NewFilmmakers LA

🎬✨This April, we celebrate the Italian, Asian and immigrant filmmakers that shape our world! Our festival this month will feature four wonderful programs presented in partnership with the Apulia Film Commission, InFocus: Puglia! We will also showcase two Asian Cinema programs, including Southeast Asian Cinema, curated in collaboration with The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) and our InFocus: Immigration program. The opening reception for this festival is officially sponsored by Trojan Entertainment Network (TEN). The program is also supported by Mònde – Festa del Cinema sui Cammini. 🌟Join us for a day dedicated to the diverse Asian and immigrant filmmakers that not only shape our future but also shaped our past, as well as the beauty and wonder of Puglia. 🗓️Mark your calendars - April 11th, 2026 12:00 PM PDT - 9:45 PM PDT Program #1 – InFocus: Puglia 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM – Pre-Reception 12:45 PM – 2:15 PM – Program 2:15 PM – 2:30 PM – Audience Q&A Program #2 – NFMLA x CAPE InFocus: Southeast Asian Cinema 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM – Pre-Reception 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM – Program 4:30 PM – 4:45 PM – Audience Q&A Program #3 – InFocus: Asian Cinema 4:45 PM – 5:15 PM – Pre-Reception 5:15 PM – 7:15 PM – Program 7:15 PM – 7:30 PM – Audience Q&A Program #4 – InFocus: Immigration 7:30 PM – 8:00 PM – Pre-Reception 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM – Program 9:30 PM – 9:45 PM – Audience Q&A 🎟️For tickets and more information please visit us at nfmla.org/events #AsianAmericanFilm #ImmigrantStories #PugliaFilm #FilmFestival #IndieFilm #nfmla

👏Thank you to the amazing filmmakers and creatives who shared their work with us at the NFMLA March Film Festival | InFocus: Female Cinema! We are honored to have such a wonderful group showcased this month. Not only do these wonderful women creators shape our filmmaking experience today, but they are now inspiring andempowering the women creators of the future. 🎬We look forward to seeing you again next month at our April Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Asian & Immigrant Cinema with a special focus program featuring films from the Italian region of Puglia! 🔗Learn more about our festivals and programs at nfmla.org/events. #WomenInFilm #FilmFestival #FemaleCinema #NFMLA

What an amazing Oscar's weekend with a Best Live Action Short Film tie nonetheless! An absolutely huge congratulations to NFMLA's fellow alumni, Sam Davis, David and Jack Piatt for their official Oscars 2026 Live Action Short Film win for THE SINGERS! We also want to shout out out the filmmakers behind TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA. 😁 THE SINGERS screened at our January 2026 Film Festival! 🤩 We're so proud of our alumni filmmakers! 🙌

🇧🇷 Sometimes connection doesn’t need words. On the Tip of the Tongue (Na Ponta da Língua) joins the lineup for the NFMLA March Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Female Cinema. 🎬✨ Synopsis: Luana is excited to attend her best friend’s party, but her plans are upended when she’s forced to spend the day with her grandmother, who’s just arrived from Brazil. To make matters worse, they don’t speak the same language—Luana doesn’t speak Portuguese, and her grandmother doesn’t speak English. Frustration turns into connection as they begin to bond through cooking, and Luana slowly starts to embrace her Brazilian roots. On the Tip of the Tongue (Na Ponta da Língua) 🎥 Director: Anna Gabriela de Mendonça ✍️Writer: Julia Pinto Ribeiro Sereno 🎥 Producers: Anna Gabriela de Mendonça and Andrew Hilmes 🎟️ Learn more: newfilmmakersla.com/events/

