The Lower East Side Film Festival Announces May Dates in New York City

The Lower East Side Film Festival (“LESFF”) announces the 2024 dates for its 14th annual festival, running Thursday, May 2 through Monday, May 6 at Village East by Angelika and DCTV in New York City. Full festival programming to be announced in the coming weeks.

 The Lower East Side Film Festival (LESFF) features the innovative work of creative, up-and-coming filmmakers, and showcases their films in the heart of New York City's vibrant and historic Lower East Side. The festival has hosted hundreds of films, panels, and events that focus on diversity, originality, quality, and impact. We are committed to creating an unparalleled experience that combines visionary, independent filmmaking with the counterculture spirit of the Lower East Side. 

Along with its usual array of exclusive feature film premieres, specialty short showcases, industry panels, and parties, this year's festival will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of 1999 - the Greatest Year of Movies - Ever! with special screenings of Cruel Intentions with Director, Roger Kumble attending, But I'm A Cheerleader and American Movie.

Festival Director Roxy Hunt says, “1999 was the year when indie filmmakers made a huge SPLASH at the box office - where amateurs became auteurs, and Hollywood was being pushed to new limits. The Matrix, Office Space, Fight Club, Being John Malkovich, Cruel Intentions, American Pie, The Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Project - there are so many films that made their stamp on film history. 25 years later, we want to not only celebrate those daring filmmakers but also examine how they shaped the movies, and the film industry, of today.”

Over the past 14 years, The Lower East Side Film Festival has grown significantly.  In its inaugural year, the LESFF crew turned a Lower East Side pop-up storefront space into a unique and intimate theater that featured a month-long residency of sold-out screenings of some of the independent film community's most innovative new talent.

Since then, the festival has premiered hundreds of short and feature films, hosted thousands of audience members, and has been deemed, “one of the most exciting under-the-radar film events in all of New York City” (Film. com). LESFF was featured in New York Magazine's ‘Approval Matrix' (under “Highbrow/Brilliant”), The New York Times, Interview, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Post, IndieWire, Variety, and many many more. 

Each year LESFF continues to create exclusive downtown NYC experiences including Drive-In Movie Theater Block Parties, live comedy shows, concerts, rooftop pool party screenings and more.  LESFF has also launched a podcast on indie filmmaking, “Below the Line”, and secured distribution for its up-and-coming independent filmmakers. In 2022, LESFF launched The Stay Indie Project, an initiative to connect independent filmmakers with financing and production services for their narrative or documentary feature films.

Past Lower East Side Film Festival judges and talent have included Ethan Hawke, Susan Sarandon, Jeremy Allen White, Willem Dafoe, Denis O'Hare, Laverne Cox, Rosario Dawson, Rami Malek, Parker Posey, Ilana Glazer, Dolly Parton, Indya Moore, Samantha Bee, Dana Brunetti, Natasha Lyonne, Marky Ramone, Rebecca Miller, Sasheer Zamata, Judah Friedlander, Lizzy Caplan, Justin Bond, Tig Notaro, Nick Kroll, Eliza Dushku, Chloe Fineman and many, many more.

The team at LESFF believes that great films are made with creativity, innovation, and heart. In spite of the awesome and famous talent that has passed through the festival, LESFF will always seek out the undiscovered and underdog filmmakers who know that a huge budget does not equal a great film.

 Photo Collage Courtesy of The Lower East Side Film Festival