ASTORIA, QUEENS — The ninth annual Queens World Film Festival kicks off Thursday in Astoria.

The Queens World Film Festival returns to Astoria’s Museum of the Moving Image from March 21 to March 31 with more than 200 indie films from 31 countries. The lineup includes 16 world premieres, 79 films by women, 15 films by Asian filmmakers and 14 LGBTQ-themed films, according to the non-profit Queens World Film Initiative.

The opening night event, entitled “Worldly Vision,” features seven short films by filmmakers from Iran, Egypt, Switzerland, Canada and the United States. The program includes a screening of the Academy Award-nominated short film “Marguerite.”

Festival highlights include screenings of the restored 1991 film “Thousand Pieces of Gold” on March 26 and of Sundance 1992 winner “In the Soup” at MoMI on March 28, followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Alexandre Rockwell.

On March 31, the festival will announce the winners of its “Best of” awards in categories like best feature, best actor, best cinematography and best screenplay. Winners receive free memberships to screenwriting website INKTIP, and one filmmaker will receive a full day at a sound studio and a complete lighting package from Brooklyn Fire Proof Studios.