Frank Zagottis is a fun guy. A Queens local, he’s got this nice house off Newtown Road right in the heart of Astoria. Like most locals, his parents were immigrants, his father came to this country as a tailor, and spent his life fitting clothes to support his family. Now Frank is giving back a bit, in his own way, and keeping his neighborhood friendly.

For years each summer Frank will hang a large white sheet that his own father sew over the back of his house, set up a little projector on an aluminum stepladder and invite anyone that wishes to come by to watch a classic Hollywood movie. He serves up snacks, puts out chairs, and doesn’t charge a thing. It doesn’t get more cozy then this.

When you live in a city of steel and stone like New York, it can be very easy to be beat down by the grind, and to forget that humanity exists. It’s people like Frank with his Newtown Road Backyard Film Festival that make us remember that we’re really all neighbors sharing one big backyard. Thanks Frank, you truly are a good guy.

Rs