NF34 Full Lineup

Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe attempts to make history as the first openly trans elected official in Texas

A RUN FOR MORE

This intimate documentary follows Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe — organizer, executive, military wife, and daughter of immigrants — as she attempts to make history as the first openly transgender elected official in Texas. In her race for San Antonio city council, boundary-breaker…

LGBTQ Nation’s “Authentic Voices of Pride presented by Chevrolet” is a 360-degree program tackling some of the LGBTQ community’s most important issues

Authentic Voices of Pride, presented by Chevrolet

LGBTQ Nation’s “Authentic Voices of Pride presented by Chevrolet” is a 360-degree program tackling some of the LGBTQ community’s most important issues, bringing context and original reporting to the community and allies on these topics by profiling how real people,…

An androgynous teen forges a complicated bond with the bully at their new school in this retro 1980s throwback

BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND

It’s 1987 and when new kid Robin shows up for their first day of school, it seems everyone wants to know if they’re a boy or a girl. Robin, however, remains largely unbothered, keeping their attention focused on one person:…

A provocative and unflinchingly honest examination of homophobia in Black spaces

BLACK AS U R

With unflinching honesty, Brooklyn-based filmmaker Micheal Rice interrogates the homophobia that characterizes many Black spaces. In the same week and same city that George Floyd was murdered in 2020, a young Black trans woman named Iyanna Dior was beaten by…

Dark comedy about two longtime friends and drag queens growing up and apart

CHRISSY JUDY (New York Centerpiece)

Besties by day and cabaret drag partners by night, two longtime pals find themselves at a crossroads when one of them couples off and moves away from New York. As the duo drifts apart, the remaining queen must reinvent himself…

A seemingly unbreakable bond between two 13-year-old boys is suddenly torn apart in this Cannes Grand Jury Prize winner

CLOSE

Thirteen-year-olds Leo and Remi are best friends with a seemingly unbreakable bond — that is, until it’s suddenly torn apart, with world-shaking consequences for both boys and their families. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival,…

Darkly hilarious tale of a Moroccan-Dutch man coming out to his family after years of keeping up appearances

EL HOUB – THE LOVE

Having spent decades hiding his sexuality from his family, Moroccan-Dutch Karim decides to come clean after his father catches him in bed with a man. What follows is a series of darkly hilarious and unflinchingly frank conversations between Karim, his…

Find your next binge watch with this showcase of the newest wave of queer television series

EPISODIC SHOWCASE

We’re bringing the newest wave of television to the big screen with our annual episodic showcase. With characters taking risks like opening up their relationships and going on life-changing trips abroad, these shows aim to deliver LGBTQ+ storytelling to the…

An author interviews her nephew, a former male model and pansexual influencer, for her next book

I’LL SHOW YOU MINE

Having built a career examining her own trauma, an author sits down to interview her nephew about his history as a hugely successful male model and pansexual influencer. As the wine flows, inhibitions are loosened, distant memories come into sharp…

A man searches for answers about the radical life and mysterious death of his brother, a Vietnam veteran who died abroad in 1972

JIMMY IN SAIGON

Filmmaker Peter McDowell and executive producer Dan Savage’s JIMMY IN SAIGON is a loving documentary about the radical life and mysterious death of the director’s eldest brother, Jim. Chronicling the story of the Vietnam War veteran, who died in a…

Inspiring documentary about Cambodia’s only LGBTQ+-inclusive soccer team

LOTUS SPORTS CLUB

Filmed over the course of five years, LOTUS SPORTS CLUB is an inspiring coming-of-age-story about the only LGBTQ+-inclusive soccer team in Cambodia. 61-year-old Pa Vann — the coach and father figure — established the Kampong Chhnang team in 2009 to…

Powerful documentary about conservative, Christian mothers who have become fierce LGBTQ+ advocates after accepting their queer children

MAMA BEARS

Meet the “mama bears,” a network of conservative, Christian mothers whose profound love for their LGBTQ+ children has turned them into fierce advocates for the entire queer community. Spread across the country but connected through private Facebook groups, these fierce…

A young trans woman in Barcelona searches for love, community, and her place in the world

