The 13th NYACK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2025 @HOTEL NYACK returns and You are cordially invited to the Opening Party Sunday, March 30th, 4:00pm. We will celebrate the upcoming 7 Nights of over 80 independent films and filmmakers with The Maijikal DJ Morgana spinning songs and soundtracks from the festival films, at 5:10pm we present the official film trailers. NIFF2025 runs Sunday, March 30th - Saturday, April 5th > SPECIAL VIP ALL ACCESS PASS $60 FOR ALL 7 NIGHTS ADMISSION !!! For overnight stays Call HOTEL NYACK 845.875.8700

OFFICIAL FILM SCHEDULE :I: TICKETS & INFORMATION
go to: www.FilmFreeway.com/NyackFilmFestival

SUNDAY MARCH 30th
4:00PM – Opening@CashBar - DJ Morgana spins film soundtracks
5:00PM – NIFF2025 Introductions followed by official film trailers
>> F I L M F E S T I V A L O F F I C I A L S E L E C T I O N S <<
 6:00PM - From the Ground Up 3:58 Music Video NYC
 6:04PM - She Loves Her John 7:24 - TX, USA -
 6:14PM - Wild Horses 2:30 – China
 6:17PM - The Flip Side 6:43 Astoria, NY 
 6:30PM - Scattered 7:31 NYC
 6:34PM - B-Box 10:00 Bronx, NY
 6:44PM - Cascades 13:45 Fairfield, CT 
 7:00PM - The Rooftop 11:20 NYC
 7:12PM - Open House 9:50 Los Angeles, CA
 7:22PM - S.Y.N.T. 5:25 NYC
 7:27PM - Jade The Icon 14:17 Brooklyn, NY
 7:42PM - Radio Caesium 21:21 NYC
 8:10PM - Renaissance Man: The Life & Times of Dr Edmund W Gordon 52:47 Joe Allen
9:05PM - Fin

MONDAY MARCH 31st
 6:00PM - 13 Drivers Licenses 26:50 German Doc on 1938
  6:30PM - Flourfish 6:09 – China – 18 y/o HS student
 6:37PM - Tapped Out 4:46 NY
 6:44PM - In The Morning 5:16 (artful) music video Bleecker Street New York, NY 
 6:50PM - Travel Plans 3:27 Los Angeles, CA
 6:54PM - In The Flowers 8:56 Tomkins Cove, New York 
  7:00PM – Burying The Hatchet 57:00 Milford, Pennsylvania
  8:00PM - Be True To Your School 8:00 New City, NY 
 8:08PM - Hamlet in The Garden, Take 1 6:22 Brooklyn, NYC
 8:15PM - A Pleasure 4:05 animation music video Spain
  8:19PM - White Bone 14:00 Sunnyside, New York
  8:33PM – Pop Nation 30:00 Christine Marie
  9:03PM – A Stranger On Earth 1:25:00 KY, USA 
10:30PM - Fin

TUESDAY APRIL 1st
 6:00PM - Launching the Lagoon 16:00 documentary Gary, Indiana
 6:16PM - In Half 24:00 animation Spain
 6:40PM - The Paradise Road 25:00 New Haven, Connecticut
 7:05PM - Afterimage 21:57 Peekskill, NY
 7:27PM - Talking Heads 7:19 MA comedy 
 7:35PM - Sally, Get the Potatoes 16:34 Brooklyn, NYC 
 7:51PM - A Pleasure 4:05 Spain claymation w music
 7:55PM - The Babysitter Murders: Timing's Off 8:23 Rockland, NY 
 8:05PM – Reviving The Legend 25:00 Kingston, New York
  8:25PM – The Flip Side 6:53 Queens, NYC
  8:33PM - A Wonderful Way With Dragons 1:52:00 NY, New York
10:25PM – Fin

WEDNESDAY APRIL 2nd
 6:00PM - The Graveyard Shift 17:50 Hancock, NH
 6:20PM - Autistic Mode 1:40:00 New Rochelle, NY
 8:00PM - What is lightning? :32 Congers, NY
 8:01PM - Off to The Races 9:10 NY, New York
 8:10PM - Unbridled 15:30 Tucson, AZ
 8:25PM - Stall Buddies 17:00 NY, New York
 8:45PM - Ricky’s Rides 5:23 animation comedy Perry, New York 
 8:50PM - Braising 19:00 Mount Vernon, NY 
 9:10PM - Chief of Halloween 8:43 Congers, New York STUDENT
 9:20PM - The Final Walk 29:25 Bardonia, NY
 9:50PM - Jolly Cold Soul 2:00 Bergen Cty, New Jersey
  9:52PM - CE 5 30:00 NY, New York
10:25PM - Krey 17:00 Bardonia, NY
10:42PM - Fin

