There are few film screenings and networking events worth attending in the city of New York where one can watch thought-provoking cinema, engage in conversations about Browning, Gershwin, Aesthetic Realism, and Religion while being constantly surrounded by delicious Hors d'oeuvres, wines, martinis, gift bags, lucrative giveaways, and great company. With Cinemonde, one needs to look no further.

The Cinemonde Soiree combines all these elements, and to top it all off, this month’s Soiree took place at the historic and elegant Tribeca Grand Hotel.

Cinemonde is a private, international film screening series pioneered by Mr. Jerry Rudes. Jerry, as he insists being called, began the Cinema Soiree in Spring of 2009 after the closing of his twenty-five-year-old Avignon Film Festival in France (which also had a nine year run in New York City starting in 1995). After the closure of the festival due to the loss of support from the Avignon Film Council, Jerry decided to continue the spirit of celebrating independent cinema, but in a more private and focused fashion. This led him to the idea of starting Cinemonde.

The purpose of Cinemonde, as Jerry puts it, is to “create an [environment] where everyone can feel good and focus on one movie at a time.” Each presenting filmmaker gets a chance to speak about their film, and in between showings (usually a short, followed by a feature) there’s a short break. Additionally, Jerry’s reputable events attract established distributors, producers, critics, and other filmmakers, making his intriguing invitation-only programs even more tempting.

Two films were featured during the recent event I attended:

■ A short Aesthetic Realist animated movie entitled Thomas Comma from Emmy-Award winning filmmaker Ken Kimmelman. Thomas Comma is based on a poem by Martha Baird, and in Mr. Kimmelman’s words, it’s about “a lonely comma looking for the right sentence.”

■ An Italian Neorealist feature film entitled Mid-August Lunch by renowned Italian writer, Gianni Di Gregorio, who also made his directorial debut with this film. Mid-August Lunch is set on August 15th, an Italian holiday known to the natives as Ferragosto. The film is based on a ‘what if’ scenario taken from a real life situation in Gianni’s real life.

While at first glance these films may seem different, they share one common thread. According to Jerry, both are very humane and focus on people finding their place in the world. He points out that cinema makes us “think about our own families, and it serves as a reminder (and reflection) on situations we face in our daily lives.”

(Photo: Misha Zubarev)