MY EMPTINESS AND I

Working at a queer call center in Barcelona after relocating from France, sensitive dreamer Raphi helps others navigate mental health crises as she works through her own challenges, including coming to terms with being a trans woman in a brand…

A sensitive, vulerable New York story that explores the relationship of two Black gay men

NANA’S BOYS

A sensitive, vulerable New York story that explores the relationship of two Black gay men. On the morning of his 30th Birthday, Amari struggles to make decisions on what’s next and defining his purpose. Q is on track to become…

A remarkable story of uncovering the past of two women who fall in love at a concentration camp in 1944 and reunite to spend the rest of their long lives together

NELLY & NADINE (Documentary Centerpiece)

This extraordinary documentary follows opera singer Nelly Mousset-Vos and writer Nadine Hwang, who met and fell in love while imprisoned in Ravensbrück, a German concentration camp, in 1944. Despite being separated in the last months of the war, they later…

A poppy yet profound musical parable for the Grindr era

SHALL I COMPARE YOU TO A SUMMER’S DAY

A poppy yet profound musical parable for the Grindr era? Yes please! Driven by a soundtrack of Egyptian pop songs, director Mohammad Shawky Hassan draws on his own personal love diary, Shakespearean sonnets, and folktales from Scheherazade’s One Thousand and…

T4T 4 Trans Films!

SHORTS: A VERY TRANS TIME

Trans people are not a monolith, and our T4T shorts program — trans stories as told by trans filmmakers — demonstrates this tenfold. Get a real and complex glimpse into just some of these experiences through a collection of varied…

Connect with the art of performance as a means of expression in this captivating collection of international shorts

SHORTS: ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE…and all us queer folks are merely players. Connect with the art of performance as a means of expression in this captivating collection of international shorts. Allow these empowering films that tell dynamic stories of artists…

Dig up and dive into hidden queer histories that started revolutions, saved lives, and changed society

SHORTS: EXCAVATING OUR HISTORY

To this day, many queer stories remain untold. Those who came before us not only lived, loved, and made art, but also sparked revolutions and transformed society. Yet we still do not know so much of this history. Take a…

We’re all mad as hell and NOT going to take it anymore in these eerie tales of rage and release

SHORTS: MAD AS HELL

Life is tough right about now. There’s angst. There’s rage. We are all mad as hell and NOT going to take it anymore. Find solidarity and solace in this furious collection of shorts that confront our torment and attempt to…

Take a ride on the wild side with kinky shorts about queer sex, labor, love, and activism

SHORTS: SEXUAL HEALING

We’re taking you for a ride on the wild side with SEXUAL HEALING — a kinky shorts program about queer sex, labor, love, and activism. Watch as the characters across this group of films overcome trauma in the bedroom, repeal…

Punk singer Grrrilda is turning 50 and all she wants is a reunion with her ‘90s riot grrrl band

VULVEETA

Former lead singer Grrrilda Beausoleil is turning 50 and the best birthday present she can imagine is a reunion with her riot grrrl band. Now all she has to do is convince the bandmates she abandoned 20 years ago that…

Travel through time with experimental shorts that may just answer your existential questions (and leave you with several more!)

SHORTS: EXPERIMENTS ON EXISTENCE

At what point does one arrive — or are we in a constant cycle of arriving? Do we ever truly come of age? The shorts in EXPERIMENTS ON EXISTENCE may just answer your existential questions and will likely leave you…

Short film program curated for LGBTQ+ youth and teens, in partnership with the NYC Dept. of Education

SHORTS: I LIKE ME FOR ME

In partnership with the NYC Department of Education For the fifth consecutive year, NewFest is delighted to collaborate with NYC’s Department of Education and participating schools on an inclusive shorts program — curated specifically with LGBTQ+ youth and teen audiences…

Get into the sapphic state of mind with a shorts program full of lesbian yearning, romance, and debauchery!

