Stories from all over the world will hit the silver screen over the next week and a half.

The Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema kicked off on Friday.

More than 150 short and feature films from 24 different countries will be screened during the event.

In order to play all the movies, there are 3 venues for the festival including the Kew Gardens Cinemas, at Maple Grove Cemetery and the Queens Museum.

Organizers said it’s important to highlight the work of independent film makers.

"There are filmmakers out there that are struggling that are making these amazing films. You're going to see this and wonder 'Wow, how have these never been released in a theater before?'," said Jayson Simba, the founder and executive director of the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.