Starring: Nicolás Díaz, Martina Grimaldi, Cali Coronel

After experiencing relentless bullying, Nino and his family decide to spend the summer in a remote countryside house in Argentina. This new location is surrounded by a mysterious forest and situated in a conservative Catholic town. Unfortunately, Nino finds himself unable to escape the suffocating grip of the traditions that drove him out in the first place. All the while, Nino begins to see visions of the titular mythic monster who haunts the forest.

With temptation and curiosity around every corner, Nino wonders how long it will take before this creature pushes his desires to the breaking point. Director Juan Sebastián Torales captures the turmoil of adolescence in ALMAMULA with a dark sense of humor and unflinching honesty to produce a truly beguiling narrative.

Starring: K. Devery Jacobs, Priya Guns, Ali Momen, Muraly Srinarayanathas, Alex Joseph, Brittany Leborgne, Janisa Weekes

Led by star and co-writer Devery Jacobs (RESERVATION DOGS), THIS PLACE explores the stories of two women in Toronto: Kawenniióhstha, a half-Iranian, half-Mohawk poet searching for her estranged father, and Malai, a Tamil graduate student grappling with her own father’s alcoholism.

Connected by complexities of heritage and heartache, a profound bond blooms between the women in director V. T. Nayani’s artful debut. What results is an intricately crafted narrative that warmly bridges the gaps between their two worlds and embraces love across the intricacies of life.

Starring: Megan Stalter, Jojo T. Gibbs, Manny Jacinto, Ayden Mayeri, Thomas Mann, Chrissie Fit, Andre Hyland, Margaret Cho, Chelsea Peretti, Darrell Hammond

Cora (Meg Stalter) goes home to win back her girlfriend, and soon realizes it’s much more than her love life that needs salvaging.

Advance screening of Season 2, Episodes 6 and 7

OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH is based (very) loosely on the true adventures of 18th century would-be pirate Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby). After trading the seemingly charmed life of a gentleman for one of a swashbuckling buccaneer, Stede became captain of the pirate ship Revenge. Struggling to earn the respect of his potentially mutinous crew, Stede’s fortunes changed after a fateful run-in with the infamous Captain Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). To their surprise, the wildly different Stede and Blackbeard found more than friendship on the high seas…they found love. Now, they have to survive it.

A standout at SXSW and the recipient of Outfest LA’s Grand Jury Award, this poignant docufiction takes a candid look at the senseless violence affecting LGBTQ+ people in Medellín, Colombia. Blurring the lines between fiction and reality, director Theo Montoya creates a compelling portrait of a generation of artists pushing to be heard, battling for survival, and refusing to fade into obscurity.

ANHELL69 seamlessly melds the personal with the universal, the artistic with the confrontational, and despair with unwavering resilience. The film is both a heartfelt tribute to Montoya’s friends and a plea for the well-being of an entire community.

Starring: Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser

Join us for our third-annual Film Feast and enjoy a contemporary classic along with a thematically paired multi-course meal! Once a powerful Hollywood director, James Whale (Ian McKellen, in an Academy Award®-nominated role) has long retired and is in increasingly poor health. His stalwart housekeeper, Hanna (Academy Award® nominee Lynn Redgrave), quietly disapproves of Whale’s catty candor and faceless, nameless parade of young gay lovers. But when the director takes an interest in new gardener Clayton Boone (Academy Award® winner Brendan Fraser), a former Marine and Korean War veteran, it seems to be for something more than his usual casual conquest.

Don’t miss this chance to sip and dine along to this delirious, delicious melodrama — winner of the 1998 Academy Award® for Best Adapted Screenplay — in its 25th-anniversary year.

Starring: Natalia Dyer, Rachel Keller, Danny Ramirez

Recent college graduate and aspiring writer Annie (Natalia Dyer) is reluctant to leave her hometown of Philadelphia for a new job across the country. But sparks fly and her life takes an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with two individuals: vivacious party girl Tyler (Rachel Keller) and the introspective Danny (Danny Ramirez).

A magnetic connection with Tyler draws Annie deeper into a whirlwind of excitement, and she increasingly chooses to avoid friends and family in favor of a summer of late-night barhopping. Ultimately, though, she must confront the looming reality of her career and make a decision about her future. Vibe with this exhilarating tale of twentysomethings navigating a relatable period of angst, lust, and growth — and the excitement of what may await just around the corner.

This film will be followed by a Q&A

Starring: Carmen Madonia, Ramona Milano, Paige Evans, Joe Parro

After losing her job, aspiring writer Ren sets off on an eye-roll-inducing beach vacation alongside her sister and parents. Amidst the demands of familial connection, the safety of her inner world is initially stirred by everyone around her who fails to see her true self–leading to a surprising journey of reborn confidence.

