15 anniversary of the beloved Lower East Side Film Festival (Lesff) has a star -studded range. Indiewire may announce that Lesff 2025 will open with the New York premiere by Pete Ohs’ “The real beauty of being bitten by a tick“May the festival ends May 5 with Lola Rocknrollas True Crime Documentary”The Big Johnson“About Drag Queen Dean Johnson.
“Our opening and closing night films are proof that indie-flouring is packing a blow,” said Roxy Hunt, Lesff co-director and CEO of BFD Productions. “Pete Ohs and Lola Rocknrolla are true Badass movie creators, tells stories that are wavy, original and unpologetic. At a time when Hollywood plays it safely and views of bold, visionary voices, independent film is where authentic stories have the freedom to break through. Lesff has always been a breath and this year.” ”
“The true beauty of being bitten by a tick” had its World premiere at SXSW. The movie Stars Zoë Chao, Jeremy O. Harris, Callie Hernandez and James Cusati-Moyer A as a wagon group whose weekend’s retreat goes worrying errors after an ominous tickbett seems to reveal reality.
On the other hand, “The Big Johnson” tells the story of the late NYC legend Dean Johnson, who was a drag queen, rock star, activist and riddles, Per Logline. “A tall figure in the underground scene, Johnson’s shocking, unresolved death remains a mystery. Was it murder? Was it an accident? One thing is certain: Dean changed New York forever,” As the description reads.
“‘The Big Johnson’ is proud to have our New York premiere at the Les Film Festival,” said director Lola Rocknrolla. “Dean Johnson lived most of his adult life on Lower East Side and I lived on Ludlow Street during the better part of a decade. Roxy Hunt and Tony Castle are the best festival curators I have ever worked with and they really care about keeping film and culture. This is our neighborhood, this is our festival and we can not.
Lesff will take place on May 1 to 5 May and will have views in Village East by Angelika and DCTVs Firehouse Cinema. Buy tickets to Lower East Side Film Festival here.
This festival also marks the launch of its first ever Stay indie projectsA direct pipeline for independent filmmakers to get their projects. The initiative was launched in collaboration with BFD Productions and connects independent filmmakers with development, financing and production support for Greenlit Indie films. The first stay the Indie project, which is part of the festival is “Not a Drop of Blood”, which had its world premiere at Filmfort (Treefort Music Fest, Idaho) before viewing at the Florida Film Festival. It will have its premiere in New York at Lesff out of the competition.
“Not a drop of blood” is produced by Lesff co -directors Hunt and Tony Castle, as well as Lesff Board member Sarah Wharton. The functional documentary film is directed by Jackson Devereux and Lachlan Hinton, and follows the decades long mystery of unexplained cattle styles in the countryside Oregon. Doc was based on Anna King’s NPR reporting; King produces the film that was funded and produced in collaboration with BFD Productions, NorthPoint Post and Copperline Creative.
“With the Stay Indie project, we help to tear down the largest roadblock’s indie-maker face-to-get their films made,” said Tony Castle, Lesff co-director and COO for BFD Productions. “It is not enough to just celebrate independent film. We have to actively build a pipeline for bold, risk-taking narrator to get their work out into the world. By connecting the festival with our production company, we give filmmakers real resources, real financing and real momentum. But they do not stay.
Further Stay Indie project features in the works include narrative film “Our bodies and other shams”, written by Malka Wallick and directed by Jenny Lester; and documentaries “The Ark”, “Hoop Low this” and “Available Faur.”
“Our bodies and other shame” stars Alysia Reiner, Micaela Diamond, Gideon Adlon and Malka Wallick as best friends who are forced to confront their past when diagnosed with breast cancer.
“The Ark”, which is directed by Jeremy Chilnick and Viacheslav Rakovskyi, centers on a young Ukrainian family who in the middle of the war turns his farm into a refuge for 1,000 displaced animals.
“Hoop Like This” is directed by Shubhangi Shekhar and follows the best Indian basketball players from all over the world as they come together to compete in the world’s highest stake -in -house tournament at ESPN to prove to the world that brown men can jump.
“Credible fear”, directed by Gabrielle Ewing, is about a chance to pair between Yojana, a Guatemalan asylum seeker and Amy, a DC-accorated, during a seven-year struggle for justice in US broken immigration system.
The full Lesff program will be announced soon.
