Film Festival Profile | Your Complete Guide to the 2025 Lower East Side Film Festival: Dates, Films, Jury, Events, and How to Attend

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At Broadway Stages, we understand film festivals' pivotal role in driving creativity and innovation within the film industry. These events provide a platform for independent filmmakers to showcase their work, often serving as the first step toward gaining recognition and distribution. Film festivals foster connections among industry professionals, creating opportunities for collaboration that align with our mission to support storytelling and production excellence. As a cornerstone of the film community, Broadway Stages is proud to highlight initiatives that promote cultural exchange and fuel the growth of the industry we love. Today, we tell you about the Lower East Side Film Festival.

Downtown Manhattan will host the 2025 Lower East Side Film Festival (LESFF) from May 1 - 5. The festival's mission is to champion bold, independent storytelling through immersive screenings, live Q&As, and dynamic community events, celebrating voices that break convention and embrace originality. 

The festival is a vital platform for emerging filmmakers, providing many with their first significant public exposure. LESFF is deeply community-driven, rooted in the Lower East Side's diverse, artistic, and inclusive identity, and it offers opportunities for both audiences and creators to connect. The festival focuses on bold, quirky, unconventional, and socially conscious films that might not be featured in larger, more commercial festivals. It provides an immersive experience combining film screenings with live performances, filmmaker receptions, parties, and unique community events hosted at multiple locations:

Additional pop-up and partner venues throughout the Lower East Side will be announced closer to the festival dates.

A Look Back: The History of the Lower East Side Film Festival

The Lower East Side Film Festival was founded in 2010 by a group of New York City-based independent filmmakers and artists as a platform to elevate underrepresented and unconventional voices in film. Over the years, LESFF has featured noteworthy films such as "The Big Sick” (before its Sundance acclaim in 2017) and "Thunder Road," which won a short film Grand Jury Prize before being expanded into a feature. "Catfish” was screened early in its release, and this year, the festival will celebrate its 15th anniversary with a retrospective screening. Since its founding, the festival has grown from a small, single-venue indie showcase to a multi-day, multi-venue event that draws national attention.

2025 Lower East Side Film Festival: Feature Film Highlights

This year's headline feature films are: 

When a tick bites a restless young woman during a weekend camping trip, she begins to experience strange, transcendent visions that blur the line between nature, identity, and obsession in this surreal indie dramedy.

  • MARQUEE SPOTLIGHT: "For Worse” (Dir. Amy Landecker)

A newlywed couple's picture-perfect life unravels hilariously and heartbreakingly when an unexpected betrayal forces them to confront the messier, darker side of marriage in this sharp, dark comedy.

In this outrageous, gender-bending musical satire, a small-town drag king with big dreams shakes up the status quo after inheriting a scandalous family legacy, finding fame, love, and scandal along the way.

Two estranged siblings are reunited by a cryptic message from their late father, leading them on a nightmarish journey through a decaying family estate, where buried secrets and old grudges threaten to consume them.

Other featured films include "Micro-Budget," "Ali Eats America," "Battersea," and "Mad Bills to Pay" (or “Destiny, dile que no soy malo”).

Must-See Short Film Programs at LESFF 2025

The festival also includes several short film programs. Short films are valuable because they allow filmmakers to experiment with storytelling, style, and technique on a smaller, more manageable scale. They help emerging directors, writers, and producers learn how to work with budgets, crews, and audiences while honing their creative voices. Many successful filmmakers get their start with shorts, using them as calling cards to attract attention, funding, and opportunities for larger projects. On the slate this year: 

  • "Big Apple Shorts" will showcase films by New York-based filmmakers.

  • "9 to 5 Shorts" will feature stories inspired by workplace culture.

  • "Mind Fck Shorts*" will focus on surreal, bizarre, or genre-defying narratives.

  • "Sexual Tension Shorts" will explore intimacy, attraction, and relationships in unique ways.

  • "Big Feels Shorts" will highlight emotionally powerful and personal stories.

  • "Doc Shorts" will feature short documentary films covering a range of timely subjects.

You can find more information about all of these films here.

Meet the 2025 LESFF Jury: Industry Icons and Rising Stars

In past years, the festival has been juried by esteemed industry professionals whose decisions have helped spotlight standout films and boost filmmakers' careers. Past jurists include Ethan Hawke, Susan Sarandon, Willem Dafoe, and many more. This year's jury includes:

  • Julia Fox — actor, artist, and author of "Down the Drain"

  • Rachel Dratch — comedian, actress, and "Saturday Night Live" alum

  • Sophie Thatcher — known for "Yellowjackets," "The Book of Boba Fett," and "Heretic"

  • Julia Bloch — the Palme d'Or–winning editor of "The Tree of Life" and "Green Room"

  • Emmy-nominated documentarian Ben Selkow, director of "Q: Into the Storm" and "Parts Unknown"

  • Slick Naim, an Emmy, AFI, and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker ("Mo", Netflix)

  • Breakout actor Zainne Saleh, known for Hulu's "Deli Boys"

  • Thembi Banks, director and writer known for "Insecure," "Only Murders in the Building," and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"

You can find out more about current and past jurists by clicking here.

Special Events and Parties You Can't-Miss at LESFF 2025

In addition to the screenings, the festival will present an Opening Night Party on May 1 at Village East Cinema, featuring an open bar and live DJ. On May 2, a Filmmaker Reception will be held at Village East Cinema from 3 - 5 p.m. On May 4, DCTV's Firehouse Cinema hosts Nev Schulman for TRUE CRIME, TRUE BEGINNINGS: The Catfish 15-Year Retrospective, which will include a Q&A. Finally, closing night (May 5) will be marked by the Closing Night Party and Awards Ceremony at The Slipper Room. You can find a full schedule with details here.

How to Get Tickets and Festival Passes for LESFF 2025

LESFF Membership fees are tax-deductible and go towards supporting LESFF year-round. Moreover, members get free tickets and extra perks. But you can also attend all screenings, parties, receptions, and open bar events throughout the festival with an All-Access Pass, which are unfortunately sold out for the 2025 festival. Finally, you can browse the full schedule and purchase tickets to individual events. All tickets are General Admission, and some (most) events are 21+. And be sure to follow the LESFF on Facebook and Instagram for more information, stories, and images!

Broadway Stages gets to see tomorrow's blockbusters and hit television shows as they are being made. Similarly, film festivals allow you to see the early works of tomorrow's great storytellers. Don't miss this opportunity to witness a star being born. Attend the Lower East Side Film Festival, and when you do, tell them Broadway Stages sent you!

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Learn about film and TV industry jobs, training, and more in the Broadway Stages’ Industry Resource Guide. Our guide provides information and links to put you in touch with industry-focused job posting sites; general recruiting sites; education and training programs; and state, city, and borough industry information.