SHORTS: New Voices Filmmaker Grant Showcase (with Netflix)

A partnership between NewFest and Netflix, the New Voices Filmmaker Grant was launched in 2022 to provide resources and mentorship for emerging filmmakers telling LGBTQ+ stories.

For our fifth annual showcase, NewFest is excited to celebrate this year’s grant recipients with a screening of their recent short films, followed by an in-depth conversation with the filmmakers. Join us as we share standout work from our 2026 grantees—Star Amerasu, Deborah Devyn Chuang, Georgia Krause, and co-directing duo AJ Dubler and Carmela Murphy—and hear what’s to come in their future projects and promising careers.

Presented in partnership with

A Bird Hit My Window and Now I’m a Lesbian
Dirs. Carmela Murphy & AJ Dubler, 8 min, USA
After a mysterious girl shows up at Gray’s doorstep holding the corpse of a bird that had just cracked her window, an impromptu bird funeral changes the way Gray views herself and her lesbian identity.

Strawberry Shortcake
Dir. Deborah Devyn Chuang, 21 min, Taiwan
Fantasy bleeds into reality when 16-year-old Lolo, entangled in a Freudian loop centered on a strawberry shortcake and her mother Norma, sinks deeper into a surreal dreamscape.

After Hours
Dir. Star Amerasu, 6 min, USA
Two trans women chance encounter in the club bathroom—one at the end of her rope, one at the end of her break working at the bar.

Rainbow Rider
Dir. Georgia Krause, 26 min, USA
Outspoken lesbian trucker Shelle Lichti hauls freight cross-country in her iconic rainbow semi-truck. Chihuahua sidekick in tow, she’s met with the open road, grumpy dispatchers, and lots of middle fingers.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A.

Part of the 38th Annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival