Disability Pride Month Celebration

Part of Queering the Canon: Totally Radical – Harry Dodge and Silas Howard craft a trans-butch buddy outsider story ahead of its time. An adrift Shy (Howard) wanders into a clumsy life of crime and collides with the dizzying dreams of charismatic Valentine (Dodge), who is searching for the mother he’s never met. The two team up in their own anti-authoritarian way on the outskirts of society, as they perform petty crimes, stir up individual romances, and grow deeply bonded.

Through their attempts at a better life, their soul-searching leads them to discover what “chosen family” and radical tenderness means. This SXSW audience award-winner received acclaim at its Sundance 2001 world premiere, and features iconic rocker Joan Jett amongst the ensemble of this groundbreaking and enduring achievement.

Part of #NewFest26 – On the main character’s first experience with love…

The main character, Leonardo, is a blind teenager discovering his sexuality. When a new guy arrives at his school, he starts to develop feelings for him, finding out he’s falling in love for the first time. It just happens to be with another boy… Read the full interview from director Daniel Ribeiro ahead of his 2014 screening at NewFest.

Part of #NewFest34 – Peter is an introverted New Yorker with dwarfism who prefers to hide from the world in his city apartment. But an unexpected visit from his upbeat, eccentric neighbor Winona forces him out of his shell and onto an impromptu road trip. Their destination? What she believes to be the site of an upcoming alien visitation in the wilderness of rural Canada.

UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS follows the odd couple’s increasingly surreal odyssey, in which they encounter bickering lesbian cosplayers, shroom-addled survivalists, and even extraterrestrial highway cops. The further they go and the more their trauma comes to light, the clearer it becomes that the only thing scarier than being abducted by aliens is being alone in the universe.

Part of #NewFest34 – Harry spends her nights DJing at the local radio station, dispensing advice to the broken-hearted. As a wheelchair user, she’s learned to ignore societal isolation and now practices hyper-positivity to help others find love. When she meets Luna, a cagey textbook writer who can only fall asleep in the daytime, the pair’s undeniable connection rocks both of their worlds.

In Episodes 1-3 of this rousing romance from NewFest alum Samantha Lee (BILLIE & EMMA), Harry and Luna must merge their self-sustaining bubbles in order to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of true satisfaction. SLEEP WITH ME is a love affair for night owls that explores the many ways queerness and disability intersect.

#NewFest34 Opening Night Film – HBO original documentary MAMA’S BOY centers around the upbringing of the Academy Award®-winning screenwriter of MILK, Dustin Lance Black. Traveling back to the places where he grew up, Black explores his childhood roots, gay identity, and close relationship with his mother, who overcame childhood polio, abusive marriages, and Mormon dogma while becoming Black’s emotional rock and, ultimately, the inspiration for his activism.

With a wealth of personal photographs and candid memories from Black’s family, colleagues, and friends, MAMA’S BOY embraces the personal to tell a universally hopeful tale of resilience and reconciliation through the power of love and shared stories. Hear Black’s welcome remarks.

Part of #NewFest35 – Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize Winner Acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker Daniel Gonçalves returns with his latest film about the intersection of sexual life and disability within the queer space. The documentary highlights the complexities and challenges of being disabled and leading a fulfilling sex life. Its featured subjects do not shy away from exploring or discussing their erotic fantasies, and offer engaging insight in the community with vulnerability and without shame. Gonçalves shines a light on an underrepresented community both on screen and in the real world and allows for these important conversations to be heard and seen. 

Part of #NewFest35 – NewFest + NYWIFT Emerging Filmmaker Award When an interabled queer couple spends the night together for the first time, they must confront their complex relationships with desire, sexuality, bodily autonomy, and what it means truly to love another person.

Part of #NewFest36 – Saira, an immigrant living in California, and Rosa, the first deaf law student in Guadalajara, Mexico, are trying to make a long-distance relationship work. As they navigate the physical distance in their relationship, the couple relies on their trust and deep level of communication to face their challenges head-on.