Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery is about to become an open-air cinema for one night of queer romance, comedy and connection. On Wednesday, August 19, NewFest and Hinge will bring a free short-film program to the historic cemetery, complete with music, storytelling, snacks and a post-screening Q&A.
The event, called My Sunny Valentine, opens its doors at 7:45 p.m. with sounds by DADDIE, followed by activities and story time with special guest Michelladonna at 8:30 p.m. The films begin at 9 p.m., and organizers say guests should enter at Prospect Park West and 20th Street, according to NewFest's event listing.
Six Queer Shorts Cover Dating, Identity And Unexpected Chemistry
The six-film lineup takes a wide-angle view of queer dating, from awkward encounters to sci-fi searches for love. As reported by Time Out New York, Nyala Moon's How Not to Date While Trans follows a Black trans woman navigating a parade of problematic men, while Steven Chew's Orion's Quest sends an extraterrestrial being to study relationships between Black gay men before a powerful eclipse.
The program also includes Sara Monge's Happy Place, about a woman questioning her sexuality at a lesbian engagement party, and Elliot Slade's Take Me There, which follows two best friends preparing for dates across San Francisco. Rounding things out are Alexander King and Nyala Moon's And Then There Was Her, about an unexpected Friendsgiving connection, and Kendall Alex Payne's Riis, in which a hopeless romantic searches Jacob Riis Park for an Instagram crush, according to NewFest.
Free Admission Comes With Drinks, Popcorn And A Possible Meet-Cute
There is no admission charge, and every guest gets a complimentary drink and popcorn. RSVPs allow up to four tickets per person, with the roughly 80-minute film program followed by a Q&A, Time Out New York notes.
The cemetery setting gives the event a distinctly Brooklyn backdrop, but the program is focused on living, messy, occasionally hilarious queer connection. For anyone whose dating life has recently felt more like a cautionary short than a feature-length romance, this may be the rare screening where the plot comes with free popcorn.
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