Adrian Chiarella’s queer horror and Sundance hit Leviticus will open and Rosanne Pel’s Locarno competition title Donkey Days will close the 55th New Directors/New Films in New York (April 8–19).
Highlighting 24 features and 10 shorts, the festival organised by Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art focuses in part on themes of migration and displacement, with the North American premiere of Sanju Surendran’s Busan premiere If On A Winter’s Night, about a Malayali couple dealing with the challenges of living in Delhi; and Clemente Castor’s FIDMarseilles premiere Cold Metal exploring geographic devastation and land extraction.
The line-up includes a handful of recent Berlinale selections: Lorenzo Ferro and Lucas A. Vignale’s The River Train, Manon Coubia’s special mention recipient Forest High, and Kai Stänicke’s Teddy Jury Award winner Trial Of Hein, all from Perspectives; Xinyang Zhang’s Forum entry Panda; and Viv Li’s Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest from Panorama.
International Film Festival Rotterdam premieres include Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar’s Tiger Award winner Variations On A Theme, and Kevin Walker and Jack Auen’s Chronovisor.
There are a couple of selections from Cannes – Alexe Poukine’s Kika in Critics’ Week, and Yuiga Danzuka’s Brand New Landscape from Directors’ Fortnight – and a Venice cohort that includes Giulio Bertelli’s Venice Critics’ Week Fipresci Prize winner Agon; and Vladlena Sandu’s Venice Days opening night selection Memory.
Charli XCX party girl drama Erupcja from Pete Ohs continues its festival tour after the world premiere in Toronto last year. The festival will also screen 10 shorts.
2026 New Directors/New Films features lineup
Agon dir. Giulio Bertelli
Aro Berria dir. Irati Gorostidi Agirretxe
Brand New Landscape dir. Yuiga Danzuka
Chronovisor dirs. Kevin Walker, Jack Auen
Cold Metal dir. Clemente Castor
Do You Love Me dir. Lana Daher
Donkey Days dir. Rosanne Pel
Erupcja dir. Pete Ohs
Fantasy dir. Isabel Pagliai
Forest High dir. Manon Coubia
If On A Winter’s Night dir. Sanju Surendran
Kika dir. Alexe Poukine
Leviticus dir. Adrian Chiarella
Maddie’s Secret dir. John Early
Memory dir. Vladlena Sandu
Next Life dir. Tenzin Phuntsog
Panda dir. Xinyang Zang
The Prophet dir. Ique Langa
The River Train dirs. Lorenzo Ferro, Lucas A. Vignale
Strange River dir. Jaume Claret Muxart
Trial Of Hein dir. Kai Stänicke
Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest dir. Viv Li
Two Seasons, Two Strangers dir. Sho Miyake
Variations On A Theme dirs. Jason Jacobs, Devon Delmar.
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