Starring: Megan Seely, Dan Bakkedahl, Mamoudou Athie, James Urbaniak, Danny Deferrari, Bethany Kay, Benjamin Norris

The FOFIF presents a Brooklyn screening of its new release, Megan Seely’s debut feature Puddysticks, as part of its THREE FILMS, FIVE CITIES project. The Wednesday screening includes a Q&A with Seely and cast members and the weekend brunch screenings include special introductions. To make an additional $10 donation to The Future of Film is Female, select the “Event + Donation” ticket on the checkout screen.

Puddysticks follows anxious video-game designer Liz and her therapeutic odyssey into a secret society of adults who play like they are little kids. Led by the alluring Sylvester Cromwell, the society compels each member to reveal their most shameful memory, with the promise of psychological healing through childlike play. But when Liz finally gains the courage to share her own darkest trauma, her world turns upside down and she must find her own way to free herself of her past.

Megan Seely’s debut feature is a joyously twisted dark comedy produced by Oscar-winner Alex Coco (Anora).

Part of The Future of Film is Female’s THREE FILMS, FIVE CITIES project.

Starring: Ryan Wuestewald, Hans Christopher, Nikki DeParis

The FOFIF presents a Brooklyn screening of its new release, Yana Alliata’s debut feature Reeling, as part of its THREE FILMS, FIVE CITIES project. The Tuesday screening includes a Q&A with Alliata and cast members and the weekend brunch screenings include special introductions. To make an additional $10 donation to The Future of Film is Female, select the “Event + Donation” ticket on the checkout screen.

Reeling, the striking debut feature by Yana Alliata, is a lyrical and emotionally charged exploration of memory, trauma, and belonging set against the idyllic family property on Oahu’s windward side. After a life-altering accident, Ryan returns to his family’s homestead for a birthday luau, attempting to reconnect with old friends and relatives who now feel like strangers. As the pig roasts slowly in the imu pit and the atmosphere turns festive, buried tensions simmer beneath the surface as Ryan uncovers the moment his life took a tragic turn.

Executive Produced by the singular Werner Herzog.

Part of The Future of Film is Female’s THREE FILMS, FIVE CITIES project.

Pre-party in Lo-Res 7-9pm

A journey into the past and the future of Italo Disco music through the stories of the original 80’s heroes and cult DJs and the voice of a new generation of artists, radio broadcasters and fans ready to carry on the Italo Disco Legacy.

Featuring rare and original 80s footage, live takes and interviews with Fred Ventura, Rago & Farina, Flemming Dalum, Steen Gjerulff (Body Electric), The Hacker, DJ Hell, Alexander Robotnick, Scotch, Albert One, Ken Laszlo, Martinelli, P. Lion, Koto, Brian Ice, Fancy, Brand Image, Marcello Catalano, Linda Jo Rizzo, Italove, Surf Dancer, Roberto Turatti, Sandro Codazzi, Daniele Baldelli, Beppe Loda, Marcello D’Azzurro, I-F, Otto Kraanen (Bordello a Parigi), Intergalactic Gary, David Vunk, Alden Tyrell, DJ Overdose, Tero & Kristiina Männikkö, Gwen De Bats (Radio Stad Den Haag), Mark du Mosch, Black Devil Disco Club, Francisco, Lorenzo Cibrario (Red Gallery London).

New York premiere

Heavy Healing dives into the worlds of metal, hardcore punk, and underground hip-hop to reveal how loud music scenes become lifelines for people navigating disability, illness, trauma, and mental health challenges. Through raw, personal stories from musicians, fans, and industry voices, the film pushes back against clichés of “aggressive” music and spotlights community care, creative survival, and the deep bonds forged in packed rooms where volume becomes connection. Featuring voices linked to Bowling for Soup, Killswitch Engage, Sick of It All, Agnostic Front, and more, the film reframes heavy music as a space of resilience, belonging, and shared healing.

