NewFest: The 35th Annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival
October 12-24, 2023
Latinx and Latin American films co-presented by Cinema Tropical
Founded in 1988, NewFest is New York’s largest presenter of LGBTQ+ film & media and the largest convener of LGBTQ+ audiences in the city. The 35th edition of the festival will take place October 12—24 with in-person screenings in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the lineup will be available to stream stateside during the duration of the festival.
ALL THE FIRES / TODOS LOS INCENDIOS
(Mauricio Calderón Rico, Mexico, 2023, 96 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
It seems like the only things Bruno can control are the fires he starts. He is still grieving his father’s unexpected death, his mother has started a new relationship, and his best friend seems to have a crush on him. Confused and conflicted, Bruno escapes the city in search of a girl he met online. Although Bruno initially wants to pursue a romantic relationship with this alluring stranger, she ends up forcing him to confront the grief and pain he has been avoiding and address his burgeoning sexual identity. Writer-director Mauricio Calderón Rico paints a fittingly slow-burning portrait of young adulthood, queer identity, and lingering loss, in which the raging flame of adolescence is not just metaphorical.
Sunday, October 15, 6pm at the SVA Theater; streaming October 12—24
ALMAMULA
(Juan Sebastián Torales, Argentina, 2023, 95 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
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
Monday, October 16, 6:45pm at Nitehawk Prospect Park; streaming October 12—24
ANHELL69
(Theo Montoya, Colombia/France/Germany/Romania, 2022, 74 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
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.
Tuesday, October 17, 6:45pm at Nitehawk Prospect Park; streaming October 12—24
HUMMINGBIRDS
(Silvia del Carmen Castaños and Estefanía ''Beba'' Contreras, USA, 2023, 77 min. In English)
On the Texas border, best friends Silvia and Beba dance, read tarot, make music, and savor the long summer nights of their youth. Yet, their carefree facades conceal a fragile future as they’re stuck in an endless immigration process in a politically divided America. Much like their hometown, they inhabit two worlds without truly belonging to either. In this vigorous documentary — honored with the Jury Grand Prix at the recent Berlinale Generation 14plus — Silvia and Beba wield the camera, turning its lens on themselves and their surroundings. The result is a montage of home footage that captures the uncertainty of their predicament while highlighting the unwavering joy they carry with them through life’s ups and downs.
‘SHORTS: WE CARRY LOVE’
IT HAD TO BE YOU
(Juan Barquin and Trae DeLellis, USA, 2023, 6 min.)
A couple reminisces on the wild night on South Beach that kicked off their ten year relationship.
NOVENA
(Fernando Lopez, USA, 2022, 16 min.)
A death in the family forces old friends back together where, over the course of a night, their relationship unravels into unresolved emotion.
Sunday, October 15 at the LGBT Center; streaming October 12—24
‘SHORTS: AFTERNOON DELIRIUM’
ECSTACY
(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
(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.
Saturday, October 21, 12:45pm at the Nitehawk Prospect Park; streming October 12—24
‘SHORTS: FRISKY FRIDAY EPISODICS’
THE UNIVERSE CONSPIRES (Episode 7)
(Leonardo Pintos, Uruguay/Argentina, 2022, 15 min.)
Montevideo, gay pride day and a group of young people in their twenties trying to find a direction in that stage of life where everything is usually uncertain. Love, bonds, friendship, work, the future. In this context of partying and chaos, there seems to be no chance for Bruno and Bruno to meet. However, the universe conspires.
S&M RECORDS (Pilot)
(Drew Bolton, Jose Alvarez, USA, 2022, 17 min.)
An anthology drama series unveiling conventional people’s unconventional sexual desires.
Friday, October 13, 9:30pm at the SVA Theater; streaming October 12—23
‘SHORTS: LOOKING FOR MISTER RIGHT NOW’
COWBOY, CHOKER, HARNESS & HEART
(Nicolas Blanco & Julia Ponce Díaz, USA, 2023, 8 min.)
A bathroom stall hookup gets complicated when some unexpected guests arrive.
SUMMER
(Rafael Ruiz Espejo and Luis Pacheco, Mexico, 2022, 22 min.)
Night, speed, and adrenaline. A wild world and the longing for someone who will never love you back.
Saturday, October 15, 4pm at the SVA Theater; streaming October 12—24
‘SHORTS: TRANS + REALISM’
DO DIGITAL CURANDERAS USE EGGS IN THEIR LIMPIAS?
(Roberto Fatal, USA, 2023, 13 min.)
A struggling Latinx healer considers abandoning the physical world for promises of a digital utopia.
Thursday, October 19, 7:30pm at the Nitehawk Prospect Park; streaming October 12—24
‘SHORTS:WOMEN’S NIGHT OUT REMIX’
A HISTORY OF SITTING IN WAITING ROOMS
(Lorena Russi, USA, 2022, 9 min.)
A History of Sitting in Waiting Rooms is the coming of age story you never knew you wanted. Meet Lorena: a rambunctious six-year-old with six cavities. One for each of the letters in her name no one can pronounce. Lorena is a butch Latina fighting to find herself in the cacophony of Queens, NY in the 90s. With the help of her imaginary best friend, Boo, a civil war ghost, Lorena will poorly navigate the drawn-out pains of puberty and the grief of adulthood.
Friday, October 20, 7:30pm at the Nitehawk Prospect Park; streaming October 12—24
