Conch Shell Productions and Queens Public Library Partner to Bring Free Caribbean Heritage Arts Events to Forest Hills This Fall 

Queens, NY — September 2025 — Conch Shell Productions (CSP), a Queens-based nonprofit dedicated to amplifying Caribbean Diaspora and Caribbean voices in theatre and film, is thrilled to announce a dynamic lineup of free fall programming at the Queens Public Library – Forest Hills Branch (108-19 71st Avenue, Forest Hills, NY). 

This season, audiences can experience the power of film and theatre through CSP’s signature events, each followed by artist Q&As that spark dialogue and community connection. 

Event Lineup 

🎬 CSIFF Community Screenings 📅 Thursday, September 18, 2025 • 🕔 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

A free showcase of acclaimed short films from past Conch Shell International Film Festivals, followed by conversations with filmmakers, scholars, and community leaders. Films include Noisy (Cedric Hill), Fuego (Edwin Franko), Victorin(e) (Lunise Cerin), Raíces (Misael Martínez Melo), and See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol). 

🎭 Bluelight Reading Series 📅 Thursday, September 25 & Friday, October 3, 2025 • 🕠 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Workshop readings of bold new plays by Caribbean and Caribbean-American playwrights. This year’s lineup features Sons of an Unknown Father by Cuban/Puerto Rican writer/actor Reynaldo Piniella (directed by Kevin R. Free), and THE BUZZER by Jamaican heritage writer/actor CHANDRA THOMAS (directed by Jamaican heritage artist Danae Grandison). Each reading will be followed by an audience Q&A, inviting the community into the creative process. 

From CSP’s Founder 

“Caribbean stories are world stories. Every time we bring our voices to the stage or screen, we carry our ancestors, our rhythms, and our truths with us,” said Magaly Colimon-Christopher, CSP’s Founder and Producing Artistic Director. “By sharing these stories here in Queens—home to one of the largest Caribbean Diaspora communities—we are affirming that our heritage belongs at the center of American cultural life.” 

Presented in Partnership 

These programs are presented in partnership with Queens Public Library. The CSIFF Community Screening is supported in part by a Flushing Town Hall Queens Community Arts Grant, and the Bluelight Reading Series is made possible with support from the NYFA Queens Arts Fund Grant.