🥩 Perfection can be… deceiving. In the Flesh joins the lineup for the NFMLA March Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Female Cinema, serving up a darkly satirical look at desire, domesticity, and the secrets simmering beneath the surface. 🎬✨ Synopsis: The perfect housewife has a secret: She's obsessed with expensive meat, and the local butcher who knows how to handle it. When her dream of a chance encounter with the butcher comes true, the cracks in her home life are exposed. In The Flesh ✍️🎥 Writer & Director: Emily Frances Kaplan 🎥 Producers: Breanne Thomas and Tory Lenosky 🎭Starring: The Butcher: Luca Tullio Suzanne: Miriam Silverman Girlfriend: Frances Li Ruth: Serena Parrish Tom: Eric Miller 🎬 Key Crew: 📸 DP: Nona Catusanu 🎶 Composer: Dabney Morris ✂️ Editor: Chris Rand 🎨 Production Design: CUPALOY Studio 🎟️ Learn more: newfilmmakersla.com/events/

🚨 More exciting news to announce 🚨! We want to thank our entire community and @usatoday / @10best for voting NFMLA as the #4 Best Film Festivals in the US for 2026. We are so grateful for and appreciate our filmmakers, attendees, sponsors, and partners! 🤗 Congratulations to our fellow festivals that made the list: @miamifilm, @slofilmfest, @outonfilm, @salute_shorts, @nevermorefilmfestival, @atlantafilmfestival, @filmpgh, @chifilmfest, @heartlandfilm. A special thanks to the USA Today experts who nominated us, including @bgwithrow, @woolyknickers, @serrini, @marlacimini, and more 🔗 See the full list of festivals and experts here 10best.usatoday.com/awards/best-fi…

📦 What if the most important delivery of your life… couldn’t arrive on time? Out for Delivery joins the lineup for the NFMLA March Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Female Cinema, blending dark humor and humanity in a story about dignity, connection, and life’s unpredictable final moments. 🎬✨ Synopsis: After a long battle with cancer, Joanna's doctor finally gives her the sorry news, citing that the final weeks of her life will be incredibly painful. Luckily, she lives in a state that offers access to Death With Dignity end of life medication, and thanks to modern technology they're able to conveniently ship the medication directly to her. Unfortunately, the systems in place don’t necessarily make anything easier, and Joanna is faced with a series of mishaps that make the last few hours of her life some of the most stressful, at least... until she encounters Mark. Out for Delivery ✍️🎥 Writer & Director: Chelsea Christer 🎥 Producers: Clinton Trucks, Alexa Rocero, and David B. Lyons 🎭 Starring: Deanna Rooney, Martin Starr, and DeMorge Brown Also featuring: Cory Shanbom, Dana Swanson, John Ross Bowie, Ele Woods, and Brian David Gilbert 🎟️ Learn more: newfilmmakersla.com/events/

We are thrilled to announce that the award winning Taiwanese-American short film God & Buddha Are Friends, created by one of our alumni Anthony Ma (@AnthonyMaSays), has partnered with Asian American news company NextShark (@nextshark), and has been picked up for streaming on Omeleto (@omeletocom)! 🎉 "Inspired by a real childhood memory, the dramedy follows a young boy whose Buddhist jade necklace becomes the center of a heated clash when a fiery pastor declares it a “devil’s totem,” prompting a fierce response from his protective mother." When we screened this film last year at our April 2025 festival, we knew it was something special. We're so proud to see it reach new heights! Congratulations to Anthony and the entire crew! 🥳👏 🎞️Stream God & Buddha Are Friends on Omeleto, March 12th, 2026! #TaiwaneseAmerican #ShortFilm #GodAndBuddhaAreFriends #Omeleto #FilmFestival #Dramedy #IndependentFilm #NFMLA

🌍🇺🇸 Big News for Global Storytelling! 🇮🇹✨ We’re thrilled that @Variety joined us in announcing the expansion of @nfmla’s partnership with @apuliafilmcommission that builds creative bridge between LA and Puglia through 2028! 🎉 To find all related programming, check out our events page at newfilmmakersla.com/events/