THURSDAY APRIL 3rd
6:00PM – Artists at the Edge 38:00 Provincetown, MA
6:39PM - Into the Menstrualverse 1:02:00 Boston , MA
7:41PM - Talking Fingers Film 5:00 - India
7:46PM - Dr D and The Monster 17:56 Nyack, NY
8:04PM - The Cat Man Eshete 25:00 NYC, New York
8:29PM - Demi-Demons 17:10 Germany
8:46PM - The Mud Hole 3:16 Bloomfield, New Jersey
8:50PM - Catwalk 3:12 TX animation
8:54PM – Travel Plans 3:27 Los Angeles, CA
8:58PM - Space Invaders 4:41 comedy
9:03PM - Grow Up 5:48 New Jersey
9:09PM – The Palette 13:00
9:22PM - The Night Shift 17:50
9:40PM - Away 39:15 Nyack, NY Nick Behson
10:20PM – A Violent Breakup 8:28 New Jersey
10:29PM – Father Figures 23:00
10:52PM – Fin

FRIDAY APRIL 4th
 6:00PM – Invisible Machines 24:00 Canada
 6:24PM - No Warning 10:39 anti bullying SC USA
6:35PM - Middle of Nowhere 4:04 music video Oak Park, IL
6:39PM - The Berlin Waltz 21:13 Germany
  7:00PM - Be True To Your School 8:00 New City, NY
  7:08PM - PM - Elijah 19:00 NYC
  7:28PM - Jade The Icon 14:17 comedy Brooklyn, NYC
 7:42PM - Theo’s Tears 20:00 Closter, NJ
 8:02PM - A Pleasure 4:05 music video Spain
 8:06PM - Scattered 7:31 NYC
 8:14PM - In The Morning 5:16 music video NYC,NY 
 8:19PM - Orange Blues 4:54 Brooklyn, New York 
 8:24PM – Goodbye 12:00 Vernon Rockville, CT
 8:36PM - In Half 24:00 Spain animation
  9:00PM - The Aristocrats 5:00 Manhattan, NYC
 9:05PM – Diagnosis 10:00 New Jersey
  9:15PM – Saffron Robe 01:25:13  
10:50PM – Fin

SATURDAY 5th
6:00PM - Launching the Lagoon 16:00 Director Jessica Renslow
6:20PM – Burying The Hatchet 57:00 Milford, PA Director Christopher King
7:20PM - Project 101: A Hundred Farmers & 1 - 12:08 India
Directed by Yash Dhruv Sawhney, Rajeev Amit Singh
7:32PM - She Loves Her John 7:24 Directed by Ivan Alejandro Rivero
7:48PM - Ariel 22:00 Nyack, NY Directed by Director C. A. MacFinn
8:10PM - Bobby Up The Block 17:02 Boonton, NJ Director Phil Garrison
8:28PM - The Groom 4:00 New Jersey Director Joshua Pomponio
 8:06PM - Scattered 7:31 NYC Director Neil Fennell
8:39PM - 5:25 to 5:45 (or something like that) - 10:19 NJ Director A.J. Ciccotelli
8:49PM - Symptoms of Melancholy 16:00 Fairfield, CT Director Rose Luczaj
9:05PM - White Bone 14:00 Queens, NY Director Keyri Soto
9:19PM - Dissonant 14:46 Fairfax, VA Director Rebecca Wahls
9:33PM – Mesmerized 1:34:00  Director October
11:05PM - Fin

Hotel Nyack, is the perfect setting for a superb film festival experience! Come early and stay overnight, the hotel features the restaurant FARM, 3 bars, with 1 outside by the pool. Contact Hotel Nyack for overnight accommodations.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT
At Nyack International Film Festival, we acknowledge the institutional oppression and trauma that marginalized communities face. As allies and change-makers, we actively seek to advocate for organizations that support communities of color, indigenous communities, communities with disabilities, LGBTQ+ communities, communities of varying religious beliefs and those with intersectional identities. Our diversity is our strength; built on a foundation of kindness, patience and understanding.

Awards & Prizes

Tuesday, April 8th 2025
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NIFF2025 AWARD WINNING FILMS :

-People’s Choice Award: Saffron Robe, Director Director Jane Centofante

-Best Feature Film: A Stranger on Earth, Director Jeremiah Reeves

-Best Short Feature: Away, Director Nick Behson

-Best Short Short Feature: Sally, Get the Potatoes, Director Danicah Waldo

-Best Short: Be True To Your School, Director Frank Harts

-Best Short-Short: S.Y.N.T. Director Wendy Tesoroni

-Best Comedy: Scattered, Director Neil Fennell

-Best Documentary: Renaissance Man, Life & Times of Dr Edmund W Gordon Dir. Joe Allen

-Best Local Documentary: Chief of Halloween, Director Marissa Elizabeth Mulgrew

-Best Foreign Film: 13 Drivers Licenses, Germany, Director Ryoya Terao

-Best Animation: In Half, Director Jorge Morais Valle

-Best Director: A Wonderful Way With Dragons, Director Delfine Paolini

-Best Cinematography: The Palette, Director Jack McCabe

-Best Soundtrack: Radio Caesium, Director Joshua McQuilkin

-Best Music Video: From the Ground Up, Director Vincent Cooper

-Best Student Film: In The Flowers, Director Gabi Coronel

Rules & Terms

2025 NYACK FILM FESTIVAL FILM COMPETITION RULES
The following rules govern all film submissions to the Nyack International Film Festival (“NIFF” or the “Festival”)

Please Note: Nyack International Film Festival does not waive entry fees. NIFF believes waiving entry fees hurts the integrity of the competition. The same rules and entry fees should apply to all applicants so no one film is favored over another. In a similar respect, NIFF does not invite films to be in competition and does not pay a screening fee. Only films that are submitted will be considered for competition.

