Whenever I’m bored, my go-to activity is seeing a movie at one of the city’s many independent cinemas, where the latest blockbuster shows alongside black-and-white movies and low-budget, high-effort indie films.
Lucky for all cinephiles, the first-ever “Art House Cinema Week New York” will provide 5,000 free movie tickets between March 20 and March 26, along with special screenings, discounted membership options and concessions at 30 independent cinemas.
Some of the special screenings include “Melancholia” at Alamo Drafthouse, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” at Nitehawk, and “Queering the Canon” at BAM’s Cinematek. Cinema Week aims to support the city’s independent cinemas while also providing access to cultural activities to all New Yorkers, regardless of income, so make sure you stop by an indie cinema and see a movie!
—Mandie-Beth Chau
Do you have an upcoming event in Brooklyn? Email [email protected] to have your event highlighted in BKLYN LIVE.
Arts and culture news:
This year’s sold-out Brooklyn SeltzerFest once again provided a bubbly atmosphere in Industry City on March 15, and a new winner was crowned at the National Egg Cream Invitational.
Songwriter Kim “Ejae” Eun-jae, a Prospect Heights resident and the singing voice of the “KPop Demon Hunters” main character, won the Oscar for Best Original Song, “Golden.”
Forty staff members at the New York Transit Museum in Downtown Brooklyn seek formal unionization and filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board.
The Brooklyn Museum awarded the 2026 UOVO Prize to photographer and collagist Keisha Scarville, a Brooklyn native whose work draws on Caribbean diaspora memory and her family’s migration from Guyana.
The new Empyrean Club in Bushwick will span 10,300 square feet and include a 299-seat mainstage theater, a cocktail bar, an omakase restaurant and more.
Events:
After a winter that brought more snow to Brooklyn in over a decade, Coney Island’s amusement district is gearing up for its opening weekend: Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park will open on Sunday, March 29, at 10 a.m., and Luna Park opens on March 28.
Other Art Fair returns, featuring 115 artists and their work, along with DJs, interactive installations and more from April 16 to April 19 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Brooklyn in bloom: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s annual cherry blossom celebration, Hanami Nights, returns starting Tuesday, April 21, with access to the Cherry Esplanade, performances, Japanese bites, workshops and more.
How One Wellness Brand Is Helping America Sleep Better
You know you need to sleep more but just can’t make it happen. CBD, along with hemp-derived compounds CBN and THC, can help. Two studies from CBDistillery showed that that people who took these combinations fell asleep easier, slept longer and woke up refreshed. Save 25% with code SLP25.
Photo: Teddy Wolff
In its nearly 50-year history, the performing arts institution St. Ann’s Warehouse, helmed by Artistic Director Susan Feldman, has been responsible for some of the most exciting music and theater in Brooklyn. In the process, it has also preserved several historic landmarks.
The prestigious performing arts institution emerged, unusually, out of an issue of historical preservation. In 1979, Feldman was hired by the New York Landmarks Commission to try to restore the Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity, which had deteriorated significantly during a 10-year closure in the 1960s.
The goal was to save the church. The vehicle was music. Feldman kicked off Arts at St. Ann’s, as it was called then, with classical music and opera concerts. Over 20 years, it evolved into a home for avant-garde rock’n’roll and puppet theater, including the Bread and Puppet Theater.
In the church, Feldman began to develop the ethos and the taste of St. Ann’s. Read about Feldman’s work at St. Ann’s and get an inside look at the upcoming season.
Over the last few decades in New York City, the MetroCard has been more than a way to get around. With its compact size, bold graphic design and citywide circulation, the fare card quickly became an unexpected canvas.
“Inspired by MetroCard” explores how this everyday transit object evolved into a powerful artistic medium and source of inspiration for artists, designers and cultural institutions over three decades.
advertisement
Why Burned-Out Professionals Are Turning to CBD
Job burnout is on the rise, but a 2022 CBDistillery study found that participants taking CBD and CBG reported reduced mild or temporary anxiety and increased focus. The leading brand for high-quality, lab-tested CBD solutions, CBDistillery offers multiple formulas with CBD and CBG – and code FOCUS will save you 20% on this bundle.
Photo: Gregg Richards
On Saturday, March 14, the Brooklyn Public Library hosted its annual Night in the Library at the Central Branch. The event, which this year ran from 7 p.m. until 3:14 a.m. in a nod to Pi Day, conjured up childhood dreams of staying after hours at a museum.
Now in its tenth year, the event’s theme this year was “The Philosophy of Mathematics.” It was presented, for the first time, in collaboration with the Simons Foundation as part of its nationwide “Infinite Sums” initiative.
When the library doors opened at 6:15 p.m., the line to enter already stretched nearly half a mile. The evening’s draw for many — other than the free entry, a truly rare phenomenon in Brooklyn — was the keynote speaker, visionary German filmmaker Werner Herzog.
Reading through our website, readers may encounter a PREMIUM article. The PREMIUM tag indicates articles that come with extra photographs or special coverage. Thinking of a subscription? Try us out with a day pass for just 99 cents. No long-term commitment for a subscription.
This newsletter is written by Mandie-Beth Chau. Email [email protected] with any questions or comments.