Starring: Gloria Swanson, Walter Byron, Seena Owen, Tully Marshall

4K restoration

Queen Kelly opens in the imaginary European country of Cobourg-Nassau, sometime before the first World War, where the vain and cruel Queen Regina V (Seena Owen) obsesses over her feckless fiancé (Walter Byron), Prince “Wild” Wolfram. When the dissolute prince encounters an innocent but flirtatious convent girl, Patricia Kelly (Gloria Swanson), he falls in love. Desperate to see her before his upcoming wedding to the Queen, he kidnaps Kelly and brings her to his rooms in the palace. When the Queen discovers the lovers, she whips the nightgowned girl and throws her out into the night. After an unsuccessful suicide attempt, Kelly returns to the convent, where she receives a telegram, summoning her to the bedside of her dying aunt (Florence Gibson) in Dar-es-Salaam, German East Africa. There, the innocent young girl is shocked to find herself in a seedy bordello. On her deathbed, Kelly’s aunt begs her niece to wed the syphilitic brothel owner, Jan (Tully Marshall). A Milestone / Kino Lorber release.

This is the story of 7 graff hunters, individuals addicted to photographing and sharing graffiti in NYC and the world. Relentless and passionate about their obsession, they discuss why they do it, and why they can’t stop.

Pasha Talankin is an unlikely hero—a beloved Russian primary school teacher, known as a mentor and prankster who offers students a safe haven in his office. After Russia invades Ukraine, Pasha’s role in the school changes dramatically as he is reluctantly drawn into Putin’s propaganda machine. Forced to promote state-sanctioned messages and horrified by the transformation of his school and community, he struggles with guilt and a sense of powerlessness, leading him to become an international whistleblower.

As the school’s videographer, Pasha documents intimate and revealing footage of Putin’s regime, capturing the rise of militarized children’s groups, repressive laws, fervent nationalism, and the recruitment of graduating students to fight in the war. When he learns his own life may be at risk, Pasha is forced to plan a dangerous escape from Russia.

Directed by David Borenstein and co-directed by Pasha Talankin, this uniquely collaborative film is as captivating and joyful as it is eye-opening and sobering. Mr. Nobody Against Putin showcases rare footage that reveals the profound impact of Putin’s regime on the lives of everyday Russians, particularly its children.

A comeback story with grit and groove. New York’s 1980’s Dance pioneers Rockers Revenge reunite decades later to finally record their debut album, transforming nostalgia into a powerful journey of friendship, resilience, and unfinished dreams. From the frontlines of New York’s COVID crisis to the pulse of Black Lives Matter, their music channels loss, hope, and defiance.

Directed by legendary DJ and music producer Arthur Baker – whose collaborations with New Order, Afrika Bambaataa, Bruce Springsteen and Al Green defined an era – this film spans 30 years yet feels urgently of the moment – a testament to survival, second chances, and the unstoppable spirit of Rockers Revenge.

A story of defiance, creativity, and the search for freedom, and a cinematic portrait of Felix Leu, artist and patriarch of one of the most iconic and respected families on the international tattooing scene: the Leu Family, a bohemian clan that turned freedom and creativity into their way of life. Son of painter Eva Aeppli and assistant to Jean Tinguely, Felix grew up in Paris’s vibrant 1960s art world before embracing the revolutionary counterculture of the Beat Generation. In New York he met his lifelong partner, Loretta, and together they chose a nomadic path, raising four children while rejecting conformity and living with only time as their true wealth.

In the late 1970s, Felix discovered tattooing, first as a way to support their travels, then as a form of expression in which he became a pioneer, founding what would become the legendary Leu Family Iron. Loretta’s voice guides us through their extraordinary journey through hardship, love, and enduring commitment to artistic exploration. More than a film about tattooing, this is a meditation on independence, identity, and daring to remain true to one’s dreams.

This intimate portrait follows underground DJ Lee Burridge, whose lifelong goal has been to bring people together through music. Blending cinematic storytelling, rare archival footage and access to Burridge’s inner world, the film traces a 40-year journey from a small seaside village in Dorset to some of the world’s most iconic stages, from Fabric London to Burning Man and Coachella. Burridge’s story is one of persistence and passion, and also impermanence.

The DJ lifestyle demands sacrifice: communities fade, connections slip away, and the spotlight eventually moves on. As he reflects on these costs, Burridge creates a new sonic language rooted in beauty, longing and emotion. This sound becomes All Day I Dream – a global community, record label, and festival series that defines his legacy. More than just a music film, Sound of a Dream explores the magic of the dance floor and the universal human search for connection.