General Eligibility:

1. Submissions must be accompanied by the applicable submission fee PER ENTRY and a completed online entry form. All films must be in English or have English subtitles at the time submitted.
2. Films must be submitted as an online streaming video via FilmFreeway.
3. Films must have been completed after January 1, 2022. Films must be available for screening during the Nyack International Film Festival, March 30th - April 5th, 2025.
4. Selections for screening will be determined no later than 21 days prior to the festival.
5. Private invite-only screenings (for instance for cast and crew or donors) do not affect a film’s eligibility.
6. NIFF reserves the right in its sole discretion to reject or disqualify any ineligible entries, without a refund.
7. NIFF does not pay screening fees for any film submitted to the festival.

Originality and Permissions; INDEMNITY

1. Films must be the original work of the applicants. If a film is based upon another person’s life or upon a book or other underlying work, applicant(s) must secure any necessary rights to make such adaptations. However, it is not necessary to submit the adaptation rights agreements to the Festival. Neither the Festival nor its jurists investigates or attests to the authenticity of an applicant’s statement of authorship or rights secured. By entering the competition, you represent that you have secured all necessary rights.
2. Applicants are solely responsible for obtaining all necessary rights and permissions for third-party materials included in their films, including but not limited to music, trademarks, logos, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights. NIFF expressly disclaims all liability or responsibility for any violations of the foregoing.

Additional Information:

1. We strongly encourage filmmakers to submit their film only after it is fully finished and will judge each submission as a completed work, whether it is or not. Once a film is entered, we will not update the submission with a more recent cut. That said, because NIFF’s focus is on story, minor technical changes will not affect the final decision of any film. Should the film be accepted to play during the Festival, the filmmaker will have the opportunity to supply the Festival with their most recent version.
2. Once an entry payment has been received we cannot provide a refund. If a payment is disputed by an entrant for any reason, the entrant may be subject to any transaction fees or similar amounts incurred by NIFF in connection with the dispute.
3. If needed due to Covid-19 and in person attendance is still a risk we will offer your film for an online experience to our audience.

Selected Films and Winners:

1. NIFF has no obligation (other than as stated in these rules or on our website) to disclose any of the following information: i) identities of screeners or judges; ii) notes, feedback, or information relating to the submitted project; and/or iii) details regarding the submission review or selection process.
2. NIFF explicitly disclaims any liability or responsibility for any comments, notes, or opinions expressed about a submission, whether by NIFF or by its volunteers.
3. Winners will be announced no later than April 5th, 2025. The judges’ decision is final.

COMPETITION IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

COMPETITION CERTIFICATION:

-I/We have read all of the rules, understand, and have complied with these rules.
-I/We warrant the submission of my/our original work and that there are no disputes regarding the ownership of the submission.
-I/We also warrant the submitted material does not defame or invade the rights of any person living or dead.
-To the best of my/our knowledge, all the statements herein are true and correct.
-I/We understand that failure to adhere to the competition rules and regulations will result in disqualification and forfeiture of entry fee.
-I/We acknowledge that once an entry payment has been processed, NIFF will not provide a refund.
-No revisions of materials will be accepted once entry has been submitted.

BY SUBMITTING THE MATERIAL, I/WE HEREBY AGREES TO INDEMNIFY, HOLD HARMLESS, AND DEFEND THE FESTIVAL, ITS EMPLOYEES, DIRECTORS, REPRESENTATIVES, AND AFFILIATES FROM ALL LIABILITY, CLAIMS, AND DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH THE SUBMISSION AND FROM ANY FEES AND EXPENSES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO REASONABLE ATTORNEYS’ FEES, THAT ANY OF THEM MAY INCUR IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.

43 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Ryoya Terao

    Thank you for the wonderful experience! The hospitality was warm, the audience enthusiastic, and Nyack is such a charming town.

    June 2025
    Helpful
  • Jeremiah Reeves

    Had a blast at Nyack! Saw so many great films. Had some drinks with some wonderful people and got to share my film with an eclectic and passionate audience. We ended up winning Best Feature! Would love to do it again.

    May 2025
    Helpful
  • Dennis Fuentes

    A big THANK YOU to the folks at NIFF for selecting my music video "Middle of Nowhere" for this year's event! Much appreciated...!

    April 2025
    Helpful
  • Keyri Soto

    What an incredible festival! Don’t miss the opening day party, it’s a must. The Nyack Hotel is the perfect setting for it all. Truly an honor to be part of it!

    April 2025
    Helpful
  • C.A. MacFinn

    Such a wonderful festival! What a friendly team and so many other accomplished filmmakers there! Great place to have you movie shown!

    April 2025
    Helpful