When the weather gets warmer in New York City up pop the outdoor film screens. Pretty much any park, rooftop or large outdoor area is ripe to turn into a makeshift open air movie theater. Nearly every evening you’ll find a screening, weather it be a cult classic, a new indie or a foreign film. The offerings can be quite overwhelming, which is why we’ve decided to start a weekly column where we make sense of the outdoor movie madness. Each week we’ll highlight two to three outdoor film screenings that we think rise above the melee. Without further adieu, here are picks for this week:

Outer Space Outdoors: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
When: Thursday, June 7. DJ at 7pm. Screening at 8pm. Free.
Where: Albee Square, corner of Fulton and Bond in Brooklyn
Launching this week is a sci-fi-themed outdoor screening series organized by Alamo Drafthouse in association with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. Every Thursday in June, Albee Square will play host to a different sci-fi classic. The first film in the series is Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Celebrating its 40th anniversary last year, Close Encounters popularized a five-tone musical phrase, and put Devils Tower on the map. The film’s storyline involves UFOs and alien visitation, and its cast includes Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François Truffaut. Close Encounters was nominated for eight Academy Awards.

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Escape in New York: Outdoor Films on Governors Island – Escape From New York (1981)
When: Friday, June 8. Music at 7pm. Screening at dusk. Free.
Where: Parade Ground, Governors Island
Of all the free screenings series going on in the city this summer, this is no doubt the one we are most excited about. The Film Society of Lincoln Center has partnered with the Trust for Governors Island to host outdoor screenings on Governors Island. This summer will be the first time something like this has ever been done on the New York harbor dweller, which sits 800 yards off the southern tip of Manhattan. FSLC has curated the series, selecting feature films that celebrate New York City’s history. Each feature is paired with a short by a local filmmaker. The screenings take place on the newly restored Parade Ground, an eight-acre lawn with views of Lower Manhattan.

The series kicks off with a screening of John Carpenter’s 1981 cult classic Escape from New York. Set in 1997, Carpenter and co-writer Nick Castle envision a dark future for the United States where crime is running rampant and Manhattan has been turned into the country’s maximum security prison. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), an ex-solider and federal prisoner, is enlisted for a mission. Air Force One has been hijacked by terrorists and has gone down in New York City. Snake is given 24 hours to rescue the president.

Escape from New York is preceded by John Wilson’s short film The Road Tomagnasanti, and before the screenings, musician Theodore Jahng performs. Plus, there will be a beer garden featuring local brewers and a selection of food vendors. For ferry schedule, visit the Governors Island website.

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Films on the Green: The Scent of Green Papaya (1993)
When: Friday, June 8. Screening at dusk. Free.
Where: Washington Square Park
Tran Anh Hung’s Caméra d’Or prize-winning The Scent of Green Papaya screens in Washington Square Park as part of Films on the Green. An annual series, Films on the Green is organized by the Cultural Service of the French Embassy, the City of New York Parks & Recreation, and FACE Foundation. Its mission is to bring free French films to NYC parks, and the venues rotate.

As for the film, The Scent of Green Papaya centers around Mui, a young girl who works as servant. You can check out the trailer below.