NewFest 2024

View other NewFest Films by strand: Documentary Features

Tops Tops
Tops and Gondola
Asog (Country: Philippines; Year: 2023; Director: Seán Devlin; Writer: Seán Devlin, Jaya, Arnel Pablo; Stars: Jaya, Arnel Pablo, Ricky Gacho Jr)
All roads lead to the Ms. Gay Sicogan pageant! Rey toils away in mediocrity after their career as a comedian comes to a grinding halt due to a super typhoon devastating Tacoloban. They set their sights on winning the pageant cash prize. Joined by former student Arnel, searching for some semblance of the family he lost when his mother died in the typhoon, they embark on a journey, navigating trauma, transphobia, colonialism, climate change, grief, and ultimately, resilience.
Baby (Country: Brazil, France, Netherlands; Year: 2024; Director: Marcelo Caetano; Writer: Marcelo Caetano, Gabriel Domingues; Stars: João Pedro Mariano, Ricardo Teodoro, Ana Flavia Cavalcanti, Bruna Linzmeyer, Luiz Bertazzo)
After being released from a juvenile detention center, Wellington finds himself alone and adrift on the streets of São Paulo, without any contact from his parents and lacking the resources to rebuild his life. During a visit to a porn theater, he encounters Ronaldo, a mature man, who teaches him new ways of surviving. Gradually, their relationship turns into a conflicting passion, oscillating between exploitation and protection, jealousy and complicity.
Bird (Country: UK, US, France, Germany; Year: 2024; Director: Andrea Arnold; Writer: Andrea Arnold; Stars: Barry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski, Nykiya Adams, James Nelson-Joyce, Jasmine Jobson, Rhys Yates, Joanne Matthews, Frankie Box, Dave)
12-year-old Bailey lives with her single dad Bug and brother Hunter in a squat in North Kent. Bug doesn’t have much time for his kids and Bailey who is approaching puberty seeks attention and adventure elsewhere.
Cabo Negro (Country: France, Morocco; Year: 2024; Director: Abdellah Taïa; Writer: Abdellah Taïa; Stars: Oumaima Barid, Youness Beyej, Julian Compan, Manal Fattah, Mohamed Amine Kihal)
Two young people arrive at a luxury villa on holiday but things take an unexpected turn when the lover of one of them fails to show up.
Carnage For Christmas (Country: Australia; Year: 2024; Director: Alice Maio Mackay; Writer: Alice Maio Mackay, Benjamin Pahl Robinson; Stars: Chris Asimos, Dominique Booth, Betsey Brown, Lewi Dawson, Olivia Beeble)
When true-crime podcaster and sleuth Lola visits her hometown for the first time since running away and transitioning, the local urban legend, The Toymaker, is the least of her worries. But then the vengeful ghost of the historical murderer seemingly rises again.
Young Hearts Young Hearts
Young Hearts and Reas
Drip Like Coffee (Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Anaiis Cisco; Writer: Anaiis Cisco; Stars: Iman Artwell-Freeman, Kashanie Lagrotta-Butler, Ralphy Lopez, Brittney Jenkins)
An intimate connection between two Brooklyn baristas brews a journey of mutual empowerment and sensual transformation.
Duino (Country: US, Argentina, Italy; Year: 2024; Director: Juan Pablo Di Pace, Andrés Pepe Estrada; Writer: Juan Pablo Di Pace, Andrés Pepe Estrada; Stars: Juan Pablo Di Pace, Santiago Madrussan, Oscar Morgan, August Wittgenstein)
An Argentinian filmmaker struggling to finish a movie about his unrequited first love receives an unexpected invitation to reconstruct his memories, revisit his past and perhaps even find a new ending to his story.
Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark (Country: US; Year: 1988; Director: James Signorelli; Writer: Sam Egan, John Paragon, Cassandra Peterson; Stars: Cassandra Peterson, Edie McClurg, W. Morgan Sheppard, Daniel Greene, Jeff Conaway, Susan Kellermann)
When the scantily clad late night horror hostess inherits a mansion from her great aunt, she hits the road to claim an easy-flip fortune in hopes of funding a headlining Las Vegas show, but nothing is quite as she expected, and she's not what the small town locals expected either.
Emilia Perez (Country: US, Mexico; Year: 2024; Director: Jacques Audiard; Writer: Jacques Audiard; Stars: Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Edgar Ramírez, Karla Sofía Gascón, Adriana Paz, James Gerard, Shiraz Tzarfati, Agathe Bokja, Marie-Elisabeth Robert, Stéphane Ly-Cuong, Eric Geynes, Anabel Lopez, Eduardo Aladro, Line Phé, Cyrus Khodaveisi)
A lawyer gets an offer to help a cartel boss start a new life.
Extremely Unique Dynamic (Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Katherine Dudas, Ivan Leung, Harrison Xu; Writer: Harrison Xu, Ivan Leung, Katherine Dudas; Stars: Ivan Leung, Harrison Xu, Hudson Yang, Nathan Doan, Lucan Liu, Kelly Lynch, Jason Sun, Valerie Yu)
During their final weekend together, two best friends test the limits of their friendship while making a double-meta film.
The Queen Of My Dreams The Queen Of My Dreams
The Queen Of My Dreams and Bird
Female Trouble (Country: US; Year: 1974; Director: John Waters; Writer: John Waters; Stars: Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole, Edith Massey)
A spoiled schoolgirl runs away from home to pursue her dreams, getting pregnant along the way.
Gondola (Country: Germany, Georgia; Year: 2023; Director: Veit Helmer; Writer: Veit Helmer; Stars: Nino Soselia, Mathilde Irrmann, Zuka Papuashvili, Ninara Chichinadze)
Two female cable car operators fall in love as they pass each other in their gondolas.
Hidden Flora (Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Ryan Rox; Writer: Ryan Rox; Stars: Luca Silver, Nick Check, Jaxon Inge, AJ Tumminaro, Madison Junchaya, Charleigh Tallman, Walker Stovall, Jeffery McKnight, Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams, Ryan Rox)
A hopelessly romantic New Mexico teen navigates first love and friend crushes while exploring gender identity and self-discovery.
High Tide (Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Marco Calvani; Writer: Marco Calvani; Stars: Marco Pigossi, James Bland, Marisa Tomei, Bill Irwin, Sean Mahon, Mya Taylor)
Heartbroken and adrift, an undocumented Brazilian immigrant searches for purpose in the queer mecca of Provincetown. As the summer season comes to a fade, he finds an intense and unexpected romance.
I Don’t Understand You (Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Brian Crano, David Craig; Writer: Brian Crano, David Craig; Stars: Nick Kroll, Andrew Rannells, Nunzia Schiano, Morgan Spector, Eleonora Romandini)
Following a devastating adoption scam, a couple go on an Italian vacation in an attempt to reconnect. After getting their rental car stuck in a countryside ditch, things begin to go awry. Between the torrential weather and language barrier, Dom, Cole and the Italians around them descend into a comical fiasco.
Emilia Perez Emilia Perez
Emilia Perez and The Matrix
Layla (Country: UK; Year: 2024; Director: Amrou Al-Kadhi; Writer: Amrou Al-Kadhi; Stars: Bilal Hasna, Louis Greatorex, Safiyya Ingar, Terique Jarrett, Darkwah, Sarah Agha, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, Emma McDonald, Buket Kömür, Adam Howden, Aetheria Angel, Smilla, Tim Bowie, Ali Barouti, Huw Morgan)
When Layla, a struggling Arab drag queen, falls in love for the first time, they lose and find themself in a transformative relationship that tests who they really are.
