Free Film Screening Returns To Central Park This Summer

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Upper East Siders wishing to feel cultured and enjoy an evening movie in the park can do so again next month through the "Films on the Green" festival, which is returning after a pandemic hiatus.

The 13th annual French film festival, produced by the Parks Department, the French Embassy and its affiliated nonprofit, is hosting four free screenings across Manhattan in July.

Among them is a July 9 screening on Central Park's Cedar Hill, near the 79th Street entrance on the East Side. The film shown will be "La Boum," a 1980 comedy starring Sophia Marceau as a Parisian teenager who seeks to "make her romantic daydreams into a reality" at a climactic party.

All screenings will start at 8:30 p.m. Capacity may be limited, so guests should RSVP in advance at Frenchculture.org once registration opens closer to the event date. All movies will be subtitled in English.

Here's the full schedule for the 2021 Films on the Green festival, which also includes a few virtual screenings:

• July 9 - Central Park (79th St & Fifth Ave) & Virtual Cinema: La Boum by Claude Pinoteau
• July 12 - Virtual Cinema: Elevator to the Gallows by Louis Malle
• July 16 - Washington Square Park & Virtual Cinema: Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem by Daisuke Nishio, Hirotoshi Rissen, Leiji Matsumoto, Kazuhisa Takenouchi
• July 19 - Virtual Cinema: Chavela by Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi
• July 21 - Virtual Cinema: Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai by Christopher Kirkley
• July 23 – Seward Park (Lower East Side) & Virtual Cinema: Satin Rouge by Raja Amari
• July 26 - Virtual Cinema: Concert: Les Amazones d’Afrique
• July 28 - Virtual Cinema: Vengo by Tony Gatlif
• July 30 - Riverside Park, Pier I (at 70th St) & Virtual Cinema: Black Orpheus by Marcel Camus

The theme of this year's festival is "Music and Cinema."

"This year more than ever, we feel a need to connect — connect with our audience, connect with our beautiful parks, connect with France, New York, and the rest of the world," said Gaëtan Bruel, cultural counselor of the French Embassy, in a statement.

"By focusing on music and cinema, we hope to bring joy and excitement to NYC parks and for more people to be able to discover the great breadth and diversity of Francophone cinema through our online screenings."