NF36 Lineup

A HOUSE IS NOT A DISCO (NewFest Pride Encore, Virtual Exclusive)

A compelling, lovingly-captured documentary portrait of Fire Island as queer paradise that sees past and present blur within the iconic beach town

A NICE INDIAN BOY (Opening Night Film + Party)

Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff star in this jubilant rom-com about cultural differences and joyful family reconciliations

ALOK: Screening & Conversation

A compelling portrait of Alok Vaid-Menon, the internationally acclaimed nonbinary author, poet, comedian and public speaker

ASOG (Virtual Exclusive)

A nonbinary femme teacher embarks on a thrilling journey of love, resilience and discovery

BABY

An 18-year-old meets an older man who teaches him how to survive in the underbelly of São Paulo

BIRD (International Centerpiece)

Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski star in celebrated auteur Andrea Arnold’s unique visual exploration of a fractured world seen through a child’s untainted gaze

CABO NEGRO

An ambiguously sexy thriller set in a Moroccan beach town

CARNAGE FOR CHRISTMAS

Prepare for a spine-chilling sleigh ride and bloodbath in Alice Maio Mackay’s audacious thriller

Colman Domingo: Voice & Visibility Award + Conversation (Virtual Encore)

Join NewFest as we present Academy Award® nominated actor Colman Domingo (RUSTIN, NewFest35’s Opening Night Film) with the NewFest36 Voice & Visibility Award

DALTON’S DREAM (Virtual Exclusive)

A powerful documentary following a young musician from rural Jamaica forced to reconcile sudden stardom with dangerous allegations about his sexuality

DRESSED IN BLUE (1983)

A stunning restoration of the groundbreaking documentary that immerses audiences in the glamorous world of six trans women in post-Franco Spain

DRIP LIKE COFFEE (Virtual Encore)

An intimate connection between two Brooklyn baristas brews a journey of mutual empowerment and sensual transformation

DUINO (Virtual Encore)

A film director’s encounter with an old friend reopens old wounds

ELVIRA: MISTRESS OF THE DARK (1988)

Elvira (enduring queer icon Cassandra Peterson) busts out in this exceedingly witty camp classic

EMILIA PÉREZ (Closing Night Film + Party)

A star-studded, double Cannes prize-winning pop opera from renegade auteur Jacques Audiard that defies genres and expectations

EPISODIC SHOWCASE

Five pilots. Five opportunities to find your new series obsession

EXTREMELY UNIQUE DYNAMIC

A stoner romp that features a sharp critique of Hollywood and an affectionate story of friendship

FANATICAL: THE CATFISHING OF TEGAN AND SARA (Documentary Centerpiece)

This searing documentary is a sprawling yet intimate story of how Tegan's identity was stolen and weaponized in a complex catfish scheme

FEMALE TROUBLE (1974): 50th Anniversary

John Waters’ saga of delinquency spans the wretched life of self-proclaimed “thief and shit-kicker” Dawn Davenport

GONDOLA

Two women fall in love as they pass each other daily in their gondolas

HIDDEN FLORA

A hopelessly romantic New Mexico teen navigates first love and friend crushes while exploring gender identity and self-discovery

HIGH TIDE (U.S. Centerpiece)

A Brazilian emigré and an American hunk fall in love amid the beach splendor of Provincetown

I DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU

Andrew Rannells and Nick Kroll play a couple whose picture-perfect vacation takes a hilarious turn toward disaster

I’M NOT EVERYTHING I WANT TO BE (Virtual Encore)

A vibrant, bittersweet and cathartic bio doc that explores what it meant to be a queer artist during a tumultuous time in European history

John Waters Threesome

Join us for a day of back-to-back screenings of John Water's PECKER (1998), POLYESTER (1981) and FEMALE TROUBLE (1974).

LADY LIKE

RuPaul’s Drag Race star Lady Camden comes into her own as a unique artist in this entertaining doc. You better work!

LAYLA

A vivacious nonbinary drag performer finds themselves drawn to an unexpected new beau and faces pivotal decisions about their identity

LESVIA (Virtual Encore)

This expansive documentary chronicles 40-plus years of lesbian identity and conflict between visitors and locals on a small village on the Greek island of Lesvos

LIFE IS NOT A COMPETITION, BUT I’M WINNING

A daring group of athletes queer an Olympic Stadium to challenge the antiquated rules of the game

LILIES NOT FOR ME

A young novelist in 1920s England recalls the love affair he shared with a handsome doctor, who was convinced that their shared ‘condition’ could be cured

LIZA: A TRULY TERRIFIC, ABSOLUTELY TRUE STORY (New York Centerpiece)

It’s Liza (with a Z) Minnelli! What else do you need to know?

