NewFilmmakers LA

Attend our upcoming Film Festivals and programs! Link below for tickets and info.

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

🦌 Some moments mark the end of childhood.

Be a Man joins the lineup for NFMLA’s June Monthly Film Festival, featured in the June Shorts | FIFA Edition program. 🎬✨

Synopsis: Miguelito, an innocent seven-year-old boy, accompanies his father and grandfather on a hunt that will change him forever.

Be a Man

🎥 Director: Lucas Parra

✍️ Co-Writers: Lucas Parra, Valèria Cuní

🎥 Producers: Jofre Farré, Ander Sagardoy Múgica, Eneko Sagardoy, Albert Soler, Alba Fortes

🎬 Cast: Raúl Prieto, Lucas Catalán, José Rasero, Nico Montoya, Judit Farrés

🎟️ Learn more: https://t.co/cf8DFbcfmp

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

📣 Thrilled to share some exciting news from one of our alumni! 📣

@laramiedennis (Laramie Dennis)'s feature film, "WHERE IN THE HELL" (@whereinthemovie), which played at our April 2025 film festival, is now available to buy or rent on Amazon! Many congratulations to Laramie and this "sharp, offbeat buddy comedy," which you can check out now!

🔗 Watch it here: https://t.co/3rQQP4Uf9e

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

🇮🇹✨ This week, we had the pleasure of visiting @NYFA’s Florence, Italy campus and connecting with Diana Santi, NYFA's Campus Director in Florence, Italy.

As a valued supporter of emerging filmmakers, @NYFA continues to create opportunities for creatives around the world to learn, collaborate, and grow within an international artistic community. 🎬

Thank you to Diana and the @NYFA Florence team for welcoming us and sharing insight into the incredible work happening on campus. We’re excited to continue celebrating global storytelling together!

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

As a nonprofit organization dedicated to championing independent filmmakers in CA and around the world, NFMLA and our team take pride in supporting local and global storytellers, alongside our partner organizations who participated in California Day at the 2026 Festival de Cannes (@Festival_Cannes) including Film Santa Monica (@FilmSantaMonica), Marina Del Rey Tourism Board (@MarinaDelRey_CA), Chula Vista Entertainment Company, Film Liaisons in California (@FLICSCA), and the California Film Commission (@FilmCalifornia).

This panel conversation, featuring California Film Commissioner Colleen Bell, San Francisco Film Commissioner and FLICS Board Member Manijeh Fata, and NFMLA's Co-Founder and Executive Director Larry Laboe, discusses ways in which California is seeking to provide more resources to the broader entertainment sector, including film, TV, and other creative mediums.

This panel was moderated by VP, Feature Strategy at Indie Wire, Chris O'Falt (@cofalt).

Thank you to the American Pavilion (@AmPavPrograms) for hosting us and providing a space for this important conversation! Kudos to Indie Wire (@IndieWire) and Wilson Chapman for publishing this recap.

 Read more and watch the full article/panel at: https://t.co/FdJAaDipg6

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

🌈 Some stories become acts of courage.

Open to It – Pride Special: “Open to Drag Queen Story Hour” is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s June Monthly Film Festival, featured in the InFocus: LGBTQ+ Cinema Shorts Program I – In Search of Welcome. 🎬✨

Synopsis: Budding queen Cam and his drag-family read for drag queen story hour – but uninvited guests aren't so excited about the idea.

Open to It - Pride Special: "Open to Drag Queen Story Hour"

🎥 Directors: Frank Arthur Smith & Matt Hartman

✍️ Writer: Elizabeth Boone

🎥 Producers: Sarah Whitaker, Josslyn Glenn, Bryan Schaub, Afrika Jonée

🎟️ Learn more: https://t.co/cf8DFbcfmp

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

🍔 Some traditions start as a joke… and turn into something much bigger.

Dick’s-A-Thon is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s June Monthly Film Festival, featured in the June Shorts | FIFA Edition program. 🎬✨

Synopsis: 26.3 Miles. 5 Dick’s. 5 Meals. 1 wild tradition to honor a friend, and give back to the outdoors. Learn about Seattle’s most unique marathon, and the touching story behind it.

Dick's-A-Thon

✍️🎥 Writer & Director: Dylan Young

🎥 Producers: Sean Goodwin, Braden League, Dylan Young

🎟️ Learn more: https://t.co/cf8DFbcfmp

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

⚖️ What happens when your identity is decided for you?

Mistake joins the lineup for NFMLA’s June Monthly Film Festival as the festival’s Feature Narrative. 🎬✨

Raw, intimate, and deeply human, the film explores identity, expectation, and the lasting impact of choices made in a world that leaves little room for difference.

✨ Sometimes the hardest truth… is becoming who you were meant to be.

Synopsis: In 1941, somewhere in the American South, a child is born between the sexes, intersex, and the family must choose boy or girl?

