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The 13th annual Bushwick Film Festival, the virtual to be virtual, will offer a full slate of programming this coming October.

The festival, which will run from October 21 to 25, includes over 100 independent films from 30 different countries.

The films can be viewed at watch.bushwickfilmfestival.com, a secure streaming platform.

Accompanying the films is a two-day movie industry conference with speakers, screenplay readings, industry mixers, movie trivia nights and filmmaker Q&As.

Local elected officials, as well as local celebrities, will offer remarks.

Participants include Katori Hall (Starz’ P-Valley), Deniese Davis (HBO’s Insecure & A Black Lady Sketch Show), Shakira Barrera (Netflix’s Glow & Orange is the New Black), Alia Shawkat (Fox/Netflix’s Arrested Development) and Roy Wood Jr. (Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah).

For tickets and passes, visit their website here.

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney is calling on all middle and high school students in her congressional district, which includes Greenpoint, to participate in this year’s Congressional App Challenge.

The challenge accepts computer program apps written in any programming language for any platform.

Winners will be selected by panels of judges from the local community and honored by their member of Congress.

The apps may be featured on display in the U.S. Capitol building, and on the House of Representative’s website.

“Since its founding, this competition has inspired thousands of students nationwide to learn to code,” Maloney said. “I encourage all students, no matter how much or how little experience they have with coding, to give it a shot and create the app you believe we need.”

The submission portal is now open. The deadline for student submissions is October 19.

The competition is open to all students who meet the eligibility requirements.

If your child is interested in joining a local scouting troop, here’s your chance!

BK Scouts Troop 26 (boys) and Troop 1G (girls) are hosting an open house this evening from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

The open house will take place at McCarren Park, at Driggs Avenue and Manhattan Avenue.

Not only do scouts learn skills like camping, fishing, hiking, riding horses, shooting arrows, skiing and more, but they also learn important life lessons on community, making friends and becoming a good citizen.

RSVP to the open house here.

With the summer winding down, take advantage of a family-friendly program this weekend.

On Saturday, September 19th, at 6 p.m., Town Square will host a drive-in screening of Pixar’s “Toy Story 4.”

The movie will be shown at The Lot at Broadway Stages, located at 211 Meserole Avenue.

Doors open at 6 p.m., and the movie starts at sunset (typically after 7 p.m.)

There are only 30 parking spots and 6 seating pods. Tickets are $35 for a car/seating pod. Concessions will be available for purchase at extra cost.

Masks and social distancing are required outside of your car. Tickets are selling out quickly, so get yours now!

Purchase tickets here.

The 13th annual Bushwick Film Festival will go virtual for the first time.

From October 21 to 25, the five-day affair will feature virtual screenings, events and panels for audiences from around the world.

This year’s theme, which is so fitting, is transformation. The festival chose the symbol of a butterfly to embody the theme.

“Our butterfly glows and emerges from the electricity surrounding it, symbolizing profound transformation and honoring the energy it has to manifest to get there,” said festival director Kweighbaye Kotee.

Films will be available to watch on a secure streaming platform sponsored by Spectrum. Panels and conversations can also be watched on an online events platform. Live music and other content will be available to livestream.

The Bushwick Film Festival, since its inception, has showcased films by the best and most diverse emerging filmmakers in Brooklyn and across the world.

Select passes to the film festival are available now, and individual tickets will go on sale September 15.

For updates and notifications on ticket sales, visit their site here.

Town Square is hosting a back-to-school swap on Saturday, September 12 between noon and 3 p.m.

The event will take place during Greenpoint Open Streets on North 15th Street between Nassau Avenue and Banker Street.

Men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, shoes and books are all welcome. One person’s trash is another’s treasure!

Here are the rules:

• Only cleaned, gently used and usable items
• No need to bring anything to take anything
• May limit folks to 1 bag or the number of bags brought to donate to the swap
• Do not allow taking donated items to resell. All remaining items are donated to local homeless shelters
• Sign up to volunteer for an hour or more with this link.

Partners for this event include St. Mary’s, NBK Mutual Aid and the 94th Precinct.

A $10 suggested donation per family will help cover costs.

Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza announced a new Outdoor Learning initiative for the 2020-2021 academic year.

The program will allow schools to hold classes outdoors in schoolyards, adjacent streets and nearby park space. The program is open to all public, charter and private schools.

Schools in areas hardest hit by COVID-19 with no outdoor space will receive priority.

Beginning on Monday, school principals can submit a request for learning space in school adjacent streets and nearby parks. Schools that want to use their own on-site yards can fill out a survey to notify the Department of Education.

Proposals submitted by Friday, August 28th will receive responses by September 4. Additional requests can be submitted on a rolling basis.

Bushwick is one of the Brooklyn neighborhoods that will be prioritized. Others include Brownsville, East New York, Sunset Park, Canarsie, Bed-Stuy and East Flatbush.

North Brooklyn small business owners convened with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney last Thursday to discuss the difficulties they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organized by the North Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the meeting included businesses like the Row House, Bar Method, Bagel Point and Slick Willie Table & Bar.

Maloney spoke about her efforts to pass relief and other aid for small businesses and employees through stimulus packages.

“Small businesses and its employees are ingrained in the cultural and economic fabric of Williamsburg and Greenpoint,” she said. “I look forward to working with them further and bringing their concerns back to D.C. as we negotiate another round of COVID-19 relief.”

Read more about Maloney’s push in this week’s Greenpoint Star newspaper.

Camber Property Group and Valyrian Capital have begun leasing for The Strand, a new mixed-use development near the Ridgewood/East Williamsburg border with 132 units.

Leasing for the rental property, located at 178 Woodward Avenue, is being handled by Corcoran New Development.

The Strand features a variety of residences, including 33 studios, 71 one-bedrooms, 25 two-bedrooms/ two-baths, and three three-bedroom/two-bath apartments.

The pricing starts at $2,050 a month for a studio and up to $3,985 for a three-bedroom.

The amenities are plentiful at The Strand, including two landscaped rooftop decks, a co-working lounge, fitness center, a media and gaming lounge, an inner courtyard, on-site parking for cars and bikes, and Stainless Steel appliances.

In terms of location, The Strand is located three blocks from the Jefferson Avenue L train stop, as well as the B38, B57 and Q53 buses.

Citi Bikes are also available throughout the neighborhood.

Corcoran is providing perspective residents with face masks, hand sanitizing stations and an in-person or virtual experience from first viewing through lease signing.

There will be no free movies at north Brooklyn parks this summer.

Town Square BK announced that their family movie series, SummerStarz, has been cancelled due to NYC Parks’ COVID-19 regulations.

SummerStarz has been a popular program that allows families to enjoy free films in the summertime while enjoying north Brooklyn’s open spaces.

Hopefully it will be back by next summer!