SHORTS: WOMEN’S NIGHT OUT MIXTAPE

Get into the sapphic state of mind with a filmic mixtape of butches, femmes, and the queers in between. Whether you’re in the mood to join an orgy or reconcile personal histories, this shorts program will reel you in with…

Uproarious mix of comic stories with one aim: to lift your spirits and make you chuckle

SHORTS: LAUGHING MATTERS

Dive into a hilarious mix of silly and savvy stories with one aim: to lift your spirits and make you chuckle. From laugh-out-loud knee slappers to satires of a darker variety, this collection of shorts is all about delivering pure…

A Black family in Brazil tries to keep their dreams alive after the election of right-wing president Bolsonaro

MARS ONE

A working-class Black family tries to keep their spirits up after the election of a right-wing president in Brazil’s official selection for the Oscar’s International Feature Award. As they figure out ways to cope and continue dreaming in the months…

Harry Styles and Emma Corrin star in a beautifully crafted story of forbidden passion and betrayal in 1950s and 1990s Britain

MY POLICEMAN (International Centerpiece)

Global pop star Harry Styles demonstrates he’s got leading-man chops in this story of forbidden romance and changing social conventions, also starring THE CROWN’s Emma Corrin, David Dawson, and queer icon Rupert Everett. Styles takes the lead as a young…

Dynamic, sexy, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the iconic International Male catalog, which changed the way men looked

ALL MAN: THE INTERNATIONAL MALE STORY

Narrated by Matt Bomer, ALL MAN: THE INTERNATIONAL MALE STORY journeys across three decades of the International Male catalog’s unlikely but lasting impact on fashion, masculinity, and sexuality in America. Gene Burkard, a once-closeted Midwesterner and GI, found freedom in…

An epic, emotional, and interconnected story about internationally renowned artist and activist Nan Goldin from Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras

ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED (Closing Night Film & Party)

Winner of the 2022 Golden Lion, the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival, this stunning documentary is an epic, emotional, and interconnected story about internationally renowned artist and activist Nan Goldin. Directed by Academy Award®-winning…

After months of self-imposed lockdown, hypochondriac Francisco wants to have sex — but only if it’s as safe as physically possible

FOLLOW THE PROTOCOL

Francisco is a bit much — at least according to his boyfriend, friends, and social media followers, who are all getting annoyed with his call-out posts and COVID anxieties. When his boyfriend breaks up with him, Francisco decides it’s time…

A handsome drifter falls in love with a charismatic hustler in the big city of Sydney

LONESOME

A handsome country boy running from a small-town scandal finds himself down and out in the hustle and bustle of Sydney, Australia, where he meets a charismatic city lad for a late-night hookup that changes the trajectory of his life.…

Academy Award®-winner Dustin Lance Black explores his upbringing and pays powerful tribute to his mother, who became the inspiration for his activism

MAMA’S BOY (Opening Night Film & Party)

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…

Rousing documentary about the rise of LGBTQIA+ pro wrestlers past and present

OUT IN THE RING

Ry Levey’s rousing documentary explores the rise of LGBTQIA+ professional wrestlers past and present, combining archival footage and interviews with current and former wrestling performers, historians, and fans. This highly entertaining film uncovers the history of queer visibility in the…

Andrea Riseborough, Harry Melling and Demi Moore star in a neon-lit fantasia about newlyweds who find themselves on diverging sexual journeys

PLEASE BABY PLEASE

Upon moving into their new apartment building, newlyweds Suze (Andrea Riseborough) and Arthur (Harry Melling) become infatuated with the seductive strangers they meet in the neighborhood, including their posh upstairs neighbor (Demi Moore, in an unforgettable performance). As they get…

Join NewFest and Instagram for this compelling conversation with established and emerging LGBTQ+ artists and activists

Reel Storytelling with Instagram (Panel)

Join NewFest and Instagram for this compelling conversation with established and emerging LGBTQ+ artists and activists. Hear their experiences and expertise on using social media tools (such as Instagram Reels) and get inspired to tell your own story and share…

Psycho-sexual drama about a law student who defends women in abuse cases by day, and turns to livecam sex work at night

RULE 34

Simone is living a double life — criminal law student and women’s rights activist by day, and live sex-cam performer by night. As she develops a passion for defending women in abuse cases, her dark impulses for a more dangerous…

Gather your BK besties and and celebrate stories from our community with a delectable collection of Brooklyn-set shorts