Lilies Not For Me (Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Will Seefried; Writer: Will Seefried; Stars: Fionn O'Shea, Robert Aramayo, Erin Kellyman, Louis Hofmann, Jodi Balfour, Celeste Loots, Aidan Scott, Alexander Maniatis, Jacques Bessenger, Albert Pretorius, Nicholas Pauling, Gabe Gabriel, Adrienne Pearce, Michael Everson, Marc Pleass)
Two men wrestle with their sexuality in Twenties England.
The Matrix (Country: USA; Year: 1999; Director: Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski; Writer: Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski; Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster, Joe Pantoliano, Marcus Chong, Julian Arahanga, Matt Doran, Belinda McClory, Anthony Ray Parker)
Visually dazzling sci-fi thriller. Re-released in 4K restoration.
A Nice Indian Boy (Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Roshan Sethi; Writer: Eric Randall, Madhuri Shekar; Stars: Karan Soni, Jonathan Groff, Sunita Mani, Zarna Garg, Harish Patel, Peter S Kim, Sas Goldberg)
When Naveen brings his fiancé Jay home to meet his family, his traditional Indian parents must contend with accepting his white-orphan-artist-boyfriend and helping them plan the most fabulous Indian wedding their community has ever seen.
Out (Country: Netherlands; Year: 2024; Director: Dennis Alink; Writer: Dennis Alink, Thomas van der Gronde; Stars: Bas Keizer, Jefferson Yaw Frempong-Manson, Bram Agterbos, Joel Castillo, Johan De Joode)
Lovers Tom and Ajani dream of a new life in which their relationship does not have to be a secret. The two feel like outsiders in their small, conservative village. They move to Amsterdam, where a journey of self-discovery awaits them.
Carnage For Christmas Carnage For Christmas
Carnage For Christmas and Pecker
Polyester (Country: US; Year: 1981; Director: John Waters; Writer: John Waters; Stars: Divine, Tab Hunter, Edith Massey, David Samson, Mary Garlington, Ken King, Mink Stole)
A housewife struggles to maintain an air of respectability despite her family's outrageous behaviour.
Pecker (Country: US; Year: 1998; Director: John Waters; Writer: John Waters; Stars: Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci, Bess Armstrong, Mark Joy, Mary Kay Place, Martha Plimpton, Brendan Sexton III, Mink Stole, Lili Taylor, Patricia Hearst, Jean Schertler)
A diner employee becomes an overnight art sensation.
Ponyboi (Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Esteban Arango; Writer: River Gallo; Stars: Dylan O'Brien, Victoria Pedretti, Indya Moore, Murray Bartlett, River Gallo, Keith William Richards, Bryant Carroll, Juan Carlos Hernández, Jari Jones, Moisés Acevedo, NaTonia Monét, Annie Henk, Stephen Moscatello, Miles Coreas, Kevin Matthew Mcdonald)
Unfolding over the course of Valentine’s Day in New Jersey, a young intersex sex worker must run from the mob after a drug deal goes sideways, forcing him to confront his past.
Queens Of Drama (Les Reines du drame) (Country: Belgium, France; Year: 2024; Director: Alexis Langlois; Writer: Carlotta Coco, Thomas Colineau, Alexis Langlois; Stars: Asia Argento, Alma Jodorowsky, Thomas Poitevin, Bilal Hassani, Louiza Aura, Raya Martigny, Jean-Biche, Drag Couenne, Nana Benamer, Dustin Muchuvitz, Julia Fiquet, Gio Ventura, Elodie Barthels)
2055. Steevyshady, an overly botoxed Youtuber tells their idol’s mad destiny: we follow pop diva singer Mimi Madamour from the very peak of her career in 2005, all the way down to the pits of hell, a downfall brought about by her love story with punk icon Billie Kohler. For half a century these drama queens have sung their passion and their rage high upon a stage.
The Queen Of My Dreams (Country: Canada, Pakistan; Year: 2023; Director: Fawzia Mirza; Writer: Fawzia Mirza; Stars: Amrit Kaur, Nimra Bucha, Hamza Haq, Charlie Boyle, Trina Corkum)
Against the backdrop of a shared obsession with Bollywood fantasy, Mariam, a Pakistani Muslim woman, and her Canadian-born daughter Azra come of age in two different eras.
