Previewing NewFest Pride Film Festival

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)
Episode: Previewing NewFest Pride Film Festival
Date: May 30, 2024
Host: Kusha Navadar (in for Alison Stewart)
Guests: Nick McCarthy (Director of Programming, NewFest) & David Hatkoff (Executive Director, NewFest)

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Episode Overview

This episode previews the NewFest Pride Film Festival, New York City’s major annual celebration of LGBTQ films and filmmakers. With a five-day program kicking off the start of Pride month, the discussion explores festival highlights, the importance of queer storytelling, how the festival curates its diverse programming, and the broader role NewFest plays in the LGBTQ community beyond Pride month.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Night & Festival Overview [01:07 – 02:31]

• Festival Purpose: NewFest Pride celebrates queer films, filmmakers, and the LGBTQ community “365 days a year,” rather than confining Pride and queer visibility to just June.
• Opening Film:
  • A House Is Not a Disco (NYC Premiere):
    • A documentary exploring Fire Island as a queer utopia—both its fantasy and reality.
    • David: “It could not be a more ideal way to kick off Newfest Pride. And the film is a really interesting exploration of the idea of queer utopia, which is, like most utopias, a bit of a fantasy.” [02:31]
    • Fire Island is described as both a sanctuary and a challenging space that pushes the queer community forward.
    • Nick: “The film…challenges our notions of our community to push us forward and drive us further together.” [03:37]

2. Clip from ‘A House Is Not a Disco’ [04:14 – 05:11]

• The film captures the uniqueness and sense of belonging of Fire Island:
  • “There’s something magical about the fact that there’s no streets, no cars. Feels very, like, plucked out of one place and placed into, like, a desolate sort of space. …Half of my year, half of my life, is Fire Island.” [04:14]

3. Themes of Community and Representation [05:37 – 06:42]

• Community Focus:
  • Nick emphasizes collaboration, teamwork, and the importance of recognizing both the universal and specific aspects of LGBTQ experience.
  • “Pride is a moment where we have to acknowledge collaboration and teamwork.” [05:37]
  • Highlights the importance of bringing people together—whether through filmmaking, marching, or organizing festivals.

4. Event Highlights: Lady Gaga and Outdoor Screenings [06:42 – 09:09]

• Outdoor Screening:

  • Lady Gaga’s Chromatica Ball concert film at Gansevoort Plaza, Meatpacking District.
  • David: “Lady Gaga’s Chromatica Ball was and continues to be an event for queer folks. …It’s gonna be loud and it’s gonna be passionate and it’s gonna be a real moment.” [07:16]
  • Nick: “I’m excited about all the meat dresses that’ll be in the Meatpacking District for this Gaga premiere.” [08:15] (playful nod)

• The Role of Outdoor, Public Spaces:

  • Nick reflects on the impact of reclaiming public space for queer celebration.
  • “It means so much more for queer people to be taking and reclaiming that space, too, for that moment to celebrate together.” [08:28]

5. Programming Philosophy: Intersectionality & New Voices [09:09 – 10:29]

• Programming Approach:
  • Seeking stories reflecting real LGBTQ life and pushing boundaries on what’s shown on screen.
  • Films like Coming Around and The Queen of My Dreams feature intersectional identities and complex family relationships.
  • Nick: “It’s about this sort of intersectional approach to storytelling that brings in a lot of other elements of communities that want to be seen...but also share their stories and listen at the same time.” [09:19]

6. Clip: ‘The Queen of My Dreams’ [10:35 – 11:30]

• A tender, intergenerational reflection among women, highlighting personal connections and the power of queer cinema.

7. Women’s Afternoon Out: Fostering Community [11:30 – 13:04]

• David explains the goal of creating intentionally safe and celebratory queer spaces.
  • “There’s something really unique and special about experiencing a queer story in a space that was specifically and intentionally designed for queer audiences.” [11:53]
• For the screening of The Queen of My Dreams:
  • Southeast Asian snacks, chai, plus a post-film Q&A with filmmaker Fazia Mirza and producer Andrea Wilson Mirza.