Writer/director Luis De Filippis skillfully guides the compelling cast through a palably constrained environment where the characters are forced to meet in a dance between individuality and shared bonds. Through these encounters, De Filippis captures the vast complexities of family dynamics from a trans perspective in this invigorating film, executive produced by Julia Fox (UNCUT GEMS).

Celebrate the four recipients of the 2023 New Voices Filmmaker Grant, a program NewFest launched last year in partnership with Netflix, with a screening of their recent short films and exciting works-in-progress. Join us as we share the auspicious work from 2023 grantees Terrance Daye, Drew de Pinto, Emily May Jampel, and LaQuan Lewis, and hear what’s to come in their future projects and emerging careers.

LUCKY FISH
Dir. Emily May Jampel, USA, 2022, 9 min
Two Asian-American teenagers meet in the bathroom of a Chinese restaurant while having dinner with their families.

MĀNOA VALLEY (WIP)
Dir. Emily May Jampel, USA, 2023, 10 min
Two friends living in Mānoa Valley spend a summer day together before one of them moves to New York City.

ONLY FOR THE NIGHT
Dir. LaQuan Lewis, USA, 2021, 15 min
Sam, a young trans man, struggles to find someone he authentically connects with. One day, he is invited to a party where he meets Anthony, a charismatic guy who takes the time to get to know Sam. The two spend the night together, and Sam seems to regain his hope for romance.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE
Dir. LaQuan Lewis, USA, 2022, 8 min
On the eve of their one year anniversary. Rae and Jamila are celebrating with a date night at home when Rae unexpectedly receives a voice message from her ex lover. This turns the night on its head, leading to a conversation neither girls were expecting to have.

-SHIP: A VISUAL POEM
Dir. Terrance Daye, USA, 2020, 13 min
A black boy learns contradicting lessons of manhood and masculinity on the day of his cousin’s funeral.

PRITTY (WIP)
Dir. Terrance Daye, USA, 2022, 14 min
On a scorching summer day at a community pool, a black teen steps out of his comfort zone, and overcomes his fear of the deep end.

LAST CALL
Dir. Drew de Pinto, USA, 2021, 4 min
A magical realist 16mm short following the caretakers of three historic queer bars in San Francisco as they close their establishments, temporarily and permanently, amidst the 2020 COVID lock down.

COMPTONS ’22
Dir. Drew de Pinto, USA, 2022, 17 min
Three years before Stonewall, trans sex workers and drag queens rioted against police violence at Compton’s Cafeteria. In a poetic intergenerational dialogue, contemporary trans artists interpret oral histories from the legendary Compton’s Queens.

A genre-fluid, gender-bending program that’ll make you feel as if you’re in a waking delirium. Step into a realm where the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary, where the tapestry of queer experiences intertwines with mystical, eerie, fantastic worlds, and where the unseen takes center stage. We’ve come a long way voicing our demands through cinema; now we can sit back and enjoy the mesmerizing shorts that these visionary creators have prepared for us. Each film in this program will enchant, haunt, and take you through fever dreams where anything is possible!

This program will be followed by a Q&A

PIPES
Dirs. Kilian Feusi, Jessica Meier, Sujanth Ravichandran, Switzerland, 2022, 4 min
Bob the plumber is hired to fix a broken pipe and lands to his surprise in a gay fetish club.

GOLD AND MUD
Dir. Conor Dooley, USA, 2023, 9 min
A sprawling story of love and loss, as reflected on a single face.

SKIN
Dir. Cyrus Gainer, USA, 2023, 10 min
In a present-day post-apocalypse where New York City has become a wasteland with a resting temperature of 140 degrees, Kai struggles to find an intimate connection using an online dating device that allows you to feel someone else’s touch.

BLIND
Dir. Cory Nixon , USA, 2022, 19 min
A blended group of close friends discover unforeseen things about each other over the course of a tense Halloween week in 2020.

ECSTACY
Dir. Carolina Costa, Mexico/USA, 2023, 8 min
A mystical sci-fi based on Saint Teresa de Avila’s writings. Inside a ghostly mausoleum that is an artifact of both the past, and future, these nuns are being affected by a black hole. Ecstasy is an eerie exploration of pleasure.

SAM AND THE UNIVERSE
Dir. Alicia Ramirez, USA, 2023, 13 min
Sam and The Universe is a queer sci-fi film about a non-binary person named Sam who goes on a birthday trip with friends, despite hating their birthday. The film explores mental health, friendship, and the experience of feeling alienated even around the people that love you the most.

TICKS
Dir. Sam Max, USA, 2022, 10 min
In the midst of a violent breakup, Jenny-a drifter-encounters a presence in the woods that causes them to turn against their partner.

I CAN SEE THE SUN BUT I CAN’T FEEL IT YET
Dir. Joseph Wilson , UK, 2023, 18 min
A nightmare in reverie: five young queer people are admitted into a clinic to undergo conversion therapy. Enduring several different and harrowing methods to change their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, the sterile space of abject trauma struggles to suppress the abundance and beauty of queer love.