Duino Duino
Duino and The Talented Mr Ripley
Reas (Country: Argentina, Germany, Switzerland; Year: 2023; Director: Lola Arias; Stars: Yoseli Arias, Ignacio Amador Rodriguez, Estefy Harcastle)
A group of prison inmates re-enact their lives and sentences, balancing memories with fantasy.
Rookie (Country: Philippines; Year: 2023; Director: Samantha Lee; Writer: Natts Jadaone, Samantha Lee; Stars: Pat Tingjuy, Aya Fernandez, Agot Isidro, Mikoy Morales, Alyssa Valdez)
Everything changes when an awkward teenager joins the volleyball team and falls for the volleyball team captain.
The Silence Of My Hands (Country: Mexico; Year: 2024; Director: Manuel Acuña A; Writer: Lena Guarini, Manuel Acuña A; Stars: Rosa María Casillas Madrigal, Sai Yunuen Medina Soria)
Saira, an immigrant living in California, and Rosa, the first deaf law student in Guadalajara, Mexico, are trying to make a long-distance relationship work.
The Talented Mr Ripley (Country: US; Year: 1999; Director: Anthony Minghella; Writer: Anthony Minghella; Stars: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack Davenport,)
A young man with a talent for mimicry is sent to Europe to track down a playboy... but soon finds another agenda.
Teaches Of Peaches (Country: Germany; Year: 2024; Director: Philipp Fussenegger, Judy Landkammer; Stars: Peaches, Leslie Feist, Chilly Gonzales, Shirley Manson, Charlie Le Mindu)
Documentary charts the journey of Canadian Merrill Nisker into the internationally acclaimed cultural powerhouse that is Peaches.
Extremely Unique Dynamic Extremely Unique Dynamic
Extremely Unique Dynamic and Queens Of Drama
Throuple (Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Greyson Horst; Writer: Michael Doshier; Stars: Jess Gabor, Stanton Plummer-Cambridge, Bethlehem Million, Max Larsen, Taylor Turner, Charlie Reid)
A lonely gay singer-songwriter learns how to ask for what he wants in life through a newfound romance with an honest and communicative married couple. All the while, he fears he is losing his best friend to her girlfriend.
Tops (Country: UK; Year: 2024; Director: Ames Pennington, Jos Bitelli; Stars: Maz Murray, Yaz Senghor, Elliot Davis, Oskar Marchock)
A brash, satirical mockumentary exploring life after top surgery through the medium of amateur broadcasting.
What A Feeling (Country: Austria; Year: 2024; Director: Kat Rohrer; Writer: Kat Rohrer; Stars: Caroline Peters, Proschat Madani, Nicole Ansari-Cox)
A woman's life is shattered when her husband, in front of friends, asks for a divorce. She subsequently spends the night drowning her sorrows in a lesbian bar, where she encounters a charismatic heartbreaker who is busy running her business and caring for her elderly Iranian mother.
The World According To Allee Willis (Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Alexis Spraic; Writer: Pamela Adlon, Stephen Bray, Julie Brown; Stars: Allee Willis)
Songwriter/artist Allee Willis began filming her life as a kid in 1950s Detroit and never stopped. She pursued creative expression at all costs while struggling to fit established gender and sexual norms - until she found a path to love.
Young Hearts (Junge Herzen) (Country: Belgium; Year: 2024; Director: Anthony Schatteman; Writer: Anthony Schatteman; Stars: Lou Goossens, Marius De Saeger, Geert Van Rampelberg, Emilie De Roo, Dirk van Dijck)
A 14-year-old boy feels attracted to his new neighbour, Alexander. Soon he realises that he's truly in love for the first time, but interactions with his friends and family bring more questions than answers.
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