8. NewFest as a Year-Round Presence [13:04 – 14:24]

• Beyond June:
  • NewFest is not just the Pride festival but includes the major October film fest, spring retrospectives, artist development initiatives, and youth programming.
  • David: “…to do that, we need 365, or in 2024, 366 days to be able to fire on all cylinders in that way.” [14:24]

9. Access & Information [14:24 – 15:27]

• Nick explains tickets and virtual access:
  • All info at newfest.org
  • In-person, outdoor, and virtual passes available nationwide.
  • Shoutout to Elliot Page’s Close to You and a range of filmmaker Q&As during the festival.

10. Personal Impact: Queer Films That Shaped the Guests [15:27 – 17:03]

• David: “Beautiful Thing. …the first time I saw a queer story on film. And it changed my life.” [15:46]
• Nick: “The Watermelon Woman as well as High Art, but then mention Stranger by the Lake, which is a psychological thriller from France…a powerful and resonant and eerie portrait.” [15:56]
  • The festival’s diversity embraces new genres (e.g., psychological thrillers) and “the human experience on a larger level, even beyond Queer Identity.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Year-Round Celebration:
  • David: “We have been conditioned to believe that Pride should start on June 1st, but we at NewFest believe we should be celebrating 365 days a year.” [02:31]
• On Fire Island’s Place in Queer Imagination:
  • Nick: “It’s such an iconic queer paradise or utopia, and the idea of utopia, you know, is that maybe it's not a reality. So the film at once lovingly captures Fire Island and the pines, but also challenges our notions of our community to push us forward and drive us further together.” [03:37]
• On Representation:
  • Nick: “We get very excited when we see stories that we may not have seen on screen before.” [09:19]
• On Curated Spaces:
  • David: “There’s something really unique and special about experiencing a queer story in a space that was specifically and intentionally designed for queer audiences.” [11:53]
• On Programming Diversity:
  • Nick: “It’s not, you know, just exclusively limited to certain documentaries. It’s all about the human experience on a larger level, even beyond Queer Identity.” [15:56]

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Important Timestamps for Segments

• Festival Introduction & Opening Film: [01:07 – 03:37]
• Clip from ‘A House Is Not a Disco’: [04:14 – 05:11]
• Community & Collaboration Discussion: [05:37 – 06:42]
• Lady Gaga Outdoor Screening Preview: [06:42 – 09:09]
• Programming Philosophy & Intersectionality: [09:09 – 10:29]
• Clip: ‘Queen of My Dreams’: [10:35 – 11:30]
• Women’s Afternoon Out & Community: [11:30 – 13:04]
• About NewFest (beyond Pride month): [13:04 – 14:24]
• How to Access Films & Virtual Passes: [14:24 – 15:27]
• Personal Film Picks from Guests: [15:27 – 17:03]

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Conclusion

This episode of All Of It delivers an engaging, insightful preview of the NewFest Pride Film Festival, highlighting its commitment to diverse, year-round LGBTQ storytelling. Whether celebrating icons like Lady Gaga, staging intimate conversations, or exploring intersectional narratives, NewFest provides not only a showcase for film but a communal experience—a space for audiences to see themselves reflected and challenge norms together. The guests’ passion and personal stories underscore the transformative impact of queer cinema, making this episode both a festival guide and an eloquent argument for why queer art matters all year long.

Transcript

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[Kusha Navadar]

This is all of it. I'm Kusha Navadar, in for Alison Stewart. We're almost at the end of May, which means June is right around the corner. And what better way to kick off the start of Pride month By watching some great movies that highlight LGBTQ stories. Newfest, the city's largest LGBTQ film festival, is back with their Pride series. It's a five day celebration of queer films and filmmakers and it's jam packed with some awesome film premieres like A House Is Not a Disco, a film about the history of Fire Island. Also, there's an advanced screening of Fantasmus, the new HBO series created by the incredible Julio Torres, who he had on the show a few months ago for his new film Problemista. There's also a short film series featuring black LGBTQ films and some outdoor film screenings of an LGBTQ classic. There is so much to take in. Newfest Pride is full five days long and it starts tonight. So to help make the most of the festival, we have NewFest director of programming Nick McCarthy. Hey, Nick.

[Nick McCarthy]

Hey, how's it going? Longtime sustaining member. Excited to be here.

[Kusha Navadar]

Oh, well, wonderful. Nice to have you. Right across the table, we've also got your partner in crime right next to you, David Hatkoff, executive director of NewFest. Hey David, welcome to the show.