🕯️ Sometimes intimacy asks us to unlearn everything we were taught. A Woman’s Body joins the lineup for the NFMLA March Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Female Cinema, offering a tender, deeply human exploration of love, faith, and vulnerability. 🎬✨ Synopsis: Bathed in candlelight and quiet ache, newlyweds Jolene and Clyde face a tender unraveling on their wedding night. Jolene’s struggle with vaginismus, a condition that makes sex painful, comes to light, hindering the pair from consummating their union. In that moment, the young couple is forced to confront their fears and insecurities, which are deeply rooted in the purity culture and religious teachings that have profoundly shaped them. Set over the course of a single evening, A WOMAN’S BODY unfolds as a lyrical portrait of intimacy, love, and faith.​ This is Tiffany Tenille’s second film and a proof of concept for the feature length project of the same name. A Woman’s Body ✍️🎥 Writer & Director: Tiffany Tenille 🎥 Producers: Betsey Grupp, Tiffany Tenille, Dr. Trevor GrandPre 🎟️ Learn more: newfilmmakersla.com/events/

✈️🎬 Casting Opportunity Alert! @NBC’s newest reality competition series Destination X is now casting! This high-stakes adventure will send contestants on a global journey filled with clues, strategy, and mystery as they race to figure out their secret destination — all for a major cash prize. 🌍💰 ✈️ Travel the world 🧠 Test your strategy skills 🎥 Be part of an epic competition series Applicants must be 18+ and able to travel internationally. 👉For more info: dx.castingcrane.com

🧊 What would you sacrifice to stay in your child’s life? Eternal Mother joins the lineup for the NFMLA March Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Female Cinema, offering a moving and imaginative exploration of motherhood, time, and devotion. 🎬✨ Synopsis: The story follows the journey of Louise, a terminally ill mother, who chooses to enter a cryo chamber in an attempt to stay in her daughter Kathy’s life. Every few years, Louise awakens from cryogenic sleep, but the timing is unpredictable, causing her to step back into Kathy's life at different and often challenging stages of her daughter's development. As Louise reunites with Kathy at critical moments—Kathy's childhood, teenage years, young adulthood, and beyond—their relationship evolves each time, marked by the conflicts, sacrifice and love. Each unpredictable reunion presents Louise with the challenge of reconnecting with a daughter who has grown in her absence while confronting her own identity shift. This unique journey delves into the complexities of the mother-daughter bond, exploring the inner workings of what it means to be, or strive to be, a mother. Eternal Mother ✍️🎥 Writer & Director: Emily Qiu 🎥 Producers: Shunshun Li 🎟️ Learn more: newfilmmakersla.com/events/

💍 Some friendships are built on trust… others are built on secrets. Ride or Die joins the lineup for the NFMLA March Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Female Cinema — a darkly comedic look at loyalty, power, and just how far someone might go for their best friend. 🎬✨ Synopsis: After Zoey makes a disturbing discovery involving her best friend Gaby, the two women must come together to control the situation while avoiding detection at their friend's engagement party. This dark comedy explores themes of power, control, and the complexity of female friendships, while asking the audience: how far would you go to protect a friend? Ride or Die ✍️🎥 Writer & Director: @lilianatandon 🎥 Producers: @lilianatandon , @jwrabar , Maria Fernanda Diez Executive Producer John Noble Barrack 🎟️ Learn more: newfilmmakersla.com/events/

📢 NEW VIRTUAL PANEL COMING SOON📢 We're proud to be partnering with Women Independent Producers (@wiproducers) to bring you a special virtual panel where you'll gain special insider knowledge on the dynamics between directors and producers. How they work together to build a vision from the ground up, how they navigate disagreement, and how they work together to create beautiful films. Featuring - Efuru Flowers (Founder of Flourishing Films LLC) - Amanda Naseem (@quierolanoche) - Laura Luckenbaugh (Producer & Development Executive for ASIF) - Rachel Stander (Independent Producer of A Season of Rain) & Aline Andrade (Producer/Director @ Fine Frenzy Films) 🗓️3/10/2026 @ 5 PM (PST) 🎟️ For tickets to this virtual conversation, visit our website at newfilmmakersla.com/events/ #VirtualPanel #FilmProducers #WomenInFilm #FilmMaking #FilmIndustry #NewFilmmakersLA #IndependentProducers

