Bringing the Arts to Astoria

© Meei Juan-Kwan

Ryan Gielen in, we must assume, Astoria.

As the youth culture in Astoria grows, so does its arts scene, but in the race for the title of 'cutting edge creative hub' this borough still lags behind New York City and Brooklyn. This is where Ryan Gielen comes in. As a film editor, writer, director, and producer, Gielen has decided to take advantage of the borough's many untapped resources and bring showcasing opportunities to a new locale. "There was this gap; you could participate in all of these artsy things in Brooklyn and New York but you couldn't do them in Astoria yet," he explains.

To bridge the gap, Gielen and his friends established a weekly Indie film and music screening at Astoria's infamous Bohemian Hall And Beer Garden, giving local talent the chance to play to a fresh and eager audience. But they didn't do it for the good of the borough, they did it by accident.

"When my friends and I were looking to have a screening series and have a networking event everything in New York and Brooklyn was booked. So it was in Astoria that we found this spot where we were able to show great little indie films and great indie music and just have a good time. And we wanted to be able to hang out and drink after, so instead of doing it at a theater, we decided to host it at Bohemian Hall because when you are there you can sit and have a drink or sit and have some dinner, stay late, check out the bands, whatever."

Out of Necessity...

A filmmaker in his own right, Gielen came up with the idea for the series while promoting and screening his own film The Graduates. "We tried to screen the film in New York and it was just so expensive. Indie filmmakers get screwed; if you are not with a distributor then it costs way more than you can afford and they price it so you can't make your money back." 

Exasperated with the situation, Gielen looked outside of NYC and found himself the perfect spot in the upstairs rooms of Astoria's Bavarian Beergardens. "They hold bingo there during the day for all of the old Czech ladies," Gielen confesses, owning up to the decidedly un-hip location.

The Graduates, a coming of age comedy, turned out to be a perfect fit for the lighthearted setting, selling out all of its screenings and prompting the beer garden's owners to ask Gielen to return in the fall to run a movie night. From there, he pushed further and established this original indie series that now runs all winter long.

The series, dubbed Astoria Indies, quickly became a showcase for unsigned indie films (shorts and features) and indie bands. It is in this way that Gielen is able to discover new talent while also promoting appreciating the thriving arts scene. "I love the local music scene in New York, and I love local indie bands. We are basically calling people we love listening to and asking them to come out and perform."

You're Welcome

At the end of the winter Gielen and his friends will hold a festival where they will screen highlights from the Astoria film and music series and gather everyone together for one last hoorah, again highlighting a laid back arts event that would be different if set in a more established setting. 

"You go to one of these screenings and everyone is relaxed and having a nice time. You go to an opening or an event in Tribeca or The Village and everyone is really intense and there is a lot of pressure, everything needs to be impressive and imposing. But you go out to Queens and it's just a bunch of people who you really love, and they are talented and interested and just having beers, watching some band or film."

Despite any difficulties he may have faced in the NYC indie scene, Gielen has no wish to be anywhere but the big apple and its surrounding boroughs. "If you want to be a king crab fisherman, you go to Alaska. If you want to be a great chef, you go to France. This is where I should be. The first time I ever walked out on a New York City street I was like, oh, I get it. I just want to spread some more of that to Astoria too."