[David Hatkoff]

Thanks so much. Glad to be here.

[Kusha Navadar]

So, David, let's get started with you. Opening night is tonight. Can you tell us a bit about the film you're using to kick off Newfest Pride.

[David Hatkoff]

Absolutely. Yeah. As you mentioned, June is right around the corner, but it is still May 30 for those who are looking at a calendar. And we could not wait one minute longer to start celebrating. We have been conditioned to believe that Pride should start on June 1st, but we at NewFest believe we should be celebrating 365 days a year. And Houzz is not a disco. Our opening night film is a New York City premiere. It is a look at Fire island, which, of course, is a queer mecca and a where people for decades have been going to let their shoulders down to feel like they're part of a community, part of a legacy. It could not be a more ideal way to kick off Newfest Pride. And the film is a really interesting exploration of the idea of queer utopia, which is, like most utopias, a bit of a fantasy. So it's an honest look at Fire island, but really captures the celebratory nature of that very special place.

[Kusha Navadar]

Nick, you hear David talk about the idea that this was a great film to kick off the whole event. Does that resonate with you? Why do you feel like that's a great film?

[Nick McCarthy]

I think absolutely. As David mentioned, you know, it's such an iconic queer paradise or utopia, and the idea of utopia, you know, is that maybe it's not a reality. So the film at once lovingly captures Fire island and the pines, but also challenges our notions of our community to push us forward and drive us further together. So I think audiences are really in for a treat for a really lovingly lensed, beautifully captured film. I want to give a huge shout out to the cinematographer as well. But it's also a film that I think will start a lot more conversations about how we can work together to be even stronger community.

[Kusha Navadar]

That makes sense. Let's listen to a clip of the film. Here it is.

[Film Narrator (A House is Not a Disco)]

There's something magical about the fact that there's no streets, no cars. Feels very, like, plucked out of one place and placed into, like, a desolate sort of space. However, I don't feel like I'm doing without anything. This is my house on Shore Walk. I don't own it, but it's my house because I paid for it. I usually start mid April and leave mid to late October. I'm kind of usually here until the Halloween party, which is the week before Halloween. They do this, like, really big Halloween party out here. So almost six months of my year, half of my year, half of my life, is Fire Island. Looks. Looks are pretty much whatever you want them to be. I mean, you're wearing a look. Not one I would wear, but it's.

[Kusha Navadar]

A look that was from the film. A House is not a Disco. It is being used to kick off the Newfest Pride Film Festival, which starts tonight and runs until June 3rd. We are here with Nick McCarthy, who's the director of programming, and David Hatkoff, who's the executive director of New Fest. You know, Nick, I'm listening to this clip, and it resonates with so many of the themes that you talked about. You've seen the film. What's one thing that you took from it?

[Nick McCarthy]

I think it really is going back to sort of how we can work together, how we can reconcile what is both specific but also universal in our experiences as LGBTQ people, be that gay, queer, bi, trans, intersex, and beyond. I think really, the film does a great job of providing that portrait and pushing that forward to see where our connections can be and how we can really work together. I mean, Pride is a moment where we have to acknowledge collaboration and teamwork. Right. Whether you're making a film, whether you're marching, or whether you're putting on a festival. And it's the ideal film to kick off our festival with that theme that is front and center. And of course, that audio clip just ended with a talk of looks. And for folks who are coming tonight, they're going to see a lot of looks on the red carpet, for sure. I can guarantee that. And we are on Rush. Currently, we are sold out in the Big Boy at SVA Theater, but there are some tickets available for the film screening tomorrow, which we can talk a bit more about. But yeah, wonderful. Going to be a look filled extravaganza.

[Kusha Navadar]

Let's go on to the next film. And here's a hint for another movie that you're showcasing. Let's roll the clip. So for you little monsters, you may already, if not, that's the one and only Lady Gaga. I hear you're showcasing her live concert film. It's a film that our producer, Aki is really excited about. David, can you tell us a little bit more about what the film is about and how Lady Gaga has made such a big impact on the community?

