56 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • MARCH 14, 2013 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com buzz Stars shine at fi lm fest BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com The stars came out for the Queens World Film Festival at the Museum of the Moving Image. Opening night was held on Tuesday, March 5 and featured fi lms from the borough and as far away as Belgium, Italy, Spain and Australia. Organizers Katha and Don Cato welcomed the large audience of fi lm lovers and encouraged the fi lmmakers present to continue making fi lms. “We have a lot to talk about or even argue about,” said Katha. “You must continue to tell your stories, it’s what binds us together!” Before any of the fi lms made its debut, the festival honored Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer as the 2013 Spirit of Queens Community honoree for his dedication to the community and the arts. “If you do not believe culture and the arts sustain communities, you have to witness festivals like this,” said Van Bramer. “You don’t have to go to Manhattan to see world-class fi lms.” Although Academy Award nominated actress Karen Black could not be in attendance, she was also featured as a Spirit of Queens honoree and accepted her recognition through a pre-recorded video. Saturday night, March 9, the awards presentation was held at Renaissance Event Hall Among the winners was “Planet Utero” by Elmhurst’s Faiyaz Jafri, for Best Animation. William Cusick was another local fi lmmaker who took home an award for Founder’s Choice for his fi lm “Welcome to Nowhere (Bullet Hole Road).” The Audience Award winner was “Mikeyboy,” which is set in Queens, by director Christopher Berkenkamp. The festival came to an end Sunday, March 10 with encore screenings at the Secret Theatre of all the winning fi lms. THE COURIER/ Photos by Angy Altamirano Audience members enjoy opening night fi lms. Adrian Manzano from Jackson Heights debuted his feature “BQE” at the fi lm festival. The festival honored Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer as the 2013 Spirit of Queens Community Honoree for his dedication to the community.
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