Q&As - News - Reviews

PROGRAM 5pm Opening Live Music Set- Ana Fernandez and trio pays tribute to Bituca. 5:10pm Art Show- Madu Moreira intimate and inspiring mix media art show. 5:20pm Book Launch- Cesar de Souza talks the supernatural on “Alem do Alem”. 5:35pm Giveaway Prizes and Tickets for concerts at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Miller Theatre and NJPAC- all ticket holders will have a chance to win a pair of tickets for each venue. 5:40pm - Film Screening MILTON BITUCA NASCIMENTO 7:35pm Closing Live Music Set- BATALA NY brings their unique drumming energy to NYBFS! 8pm Ends   Tickets $24 includes welcome drinks and Brazilian pastries. No additional charges. For information email Roger Costa (founder and artistic director of NYBFS): [email protected]

Q&A on September 21 after the 6:00pm show with Film makers. Q&A on September 25 after the 6:00pm show with Film makers. Q&A on September 30 after the 6:00pm show with Film makers. In New York, home to nearly half of the world’s Jewish population, tens of thousands of Jewish children are not receiving a basic education. Children in many of the most orthodox yeshivas often finish school without being able to read or write in English. Because of the extraordinary political power of ultra-Orthodox communities, their schools have never been required to comply with state law. Unorthodox Education lifts the curtain on these communities, revealing the human cost of actively depriving kids of a secular education. The 40-minute documentary, created by Jewish filmmakers, presents interviews with people who have left the ultra-Orthodox world as well as journalists, academics, and advocates. It chronicles a decade-long political struggle for these children that ended in disastrous defeat in May 2025, when the New York State legislature gutted the ability of state education officials to enforce the law. The film exposes the tragedy of forced ignorance hiding in plain sight in the biggest city in the United States.

Q&A on Friday, October 24 for the 6:50pm screening, with director Reza Dahya. Moderated by Brian “B. Dot” Miller (journalist and broadcaster). Aspiring rapper Rome has the talent and vision to break out in Toronto's hip-hop scene, but his crippling insecurity is holding him back. When he learns that megastar producer Richie Hill will be making an appearance at a local club, Rome seizes the chance to meet him and get his album into Richie’s hands. However, disaster strikes when Rome’s apartment is burglarized and the only copy of his album is stolen. Racing across the city with his friend Jenaya, Rome scrambles to track down his collaborators and his records before the show begins and he misses his one shot. Set against Toronto’s gentrifying streets and its vibrant music scene, “Boxcutter finds its strength in those within the community who believe in you when you might not always believe in yourself“ (Cinema Axis).

Fri., 10/24 Q&As after 7:00pm show with Director Gabe Polsky, Rev. Patrick McCollum, Academy Award winner, Executive Producer Peter Farrelly, Moderated by Ben McGrath, The New Yorker Sat., 10/25 Q&As after 7:00pm show with Director Gabe Polsky, Rev. Patrick McCollum, Alan Steinfeld, Best-selling Author & Host of New Realities Sun., 10/26 Q&As after 7:00pm show with Cultivating Impact: How Sustainable Agriculture Can Save the World, Moderated by Qiana Mickie   Post Screening Q&As All Week.

Friday, August 29 Q&A with Writer/Director Usman Riaz and Aya Nimer Sr. Programs Manager at Pillars Fund after the 5:30pm show.  Saturday, August 30 Q&A with Writer/Director Usman Riaz and Rida Ali Digital Storyteller after the 6:00pm show.  Sunday, August 31 Q&A with Writer/Director Usman Riaz and Arhana Singhania community coordinator at Rickshaw Film after the 6:00pm show. 

Friday, October 10 Q&A after the 7:00pm show with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons. Saturday, October 11 Q&As after the 2:00pm and 7:00pm shows with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons. Sunday, October 12 Q&As after the 2:00pm and 7:00pm shows with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons. Monday, October 13 Q&A after the 7:00pm show with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons. Tuesday, October 14 Q&A after the 7:00pm show with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons. Wednesday, October 15 Q&A after the 7:00pm show with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons. Thursday, October 16 Q&A after the 7:00pm show with Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons.

A disgraced journalist seeks redemption by interviewing a death row inmate, an enigmatic transgender revolutionary named Shy, uncovering a searing clash of ideology, justice, and identity in a world desperate for moral clarity.

New York Shorts International Film Festival is one of the largest showcases of short films in North America. Featuring a wide spectrum of film genres from emerging to established filmmakers around the world. New York Shorts has become a career stepping stone, establishing a tradition of discovering and promoting filmmakers who have gone on to be Academy Awards Nominees. NY Shorts offers short-form filmmakers an ideal platform to screen their film and gain recognition in the heart of New York City. In 2012 NY Shorts premiered Ricky Gervais ‘Derek”, which became a popular British television show picked up by Netflix. NY Shorts events include receptions, as well as workshops with industry experts and top filmmaking professionals sharing their practical advice to attending filmmakers. The heart of the festival is the quality and scope of extraordinary film programming to enthusiastic audiences in the vibrant filmmaking enclave of New York City. NY Shorts feels that short-form cinema and its creators should have their own premiere film festival in New York deserving similar recognition given to the feature film and its creators.

TWIN TOWERS: LEGACY is a follow up to Robert Port’s 2001 Oscar Winning documentary film Twin Towers about NYPD Detective Joe Vigiano who gave his life as a 9/11 first responder in the elite NYPD Emergency Services Unit. At the time of his tragic death Joe left behind a widow and three small children. LEGACY follows the journey of those children, now men and their call to service in an effort to honor their father’s memory, first in the Marine Cops and then as sworn officers in the NYPD.