[David Hatkoff]

Absolutely. Yes. Please get your paws ready for Monday night in the Meatpacking District, the Gansevoort Plaza. Last year, we had a partnership with Rooftop Films and the Meatpacking District at Newfest to show the Stroll, which was a documentary that actually took place in the Meatpacking District. And so this year we were trying. We put our heads together to figure out what would be the ideal film to celebrate on the streets of New York. And Lady Gaga's Chromatica Ball was and continues to be an event for queer folks. Speaking of looks, people definitely show up with looks wherever Lady Gaga is involved. And so this is going to be a really exciting opportunity for Gaga fans and New Yorkers to come together outdoors. It's looking like good weather at the moment, and it's gonna be loud and it's gonna be passionate and it's gonna be a real moment.

[Kusha Navadar]

Yeah, Nick, it's outdoor concert. What are you excited about with that?

[Nick McCarthy]

I'm excited about all the meat dresses that'll be in the Meatpacking District for this Gaga premiere.

[Kusha Navadar]

That's, like, super on the nose. That's pretty funny. Let's also talk about when and where that screening is. Nick, can you just remind folks.

[Nick McCarthy]

Sure. It's at the Gansevoort Plaza in the Meatpacking District. It'll be on. It's of course, an outdoor screening, so once it gets dark, the film will kick off. But we have a great DJ set and some opening remarks, and it's really great. Especially just, you know, remembering the stroll last year and how impactful it was for folks who maybe weren't even aware that a screening was going on, and they just passed by and they were just so compelled by the image. And it means so much more for queer people to be taking and reclaiming that space, too, for that moment to celebrate together. And we saw only all other allied or other queer folks sort of like engaging with that together in a. A very open space. And it just. It felt so New York, too. And I think that was what was so moving about it.

[Kusha Navadar]

And, you know, it makes me think of how, you know, obviously diverse and vast the queer community is. As a programmer, how do you think about what you're going to put on in terms of content?

[Nick McCarthy]

Well, it's something that we hope that creators have responsibility to sort of consider as well. You know, as programmers and curators, we're always looking at sort of what stories really reflect reality. We want to see what's reflected by society, but also what can push it forward. So we get very excited when we see stories that we may not have seen on screen before. We have a documentary that's part of our virtual exclusives called Coming around, which is about a bisexual young Muslim who is reconciling her identity with her mother, who is vacillating between acceptance and not. And we also have a film called the Queen of My Dreams. Which is about a young queer woman in Canada who is reflecting on the bonds that her and her mother have that. That weren't always clear. But as they grow older and they reflect on the mother's story that she shares to her, they see that there's a solidarity within a more feminist lens of breaking down these social mores. And I think that's what it is, too. It's about this sort of intersectional approach to storytelling that brings in a lot of other elements of communities that want to be seen and want to be heard, but also share their stories and listen at the same time.

[Kusha Navadar]

We have a clip from the Queen of My Dreams ready? So that's a perfect segue. Let's listen to a clip.

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[Kusha Navadar]

Yes.

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Okay. Disclaimer. The plot's a little insane. It's three hours long, and the old age makeup is not great, but it's the best. First washed it with my mom when I was 12.

[Nick McCarthy]

I wish I knew you when we were 12.

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[Nick McCarthy]

Yes.

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Maybe my mom used this movie to explain love to me or sex. Something that explains it. Okay. This is my favorite song. It's for me. Cute.

[Kusha Navadar]

That was a clip from the film Queen of My Dreams. We're talking with Nick McCarthy, the director of programming, and David Hatkoff, the executive director of Newfest. We're talking about the Newfest Pride Film Festival, which starts tonight, runs until June 3rd. David, you know, we just listened to a clip from the Queen of My Dreams. I understand this film was part of Newfest's Women's Afternoon out screening. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

[David Hatkoff]

Yeah. You know, at Newfest, our mission is to provide a platform for queer stories and storytellers, but also to provide a for the community to come together in celebration of those stories. And there's something really unique and special about experiencing a queer story in a space that was specifically and intentionally designed for queer audiences. There's a lot more queer content than there used to be, which is great. And it's available in a lot of different places. But Newfest is a place where every time you walk in the doors, this space was designed with a queer audience in mind. And so Women's Afternoon out is an offshoot of Women's Night out, which we've been doing for a couple of years. We love this film, Queen of My Dreams, made by Fazia Mirza, a very, very talented filmmaker making her debut feature here and we wanted to create a moment for the audience to be able to be in community together in advance of the film. So there will be chai, there'll be Southeast Asian snacks. An opportunity for people to just be together and celebrate before the film even starts. And then there will be a conversation following the film with Fazia and producer Andrea Wilson Mirza. So it's gonna be a really special.

