Be My Oswald, a film by Queens World Film Festival founder Preston Cato, will be screening in Long Island City on Oct. 25. Photo courtesy of chipAway Productions
Oct. 18, 2024 By Iryna Shkurhan
The creators behind the Queens World Film Festival are screening their own satirical film centered around the myth and assassination of Santa Claus in a pay-what-you-wish fundraiser later this month.
Be My Oswald explores the sacred American myth of Santa and its reign over our minds, hearts, and the global economy. The 81-minute film is largely set in a room looking down on Broadway during the Thanksgiving Day parade as two women—one activist and one socialite—experience a rude awakening compared to a child’s discovery of the truth about Santa.
The New York Times called it “A seriously deranged dramedy about finding yourself through terrorism,” and one IMDB user said it “embodies the very essence of what we love about independent cinema.”
The screening will take place on Friday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. at The Local on 44th Avenue in Long Island City. Sponsored by the Hoffman Family, it will feature special merch on sale, happy hour-priced drinks, and free popcorn.
“The irony is not lost on us that we’re taking on the myth of the ultimate consumer icon in Santa and hoping to raise money and sell books,” said Katha Cato, who stars in the film herself and worked on its production.
Preston Cato is the writer, director, and producer behind it. He has dozens of films under his belt and is the artistic director of Queens World Film Festival, where he curates over 200 films into novel thematic categories annually.
Katha Cato plays ‘B’ in the film, who is described as a militant vegetarian.Photo courtesy of chipAway Productions
The Catos began filming Be My Oswald in 1998. In 2007, it was screened at eight film festivals, winning awards at half of them. It took home best feature at the now defunct Queens International Film Festival, whose demise made room for the birth of their annual festival, which has been growing since 2011.
Preston made the artistic decision to shoot the film on several different devices, which worsened the grainy quality as the story got darker and edgier. He also played with the sound and angles.
Katha recalls a line in the film, “That’s the old truth. The new lie is the new truth. And if you believe in the old lie that’ll get you killed,” which she said didn’t resonate years ago but now rings true.
Could the political film be even more relevant today? While the fundraiser has been held in late November for the past few years to coincide with the film, they chose to screen it before the election this year.
“It really takes a look at our society. Are the myths always more important than the humans? Is that really where we are? The answer could be very uncomfortable, and it’s very hard to kill a myth,” she explained. “We just wanted a couple of people to maybe think about a couple of things.”
The Catos founded the Queens World Film Festival jusy a couple years after Be My Oswald screened at film festivals.Photo courtesy of QWFF
As part of the film’s side project, Preston spent years compiling a historical Santa Timeline spanning from present-day Turkey in 280 AD to the controversies surrounding “ho ho ho” statements made by Santas this century.
But he ultimately found that today’s connection between Santa and Christmas can be traced to intentions made by some men living in NYC in the 1820s.
The full timeline is featured on the website of their company, chipAway Productions. There are also pictures of the manifesto journal carried around by one of the characters, filled with news clippings about Claus and Christmas’s more negative societal impacts. It will be available to look at alongside other props at the screening.
The funds raised will go towards maintaining the free programming that comes with the annual festival, including the listening tour and several free film screenings.
Space is limited, and tickets can be reserved online.
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