World Film in Bronx Communities: Promising Partnership Brings Full Day of Film and Arts to Westchester Square District

Bronx, NY - August 16, 2023 – On Saturday, August 26^th, the Westchester Square community of The Bronx hosts a day of contemporary world cinema in their backyards when Bronx World Film, Incorporated brings its pioneering Cycle to the headquarters of the Bronx Council on the Arts for the first time. Noted as “a place for young filmmakers,” the Cycle offers a curated marqueé of works from all over the world in all genres and styles, with young filmmakers of color, women, and Bronx creators in the spotlight. Its offerings – tailored for cultural relevance to the demographics of each community it visits – fill a gaping void in a borough of 1.5 million people with only two movie houses and a dire scarcity of arts institutions.

Officially, the summer version of Bronx World Film Cycle launched in the Summer of 2017, screening since then at parks and universities, at Lincoln Medical Center and Cinema on the Sound and elsewhere in the borough. In the summer of 2022, it hosted the Bronx premiere of Tlacuilos, the definitive documentary on the development of graffiti in Central America filmed over 20 years in eight different countries by Costa Rican director and DJ Federico Peixoto. Unofficially, the Summer Cycle traces its roots to 2012, when the organization offered monthly screenings at a nursing home and a special programme at a synagogue.

The Cycle at the Bronx Council on the Arts will offer over 25 films in animation, dance, romantic and situation comedy, experimental, inspirational, sci-fi/fantastic, documentary and other genres. Top filmmakers from The Bronx, Africa, the Arab world, Europe, India and Pakistan, Central America, Asia, and beyond share the marqueé. There will be US, New York and world premieres. Outdoor screenings are fit for all ages and cultures. Indoor screenings for mature audiences will carry a disclaimer.