Viewers’ Choice Closes This Five-Night Film Festival, August 29 through September 2, at Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield, VOTE NOW!

Central Park is the location and the star of a five-night film festival produced by the Central Park Conservancy and sponsored by Bloomberg. New to this year’s festival is a “Viewers’ Choice” screening, which gives New Yorkers the unique opportunity to pick the film they want to see on the final night of the festival.

Unreeling in Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield (East 69th Street, off Fifth Avenue), the Film Festival offers a great excuse to gather together under the summer stars to watch some of the silver screen’s most memorable movies that contain scenes filmed in Central Park. Since making its debut in the 1908 silent version of Romeo and Juliet, Central Park has been the backdrop of more than 200 movies.

All screenings are FREE and start at 8:00 pm. Gates open at 6:00 pm. Rain or shine. Bloomberg will provide FREE handheld fans to the first 500 film fans that arrive each night and FREE popcorn to everyone.

The series kicks off on Tuesday, August 29, with, The Apartment, winner of five Oscars. The line-up continues on Wednesday, August 30, with the infamous Glenn Close – Michael Douglas thriller, Fatal Attraction (rated R), and on Thursday, August 31, with Godspell, the 1973 musical featuring a group of merrymakers doing what many Park visitors have only dreamed of –splashing around in Bethesda Fountain. Friday, September 1, is a night for the entire family as Michael J. Fox breathes life into an animated mouse, Stuart Little, who takes a wild ride on a model boat on Central Park’s Conservatory Water.

On Viewers’ Choice night, Saturday, September 2, movie fans have the opportunity to pick their favorite of three classic Central Park films to watch that evening. Three seminal New York films, Manhattan, The Way We Were, and Wall Street, which inspire everything from romance to greed, will be offered as choices. WABC Channel 7 will be supporting the online poll. Filmgoers can go to www.7online.com and choose the movie of the evening. Voting begins July 29 and ends on August 29.

SCHEDULE
All screenings are free and begin at 8:00 pm at Rumsey Playfield (East 69th Street, off Fifth Avenue). Gates open at 6:00 pm. Rain or shine.

Tuesday, August 29
THE APARTMENT (1960)
Directed by Billy Wilder, The Apartment, starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, is a romantic comedy about a man who tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue. 125 min.

Wednesday, August 30
FATAL ATTRACTION (1987)
Happily married New York lawyer Dan (Michael Douglas) has an affair with his colleague Alex (Glenn Close). While Dan’s wife and child are away, the two enjoy a weekend of love that includes a frolic in Central Park. Alex then becomes obsessed with Dan and will stop at nothing to have him for herself. Directed by Adrian Lyne, this thriller was nominated for 6 Academy Awards. 119 min. Rated R.

Thursday, August 31
GODSPELL (1973)
Directors David Greene and John-Michael Tebelak collaborate with composer Stephen Schwartz to bring his wildly successful Broadway musical, Godspell, to the big screen. Told almost entirely in song, Godspell presents the gospel of St. Matthew adapted to the New York City of the late '60s/early '70s, featuring Jesus Christ as a wandering minstrel dressed like a circus clown. By blowing on an instrument that reaches only the ears of a select few, John the Baptist summons nine simpatico hippies to a fountain in Central Park, where they revel in the waters of their baptism. 103 min.

Friday, September 1
STUART LITTLE (1999)
When the Littles (Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie) go to an orphanage to adopt a new family member, their son, George, chooses a charming young mouse named Stuart. While George is disappointed and initially unwelcoming to his new brother, the family cat, Snowbell, is even less enthusiastic and plots to get rid of him. Against these difficulties, Stuart resolves to face them with as much pluck, love, and courage as he can muster. In doing so, he shows his beloved new family that great things can truly come in small packages. 84 min.

Saturday, September 2
VIEWERS’ CHOICE: Visit www.7online.com to vote for one of the following three. Voting begins on June 29 and ends on August 29.

Manhattan (1979)
A divorced New Yorker (Woody Allen) who is dating a high-schooler decides to woo his best friend’s mistress. 96 min.


The Way We Were (1973)
A disparate couple have a wonderful romance, but their political views and convictions drive them apart. Starring Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand. 118 min.

Wall Street (1987)
A young and impatient stockbroker (Charlie Sheen) is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information provided by a ruthless and greedy corporate broker (Michael Douglas) who takes the rookie under his wing. 125 min.