Bronx World Film Cycle Brings Summer 2025 Showcase to The Bronx
- Karen Williams
- Aug 30
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 4
A Roving Cinematic Tradition Elevates Voices of Women, Youth, and Filmmakers of Color
As summer winds down, Bronx communities are invited to experience a marquee celebration of global independent cinema when Bronx World Film Cycle, Summer 2025 takes over venues across the borough from August 26 through Labor Day, September 1. True to its pioneering identity as a “roving cinémathèque,” the festival presents contemporary arthouse films that amplify the voices of underrepresented storytellers—from filmmakers of color and women directors to emerging youth visionaries.
A Brief History of Bronx World Film Cycle
Founded in 2011 by Walter Krochmal, with its flagship Winter Cycle in Manhattan, Bronx World Film Cycle quickly established itself as a platform for independent filmmakers creating outside of mainstream channels. By 2017, the organization brought its mission directly to The Bronx with the launch of the Summer Cycle, tailoring programming to reflect the borough’s rich cultural diversity and nearly 1.5 million residents.
Modeled on the intimacy and accessibility of European film salons, the festival emphasizes dialogue, inclusion, and the idea of cinema as a cultural commons. Since its Bronx debut, the Cycle has worked to fill a critical gap in film and arts programming, showcasing innovative global works while spotlighting Bronx-based voices. Its mobile, community-centered model reflects a larger vision: art traveling to the people, rather than requiring people to come to art.
Collaboration with the Bronx Council on the Arts
The evolution of the festival has been strengthened by its collaboration with the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA)—the borough’s leading cultural service organization since 1962. BCA’s support ensures that free, high-quality cultural events remain accessible to Bronx residents of all generations and backgrounds. The Summer 2025 edition also partners with the Andrew Freedman Home (AFH), an iconic Bronx hub for culture and innovation, launching AFH’s new Bronx Frame Screening Series in tandem. Together, these collaborations affirm the festival’s commitment to equity in the arts, creating space for cinema as both storytelling and community engagement.
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Highlights of Summer 2025 Programming
This year’s slate features four U.S. premieres, each expanding the imaginative and geographic scope of the program:
A Serious Comedy — a fiction drama from Basque director Lander Camarero
THE ANJIRO - SIC FIAT LUX NAM HOMINES PER DEO DAMNATI EGO ILLIS NOVI PROMETHEI HUIUS MUNDI — an animated short by Adriaminosoa Hary Joel Raktovelo (Madagascar)
Re-rooted — an Irish collaboration by Christian Spurling and Delphine Coudray
Baba — from Senegalese director Amath Ndiaye
The lineup also includes the New York City premiere of What is Enough by Slovenian-American filmmaker Nataša Prosenc Stearns.
Dance film and performance expand the program further, with works from Cuban choreographer Marta Arjona, experimental artists Ivana Larrosa and Ruth Somalo, and Brazil’s Maria Alves Tobias, presenting Improvisa fresh from its world premiere in Manhattan.
Adding a unique cultural dimension, the festival welcomes Zara Monrroy, Cultural Ambassador of the Seri Nation of Sonora, Mexico. A musician, fisherwoman, and advocate for Indigenous arts, Monrroy accompanies her screening with a traveling exhibition highlighting the traditions of her homeland.
Free Access, Community Spirit
True to its mission of making world cinema accessible, all screenings at Bronx World Film Cycle, Summer 2025 are free and open to the public, with donations accepted. The event underscores an inclusive arts model by bridging global perspectives with Bronx audiences, affirming cinema’s role as both entertainment and cultural dialogue.
In essence, the 2025 Summer Cycle is not just a film program, but a continuation of a living cultural tradition that brings the world to the Bronx and the Bronx to the world.