What to See at NewFest '23

NewFest, the annual New York LGBTQ+ film festival, is back for is 35 edition starting October 12 and running through Oct. 24.

Opening with "Rustin," closing with Andrew Haigh's "All of Us Strangers," and comprising 25 narrative features, 15 documentaries, 12 shorts collections, seven episodic series, and five flashback screenings, all drawn from 26 countries around the globe, this year's edition of NewFest – with its bumper crop of 132 film in total – has plenty for everyone.

High points include the eagerly awaited miniseries "Fellow Travelers," Todd Haynes' new movie "May December," the Anne Hathaway-starring "Eileen," flashback screenings including 4K restorations of "Chocolate Babies" from 1996, "Young Soul Rebels" from 1991 and the Film Feast screening of Bill Condon's 1998 classic "Gods and Monsters" starring Ian McKellen and Brendan Fraser,a long wtih so much more.

"Sharing LGBTQ+ stories in a space designed specifically for queer audiences is, in a word, magical," the festival's executive director, David Hatkoff, said in a news release. "For 35 years – starting at the height of the AIDS crisis and continuing through today's essential fight for trans rights – NewFest has provided a safe and joyful environment for the queer community to see themselves on screen.

"During this year's thrilling anniversary edition of the festival, we will reflect on our legacy, assess the current moment with clear and lovingly critical eyes, and gaze toward the future of our community and art form," Hatkoff added, "confident in the knowledge that visibility, authentic representation, and connection will continue to change and save lives for a long time to come."

Newfest opens Oct. 12 at 7:00 p.m. with "Rustin," a biopic of openly gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin – the force behind the historic March on Washington in 1963. History, ironically, did its best to ignore his existence and his contributions, simply because of who he was. Director George C. Wolfe pulls back the veil of erasure to reveal the man, as portrayed by openly gay actor Colman Domingo, and his story. A starry cast fills the screen: Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, CCH Pounder, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Jeffrey Wright, and Audra McDonald are all featured. The festival's Opening Night Party will follow at Slate.

While some selections will show in-person only, others will be available online to extend the fest into the virtual space. Tickets, passes, and more information are available here. View the full lineup here.

Twelve Movies from the Rest of the Fest

1. "Fellow Travelers"

Matt Bomer ("Magic Mike," "American Horror Story") and Jonathan Baily ("Bridgerton") star in Showtime's miniseries treatment of Thomas Mallon's novel. Screenwriter Ron Nyswaner ("Philadelphia," "My Policeman") adapts the story of a decades-long love affair between two civil servants in the shadow of the McCarthy era's "Lavender Scare," which targeted LGBTQ+ government workers. *WORLD PREMIERE*

Showing in-person Oct. 21 at 8:45 p.m.

2. "All the Colours of the World are Between Black and White"

When Bambino and Bawa meet in Lagos, their mutual attraction is undeniably strong. But as the two spend a day together, eros and danger go hand in hand: They may be moving toward a deeper bond, but they are also moving through a city where being murdered for being gay is an ever-present possibility.

Showing in-person Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m.

3. "Eileen"

It's the 1960s in Massachusetts; the winter is colder and America's attitude toward LGBTQ+ people is even colder. But when Rebecca Anne Hathaway), a new counselor, arrives at the juvenile detention facility where Eileen (Thomasin MacKenzie) works, will she herald the coming of an erotic springtime... or something completely different? William Oldroyd directs this adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh's novel.

Showing in-person Oct. 14 at 9:30 p.m.

4. "Orlando, My Political Biography"

Paul B. Preciado revisit's Virginia Woolf's gender-defying novel "Orlando" not as a film adaptation (such as Sally Potter's 1992 movie), but as a means of examining gender identity, transition, and cinematic invention: In this documentary, Precio brings more than two dozen trans and non-binary people of all ages before his camera to reflect on the novel's prescience and the realities gender identities that transcend the illusion of a hard and fast male/female duality.

Showing in-person only; Oct. 14 at 7:00 p.m.

5. "Big Boys"

Corey Sherman's comedic coming-of-age movie centers on Jamie (Iasaac Krasner), a teen whose disappointment at a stranger, Dan (David Johnson III), joining his family's camping trip soon transforms into fascination... and a growing awareness of his own authentic identity.

Showing in-person Oct. 14 at 6:00 p.m. and virtually on Oct. 12. Followed by a Q&A.

6. "May December," + Queer Visionary Award (Todd Haynes)

Director Todd Haynes will collect this year's Queer Visionary Award and participate in a conversation prior to the screening of his newest film, "May December," in which an actress (Natalie Portman) researching the story behind a movie version of a famous scandal involving an older woman and a younger man makes the acquaintance of the couple in question (Julianne Moore, Charles Melton)... and discovers more than she bargained on.

Showing in-person Oct. 19 at 7:00 p.m., followed by a Q&A

7. "Clashing Differences"

The politics and pressures of pursuing greater equity drive director Merle Grimme's humorous German film, which follows a feminist group – "House of Womxn" – trying to participate in an international conference but facing cancellation if they can't find the right diverse balance for its panel.

Showing in-person Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m., and virtually 10/12 - 10/24

8. "Blue ID"

Rüzgar Erkoçlar had been a well-known actor in Turkey prior to beginning gender affirming therapy and deciding to forsake fame for a quiet life of happy anonymity. But when he was outed, he became the reluctant face of transgender people in a country that's ever more oppressive on LGBTQ+ people. Burcu Melekoglu & Vuslat Karan's documentary follows a courageous young man as he stands his ground and claims his authentic self.

Showing in-person Oct. 21 at 7:00) p.m. and virtually 10/12 - 10/14

9. "National Anthem"

Luke Gilford's unlikely western follows a young man named Dylan from his New Mexico home (where he's the breadwinner and caretaker of his ailing mother and his younger brother) to a queer paradise: A ranch where out gay ranch hands show what they're made of at work and in rodeos.

Showing in-person Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. and followed by a Q&A

10. "It's Only Life After All"

Documentary filmmaker Alexandria Bombach looks back on the 40-plus career of The Indigo Girls, the pop duo comprised of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers – a lesbian musical act that never pretended to be anything else.

Showing in-person Oct. 15 at 3:00 p.m.

11. "Lie with Me"

Director Olivier Peyon adapts Philippe Besson's 2017 novel for the screen, delving into memory and the enduring force of love with a dramatic feature that finds middle-aged novelist Stéphane Belcourt making a return to Cognac, France after more than three decades. In his past: the resonances of a first love between himself as a young man (Jérémy Gillet) and another young man, Thomas (Julien De Saint Jean). In the present: a growing attracting to Lucas (Victor Belmondo) – Thomas' son.

Shows in-person Oct. 19, 8:00 p.m. and virtually Oct. 12 - 24

12. "All of Us Strangers" – Closing Night Film & Party

Director Andrew Haigh ("Weekend," "Looking") casts two of Hollywood's pre-eminent hotties – out "Fleabag" actor Andrew Scott and "Aftersun" hunk Paul Mescal – for this supernatural fantasy in which a romance unfolds between the two leading men even as the long-dead parents of one of them mysteriously reappear, along with his childhood home, all unchanged by time. Haigh brings his unique touch to this adaptation of Taichi Yamada's novel. The film will be followed by the Closing Night Party, hosted by Slate.

Showing in-person Oct. 22 at 7:00 p.m. and followed by the Closing Night Party