A 1959 fever dream and queer joy are at the center of a few of the films highlighting NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA)’s June Monthly Film Festival and its annual InFocus: LGBTQ+ Cinema Program.
The day consisted of two InFocus: LGBTQ+ shorts programs showcasing work from emerging LGBTQ+ creators as well as writer-director and Student Emmy award winner Benjamin Howard’s queer coming of age feature film, Riley.
The day began with InFocus: LGBTQ+ Cinema Shorts I, a collection of work that explored gender identity, non-monogamy, queer high school drama, history, passion, the struggle and joy of being an artist, and complex family dynamics. This block included two world premieres: Molly Kirschenbaum‘s “Harpies” and a new episode of Frank Arthur Smith’s series Open to It.
The afternoon continued with InFocus: LGBTQ+ Cinema Shorts II, a selection that highlighted queer joy, self-expression, vulnerability between strangers, and yet more complex family dynamics in the face of one’s own journey to authenticity. The block also included two world premieres: Leigh Reddick and Jordyn Katz’s “The Crane Maiden – Friday Night Dinner” and Derek Mari’s “Skunk.”
The evening concludes with the Los Angeles premiere of Riley. The film is a grounded, modern and deeply personal coming out story of a high school athlete.
“I wrote this film as a way to express what thousands of queer youth are going through right now,” says Howard. “Riley is a movie that aims to shine a light on the coming-out experience through a contemporary lens, and to tell these young, queer athletes that they aren’t alone in their journeys – and that everything is going to be okay.”
NFMLA showcases films by filmmakers of all backgrounds throughout the year in addition to its special InFocus programming, which celebrates diversity, inclusion, and region. All filmmakers are welcome and encouraged to submit their projects which will be considered for all upcoming NFMLA festivals, regardless of the InFocus programming.
Also Read: A Beloved Sex-Ed Teacher and a Secret Boyfriend Highlight NFMLA’s InFocus: Counter-Ageism Program
NFMLA InFocus: LGBTQ+ Cinema
Here is some information on the filmmakers and their films, as well as their video interviews with NFMLA Board Chair Danny De Lillo.
“Terroir” directed by Miles Parker
About Miles: Born and raised in Brooklyn, Miles began his artistic career in Bard’s early college theater department. Enrolling in Claremont Colleges, he continued studying theater. After working as a concert videographer he became enamored with the medium, joining the media studies program the following semester.
He has written and directed six pieces ranging from experimental animations to independent shorts. For Miles, video arts offer boundless opportunities for social and emotional exploration in an ever-increasingly accessible medium. He is a Pitzer and Pomona college graduate with a degree in theater and media studies with a concentration in film production.
About “Terroir”: On their first date two young women stay past closing at a bar. Sipping glasses of wine, they engage in flirtatious banter touching on post-mortem practices, global destruction, and meeting family. Amidst their courting, they form a burial pact.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Miles Parker director of “Terroir”:
“Open to It (Episode 8: Open to Body Language)” directed by Frank Arthur Smith
About Frank: Frank Arthur Smith is queer writer/director/actor/producer originally from Boston, Massachusetts. He recently wrote the musical children’s comedy OCEAN EXPLORERS for YouTube / Moonbug Entertainment (COCOMELON). Previously, he wrote on Disney Channel’s RAVEN’S HOME. He also starred in Episode 5 of Emmy Award-nominated series TIDYING UP WITH MARIE KONDO on Netflix.
About “Open to It (Episode 8: Open to Body Language)”: A loving gay couple experiments with becoming a hot gay throuple. But threesomes and open relationships come with more complications than extra limbs.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Frank Arthur Smith the director of “Open to It”:
“Night Hawkes” directed by Atlas Ferrera
About Atlas: Queer, indigenous, emerging filmmaker Atlas Ferrera makes a bold directorial debut with multi award winning film “Night Hawkes”. To write the script for “Night Hawkes’”, Ferrera looked to the past, finding parallels between 1959 oppression and the contemporary struggles that face today’s LGBTQIA+ community. Deeply influenced by German expressionism Ferrera used the cinematic power of film noir to bring the hysteria of “coming out of the closet” as a gay man to audiences of all walks of life.
A natural genre director Ferrera prioritized process filmmaking by insisting “Night Hawkes” be shot on film, utilizing all vintage film stocks and lenses from Panavision Ferrera worked closely with his D.P. sourcing both black and white film stock from the 1940s as well as color film stocks from the lush color noirs of the 1950s. From dialect coaching with his actors to stringent standards for period costume and production design Ferrera brings painstaking detail to each frame of “Night Hawkes”.
About “Night Hawkes”: A closeted gay “mad man” enters an underground Brooklyn queer bar in this 1959 fever dream.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Atlas Ferrera the director of “Night Hawkes”:
“Sunflower Nicky” directed by Clifton J. Adams
About Clifton: Clifton J. Adams, or Cliffies, is a Los Angeles based creative artist with a primary focus in acting, writing, directing, and producing. Originally from Houston, Texas, Cliffies began his artistic journey with acting going on to receive a B.F.A and M.F.A in the craft, and has performed in regional theaters across the Southeast including Stages Repertory Theatre in Houston and Kravis Center in Boca Raton. Cliffies began writing in 2017, working on an original series, and a few shorts and features.
