Queer Filmmakers Shine at NewFest 2025 with Diverse Lineup

As the curtain rose on NewFest 2025 in New York City this November, the festival celebrated the vibrant and diverse voices of the LGBTQ+ filmmaking community. At the heart of the event were four rising directors - MG Evangelista, Farah Jabir, Shuli Huang, and Kevin Xian Ming Yu - who were selected as the recipients of the 2025 New Voices Filmmakers Grants.

Offered by Netflix and NewFest, the $25,000 grants came with valuable mentorships from acclaimed filmmakers like Jane Schoenbrun and Aitch Alberto. This investment in queer storytellers underscored the festival's mission to turn "outsiders into insiders" while embracing the community's proud nonconformist spirit.

Beyond the grant recipients, NewFest's programming shone a spotlight on a range of queer-focused films. The festival opened with the biographical comedy-drama "Blue Moon," starring Ethan Hawke as songwriter Lorenz Hart, and closed with the sports drama "Christy," led by Sydney Sweeney as boxer Christy Martin. These works, along with numerous other features and shorts, explored the challenges and triumphs of LGBTQ+ individuals navigating their identities and passions.

Despite the industry's ongoing challenges, NewFest's executive director, David Hatkoff, emphasized the festival's role in supporting and amplifying queer storytelling. "We are at an inflection point in which anyone in a decision-making role needs to decide," he said. "You can't straddle anymore. The stakes are too high."