NewFest: The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival

Films should be inclusive of--and of interest to--the LGBTQ+ community. We are seeking narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated films (both features and shorts) in 35mm, 16mm, or DCP (upon acceptance, NewFest will provide projection options for the specific venue in which the film will screen—IF THE FILMMAKER CANNOT PROVIDE THE CORRECT PROJECTION FORMAT, THE FILM WILL NOT BE SCREENED).

For feature-length films, NewFest typically requests at minimum the New York City Premiere. Should you have any questions about premiere status and potential early decisions, please email us at submissions@newfest.org.

Rough cuts and works-in-progress are eligible for submission if the completed film will be ready for QC by September 11th, 2026. Please label the screener “Rough Cut” and specify what is missing (i.e. temp sound, needs color correction, etc).

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
- New films must have been completed in 2025 or 2026.
- If selected, shorts must be available for projection in DCP.
- All non-English-language films must have English subtitles.

Still photos from your work are requested with your submission and are required for all films selected for the festival. Good stills make a difference in film placement and press coverage, particularly for short films. Even the shortest short can get press coverage or festival prominence with a captivating still. Stills must be in TIFF or JPEG format and 300dpi (dots per inch).

You are also encouraged to enclose a synopsis, production credits, press information, and other collateral regarding your film.

ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
To ensure our programming is accessible to the widest possible audience, all films submitted to the festival are encouraged to include captioning.

If your film is selected, captions will be required for both our virtual exhibition and in-person screenings. Captions may be open or closed, and can be provided either as a caption file (.srt or .vtt) or as a version of your film with captions burned in. Additionally, all non-English language entries must include English subtitles. Depending on the theater’s technical capacity to play caption files, or when an event has been specifically made available to the deaf and hard of hearing community, captions will be required to ensure accessibility. If your film does not currently have captions, please contact exhibition@newfest.org, and cc accessibility@newfest.org for information and support on captioning options. These requirements are part of our ongoing commitment to inclusivity and universal access, ensuring that more members of our community can fully enjoy the films we present.

CERTIFICATION:
By submitting, you have read and agree to the festival submission and participation requirements and certify that you am authorized to submit this film NewFest. You will hold NewFest harmless from damage to or loss of the print en route or otherwise during the course of the festival’s possession of the film.