August 14
Hudson RiverFlicks, Family Fridays: Paddington (Paul King, 2015), Pier 46, Hudson River Park, Greenwich Village
Monday, August 17
Outdoor Movie Night: Frozen (Jennifer Lee & Chris Buck, 2013), Touchdown of the 103rd St. Footbridge, Randall’s Island Park
Bryant Park Summer Film Festival: Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974), Bryant Park Lawn
Coney Island Flicks on the Beach: Guardians of the Galaxy (James Gunnn, 2014), West Tenth St.
Tuesday, August 18
Summer Movie Night: An American Tail (Don Bluth, 1986), Westervelt Community Garden
Red Hook Flicks: The Incredibles (Brad Bird, 2004), Valentino Pier
Wednesday, August 19
Outdoor Cinema: Alice (Jan Svankmajer, 1988), with a prescreening performance by Xeon and Oaklander, Socrates Sculpture Park
Free Movies in the Park: Guardians of the Galaxy (James Gunn, 2014), Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Hudson RiverFlicks, Big Hit Wednesdays: Interstellar (Christopher Nolan, 2014), Pier 63, Hudson River Park, Chelsea Piers
Thursday, August 20
Passport Thursdays – South Africa: Azanian People’s Movement, Felix (Roberta Durrant, 2013), Queens Museum
SyFy Movies with a View: Dazed and Confused (Richard Linklater, 1993), Brooklyn Bridge Park
Friday, August 21
Hudson RiverFlicks, Family Fridays: Hook (Steven Spielberg, 1991), Pier 46, Hudson River Park, Greenwich Village
Monday, August 24
Bryant Park Summer Film Festival: Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985), Bryant Park Lawn
Coney Island Flicks on the Beach: film TBA, West Tenth St.
Tuesday, August 25
Central Park Conservancy Film Festival: Fame (Alan Parker, 1980), Sheep Meadow and the 72nd St. Cross Drive, beginning with a DJ at 6:30
Roosevelt Island’s Outdoor Summer Movie Series: Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, 1952), Firefighters Field
Summer Movie Night: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982), Swindler Cove, Sherman Creek
Red Hook Flicks Neighborhood Choice: The Bad News Bears (Michael Ritchie, 1976), Valentino Pier
Wednesday, August 26
Central Park Conservancy Film Festival: The Blues Brothers (John Landis, 1980), Sheep Meadow and the 72nd St. Cross Drive, beginning with a DJ at 6:30
Outdoor Cinema: Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (Joann Sfar, 2010), with a prescreening performance by Ginkgoa, Socrates Sculpture Park
Free Summer Movies: Big Hero 6 (Chris Williams, 2014), Highland Park
Thursday, August 27
Central Park Conservancy Film Festival: Airplane! (Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker & David Zucker, 1980), Sheep Meadow and the 72nd St. Cross Drive, beginning with a DJ at 6:30
SyFy Movies with a View: Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988), Brooklyn Bridge Park
Friday August 28
Central Park Conservancy Film Festival: Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980), Sheep Meadow and the 72nd St. Cross Drive, beginning with a DJ at 6:30
Saturday, August 29
Central Park Conservancy Film Festival: Superman II (Richard Donner & Richard Lester, 1980), Sheep Meadow and the 72nd St. Cross Drive, beginning with a DJ at 6:30
Tuesday, September 1
Red Hook Flicks: Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990), Valentino Pier
Wednesday, September 2
Free Summer Movies: Big Hero 6 (Chris Williams, 2014), George Seuffert Bandshell, Forest Park
Thursday, September 10
Films on the Green: The Rabbi’s Cat (Joann Sfar & Antoine Delesvaux, 2012), Columbia University at 116th St.
A groundbreaking work in the history of world cinema, Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali and its two sequels, Aparajito and Apur Sansar, have been meticulously restored by the Criterion Collection and the Academy Film Archive following a nitrate fire in 1993 — the year after Ray was awarded an honorary Oscar on his deathbed — and now are being shown together as “The Apu Trilogy,” running May 8-28 at Film Forum. Inspired by a meeting with Jean Renoir in Kolkata, where Renoir was shooting The River, and watching ninety-nine films in six months while working as a graphic designer for an advertising agency in London, Ray decided to make his first film, adapting Bibhutibhushan Banerjee’s 1929 novel, which he knew well; Ray had contributed illustrations to a later edition of the book. The film took nearly five years to make as Ray faced repeated financing problems, such delays as cattle eating flowers that were needed for an important scene, and a cast and crew primarily of nonprofessionals. Despite all those issues, Pather Panchali is a stunning masterpiece, a bittersweet and captivating tale of a rural family mired in poverty, struggling to survive in extremely hard times. In a small village, Sarbajaya (Karuna Banerjee) is raising her daughter, Durga (Runki Banerjee), a rambunctious teen, and son, Apu (Subir Banerjee), while her husband, dreamer Harihar (Kanu Banerjee), a wannabe playwright and poet, goes off for months at a time, trying to find work in the city. (The actors shared a common surname but were not related in real life.) Sarbajaya is also caring for their elderly cousin, “Auntie” Indir (retired theater actress Chunibala Devi), who walks very slowly, hunched over and with impossibly leathery skin. The family goes about its business from day to day, as the kids play with friends, figure out how they can get something from the sweets man, and hang out with Auntie, who offers a fresh perspective on life. Sarbajaya is embarrassed that she cannot pay back several rupees she owes her relatively wealthy neighbor, who owns an orchard from which Durga steals fruit. It’s a meager existence, but it avoids being completely dark and bleak because of Auntie’s sense of humor and Apu’s wide-eyed innocence. The film is told from his point of view — in fact, the first time we see him, he is lying down, covered, and one of his eyes pops open, dominating the screen. It’s a difficult, challenging life, but there’s always hope.
Named Best First Film at the 2014 Jerusalem Film Festival, Bazi Gete’s Red Leaves is a compelling cinema-vérité-style tale of an Ethiopian Jewish family dealing with a very stubborn patriarch following the death of his wife. The film opens as a man tries to lead a goat to slaughter, an apt metaphor for what might become of seventy-four-year-old Meseganio Tadela (Debebe Eshetu), a solemn survivor of Sudan who suddenly tells his family that he has sold his home and will spend the rest of his life living with each of them in Tel Aviv. So he shows up unannounced at one son’s home, then another’s, leaving behind psychological wreckage that might never be undone. A stubborn man of few words, Meseganio is determined to preserve the old traditions in changing times that are quickly passing him by. His adherence gets him into trouble with his children and grandchildren, who have different priorities. Gete and cinematographer Edan Sasson use a handheld camera that puts the viewer at the Shabbat dinner table with the family as they playfully joke around with one another but afterward reveals Meseganio sitting by himself as everyone else goes on about their life without him. He can’t keep from interfering in his children’s lives, and he sticks his nose in various situations that turn volatile, from a confrontation with his granddaughter Bosna (Ruti Asarsai) to battles with his son Baruch’s (Meir Dassa) wife, Zehava (Hanna Haiela), and his other son, Moshe (Solomon Mersha). “Nothing to live for,” Meseganio’s friend Achenaf (Molla Megistu) says, but Meseganio has plenty to live for, if he would only recognize it. The final twenty minutes, and the wholly ambiguous ending, are heartbreaking and painful as the old man tries to find his way.
