Weekend Arts Planner: Film festivals happening indoors and out, and a mix of Mozart at the Met Opera

Lawrence Brownlee and Erin Morley soar in a new production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute" at the Metropolitan Opera.

WNYC's Culture and Arts Editor Steve Smith always joins us to talk about arts events coming up in New York City, and this week he joins Weekend Edition host David Furst to discuss free outdoor film screenings in Brooklyn, a globe-trotting range of film festivals indoors in Manhattan, and two new Mozart productions at the Metropolitan Opera.

STEVE'S PICKS:

1. Rooftop Films offers free movies in public spaces throughout the city

The weather has been stunning just lately, and that means it might be a great time to watch a movie on a rooftop or in a park near you. Rooftop Films is known for this kind of thing, and on Saturday night they're opening a series of free community movie nights with the 1984 hip-hop saga "Beat Street." It's screening at 8 p.m. at Restoration Plaza, located at 1368 Fulton St. in Brooklyn. But really, you should think about getting there early: DJ Hard Hitting Harry gets the music started at 4 p.m., there’s karaoke starting at 6 and at 8 p.m., Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew will introduce the film. No tickets are required, so you can just show up, but you can also RSVP for the event on the Rooftop Films website. That's also the best way to find out about upcoming events, like a screening of Wong Kar Wai's "Chungking Express" next Wednesday, May 17, in Fort Greene Park.

2. A flurry of indoor film festivals is running this weekend

Several very special festivals are all happening at once this weekend and in the days beyond. The 23rd New York Indian Film Festival continues Saturday and Sunday at Village East by Angelika, on Second Avenue at 12th Street, with a robust lineup of feature films, shorts, and documentaries. The New York African Film Festival 2023 is running now through Tuesday at Film at Lincoln Center. And Film Forum is focusing its sights closer to home with "The City: Real and Imagined," a celluloid celebration of New York City featuring more than 60 feature films… including "Sweet Smell of Success," "Do the Right Thing," "Taxi Driver," "Rosemary's Baby," and… of course, "Escape from New York."

3. Mix and match Mozart at the Met Opera

Tony Award-winning director Ivo van Hove makes his Met debut with a gripping new production of Mozart's "Don Giovanni," with the charismatic singer Peter Mattei in the title role and conductor Nathalie Stutzmann making her house conducting debut. You can catch this new modern-dress staging Tuesday at the Metropolitan Opera House, and it's also playing next Saturday, May 20, in the house and on movie-theater screens all over town. The production runs through June 2. And next Friday, May 19, brings the first new production in 19 years of Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte" ("The Magic Flute"). It's directed by Simon McBurney, with a delicious pair of lead performers in Erin Morley as Pamina and Lawrence Brownlee as Tamino, and once again, Stutzmann conducts. That production runs through June 10. Find more information and order tickets here.