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"Films on the Green" is one of our favorite outdoor movies series, not only for its inherent Frenchiness—it's presented in part by the French Embassy and other NYC French cultural institutions—but because it takes you on a summer-long tour of the city's coolest parks. So you're exploring new terrain while watching the sexiest films ever made. This year will be no exception: The 2017 edition kicks off June 2 on Central Park's Cedar Hill with François Ozon's deliciously catty Potiche. But the festival has added a new wrinkle: Esteemed directors and actors like Wes Anderson, Laurie Anderson, Jim Jarmusch, Wanda Sykes, Mad Men's Matthew Weiner and Isabella Rossellini have done the selecting. The eleven titles scheduled to be screened have a special resonance for these guest curators. Don't expect the celeb programmers to introduce their screenings, but given how lovely these sunset events can be, we wouldn't be surprised if many of them do. We love this year's lineup. Here it is in full, below, along with the location, the guest curator and, when available, a taste of their rationale for picking their title (as provided by the fest):
June 2: Central Park (enter at 79th St and Fifth Ave): Potiche, selected by Wanda Sykes
June 9: Washington Square Park: Tey, selected by Saul Williams
June 16: Washington Square Park: La Traversée de Paris, selected by Amy Hargreaves (“at times hilarious and heartbreaking”)
June 23: Transmitter Park, Greenpoint: Mauvais Sang, selected by Wes Anderson (“it cast a powerfully strong spell over [me]”
June 30: Transmitter Park, Greenpoint: Contempt, selected by Jim Jarmusch (for its “mesmerizing cast”)
July 7: Tompkins Square Park: La Cérémonie, selected by Matthew Weiner (“an unnerving mixture of kindness and evil”)
July 12: J. Hood Wright Park (W 173th St): The Science of Sleep, presented in partnership with the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York
July 14: Tompkins Square Park: Port of Shadows, selected by Laurie Anderson (for its “amazing glistening cinematography and beautiful dialogue”)
July 21: Riverside Park, Pier I (enter at 70th St): Lumière d’été, selected by Matías Piñeiro
July 28: Riverside Park, Pier I (enter at 70th St): “A Trip to the Moon” followed by Elena and Her Men selected by Isabella Rossellini (“captures an aspect of my mother [Ingrid Bergman]…which often was not put forward in other films”
Sept 7: Columbia University (at 116th St): The Wild Child, selected by James Ivory