Mistake

✍️🎥 Writer & Director: @honeygay

🎥 Producers: Brad Wyman, Davey Robertson, Erik Bakken

🎬 Crew:
Honey Lauren
Davey Robertson
Dominic Bogart
Jiji Hise
Jamie Gallagher
Matt Bogart
Phillip Nathaniel Saunders
Jacob Johnson
Rachel Alig
Livi Nichols
Lori Wilson
Jj Dunlap
Ashley Law
Shawn Caulin Young

🎟️ Learn more: https://t.co/cf8DFbcfmp

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

A four-peat! ⭐

NFMLA is thrilled to announce that we've been named one of the best Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee by @moviemakermag for the FOURTH year in a row! 🤩

Thank you so much to MovieMaker for this honor and congratulations to all our fellow festivals:

• Salute Your Shorts Film Festival
• DOC NYC
• Dances with Films
• Chicago International Film Festival
• Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
• Austin Film Festival and more!

🔗 You can read the full article at: https://t.co/rwAa8BCTz2

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

We're thrilled to support @LALIFF 2026, kicking off May 27th! 🎬 This year's festival features an incredible lineup spanning Female Directors, Immigration, Indigenous Latino, Human Rights, Horror, LGBTQ+, Afro Latino, Documentary, and so much more.

A huge congratulations to our alumni on their selections!

Gabriela Ortega
Fiorella Vescovi
Vanessa Sandre
Karina Lomelin Ripper
Daniel Barosa
Guillermo Casarin
Marcos Nieves
Kristian Mercado
Alessandra Pasquino
Anna Salinas
William D. Caballero

Grab your tickets here: https://t.co/FDIAG5B4aZ

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

NFMLA is proud to partner with @AWD_Directors on the 2025 BACK TO SET: Working Directors Intensive—a two-day in-person event focused on empowering directors to lead with clarity, confidence, and creative vision. Join us in Burbank on June 12+13 for workshops, panels, and community that will reignite your purpose behind the camera. 🎬

🎟️ Tickets available now at https://t.co/L2ZKLlA9mz

#BackToSet2026 #AWDDirectors #WorkingDirectors #FilmmakingCommunity

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

🎬 Celebrate Pride and FIFA with NewFilmmakers LA! ⚽

Join us on June 20th for NFMLA’s Monthly Film Festival, a powerful day dedicated to its celebration of its annual InFocus: LGBTQ+ Cinema program. ✨

The day kicks off with June Shorts | FIFA Edition, spotlighting short films made in and by filmmakers from FIFA World Cup 26™ participating countries including Canada, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, USA, Uzbekistan, and more! #FIFAWorldCup

Next, InFocus: LGBTQ+ Cinema Shorts Program I – In Search of Welcome, a collection of stories that tackle the vulnerability of seeking acceptance and understanding

The celebration continues with the Los Angeles premiere of writer-director Honey Lauren’s first feature film, Mistake, a period piece about an intersex child growing up in the 1940’s that is unflinching, honest and told with so much love for its protagonist.

The evening concludes with InFocus: LGBTQ+ Cinema Shorts Program II – Self-Expression, a selection that highlights self-expression through finding and choosing authenticity, feeling one’s feelings, navigating messiness, meeting with curiosity and embracing queer joy.

✨ A full day of films that push boundaries, spark conversation, and elevate new voices.

📅 Mark your calendars – June 20, 2026 12:00pm PDT - 10:15pm PDT

Program #1 – June Shorts | FIFA Edition
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM – Pre-Reception
12:30 PM – 2:15 PM – Program
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM – Audience Q&A

Program #2 – InFocus: LGBTQ+ Cinema Shorts Program I – In Search of Welcome
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM – Pre-Reception
3:00 PM – 4:45 PM – Program
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM – Audience Q&A

Program #3 – Feature Narrative | Mistake
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM – Pre-Reception
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM – Program
7:30 PM – 7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

Program #4 – InFocus: LGBTQ+ Cinema Shorts Program II – Self-Expression
7:45 PM – 8:15 PM – Pre-Reception
8:15 PM – 10:00 PM – Program
10:00 PM – 10:15 PM – Audience Q&A

🎟️ Learn more about our festivals and other programs at https://t.co/Z6opXBznZb

[IndieWire @IndieWire]

Christopher Slager, President of Film at FIFTH SEASON, on bringing a "California story" to life.⁠
⁠
California Day at the American Pavilion
Presented by the California Film Commission (@filmca) with Marina del Rey Tourism Board, Film Santa Monica, Chula Vista Entertainment Company (CVEC), Film Liaisons in California Statewide (FLICS) and NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (@NFMLA)

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

NFMLA is thrilled to invite you all to the 9th Annual @WIEntertainment Summit, taking place at the iconic Skirball Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 9th!

