Earth Day Celebration
April 18, 2026
Arverne Cinema + Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary
We open the season with a full day of film, conversation, and collective action in honor of Earth Day.
The celebration begins with a free screening of Discard Records, interdisciplinary artist sTo Len's love letter to New York City told through its trash. Len, a recent Public Artist in Residence at the NYC Department of Sanitation, joins us afterward for conversation.
From there, we’ll move to Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary for a shoreline cleanup — volunteers will gather objects from the waste stream to create collaborative prints.
We close with Maintenance Artist, Toby Perl Freilich's vibrant portrait of revolutionary public artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles, the first artist in residence at New York City’s Department of Sanitation. Freilich will join us for a post-screening discussion.
Earth Day events are free and open to the public, and presented in partnership with Laru Beya, Union Docs, Valé Collective, and Edgmere Farm.
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Our Sponsors
Rockaway Film Festival would like to thank VBX™~Vernam Basin Terminal for generously hosting us at the Arverne Cinema.
We are proud to be sponsored by Blundstone®, Istic Illic Pictures, and NYC Ferry. Rockaway Film Festival made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Rockaway Film Festival is funded in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Art. We receive additional support from Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.