SHORTS: BROOKLYN BRUNCH

Gather your BK besties and and celebrate stories from our community with a delectable collection of narrative, animated, and documentary Brooklyn-set shorts! Stories of queer folks painting their next masterwork, eavesdropping on a sexy neighbor, and stumping for love at…

Fun, flirty, and complicated short films that are all about the boys

SHORTS: WHERE THE BOYS ARE

Let’s hear it for the boys with short films that show off how gay relationships can be fun, flirty, and complicated — all at the same time. From romances and fleeting hookups to the intricacies of platonic friendships, this program…

Two night owls navigate love, isolation, and disability in this romantic series

SLEEP WITH ME

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…

Two best friends try to survive a night of drugs, bugs, and obscene intimacy in Carter Smith’s queer horror nightmare

SWALLOWED

Childhood best friends Benjamin and Dom (Cooper Koch and Jose Colon) reunite over an evening of dancing and debauchery, but their fun plans get disrupted when a young drug dealer (Jena Malone) arrives with mysterious supplies and suspicious intentions. As…

In its 30th anniversary year, Tom Kalin’s revisionist approach to the Leopold and Loeb murder case remains a galvanizing and thought-provoking work

SWOON (30th Anniversary)

Premiering at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival, SWOON reimagines the controversial 1924 murder case involving lovers Leopold and Loeb, with writer/director Tom Kalin, co-writer Hilton Als, and pioneering producer Christine Vachon dramatizing the hot-blooded relationship between the notorious pair and…

Join us for our second annual Film Feast and enjoy a contemporary classic along with a paired multi-course meal.

THE BIRDCAGE (Film Feast)

The arrival of a young apprentice disrupts the marriage between a closeted Moroccan tailor and his wife

THE BLUE CAFTAN

Halim is one of the few enduring maalems, or master tailors, in one of Morocco’s oldest quarters. Along with his wife Mina, he runs a traditional caftan store and services demanding clientele. But when a talented apprentice is hired to…

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, this dazzling doc captures the singular artistic outrageousness of a flamboyant ensemble of San Francisco hippies

THE COCKETTES (20th Anniversary)

As the psychedelic ’60’s began evolving into the gay ’70’s in San Francisco, a flamboyant ensemble of hippies known as The Cockettes decked themselves out in gender-bending drag and tons of glitter for a series of legendary midnight musicals. With…

In a small Brazilian town in 1983, three friends come together to try and survive the first wave of the AIDS epidemic

THE FIRST FALLEN

At the turn of 1983 in a small Brazilian town, a group of LGBTQ+ friends ring in the New Year with no idea of what’s lurking in the future. When biologist Suzano realizes a terrible sickness is disrupting his body,…

A young gay Black man finds unexpected support and camaraderie after he joins the Marines

THE INSPECTION (U.S. Centerpiece)

Rejected by his mother and with few options for the future, a young gay Black man decides to join the Marines. Doing whatever it takes to succeed in a system that would cast him aside, Ellis (Emmy and Tony award-nominated…

Queer musician Brandi Carlile ushers her idol Tanya Tucker back into country music stardom

THE RETURN OF TANYA TUCKER – FEATURING BRANDI CARLILE

Hell-raising country music legend Tanya Tucker defied standards and left her mark on the genre. Decades after her moment in the limelight, queer icon and Grammy Award-winning Americana star Brandi Carlile takes it upon herself to write and produce an…

Season 2 of the Emmy Award-winning social satire is set at an exclusive Sicilian resort.

THE WHITE LOTUS (Season 2 Advance Screening)

See the first episode of the second season of the Emmy Award-winning THE WHITE LOTUS before anyone else! Season 2 of the Emmy Award-winning social satire is set at an exclusive Sicilian resort and follows the exploits of various guests…

Three young queer people spend a sunny afternoon drifting through a dystopian São Paulo

THREE TIDY TIGERS TIED A TIE TIGHTER

Gustavo Vinagre’s new film humorously follows three young queer people in São Paulo as they navigate late-stage capitalism and an odd pandemic that erases your short-term memory. Winner of the Teddy Award at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, THREE…

Dishy documentary about London’s post-punk era and the outsized personalities that shaped the late 1970s New Romantics art movement

TRAMPS!