✅ Our members can use code WIE26PARTNER for 10% off: https://t.co/L5po9vXWaq

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

💣 Some threats aren’t buried as deep as we think.

Klaus Muller is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the May Shorts program. 🎬✨

Synopsis: In the heart of the Arizona wilderness, park ranger Tommy Dolan stumbles upon a chilling discovery: a long-lost nuclear bomb hidden among the trees. Desperate, he calls in federal bomb expert Klaus Muller to defuse the situation, but as tensions rise, it becomes clear that one of them is not who he says he is.

Klaus Muller

✍️🎥 Writer & Director: Zach Tolchinsky

🎥 Producers: Sven Gey, Will Martinez, Chinyere Nywodim

🎟️ Learn more: https://t.co/cf8DFbcfmp

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

☢️ Some legacies never stop echoing.

Born Secret is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the May Shorts program. 🎬✨

Synopsis: A filmmaker returns to his hometown Oak Ridge, the secret city that built the atomic bomb. There he meets the workers who created humanity's greatest weapon, while their grandchildren inherit a world on the brink of nuclear catastrophe.

Born Secret

🎥 Director: Riley Fitchpatrick

✍️ Co-Writers: Riley Fitchpatrick, Grant Conversano, Adam Conversano

🎥 Producers: Grant Conversano, Adam Conversano

🎟️ Learn more: https://t.co/cf8DFbcfmp

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

🎙️ Some stories hit differently when they become personal.

Never Hike Alone is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the May Shorts program. 🎬✨

Synopsis: In her true crime podcast “Never Hike Alone,” Liz investigates and reports on women who have gone missing on solo hikes. When her own brother, Kit, falls out of touch, she knows she must find him herself. In searching for Kit, she meets an avid listener, Judith, who believes in the mission of Liz’s podcast. Judith wants to help, but when Liz and Judith uncover some troubling information about Kit, they both must decide what to do.

Never Hike Alone

🎥 Co-Directors: Beth Gallagher and Alison Kertz

✍️ Writer: Alison Kertz

🎥 Producers: Mary Kertz, Alison Kertz, Beth Gallagher

🎟️ Learn more: https://t.co/cf8DFbcfmp

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

🕯️ Some fears are passed down like stories.

Koko Suzan is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the May Shorts program. 🎬✨

Synopsis: Based on true events, a young girl's life is turned upside down when her grandmother's strange behavior sparks fears of witchcraft.

Koko Suzanne

🎥 Director: Zach Bandler

✍️ Co-Writers: Emmanuel Epenge and Zach Bandler

🎥 Producers: Victor Mazzone, Emmanuel Lupia

🎟️ Learn more: https://t.co/cf8DFbcfmp

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

🎻 Find out how the human spirit can endure.

SŪNNA rounds out our May 2026 Film Festival lineup!

Synopsis: When sudden hearing loss shatters her identity, a young Indian musician is left in silence until the echoes of memory, touch, and culture help her reclaim music and herself.

✍️🎥 Writer & Director: @radhamehta

🎥 Producer: @pallavisastry

🎬Cast & Crew:
Anisha Nagarajan
Aaliya Mehta
Isue Shin
Joseph Murphy

🎟️ Get your tickets now at: https://t.co/cf8DFbcfmp

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

🏛️ Some secrets are too dangerous to keep hidden.

The Guilted Age is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the May Shorts program. 🎬✨

Synopsis: In 1890, inside a grand Texas mansion, Louisa, a young maid, is visibly unwell. Her brief moment of solitude is interrupted by Lady Annabelle, a sophisticated socialite from New York, who is also seeking refuge from the lively household. Louisa fails to hide her discomfort, and Lady Annabelle insists she seeks medical help. When Louisa refuses, the two women get into a heated argument. In a desperate move to avoid seeing the doctor, Louisa whispers something to Annabelle, and the story takes some unexpected turns.….

The Guilted Age

✍️🎥 Writer & Director: Stine Hole Mankovsky

🎥 Producers: Pete Chambers, Sophia Ogilvie, and Francesco Loy Bell

🎟️ Learn more: https://t.co/cf8DFbcfmp

[NewFilmmakers LA @NFMLA]

🐾 What do we lose when we become something else?

Moti is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the May Shorts program. 🎬✨

Synopsis: One day a dog named Moti turns into a boy. Shocked and confused, Moti’s human masters take him to the hospital to find out what is wrong. Science intervenes: Moti starts to evolve. But in becoming fully human Moti loses something vital along the way: his doggy sense of smell, his canine way of navigating the world.

Moti

✍️🎥 Writer & Director: Yash Saraf

🎥 Producers: Karan Shah and Yash Saraf

🎬 Crew: Priyankar Patra and Rusha Bose

🎟️ Learn more: https://t.co/cf8DFbcfmp