Did you know NewFest offers a number of events, free of charge, every year as part of our festival? We present to you these free events: think of them as our way of saying ‘Thank You.”

Friday, July 22

I’m From Driftwood Presents. Directed by Marquise Lee. Playing at 3PM, Cinema Village.

New York’s own Nathan Manske has made it his job to cross the fifty states to find diverse stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and ally individuals — to document the queer American experience of the 21st century. Join us for this collection of some of the series’ highlights. All students and youth age 25 or younger will be admitted FREE to this screening. Screens with Gay In America with Scott Pasfield. ((MORE))

Festival Opens at Lincoln Center

NewFest 2011, New York’s LGBT Film Festival, opens our 23rd season TONIGHT at Lincoln Center. Our festival begins with David Weissman’s moving portrait of a remarkable moment in time, We Were Here screening at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center.This future classic documents the story of five members ((Continued))

When you have as many amazing films, documentaries and shorts as our 2011 festival does, sure, it’s easy to blow your own horn. Can you blame us? But don’t just take our word for it. Hear what these voices in the community have to say about NewFest:

The New York Times: “The Week Ahead, July 17-23,” by Stephen Holden.

((Continued))

Stories For and About Our Community

The richness, variety and diversity of the LGBT community come to life on the big screen this week, when NewFest presents its 2011 Documentary Series. Extraordinary, unforgettable, and most of all real, they’re the stories that dig deep below the surface to engage and enlighten. Just a few of the many fine documentary films on our program include:

The Advocate for Fagdom. Gay movie audiences are already familiar with the two-decade-long career of Canadian filmmaker Bruce La Bruce, and the unique style with which he marries hardcore sex and political messages. Here, director Angélique Bosio introduces us to the man behind the movies in a portrait of Bruce guaranteed to madden, irritate, enchant, charms and fascinate. Along the way,  you’ll also hear what such luminaries as John Waters, Bruce Benderson, Harmony Korine, Gus Van Sant, Richard Kern, Rick Castro have to say about his contributions to LGBT cinema. Playing Friday, July 22 at 8:30PM, at Cinema Village. ((More after the jump))

Plus, Meet the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “a sophisticated intimate twist on a father-son drama”, Gun Hill Road is Rashaad Ernesto Green’s first feature film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Set in the Bronx, Gun Hill Road follows Enrique (Esai Morales of La Bamba, NYPD Blue), a macho ex-convict returning home from a three-year prison sentence, who slowly learns that his son Michael (Harmony Santana, at left) is transitioning into Vanessa, a woman.  Unable to accept his child, Enrique clings to his masculine ideals, while his wife Angela (Judy Reyes from Scrubs) fiercely tries to hold her family together by protecting Michael.((Much more after the jump))

Prolific gay writer, director, producer and sometime actor Casper Andreas (Big Gay Musical, A Four-Letter Word, and last year’s NewFest hit Violet Tendences) goes west for his newest feature, Going Down in LA-LA Land.

Based on Andy Zeffer’s bestselling (and semi-autobiographical) novel, the film follows all-American boy and aspiring actor Adam (Mattrhew Ludwinski), who has just arrived in Los Angeles from New York to make his name in the biz.  If Andreas’s new film is any proof, Truman Capote may have been wrong when he said, “It’s redundant to die in Los Angeles.” ((Click for more))