Rising from the ashes of the punk revolution, a fresh subculture of flamboyant artists and fashionistas emerged on the streets of East London in the late 1970s. Known as the New Romantics, they came dressed to the nines — be…

An odd couple of outsiders hit the road on a border-defying search for their place in the universe

UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS

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…

Indigenous LGBTQ+ artists and activists rally around their community in the Amazon rainforest to fight for environmental and social justice in Brazil

UÝRA – The Rising Forest

This captivating documentary follows Uýra, a trans-indigenous artist traveling through the Amazon rainforest on a journey of self-discovery. Collaborating with village communities along the way, they use performance art, ancestral messages, and exquisite transformations — often created from materials found…

Five (almost) 30-year-old queer artists navigate life and heartache in New York City in this episodic musical series

WAY DOWN

The road to rock bottom is littered with broken dreams for a group of pushing-30 NYC artists in this captivating episodic musical series. These down-and-out East Village denizens pursue their passions, navigate messy relationships, and unsuccessfully communicate their needs to…

A brilliantly bizarre and comedic adventure told through stop motion from producer Jordan Peele and the director of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

WENDELL & WILD

From the delightfully wicked minds of director Henry Selick and producer Jordan Peele comes an animated tale about two scheming demon brothers who enlist the aid of tough teen Kat to summon them to the Land of the Living. But…

Celebrate the fabulous legacy of Olivia Newton-John by belting out the tunes of this mesmerizing musical fantasy at a community sing-along

XANADU Sing-Along

Warm up your vocal cords, strap on your (figurative) skates, and grab some glow sticks for this community sing-along experience. There’s no better (or queerer) way to celebrate the fabulous legacy of the late Olivia Newton-John than by giving yourself…

A galvanizing documentary about Pedro Zamora, trailblazing AIDS activist and ‘90s queer icon from MTV’s The Real World

KEEP THE CAMERAS ROLLING: THE PEDRO ZAMORA WAY

For many young people growing up and watching MTV’s The Real World in the early 1990s, Pedro Zamora was the first openly gay man with AIDS they’d ever seen. Much more than a reality TV personality, Zamora was a trailblazing…

A rare look at queer history and gender studies through a living icon who studied queer space from urban gay bars to Fire Island, encompassing amazing archival footage and inspiring intergenerational testimonials

ESTHER NEWTON MADE ME GAY

A celebratory documentary that explores the life and times of a trailblazing cultural anthropologist and expert on LGBTQ+ spaces. Drawn to the drag scene as a student in the 1950s and identifying as both butch lesbian and between genders, Esther…

Join NewFest for a screening of the New York Premiere of two short films that feature intergenerational themes, followed by a conversation, sponsored by AARP NY

Looking Back and Moving Forward: Screening & Conversation

Join NewFest and AARP New York for the New York premiere of two short films that feature intergenerational themes, followed by a compelling conversation with select filmmakers whose work is featured at #NewFest34. Hear their stories as connections are made…

Join NewFest and Netflix for an exclusive virtual conversation with YOUNG ROYALS creator Lisa Ambjörn and actors Edvin Ryding & Omar Rudberg

YOUNG ROYALS Season 2 – Exclusive Conversation

Join NewFest and Netflix for an exclusive virtual conversation with YOUNG ROYALS creator Lisa Ambjörn and actors Edvin Ryding & Omar Rudberg. In Season 2 of YOUNG ROYALS, winter break has passed and Prince Wilhelm and the rest of his…

The New Class: Celebrating Emerging Queer Voices

This is an incredibly exciting time for new queer voices in film and television. Celebrate the four recipients of NewFest’s New Voices Filmmaker Grant, a program launched this year in partnership with Netflix, by screening their recent short films and…

The New Voices Filmmaker Grant Showcase

This is an incredibly exciting time for new queer voices in film and television. Celebrate the four recipients of NewFest’s New Voices Filmmaker Grant, a program launched this year in partnership with Netflix, by screening their recent short films and…