New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival NewFest full lineup

The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, which was founded in 1988, is one of the biggest and most prestigious annual celebrations of the best queer films from the United States and other countries. It features over 150 films from more than 30 countries and special events that unite filmmakers, celebrities, moviegoers, industry experts, and the LGBTQ+ community.

In October 2023, NewFest will commemorate the 35th anniversary of The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival with nearly two weeks of premieres, talks, and parties in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and virtually everywhere else in the country. The best LGBTQ+ films and media are featured in NewFest's selection of narratives, documentaries, shorter programs, and special events.

---

The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival will happen from October 12 to 24

The 35th edition of the New York-based LGBTQ+ film festival NewFest, which will take place from October 12 to October 24, unveiled its program schedule recently, and there are a lot of exciting films to look forward to. The festival includes films not only from the United States but also from several other countries. The event will open with the film Rustin by George C. Wolfe and close with All of Us Strangers by Andrew Haigh.

Here is the full lineup for the New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival:

Film Name	Director(s)	Date	Place of Screening
RUSTIN	George C. Wolfe (USA)	October 12, 2023	SVA Theatre, New York City
ALL OF US STRANGERS	Andrew Haigh (UK)	October 22, 2023	SVA Theatre, New York City
NYAD	Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin (USA)	October 15, 2023	SVA Theatre, New York City
MONSTER	Kore-eda Hirokazu (Japan)	October 21, 2023	SVA Theatre, New York City
BEYOND THE AGGRESSIVES: 25 YEARS LATER	Daniel Peddle (USA)	October 18, 2023	SVA Theatre, New York City
QUEEN OF NEW YORK	Emma Fidel (USA)	October 16, 2023	SVA Theatre, New York City
MAY DECEMBER	Todd Haynes (USA)	October 19, 2023	SVA Theatre, New York City
2023 New Voices Filmmaker Grant Showcase	Various Directors (Terrance Daye, Drew de Pinto, Emily May Jampel, LaQuan Lewis)	October 17, 2023	Nitehawk Cinema - Prospect Park
GODS AND MONSTERS	Bill Condon (USA)	October 18, 2023	Nitehawk Cinema - Prospect Park
FELLOW TRAVELERS	Daniel Minahan (USA)	October 21, 2023	SVA Theatre, New York City
OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH: Season 2	Various Directors (Episodes 6 & 7)	October 16, 2023	Nitehawk Cinema - Prospect Park
LEGACY SCREENINGS
THE AGGRESSIVES (2005)	Daniel Peddle (USA)	October 15, 2023	Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)
CHOCOLATE BABIES (1996): 4K Restoration	Stephen Winter (USA)	October 17, 2023	Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)
A SIMPLE MATTER OF JUSTICE: The 1993 March...	JEB (Joan E. Biren) (USA)	October 14, 2023	The LGBT Community Center
YOUNG SOUL REBELS (1991): 4K Restoration	Isaac Julien (UK, France, Germany, Spain)	October 13, 2023	Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)
NARRATIVE FEATURES
ALL THE COLOURS OF THE WORLD ARE BETWEEN...	Babatunde Apalowo (Nigeria)
ALL THE FIRES	Mauricio Calderón Rico (Mexico)
ALMAMULA	Juan Sebastián Torales (Argentina)
BIG BOYS	Corey Sherman (USA)
CHESTNUT	Jac Cron (USA)
CHUCK CHUCK BABY	Janis Pugh (UK)
CLASHING DIFFERENCES	Merle Grimme (Germany)
CORA BORA	Hannah Pearl Utt (USA)
EILEEN	William Oldroyd (USA)
FANCY DANCE	Erica Tremblay (USA)
GOLDEN DELICIOUS	Jason Karman (Canada)
HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS	Goran Stolevski (North Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, Poland, Kosovo)
LIE WITH ME	Olivier Peyon (France)
THE LOST BOYS	Zeno Graton (Belgium, France)
THE MATTACHINE FAMILY	Andy Vallentine (USA)
MAY DECEMBER	Todd Haynes (USA)
NATIONAL ANTHEM	Luke Gilford (USA)
A PLACE OF OUR OWN	Ektara Collective (India)
SOMETHING YOU SAID LAST NIGHT	Luis De Filippis (Canada, Switzerland)
SUMMER SOLSTICE	Noah Schamus (USA)
THIS PLACE	V.T. Nayani (Canada)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
ACSEXYBILITY	Daniel Gonçalves (Brazil)
ANHELL69	Theo Montoya (Colombia, Romania, France, Germany)
BLUE ID	Burcu Melekoglu & Vuslat Karan (Turkey)
COMING AROUND	Sandra Itäinen (USA)
GOING TO MARS: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI PROJECT	Michèle Stephenson & Joe Brewster (USA)
HIDDEN MASTER: THE LEGACY OF GEORGE PLATT...	Sam Shahid (USA)
HUMMINGBIRDS	Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras (USA)
IT’S ONLY LIFE AFTER ALL	Alexandria Bombach (USA)
MOTHER SAIGON	Khoa Lê (Canada, Vietnam)
ORLANDO, MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY	Paul B. Preciado (France)
QUEENDOM	Agniia Galdanova (USA, France)
TRUTH BE TOLD	Nneka Onuorah (USA)
SHORTS PROGRAMS
SHORTS: AFTERNOON DELIRIUM	Various Directors
SHORTS: DRAMA QUEENS	Various Directors
SHORTS: FRISKY FRIDAY EPISODES	Various Directors
SHORTS: LOOKING FOR MISTER RIGHT NOW	Various Directors
SHORTS: MAKE ’EM LAUGH	Various Directors
SHORTS: POP! GOES THE CULTURE	Various Directors
SHORTS: QUEER TEEN MAGIC (with the NYC...	Various Directors
SHORTS: TRANS+ REALISM	Various Directors
SHORTS: WAKE & BAKE BRUNCH	Various Directors
SHORTS: WE CARRY THE LOVE	Various Directors
SHORTS: WOMEN’S NIGHT OUT REMIX	Various Directors

