8/1/2017
By Ivan Pereira
Mayor Bill de Blasio wants New Yorkers to come together for an epic movie night in September.
On Tuesday, the mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment commissioner launched a contest, called “One Film, One New York,” in which New Yorkers can vote on one of five classic movies that were shot in the city. The winning flick will be screened across the five boroughs on both indoor and outdoor movie screens on Sept. 13.
The movies, selected by New York Times film critics A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis, range from a classic musical to dramas that showcase the city, according to Media and Entertainment Commissioner Julie Menin.
“Film has the power to bring people together and to spark a civic conversation,” she said in a statement.
Fans can log onto NYC.gov/OneFilm to cast their vote by Aug. 31, and the winner will be revealed on Sept. 6.
The site also features videos of celebrities, such as Hugh Jackman and Katie Holmes, revealing which film gets their vote.
The Sept. 13 screening will be free and take place at outdoor locations, including Fort Greene Park and St. Nicholas Park, and in participating theaters such as the Museum of the Moving Image and Nitehawk Cinema.
The five films are:
“On the Town” (1949)
The movie was the first musical filmed on location in New York and stars the iconic Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra as sailors on shore leave in the city.
“New York, New York” (1977)
Martin Scorsese directed Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli in this romantic musical about a saxophone player and a singer who fall in love in the 1940s.
“Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985)
Madonna made her major film debut alongside Rosanna Arquette in this comedy about a mistaken identity between a drifter and a New Jersey housewife.
“The Wedding Banquet” (1993)
Ang Lee made his big break as a director in this comedy about a gay man who stages a wedding to a woman to appease his Taiwanese parents.
“Crooklyn” (1994)
Spike Lee’s drama chronicles a girl who lives in 1970s Bedford-Stuyvesant with her parents and four older brothers.
