25th New York Indian Film Festival

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Thursday, 05 June 2025 15:04

Written by Brad Balfour

Now in its prestigious 25th year, the New York Indian Film Festival returns June 20 to 22 at the Village East by Angelika theater. The festival is the longest running fest for independent Indian cinema, spotlighting bold new voices, storied auteurs, and urgent narratives from the global Indian diaspora. This year’s NYIFF has more than 45 features, documentaries and short films - spanning more than a dozen languages and regions across India.

The festival opens with The Fable from director Raam Reddy, a dreamlike family drama that explores post-colonial India. Films include Kennedy, directed by Anurag Kashyap. Presumed dead for years, Kennedy is an insomniac former cop who continues to officiate for a corrupt system while seeking redemption. In Little Thomas from Kaushal Oza, seven year old Thomas, the only child of his parents, desperately wants a little brother, but must find a way to make his quarreling parents reconcile.

This is just a sampling of the films at the NYIFF!

To learn more, go to: https://www.nyiff.us/

25th New York Indian Film Festival
June 20 - 22, 2025

Village East by Angelika
181-189 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003

The Americas Film Festival of New York 2025: The Voices & Sounds of America on Film

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 04 June 2025 14:53

Written by Brad Balfour

The 12th edition of The Americas Film Festival of New York (TAFFNY) hits NYC June 12th to the 25th, 2025. With screenings throughout Manhattan, TAFFNY is a free film festival open to the public that tells stories of people, languages, and cultures across America. 

The festival opens June 12 at Instituto Cervantes NY (211 E 49th Street) with the New York premiere of Becoming Vera, directed by Sergio Vizuete. Set in Miami, Vera is a young pianist with extraordinary talent, who has just aged out of the foster care system. Alone and uncertain about her future, Vera finds solace and passion in the world of Latin Jazz, as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and resilience.

The festival concludes on Friday, June 20 at 6:00 p.m. with the New York premiere of So Surreal: Behind the Mask, directed by Neil Diamond (Cree) and Joanne Robertson. Part caper, part road trip, part spiritual journey, the film follows Cree filmmaker, Neil Diamond, on a journey across the continent and across the Atlantic as he pieces together a groundbreaking story of cultural influence, reconnection, and restitution. The directors will be present for a Q&A session moderated by Maria Galban, Collection Manager at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

The festival also includes The Americas Short Films Competition with more than 25 short films in the categories of Animation, Documentary, Experimental, and Fiction.

“Each year, filmmakers and their stories offer a mirror to the struggles, dreams, and hopes of their societies. For this edition, we chose to highlight narratives that celebrate women’s resilience, explore the complexities of love, and bring attention to issues of mental health and inclusion—especially within LGBTQ+ communities and among adolescents. The Americas are a vibrant mosaic of cultures—complex, illuminating, and deeply human—and TAFFNY’s mission is to bring these stories to the screen so New Yorkers can experience, reflect, and connect. Best of all: it’s completely free and full of joy,” says Diana Vargas, Artistic Director of TAFFNY.

To learn more, go to: https://www.taffny.com/

The Americas Film Festival of New York
June 12 - 20, 2025

Various Venues in NYC

Israel Film Center Festival 2025 Tells Israeli Stories

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 04 June 2025 11:05

Written by Brad Balfour

Featuring award winning films from Israel, the Israel Film Center Festival returns June 5 to 12, 2025. Held at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, JCC Mid-Westchester, and Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, the Israel Film Center Festival features more than ten critically acclaimed films.

In The Shoshani Riddle, a documentary from Michael Grynszpan, Mr. Shoshani was an eternal nomad and enigmatic genius. With no family or friends, sleeping on park benches, taking on multiple names and identities, he acquired a mythological status. This film is a search for Mr. Shoshani. Soda, directed by Erez Tadmor, is set in 1950s Israel, as Eva arrives at a community of Holocaust survivors, captivating Shalom, a former resistance fighter. Soon, rumors spread about her past as a Kapo during the war, and Shalom must choose between his passion for Eva and his duty to uncover her secret. His Own Way: The Cinema of Avi Nesher is a documentary on Avi Nesher, Israel's leading filmmaker. As he weaves his personal life into all his films this documentary examines the DNA of his cinematic creations since he began his career in 1978.

Screenings also include Q&A’s from the filmmakers. Check the schedule for more info.

To learn more, go to: https://israelfilmcenterstream.org/festival/

Israel Film Center Festival
June 5 - 12, 2025

Various venues in New York