📢NEW VIRTUAL CONVERSATION 📢 Join us for a conversation with Jenny Halper, EVP and Head of Creative at Maven Screen Media, where we’ll look closely at how development decisions are actually made: what moves a project from a strong read to something worth investing in, how executives weigh creative ambition against practical realities, and what signals that a filmmaker is ready for a productive partnership. Designed for directors, writers, and producers actively working to get projects made, this session offers a grounded, behind-the-scenes look at how projects gain traction inside a production company. 🗓️3/11/2026 @ 5PM (PST) For tickets and more info, please visit ow.ly/MS9h50YoLFV

🍽️ Sometimes the hardest conversations happen after the table is cleared. “shelf life” joins the lineup for the NFMLA March Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Female Cinema, offering a sharp, intimate look at friendship, identity, and the moments that test the bonds we think are unbreakable. 🎬✨ Synopsis: "shelf life" examines intersectionality and its effect on friendships. Best friends and roommates, Cami and Maxine, are serving in a restaurant in New York City when three customers attempt to get their attention. Despite Cami feeling apprehensive, Maxine eagerly serves them without her. When Cami is unexpectedly approached by Chris, her initial hesitation fades. An insensitive question and subsequent reactions from the group ensue, ultimately causing Cami and Maxine to discuss whether their friendship can last despite their different identities. 💬 Sometimes understanding each other means having the conversations we’d rather avoid. “shelf life” 🎥 Director: Jordan Exum ✍️Co-Writers: Brooke Hayman and Sam Kamerman 🎥 Producers: Brooke Hayman and Jordan Exum 🎭Starring: Sam Kamerman, Brooke Hayman, Mitchell Pope, Xavier Smalls, and Tim Luckett 🎟️ Learn more: newfilmmakersla.com/events/

714 screens at @nfmla on April 11. Honored to be part of the NFMLA x @CAPEUSA program highlighting Southeast Asian filmmakers. A personal sci-fi family drama about grief, memory, and love that endures. 🎟 Tickets: nfmlaapril26.eventive.org/films/6997af86…

Join @NFMLA on March 14 for their monthly film festival! ✨🎥 This month’s InFocus features Female Cinema and celebrates up-and-coming female talent in front of and behind the camera! Use code SAGMARCH26 for an exclusive 25% discount on all ticket sales! newfilmmakersla.com/events/event/m…

👏 Thank you to the incredible filmmakers and creatives who shared their work with us at the NFMLA February Film Festival | InFocus: Black Cinema! We are honored to have showcased such a wide array of bold and empowering films from a diverse range of creators from the furthest corners of our beloved city and beyond. 🎬 We look forward to seeing you next at our March Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Female Cinema! Learn more about our festivals and programs at newfilmmakersla.com/events/

🤖 What if intimacy could be programmed — but vulnerability couldn’t? Everything There Is to Know About Me is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s March Film Festival | InFocus: Female Cinema 🎬✨ Synopsis: Miriam is participating in a scientific trial aiming to teach a humanoid robot named Austin how to best sexually pleasure women. All of Miriam’s memories are implanted into Austin to enhance their connection. For the trial to succeed, Miriam has to lay bare her deepest desires by confronting memories of her past and her mother, the rabbi. As technology attempts to decode intimacy, Miriam must decide how much of herself she is truly willing to reveal. EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT ME ✍️🎥 Writer & Director: Yael Grunseit 🎥 Producers: Jason Gotlieb, Sam Jang-Milsten, and Maya Shoham 🎟️ Learn more: newfilmmakersla.com/events/