New York's Film Festivals

New York's extreme diversity is also what makes it a cinephile's heaven: dozens of festivals for both niche interests and for those just wanting to be at the front end of what's out there. New releases and premieres dominate the festival scene, but the city has its share of retrospective events, especially in summer.

The city's preeminent film event is the annual New York Film Festival (www.filmlinc.com); sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, it runs annually from late September into October. Its screenings feature many U.S. premieres and are announced more than a month in advance to often-rapid sell-out. Film venues are usually Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall and Walter Reade Theater. In January, the Film Society joins forces with the Jewish Museum to produce the New York Jewish Film Festival, in March it joins with MoMA to present New Directors/New Films, and June brings its collaboration with the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

The Tribeca Film Festival (www.tribecafilmfestival.org)—an immediate success when it launched in 2002 as a Robert De Niro-spearheaded community response to the events of 9/11—takes place in mostly downtown venues for about two weeks starting in late April, and features mainstream premieres along with indie treasures, as well as a Family Festival, which attracts big crowds for its street fair and movies for ages eight and up.

Fans also flock to other noteworthy annuals like the Asian American International Film Festival ( www.asiancinevision.org) in July (usually at the Clearview Chelsea Cinemas); the New York International Latino Film Festival (www.nylatinofilm.com) later that same month and also screening at the Clearview Chelsea Cinemas; the New York Korean Film Festival (wkoreanfilmfestival.org) in late September at MoMA and BAM; the Paley Center for Media's DocFest ( paleycenter.org) in October; and in November at the American Museum of Natural History, the Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival (wwww.amnh.org/programs/mead/), which presents a rich roster of international documentaries.

And for kids, the year-round programs of the New York International Children's Film Festival (NYICFF) (www.gkids.com) peak in late February with a two-week extravaganza of about 100 new films and videos for ages 3-18.

Summer in New York sees a bonanza of alfresco film. Even better, it's usually free (but arrive early to secure a space; screenings begin at dusk).

You'll want to check out lovely Bryant Park (212/512-5700 www.bryantpark.org) for the classic films—and the scene—at its Monday night HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival, June-August.

Hudson River Park (www.hudsonriverpark.org) runs its RiverFlicks series in July and August. Movies for "grown-ups" screen on Wednesday evening on Pier 54; RiverFlicks for kids are shown on Pier 46, on Friday.

Riverside Park South's Summer on the Hudson (www.nycgovparks.org) offers Wednesday-night screenings on Pier 1, in this park along the Hudson on the Upper West Side.

Rooftop Films' (www.rooftopfilms.com) Underground Movies Outdoors is N.Y.C.'s most eclectic film series, with shows outdoors in summer on rooftops in all five boroughs. Check their schedule for off-season screenings as well.

On Thursday night in summer, make your way over the Brooklyn Bridge to Movies with a View in Brooklyn Bridge Park (www.brooklynbridgepark.org). There's a bike valet, and of course that competing waterfront view, this one has a lineup that alternates kid-pleasing shows with more strictly adult fare.

And a venture to Socrates Sculpture Park (718/956-1819 www.socratessculpturepark.org) is in order for their internationally inspired Outdoor Cinema program on Wednesday July-September; the N.Y.C. skyline serves as a backdrop.