Summer Movies: Cinema Block Party And Flicks On The Beach
BED-STUY/CONEY ISLAND – The Luminal Theater will merge the festivities of a classic Bed-Stuy block party with film and art later this month in the organization’s first ever Cinema Block Party.
During the 9th annual TAMA Summerfest (organized by the Tompkins Avenue Merchants Association and Bridge Street Development Corporation) taking place on July 20th, Luminal will transform one block of Tompkins Avenue into a “cinematic home,” complete with a tent showcasing hours of black films “with a focus on works by Brooklyn-based creatives,” according to luminaltheater.org.
The free event will feature:
- a Brooklyn filmmaker showcase including Darius Clark Monroe’s Black 14, Okema T. Moore’s Shh…, and Christopher D. Williams’ horror series Tales from Da Ville
- a black women directors series hosted by Kissa Starr and featuring Sewra G. Kadine’s award-winning Proclamation Pronunciation and Dominga Martin’s Yellow
- a young adult series
- an interactive virtual reality presentation by artist Emir Fils-Aime
- the Brooklyn premiere of local filmmaker Raafi Rivero’s 72 Hours: A Brooklyn Love Story? which was filmed in Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, and Weeksville.
The films will screen from 12pm into the evening. While TAMA Summerfest will end at 7pm, the Cinema Block Party will continue on with the screening of Rivero’s film at 8pm at Potomac Playground (a few blocks south at the corner of Halsey Street and Tompkins Avenue).
The Cinema Block Party will take place on Saturday, July 20 from 12pm to 10pm at Tompkins Avenue & Madison Street. RSVP here.
Founded in 2015 with a pop-up theater space, The Luminal Theater is dedicated to presenting independent cinema and media from the black/African diaspora in “shared audience experiences” primarily in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Central Brooklyn. Learn more at luminaltheater.org.
The Alliance for Coney Island‘s Flicks on the Beach series returns for a seventh season, offering free movies on the beach for three Mondays this summer.
The series kicks off at sundown on July 22nd with Pixar’s 2018 hit The Incredibles 2, followed by A Star is Born on August 5th, and Avengers: End Game on August 26th. All screenings will take place on the beach at West 12th Street.
Alliance for Coney Island recommends arriving early to ensure a good spot. Follow them @ConeyIslandFun on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates.