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NewFest
Thursday, 15 October 2026 until Sunday, 25 October 2026
Founded in 1988, The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival is one of the world's largest and most respected annual celebrations of the year’s best queer films from the U.S. and abroad--featuring nearly 150 films from more than 30 countries, as well as special events that bring together filmmakers, celebrities, movie lovers, industry professionals, and the LGBTQ+ community.
NewFest will celebrate its 37th annual edition of The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival in October 2025--throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, and virtually nationwide--with nearly two weeks of premieres, panels, and parties. NewFest's collection of narratives, documentaries, shorts programs, and special events showcases the best in LGBTQ+ film and media.
NewFest is distinctive among LGBTQ+ film festivals for its high-quality programming, outstanding press coverage, community engagement, savvy audiences, and sensational parties. The festival’s impact in terms of propelling the work and careers of emerging filmmakers is historic and global, and uniquely channels the collaborative creative energy of New York City to celebrate queer films.
The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival is produced annually by NewFest, New York’s leading LGBTQ+ film and media organization. NewFest gives voice and visibility to the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ experiences by championing films, supporting storytellers, and engaging audiences in order to inspire dialogue, shift cultural bias and empower our community.
GRAND JURY AWARDS
Grand Jury Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature
Grand Jury Award for Best International Narrative Feature
Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature
Grand Jury Award for Best New York Short Film
AUDIENCE AWARDS
Audience Award for Documentary Feature
Audience Award for Narrative Feature
Audience Award for Documentary Short
Audience Award for Narrative Short
BLACK FILMMAKER INITIATIVE AWARDS
Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award(s)
2026 films...
John Michael invites his closest friends to a cabin in the Berkshires to celebrate his marriage. But soon, old flames, new secrets, and a competitive round of Meryl Streep karaoke threaten the group’s dynamic.
87 min
2026
Gary Jaffe
Nerdy star student Luthando is on track for a normal academic year at her all-girls boarding school. But when the arrival of a new classmate ignites Luthando’s hidden desires, it threatens everything she thought she knew about herself.
97 min
2025
Sandulela Asanda
Exclusive interview and performance footage from 1991 capture Chavela Vargas in her own words: a woman who dared to dress, speak, sing, and dream her extraordinary life into being.
93 min
2017
Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi
CLARISSA (International Centerpiece)
Adapted from Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, a wealthy woman preparing for a party and a young soldier haunted by trauma confront the lingering weight of their pasts in Lagos, Nigeria.
135 min
2026
Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri
CLUB KID (New York Centerpiece)
A hard-partying New York City club promoter sees his whirlwind lifestyle upended by the arrival of the 10-year-old son he never knew he had, in this Cannes sensation from Jordan Firstman.
122 min
2026
Jordan Firstman
Two party boys arrive at an upstate New York mansion for an unexpected evening of sexual abandon and supernatural horrors in this ode to the queer underground of the ‘90s.
102 min
2026
Corrin Evans
As the First World War drags on, two soldiers on the front lines find theatrical ways to escape the brutality of war together, even if only for a moment.
125 min
2026
Lukas Dhont
DISPATCHES FROM CLEVELAND (Virtual Exclusive)
A five-chapter documentary series follows ordinary Clevelanders who have long been shaken by police misconduct, social discrimination, and poverty.
75 min
2017
Catherine Gund
Join us for the hilarious 9 TO 5 as part of NewFest38’s Dolly Double, back-to-back screenings honoring the singular life and career of country music legend and Hollywood icon Dolly Parton.
109 min
1980
Colin Higgins
Dolly Double: STEEL MAGNOLIAS (1989)
Join us for the star-studded STEEL MAGNOLIAS as part of NewFest38’s Dolly Double, back-to-back screenings honoring the singular life and career of country music legend and Hollywood icon Dolly Parton.
117 min
1989
Herbert Ross
In a Nepalese village populated by wild elephants, matriarch Pirati dreams of escaping to a “normal” life with the man she loves. But when her daughter disappears, she must investigate and choose between love and responsibility.
108 min
2026
Abinash Bikram Shah
ELSINORE (Spotlight Centerpiece)
This is the deeply emotional and inspirational true story of Ian Charleson (played by Andrew Scott), a gifted actor whose greatest challenge becomes his greatest triumph.
105 min
2026
Simon Stone
EPISODIC SHOWCASE: BINGE THE RAINBOW
This shorts program proves queer episodics are thriving, with a lineup that includes a coven of drag queen witches, an animated supernatural romp, and a girl-punk rebellion. Something for everyone!
85 min
From the Pulse nightclub shooting to today, follow outrageous activist group Gays Against Guns over the course of a decade as they tackle the gun industry head on.
89 min
2026
Paul Rowley
With a football at his feet and a heart that doesn’t fit the lines drawn for him, 11-year-old Gugu watches the place where he feels whole begin to slip away.
93 min
2026
Allan Deberton
HALLELUJAH! Ron Athey: A Story of Deliverance (Virtual Exclusive)
Raised to be a Pentecostal minister, Ron Athey was speaking in tongues by age 10, a heroin addict by 17, and a performance artist by 23. This documentary spends time with Athey on and off stage.
93 min
1997
Catherine (Saalfield) Gund
For 45 years, the San Francisco-based Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have wielded humor, shock value, and radical joy as tools of resistance. The Sisters’ annual Easter celebration, Hunky Jesus, is as subversive, controversial, and fun as it sounds.
86 min
2026
Jennifer M. Kroot
Trans couple Caio and Amanda finally move in together in this romantic drama featuring an all-trans cast. But when daily life begins to fracture their long-term relationship, will their love fade or transform?
87 min
2026
Daniel Ribeiro
Two unemployed, directionless trans lesbians connect in a reality-shifting way at the edge of an unnamed city.
79 min
2026
Willow Skye-Biggs
In this Teddy Award winner set in southern Spain, Iván falls in love with newly hired coworker Hadoum just as his long-awaited promotion threatens to upend their relationship.
103 min
2026
Ian de la Rosa
KAREN WILLIAMS: I HAD TO LAUGH
The year is 1983, and Karen Williams bursts onto the standup comedy scene as the first out Black lesbian to perform lesbian-specific material on stage. Four decades later, she's still making us laugh.
72 min
2026
Andrea Meyerson
LA BOLA NEGRA (OPENING NIGHT FILM + PARTY)
Follow three generations of men bound by pain, desire, and love across a century of Spanish history in this epic film from Cannes-winning directors Los Javis.
159 min
2026
Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi
A class of high school students travels to Pompeii to discover its ghostly ruins. Overcome by a dizzying sensation, they are swept up in desire and anger one by one, until they surrender completely.
145 min
2026
Marine Atlan
Inspired by a British aristocrat who theatrically bankrupted his estate and defied every notion of class and gender, this is a story about the love and legend he left behind.
107 min
2026
Celyn Jones
Desperate to fit in, a young autistic man tries on different roles to understand what kind of man he’s supposed to be.
83 min
2026
Bertil Nilsson
Five artists present a docu-poem in six verses about artists breathing through chaos.
88 min
2024
Catherine Gund
Trans YouTube personality Mickey has spent the last decade exploring her transition while living in conservative Sinaloa, Mexico. This documentary, a collaboration between friends, traces her memories and process of self-discovery.
75 min
2026
Dano García
At 53 years old, a Chinese immigrant mother in Montreal breaks from duty and tradition when she falls for a young Québécoise woman, sending her on a journey of overdue self-discovery.
117 min
2025
Xiaodan He
The summer before senior year, a sudden rift shatters Minnie and Callie’s friendship. Now, unsure of her identity, Minnie distances herself from her own mother to bond with Callie’s.
121 min
2026
Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson
Dusting off old VHS tapes, travesti immigrant sex worker Máxima revisits a flow of memories from 1990s Buenos Aires to present-day NYC as they reconcile with and reclaim their past.
81 min
2026
Nicole Costa
When trucker Veneno picks up young gay drifter Muñeco on the desolate roads of northern Mexico, the two form a bond that pushes their desires into dangerous territory with local gangs.
93 min
2025
David Pablos
Max is slowly losing her memory to Alzheimer’s. When a reunion with an old friend stirs up long-hidden feelings, she is forced to choose between her husband and the woman she’s always loved.
92 min
2025
Sal Bardo
Drawn to a lakeside haven by a mysterious pregnant woman, a heartbroken drifter finds refuge with a group of eccentric misfits—only to discover the oasis hides dark secrets.
99 min
2026
Millicent Hailes
PERSONA (1966): 60th Anniversary
A stage actor who has fallen silent and her talkative nurse are isolated together at a remote island cottage, where their identities mysteriously merge in Ingmar Bergman's landmark psychological drama.
83 min
1966
Ingmar Bergman
SACRED LIES, CIVIL TRUTHS (Virtual Exclusive)
Produced for The Gay and Lesbian Emergency Media Campaign, this documentary chronicles the insurgent “Religious” Right and its broad-based agenda, analyzing its 1992 anti-gay campaigns in Oregon and Colorado.
61 min
1993
Catherine (Saalfield) Gund & Cyrille Phipps
An NYC friend group reunites to throw an “eviction funeral” for Genevieve. As the night progresses and a heatwave traps them together, their long-ignored problems boil over.
71 min
2026
Nora Kaye, Daisy Rosato
SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ME
At an artists’ retreat, insecure trans cartoonist Al is caught in a love triangle between his best friend and his creative nemesis.
85 min
2026
Andy Fidoten
STARZ's P-VALLEY: Season Three Premiere Screening & Conversation
Back for its third season, this series chronicles the lives of employees—the hopeful, the lost, the broken, the ballers, the beautiful, and the damned—working at a strip club called The Pynk in fictional Chucalissa, Mississippi.
60 min
Katori Hall
After being mistaken for his twin brother by his estranged and dying dad, Sam relishes the opportunity to be one of the boys.
94 min
2025
Harvey Zielinski
Fresh from Cannes, this star-studded, animated dark comedy follows Sarah as she juggles a long-distance relationship, a burgeoning career, and her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
102 min
2026
Leah Nelson
An amateur bodybuilder in rural Ohio must confront a dysfunctional family, substance abuse, and his own emerging sexuality on his quest to become a champion.
113 min
2026
Sam McConnell
Filmmaker Arnaud Alain follows the travels and emotional journey of Dimitri, a Parisian photographer who is going blind, making art, and finding ways to shift perspective.
68 min
2026
Arnaud Alain
THE MAN I LOVE (Closing Night Film & Party)
NewFest alum Ira Sachs’ newest film captures the story of a downtown actor living with AIDS in late-1980s New York City, starring Oscar winner Rami Malek.
97 min
2026
Ira Sachs
In the darkness of Recife’s mangroves, a young man’s search for desire leads him into a world where seduction and violence are impossible to escape.
117 min
2026
Enock Carvalho & Matheus Farias
A 35-year-old gay masseuse is pushed to the edge as an escalating clash with his sister over property ownership blurs the line between right and wrong.
126 min
2025
Anshul Chauhan
TWO MOUNTAINS WEIGHING DOWN MY CHEST
A young Chinese artist navigates between Berlin’s queer community and her traditional Beijing family on an offbeat search for identity and belonging.
85 min
2026
Viv Li
As 93-year-old Roy Blakey faces life-threatening dementia, his niece races to preserve his legacy as a noted figure skater and world-renowned gay photographer—all before his final curtain call.
87 min
2026
Keri Pickett
WHAT WILL I BECOME? (Documentary Centerpiece)
Directors Lexie and Logan travel across the United States, trying to understand their own trans boyhoods through community healing and the legacies of two young men lost to suicide.
88 min
2026
Lexie Bean, Logan Rozos
Four legacy short films from Aubin Pictures will also be available exclusively to stream.
84 min
SHORTS: BLACK QUEER PRIDE NY (*NewFest38 Edition)
Join us for an encore screening of our NewFest Pride shorts, celebrating stories from the Black LGBTQ+ community! All films in this program are original creations by NYC residents.
84 min
Tap into your inner child and future self with animated shorts that build fantastical new worlds. All we have to do is dream it.
91 min
Celebrate the diversity, nuance, and joy of the sapphic experience! These shorts highlight the sexiest and sweetest stories in queer cinema, from romantic entanglements to dating misadventures and more.
94 min
Get ready for a chaotic, genre-bending ride through the glorious absurdities of modern life! This hilarious shorts block delivers zero chill and maximum unhinged energy.
89 min
From cruising at secluded gloryholes to seeing a partner with fresh eyes, these shorts capture all the excitement of meeting someone for the first time—whether it’s for one night or for a lifetime.
90 min
SHORTS: HAVING A GREAT TIME BEING TRANS LATELY
This T4T short-film program brings together some of the most lucid trans voices of our time, fearless and unapologetic artists and activists whose work insists: History cannot be written without the “T.”
93 min
Home is where the heartland is in this compelling shorts program that captures queer life across rural USA. Presented in partnership with The American LGBTQ+ Museum.
87 min
These shorts indulge in the bloodthirsty fantasies of getting rid of something (or someone) that no longer serves you. Because if you can’t have them, nobody else should.
94 min