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Movie buffs take notice! Get your independent film fix with two great film festivals. The Coney Island Film Festival is in its eighth year, and runs the weekend of September 26 to 28 . The extensive list of official selections includes many that focus on the historic neighborhood, with titles such as Carny Girl, Coney Island Saved Me and Mermaids of New York: The Brooklyn Babydoll. A complete list can be found at coneyislandfilmfestival.com. The festival raises funds for non-profit arts organization Coney Island USA, and is housed in the legendary Sideshows by the Seashore Theater.
Independent Film Week celebrates its 30th Anniversary this year from September 14 to 19, bringing a week’s worth of films, panel discussions and the Independent Filmmaker Awards Ceremony. Previous submissions that went on to great success include Maria Full of Grace and Born into Brothels. This year’s list of documentaries include topics ranging from Hurricane Katrina recovery to artistic freedom in Tibet, as well as a charter bus service from NYC to upstate prisons. This is your chance to catch the newest independent documentaries and narrative features before they hit the film festival circuit.
For those of you who prefer soaking up culture from the comfort of your own couch, you can still catch one of the best experiences the city has to offer: The New York Philharmonic. The Opening Night Gala, which kicks off the 2008-09 season, will broadcast live from Lincoln Center on PBS. To celebrate the launch of the Philharmonic’s 167th season and Lorin Maazel’s seventh and last as the Orchestra’s Music Director, the concert wll open with Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture and conclude with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.4. At the center of the program, renowned flutist Sir James Galway will take the solo role in Ibert’s Flute Concerto, which was written in 1934 for Marcel Moyse, a teacher of the featured soloist.
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