Mark your calendars and grab your tickets because the 36th edition of NewFest is back for an exciting two weeks of queer cinema.
The annual fall film festival returns Thursday, Oct. 10, with the New York premiere of "A Nice Indian Boy," starring Jonathan Groff and Karan Soni. The following 10 days are marked by feature film debuts, as well as screenings of can't-miss short films, documentaries and legacy films celebrating big anniversaries.
Can't make certain in-person screenings? No problem. NewFest is again providing virtual passes to a number of its films available to watch online until Oct. 22.
This year's batch of in-person screenings will be held across Manhattan and Brooklyn at the SVA Theatre, The LGBT Community Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Nitehawk Prospect Park. Find the full calendar here.
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NewFest's impressive festival lineup includes more than 140 films featuring work from more than 30 different countries.
“The NewFest36 lineup has something for everyone, whether its highly anticipated, Oscar buzzy films like 'Emilia Perez,' fascinating international docs like 'This is Ballroom,' or resourceful indies like 'Hidden Flora,'" NewFest Executive Director David Hatkoff told NBC New York. "We have 12 shorts programs, including 'T4Transgressive' and 'Caribbean Pride Power,' which give audiences a chance to discover exciting new queer filmmaking voices."
The festival opens with "A Nice Indian Boy," a romantic comedy about Naveen (Soni) bringing his white boyfriend (Groff) home to meet his parents and plan "the Indian wedding of their dreams."
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Fresh off its debut at New York Film Festival, the much buzzed about "Emilia Perez" will close this year's NewFest. The musical follows the transition of drug cartel kingpin and stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, and Selena Gomez.
In addition to splashy premieres, this year's festival welcomes exciting and beloved classics celebrating milestone anniversaries. Audiences can grab tickets to 25th anniversary screenings of "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "The Matrix."
“All are welcome at NewFest, but the festival was very intentionally designed to prioritize the experience of the LGBTQ+ community. NYC is a very queer-friendly city, but there are no other places where every film, every party, and every conversation centers the LGBTQ+ experience," Hatkoff said.
"Queer folks aren’t just guests at NewFest; they’re the reason we exist. And audiences are really responding – we’ve had record attendance, and are now the largest queer film festival in the United States.”
Tickets are now on sale.