[Kusha Navadar]

And let's talk about New Fest for a second, because this is New Fest Pride, not to be mistaken with the New York LGBTQ Film Festival, which you. You do also organize, but that's in October. What's the goal of having two different festivals?

[David Hatkoff]

We are a year round organization. For many years, the festival in October was what we were best known for and the lion's share of our activity. But we found that the queer community needs to be engaged, wants to be engaged. It's urgent for them to be engaged all year round. So we actually have three flagship programs. The festival in October, which you mentioned, which is 13 days long, it's 150 films and almost as many parties. And then we have New Fest Pride, of course, which is starting tonight. We also have a series that we do in the spring at bam, which is a retrospective series called Queering the Canon. We do programs with high school students. We have artist development initiatives. We're taking a holistic look at everything from when a film is conceived and what artists need to be able to make those films to where they're shown and how they're shown and the experience that the audience has around that. So It's a really holistic 360 look. And to do that, we need 365, or in 2024, 366 days to be able to fire on all cylinders in that way.

[Kusha Navadar]

Yeah. Beyond the month of June, like you were talking about before. Yeah. So, Nick, let's talk about this festival that's going on right now. How can people get tickets to screenings?

[Nick McCarthy]

They can go to newfest.org and learn all about our brilliant lineup of films. And just to tag onto the queen of my dreams, Fazia Mirza, who's making her feature debut, had a short at Newfest just a couple years ago. So seeing this sort of facilitation of filmmakers really rising and being able to have larger platforms for their voices is just so moving. But once again, newfest.org is where you can learn all about the full lineup, which also includes a New York premiere of a film called Close to youo that was produced, co written and starring Elliot Page. We're really excited to be having Q and A's for nearly every film, too. So, once again, newfest.org, you can get your in person tickets, you can get your outdoor person tickets, or you can get your virtual passes, which are accessible nationwide. So if you know you have, say, a young niece or nephew or nibbling that lives in Idaho or Arkansas and doesn't have access to queer stories, you can let them know that they have a place at NewFest. Wonderfully wonderful.

[Kusha Navadar]

And before I let you go, I'm looking at the clock. We've got about a minute left. We're talking about movies and how important they are to our lives. I gotta know for you two, is there a queer movie that has shaped you, that has been impactful for you? Just say the title 10 seconds or less. David, let's start with you. What's the title of it?

[David Hatkoff]

Beautiful Thing. It's a movie that came out in the mid-90s. I saw it very shortly after I came out, and it was the first time I saw a queer story on film. And it changed my life.

[Kusha Navadar]

Beautiful things. And Nick, how about you?

[Nick McCarthy]

Well, of course, my curator. So I'm going to sneak in the Watermelon Woman as well as High Art, but then mention Stranger by the Lake, which is a psychological thriller from France from 2013 that just really captures the feeling of angst as well as sort of exploration. Takes place in a cruising beach in France, but it's a really powerful metaphor for the AIDS crisis as well, without having to comment on that. And I think it really just shows a powerful and resonant and eerie portrait. I, you know, be remiss not to mention that we have one world premiere at the festival this year in the Film Haze, which comes from Matt Pfeiffer, who had a film at our festival three years ago. And it's very much in that same vein of being very eerie and evocative and a new kind of storytelling for Queer Identity on screen, too. It's not, you know, just exclusively limited to certain documentaries. It's all about the human experience on a larger level, even beyond Queer Identity. So it's interesting to have textures like psychological thrillers as part of something like Newfest Pride. And the audience keeps showing up, so we're gonna share it.

[Kusha Navadar]

If you're listening and you wanna show up. We've been talking about the Newfest Pride Film Festival starts tonight and runs until June 3rd. It's five days full of screenings, filmmaker Q&As and parties. We've been lucky to talk to Nick McCarthy, director of programming, and David Hatkoff, the Executive Director of Newfest. Thank you both so much for coming by.

[David Hatkoff]

Thank you so much for having us.

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