He has also produced and starred in a few short films as well. As an artist, Cliffies’ main focus is to create and produce storylines from an authentic lens, especially storylines centered around LGBTQ people of color. Inspired by the works of Richard Nugent, James Baldwin, and Marlon Riggs, Cliffies plans to use his personal experiences within his art to help project the truth and humanity of queer African-Americans.
About “Sunflower Nicky”: Eight year old Nicolas dreams of owning a Nikki doll, but when his dream becomes a reality it sends a shift through his home as his parents grapple with their beliefs of how their young son should express himself.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Clifton J. Adams, the director of “Sunflower Nicky”:
“Elsewhere Love” directed by Stephanie Zenee Perez
About Stephanie: Stephanie Zenee Perez is Los Angeles based editor-turned-writer-director. As a queer first-generation Mexican-American, she passionately crafts narratives that explore the complexities of the human experience, celebrate diverse cultures, and spotlight underrepresented communities. With extensive editing experience, she’s contributed to large scale TV series and films, as well as indie features like “THE FEELS” and the documentary “BORN FREE.”
Her directorial debut, “ELSEWHERE LOVE,” premiered at the GuadaLAjara Film Festival and continues to captivate audiences on the festival circuit. Holding an MFA from AFI and a BFA from UNLV, Stephanie is dedicated to authentic storytelling and amplifying unheard voices in the cinematic landscape.
About “Elsewhere Love”: A queer abstract poetic piece that focuses on rebirth from heartbreak.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Stephanie Zenee Perez the director of “Elsewhere Love”:
“Maja” directed by Cindy “Mimi” Phan
About Cindy: Cindy “Mimi” Phan is a Los Angeles based director. After graduating from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television, she spent the next 10 years in the film industry as a member of IATSE Local 600’s International Cinematographer’s Guild working on various productions including Apple TV+’s Platonic and HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Laker’s Dynasty among many others.
When she is not working, she creates art that challenges our perspectives on history. In telling the story of “Maja”, Mimi was drawn to how Maja’s story as an artist challenged what art institutions consider “fine” art, opening the dialogue of how inclusive art should be.
About “Maja”: Artist Milton “Maja” Jurado reflects on his journey as an undocumented, queer immigrant in the 70’s at the height of the Los Angeles Chicano Arts Movement, and challenges the way people view and appreciate Latinx art today.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Cindy “Mimi” Phan, the director of “Maja”:
Riley directed by Benjamin Howard
About Benjamin: Benjamin is an Emmy-winning filmmaker and alum of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television. In 2019, his short film “Deviant” won a Student Emmy Award for its shocking exploration of ex-gay conversion therapy. Since its release in 2021, the short has amassed over a quarter-million views online. Benjamin’s UCLA short film “Rendezvous” was selected for the esteemed Director’s Spotlight in 2020, the yearly collection of the 10 best films to come out of UCLA’s prestigious film program. Benjamin expanded “Rendezvous” into Riley, which premiered at festivals in 2023, and marked his directorial feature debut.
About Riley: The life of a disciplined high school athlete begins to unravel when his queer identity competes against the idea of who he was supposed to be.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Jake Holley, the lead actor in Riley:
“The Crane Maiden – Friday Night Dinner” directed by Leigh Reddick and Jordyn Katz
About Leigh: Rachel Leigh’s love of movies began when she watched Jaws at six years old, but it wasn’t until 2009 that she started making films. She wrote and produced multiple shorts, two features and a web series before making the leap to directing in 2016, with her first film “Imperceptible”. She has since directed ten shorts and a podcast. Her latest film, “The Bonsai”, about an agoraphobic hoarder taking care of her abusive mother will soon hit the festival circuit. She has three feature films in development: Nightmare Circus, Cannabelle, and Socks. Rachel recently completed her MFA in Directing at Chapman University.
About Jordyn: Jordyn Katz received her BFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama in 2021, and her MFA in TV Writing & Producing from Chapman University in 2023. As a transgender woman with a hybrid Judeo-Christian faith, she utilizes storytelling as a mechanism to unveil the nuances of intersectional identity. With a blend of wit and tenderness, she constructs narratives around multifaceted characters who explore and sometimes compartmentalize their identities.