LOOKING FOR LANGSTON & TONGUES UNTIED: 35th Anniversary Double-Bill

Join NewFest for this landmark double-bill celebrating the 35th anniversary of two groundbreaking works of Black queer male identity, expression and catharsis

MEANWHILE

A docu-poem in six verses about artists breathing through chaos, created in dynamic collaboration between artists of different disciplines

NEW VOICES FILMMAKER GRANT SHOWCASE (Free Virtual Encore)

Join us in celebrating the 2024 New Voices Filmmaker Grant recipients with a virtual encore screening of their exciting short film work and conversation around what's to come

OUT (Virtual Encore)

Two young men from a conservative town lose themselves in the seductive world of the Amsterdam gay nightlife

PECKER (1998)

John Waters’ sharp and sweet satire celebrates and skewers haughty NYC art gallery culture and the wry, earnest eccentricity of Baltimore

POLYESTER (1981)

Divine stars as Francine Fishpaw, a frustrated housewife whose domestic life isn’t exactly what she imagined

PONYBOI

Writer/producer River Gallo and Dylan O’Brien star in this thrilling neo-noir that follows a sex worker entangled in a perilous drug deal – in, of all, places, New Jersey

QUEENS OF DRAMA

The rise and fall of a new pop diva and her tumultuous love affair with a punk icon

REAS

An exhilarating and cathartic nonfiction musical that celebrates the power of community within a women’s prison

ROOKIE

A volleyball rivalry between two girls turns…romantic?

Rotten Tomatoes Lab: Critics Edition – Amplifying LGBTQ+ Press and Independent Films (Panel)

SHORTS: ALL IN THE FAMILY (Virtual Encore)

Celebrate a compelling combo of stories about ancestry and chosen family that will bring you home and warm your heart

SHORTS: ANIMATION, COMEDY, AND DOCS, OH MY! (Virtual Encore)

A gag-worthy grouping of eclectic shorts that will make you gasp, laugh, cry, and reflect – sometimes all at once

SHORTS: BESTIES BRUNCH

Kick back with your besties at our annual Brooklyn Brunch as we celebrate the vibrant and vital role queer friendship plays in our lives

SHORTS: BOY, SO CONFUSING

Boy desires boy, and confusion ensues

SHORTS: CARIBBEAN PRIDE POWER

Champion queer expression with this vivid showcase of Caribbean LGBTQ+ experiences, joys and reclamations

SHORTS: COMEDY COMES OUT

A collection of comedic short films that will make you cringe and giggle in equal measure

SHORTS: LET’S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN

We are here now because of who we have been before

SHORTS: LOVE IS STRONGER THAN SHAME

A wise and uplifting program about demanding to be celebrated for queer identities despite family pressure or outdated norms

SHORTS: QUEER LIVES ACROSS TIME & AMERICA (with the American LGBTQ+ Museum)

This celebratory short film program, in partnership with the American LGBTQ+ Museum, spans decades and our vast national landscape to capture a holistic portrait of queer life in the USA

SHORTS: QUEER TEEN MOXIE

An affirming shorts program curated for LGBTQ+ teens and allies, presented in partnership with the NYC Department of Education

SHORTS: T4TRANSGRESSIVE

This radical program features bold, unapologetic narratives where trans characters take center stage

SHORTS: TLC (TRANS LOVING CARE)

Celebrate trans lives through journeys of self-empowerment and love

SHORTS: WOMEN’S NIGHT OUT (Screening + Party)

Seven sapphic short films, followed by our annual Women’s Night Out Party

SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE Season 3 (Episodes 1 + 2) Brunch Screening + Q&A

TEACHES OF PEACHES

Alt queer rocker Peaches is unvarnished, candid, and electric in this thrilling music doc

THE MATRIX (1999): 25th Anniversary

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of this classic by taking the red pill…to TRANScendence

THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS (NewFest Pride Encore, Virtual Exclusive)

Grad student Azra feels worlds apart from her seemingly rigid mother but uncovers their unexpected connections in this intergenerational crowd-pleaser.

THE SILENCE OF MY HANDS

A couple navigates their long-distance relationship as they rely on their shared trust and deep level of communication

THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (Film Feast)

Join us for our fourth-annual Film Feast and enjoy the 25th anniversary of a contemporary classic paired with a thematically curated multi-course meal!

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ALLEE WILLIS

Get to know Allee Willis, the outrageous chart-topping songwriter responsible for some of music’s most iconic songs

THIS IS BALLROOM (Virtual Encore)

Brazil’s vibrant ballroom scene takes center stage in this electrifying documentary

THROUPLE

Boy meets boy who’s married to boy, and the three form a relationship. What could go wrong?

TOPS

A brash, satirical mockumentary in the style of early aughts reality shows finds filmmaker Ames Pennington exploring life after top surgery

VENENO (Season 2: DRESSED IN BLUE)

The second season of international cultural phenomenon VENENO is back with a look at the subjects behind a lost-to-time documentary

WHAT A FEELING (Virtual Encore)

Hit the dance floor with this raucous and poignant romantic comedy about two women meeting in middle age

YOUNG HEARTS

The first love is always felt the deepest