New York City plays host to many outdoor film series, but few send you around the world like Outdoor Cinema does. Taking place at the Socrates Sculpture Park, the eight-week program is curated by Film Forum and Rooftop Films that features critically acclaimed art house and foreign films. Each screening is treated as a special event, and is preceded by a music or dance performance. Food is available for purchase and the waterfront location is pretty sweet. Weather permitting, free kayaking and and canoeing are available from Hallets Cove on select evenings.

Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life

The series kicks off its 17th year with one of the greatest music documentaries of all time, D.A. Pennbaker’s Don’t Look Back. A groundbreaking piece of cinema, the film follows Bob Dylan on his 1965 British tour. Queens-based singer/songwriter Pam Reyes performs before the screening. Other highlights of the program include Joann Sfar’s Serge Gainsbourg biopic Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life, Czech animator Jan Svankmajer’s Alice, and Gaspard Kuentz and Cédric Dupire’s documentary about India’s head-spinning Sonepur Fair, Kings of the Wind and Electric Queens.

Among this year’s pre-screening performers are the Adam Tully Trio, Bangladeafy, and minimal electro duo Xeno and Oaklander.

This year’s complete line-up is below.  You’ll also find the trailer for Don’t Look Back. The pre-screening performances start at 7pm. The screenings begin at sundown. If you need additional information, visit the Socrates Sculpture Park website.

Outdoor Cinema 2015 Line-up (updated 8/19*)
July 1 – Don’t Look Back/USA 1967, 96 minutes. Directed by D.A. Pennebaker, PRE-SCREENING PERFORMANCE: Pam Reyes and Guests
July 8 – Live In Maid/Argentina 2005, 83 minutes. Directed by Jorge Gaggero. PRE-SCREENING PERFORMANCE: Adam Tully Trio
July 15 – Postponed until August 26 due to weather
July 22 – Iron Crows/Bangladesh 2009, 93 minutes. Directed by Bong-Nam Park. PRE-SCREENING PERFORMANCE: Bangladeafy
July 29 – Kings of the Wind & Electric Queens/India 2015, 56 minutes. Directed by Gaspard Kuentz and Cédric Dupire.
August 5 – Cold Conflicts: Swedish Short Films
August 12 – Wadjda/Saudi Arabia 2012, 98 minutes. Directed by Haifaa al-Monsour. + short film: Me and My Moulton. PRE-SCREENING PERFORMANCE: Nashaz with Shelley Thomas
August 19 – Alice/Czech Republic 1988, 84 minutes. Directed by Jan Svankmajer. PRE-SCREENING PERFORMANCE: Xeno and Oaklander
*August 26 – Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life/France 2010, 122 minutes. Directed by Joann Sfar. PRE-SCREENING PERFORMANCE: Ginkgoa – rescheduled from July 15