About “The Crane Maiden – Friday Night Dinner”: Ellie has reconciled with being transgender, but now she must fight a larger battle to coexist within her religious Jewish family and harmonize the paradox of her gender and spirituality.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Jordyn Katz, one of the directors of “The Crane Maiden – Friday Night Dinner”:
“Brother” directed by Aleksei Borovikov
About Aleski: Aleksei Borovikov is an award-winning independent filmmaker, journalist, and LGBTQ activist. He began his career working on regional and national television in Russia for over 15 years. In 2016, Aleksei graduated from Moscow Film School. Before coming to the US, Aleksei volunteered for a Moscow-based NGO focused on HIV prevention and helped them raise a grant of $1 million from the Elton John AIDS Foundation. In 2022, Aleksei graduated from Columbia College Chicago with an MFA in Cinema Directing. His short films, including One More Please and Glances, have been screened and awarded in over 120 festivals worldwide.
About “Brother”: With his wedding to Carlos approaching, Tony, a young immigrant to the US, invites his conservative older sister to the ceremony. This fateful decision forces Tony to decide who his real family is.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Ali Mohammed Shaik Hussain, the producer of “Brother”:
“Come Clean” directed by Sal Bardo
About Sal: Sal Bardo is an award-winning screenwriter, director, and producer whose films have been viewed over 40 million times on YouTube and Vimeo On Demand. Sal made his directorial debut in 2010 with the short film “Requited,” which premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival and won the Audience Award for Best First Time Filmmaker at Washington D.C.’s International LGBTQ Film Festival. In 2015, Sal’s film “Pink Moon” won the Jury Prize for Best Short at the Big Apple Film Festival. The following year, his short “Great Escape” was nominated for the Iris Prize, the world’s largest LGBTQ short film award.
About “Come Clean”: A young man struggling with O.C.D. white-knuckles his way through a Grindr date and makes a mess of things.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Sal Bardo, the director of “Come Clean”:
“Last First Kiss” directed by Kacy Boccumini
About Kacy: Kacy Boccumini is an award-winning writer, director and producer from Los Angeles. He holds an MA from New York University in Cinema Studies, and a BFA in Film and Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz. Kacy is a 17-year veteran at Sony Pictures Entertainment, leading innovations in the digital supply chain. He is currently the president of OUT@Sony Pictures.
He’s also the chair of the Localization committee for the Digital Entertainment Group. He was featured on Seasons 2 and 3 of Showtime’s docuseries The Real L Word. He’s currently in development on Every Day is Sunday, a short film about a middle-aged trans Coach trying to guide his all-trans team to a victory in a high stakes recreational full contact football game.
About “Last First Kiss”: Toni, a hopeful romantic, has a template for the perfect first date, with a history of less than perfect results. When Nina, the new girl in town looking for a fun night out, comes into her orbit, Toni takes fate into her hands by orchestrating the perfect song for what could be their last first kiss.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Kacy Boccumini, the director of “Last First Kiss”:
“Harpies” directed by Molly Kirschenbaum
About Molly: Molly Kirschenbaum (they/them) is an actor, musician, and writer from beautiful Burbank, California. Most recently, they have appeared in Tim Robbins’ workshop of Topsy Turvy at the Actor’s Gang. Their musical solo show, Hot! :(, won the 2021 Encore award at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, and they released an album based on the show in 2023, which was featured in LA Weekly’s pick of new music. They are over the moon to be premiering Harpies, made in collaboration with Payson Whitwell, their best friend from High School, at New Filmmakers Los Angeles. Currently, you can find them freaking the hell out.
About “Harpies”: It’s 1819, and Nora, a farmer’s daughter with a fake mustache and a dream, enrolls herself at the boys-only Royal Academy of the Arts; however, her world is turned upside down when the school admits its first woman, heiress Marguerite Durand.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Payson Whitwell, one of the writers of “Harpies”:
“Girl Coded” directed by Grace Valerie-Lynette
About Grace: Grace Valerie-Lynette is a queer contemporary writer who specializes in musicals and uses experimental formats to portray heightened emotional worlds. Her most recent musical podcast Twinemies debuted in 2021, was an Apple official New and Noteworthy podcast, a Spotify Fictional Fave and won Excellence in Creative Audio at the CBAA awards and Best Podcast at Sydney WebFest. Her latest work is a 10-minute musical short film titled Girl Coded produced by Bus Stop Films, and features Heartbreak High star, Chloe Hayden.
Some of Grace’s other accolades include being nominated for the Rising Star Award at the Australian Podcast Awards, being a Queer Screen Pitch Off Competition Finalist, a CMTO Audio Ability Mentor, winner of the Virgin Australia Commercial Pitch Competition twice over, a fellow at Varuna House through their Young Writers Studio Program, a featured writer at the Byron Bay Writers Festival, and she was the recipient of a $20,000 scholarship to attend AFTRS. She currently works at Fremantle Australia in their podcasting and documentary departments as a development creative.
About “Girl Coded”: Desperate for power, ambitious tech nerd Robbie is keen to hack into her high school’s anonymous gossip page to garner popularity. Robbie enlists her loyal friend Ruth to help, but as tensions grow between Ruth’s moral compass and Robbie’s unconscionable actions, Ruth reveals a secret that blows their project (and friendship) wide open.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Grace Valerie-Lynette, the director of “Girl Coded”:
Main Image: A still from Harpies courtesy of NMLA