Gonzalo Casals,
Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Culture & Arts Policy Institute
June 7, 2025
Queens World Film Festival and Flushing Town Hall Present:
Acceptance: 4 Films About the Courage It Takes to Just Be Ourselves
Acceptance: 4 Films About the Courage It Takes to Just Be Ourselves. These wonderful short films explore the strength and vulnerability involved in embracing who we are.
The evening will be hosted by Katha Cato, Executive Director of Queens World; Donald Preston Cato, Artistic Director; and Gonzalo Casals, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Culture & Arts Policy Institute, a nonprofit focused on equity and transparency in cultural policy.
“We all need to see ourselves as lovable, capable of love, and being loved,” said Katha Cato. Donald Preston Cato added, “These films—by Queens World alumni and emerging filmmakers—highlight the often difficult path toward self-acceptance.”
“Bringing this work to Flushing Town Hall through the film festival is an exciting opportunity to bring the film community into our theatre. We look forward to presenting these pieces to our audiences.” said Flushing Town Hall’s Artistic/Executive Director Ellen Kodadek
- North Star, (30 min) by P. J. Palmer – A beautifully crafted story of Queer love and chosen family that garnered over 50 Festival wins and was screened at Queens World in 2019.
- To Have You Here (15 min) by Jen Ackerman – A queer grad student moves in with her devout grandparents, forcing them to confront their conflicting beliefs and discover unexpected common ground in the most unlikely of homes.
- Marguerite (30 min) by Marianne Farley – For several years Marguerite received daily visits from Rachel, her home health nurse. When Marguerite discovers that Rachel is a lesbian, it helps her come to terms with what she was never able to accept.
- Zari (19 min) by Shruti Parekh – American teen Neelu feels like a fish out of water amidst preparations for her sister’s wedding in Delhi until she forges a brief and unexpected connection with Zeyb, a quiet sari store clerk who moonlights as an internet drag queen.
The screening is followed by a reception and Q&A with the filmmakers hosted by Gonzalo Casals.
Flushing Town Hall
137-35 Northern Blvd.
Flushing, NY 11354
Tickets: $5 Suggested Donation
Register Here
The Queens World Film Festival is made possible, in part, by funding through the New NYS Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the NYS Legislature and administered by Flushing Town Hall and in part by funding through New York City Council Shekar Krishnan and the Department of Youth and Community Development.
Queens World Film Initiative, Inc. programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and by New York City Council Member Shekar Krishnan and the Department of Youth and Community Development.
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