Out of the numerous film screenings, one of the most anticipated films in the lineup is the U.S. Centerpiece screening of NYAD, which is directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. It is followed by the International Centerpiece screening of the Japanese film Monster directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu.

The Documentary Centerpiece screening of the New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival is the film Beyond the Aggressives: 25 Years Later, which has been directed by Daniel Peddle. Concluding the centerpiece screenings will be the New York Centerpiece screening of the film Queen of New York by Emma Fidel.

Additionally, the Showtime/Paramount+ film Fellow Travelers, starring Matt Borner and Jonathan Bailey, will have preview screenings at the festival. Episodes from season 2 of Max's Our Flag Means Death, starring Taika Waititi and Minnie Driver, will also be screened at the New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival.

Director Todd Haynes has been selected as the recipient of this year's Queer Visionary Award by NewFest. The director will accept the award on October 19 before a special screening of his film May December. It centers on an actress (played by Natalie Portman) who travels to Savannah, Georgia, to prepare for a role in a new film about the past of a married couple (played by Julianne Moore and Charles Melton).

Some of the most promising narrative features in the festival include films like All the Colours of the World are Between Black and White, which is directed by Nigerian filmmaker Babatunde Apalowo, All the Fires by Mexican director Mauricio Calderón Rico, and Almamula by Argentinian film director Juan Sebastián Torales.

Other noteworthy events in the New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival will see the New York premieres of Fancy Dance and Eileen, a thriller starring Anne Hathaway. Both Stephen Winter's 1996 film Chocolate Babies and Isaac Julien's 1991 film Young Soul Rebels will have their New York premieres in 4K restorations.

---

The premier LGBTQ+ film and media group in New York, NewFest, annually produces the New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival. By highlighting films, assisting storytellers, and interacting with audiences, NewFest gives voice and visibility to the complete range of LGBTQ+ experiences in an effort to spark conversation, combat cultural prejudice, and strengthen the community.