New York, NY (June 21, 2022) - The 2022 Lower East Side Film Festival (“LESFF”) invites you to experience their exciting feature film and specialty short showcase lineup in-person (at Village East Cinema, July 7th-11th) or virtually at this year’s fest (July 7th-17th).
In its 12th year, the downtown indie festival continues its expanded viewership with a hybrid (in-person plus streaming) festival focused on highly curated programming and one-of-a-kind events.
Notable events & news this year include:
Ukraine x LESFF
In association with CinemAid Ukraine Charity Film Marathon, LESFF brings together a unique showcase of World Premiere shorts from Ukrainian filmmakers both in Ukraine, and around the globe. For the past decade, LESFF has made The Village East Cinema, a theater in the heart of ‘little Ukraine,’ its home. Ukraine x LESFF is a celebration of the deep Ukrainian roots in the city, and the deep passion for cinema within Ukraine. This event is made possible with the support of filmmakers Olena Morentsova-Shulyk and Jeremy Chilnick. Complimentary beer & wine will be served, as well as snacks provided by Veselka.
You can SUPPORT FUND FOR THE RENEWAL OF UKRAINIAN CINEMA by donating here.
“The full-scale war that Russia unleashed in Ukraine forced Ukrainian filmmakers, like millions of Ukrainians, to defend their country, their lives, their homes and their jobs,” said Ukrainian Producer Olena Morentsova-Shulyk. “The idea of partnership with LESFF became a great chance to focus on Ukraine, it’s beautiful and diverse culture, free spirit and bravery through the cinema screen. It’s incredibly important for us to be heard, seen and truly discovered by the world now.” Morentsova-Shulyk, who fled Ukraine months ago due to the conflict, is working with LESFF and CinemaAid Ukraine to make this event possible.
Bronx Brewery Collaboration
In collaboration with our new neighbor, Bronx Brewery East Village, we’ll be serving our very own custom brew, BXB x LESFF’s ‘Passion Project Pale Ale’. This passion fruit infused pale ale, named in honor of our filmmakers’ labors of love, is a medium-bodied, citrus-forward beer and will be available at our screenings and events, as well as on location at Bronx Brewery’s new East Village Tap Room beginning July 7th for a limited time.
‘The Great Outdoors’ Shorts
A celebration of the world outside and the communities we build there. This shorts program will bring you to mountain peaks, continental coastlines, desert plateaus, and back again. All without leaving your seat.
Creepy Creature Double Feature
Friday, July 8th is fright night at LESFF 2022! Prepare yourself for a creepy creature double feature as we screen the North American premiere of the new horror feature film ‘CRABS!’ as well as a special 20th anniversary presentation of ‘Eight Legged Freaks’, the 2002 monster comedy action film featuring David Arquette and Scarlett Johansson.’
In Conversation (virtual) with Joel Kim Booster
A pre-recorded podcast taping of a conversation with Joel Kim Booster, focusing on his new film Fire Island, co-hosted virtually by the WGAE Asian-American and LGBTQ+ Salons.
While in-person screenings for film lovers will be held July 7th - 11th at Village East Cinema, films will also begin streaming July 7th and will continue to roll out through July 11 and will be available for viewing through July 17th,
“For 12 years we have been providing unique experiences for New Yorkers and film lovers and are extremely proud to be a platform for emerging filmmakers. We have been lucky enough to create a loyal community that celebrates independent films made with a focus on creativity over funding,” said Lower East Side Film Festival Director, Roxy Hunt. “That spirit has been a crucial part of our ethos since year one, in our tiny storefront on Norfolk Street, to year 12 with audiences of thousands in the theaters and even more in our expanded community of film lovers that stream our program across the globe.”
A few notable feature documentaries (available in-person and/or virtually) this year include:
i am Gen Z
Description: Through expert interviews and the web lens of Generation Z, this documentary explores how the digital revolution is impacting our society, our brains and mental health. It dives into how the forces driving the digital revolution are working against humanity and have put us on a dangerous trajectory that has huge ramifications for this first generation growing up with mobile digital technology. Dir. Liz Smith
Chasing Childhood
Description: Overprotected and overdirected, American children are wilting under the weight of well-meaning parents. In the pursuit of keeping them safe and impressing admissions boards, over-parenting smothers children across socioeconomic classes. "Chasing Childhood" follows education professionals and reformed helicopter parents who offer solutions for developing more confident, joyful children. Dir. Margaret Munzer Loeb, Eden Wurmfeld
Borsch: The Secret Ingredient
Description: Meat-based or vegetarian, with or without beans, potatoes in or out, tomato sauce or real tomatoes added, dried mushrooms or smoked pears, or maybe just mom’s borsch? Which variant should be considered “the real thing”? The battles have been lasting for years. That is why Yevhen Klopotenko, a well-known chef, sets out on a journey across Ukraine to uncover the most fascinating borsch recipes and to find the secret ingredients which make this dish unique! During this trip, Yevhen reaches a conclusion that recipe components are not a priority but people and their values are. Dir. Dmitro Kochniev.
2022 will mark the 12th Anniversary of the Lower East Side Film Festival. Since its inaugural year, the festival has premiered hundreds of short and feature films, hosted thousands of audience members, and has been deemed “one of the most exciting under the radar film events in all of New York City” by Film.com and was featured in New York Magazine’s ‘Approval Matrix’ under “Highbrow/ Brilliant”.
This year’s judging panel includes: Chloe Fineman (SNL cast member), Dan Perlman (Showtime’s Flatbush Misdemeanors), Miriam Shor (Younger, Hedwig and the Angry Inch), actor/director Jennifer Morrison (This is Us, dir. Euphoria), Tallie Medel (Everything Everywhere All at Once) among others. Visit here to see this year’s full jury.
Past LESFF judges and alumni have included Ethan Hawke, Rami Malek, Rosario Dawson, Susan Sarandon, Ramy Youssef, Willem Dafoe, Denis O’Hare, Laverne Cox, Parker Posey, Ilana Glazer, Dolly Parton, Natasha Lyonne, Marky Ramone, Rebecca Miller, Judah Friedlander, Lizzy Caplan, Amy Arbus, Justin Bond, Nick Kroll, Tig Notaro and many more. LESFF believes great films are made with creativity, innovation, and heart and always seeks undiscovered and underdog filmmakers who understand that a huge budget does not always equal a great film.
LESFF 2022 In Person Schedule
Thursday, July 7th - OPENING NIGHT
Ukraine x LESFF
6:30pm at Village East Cinema
In association with CinemaAid Ukraine, LESFF brings together a unique showcase of World Premiere shorts from Ukrainian filmmakers both in Ukraine, and around the globe. For the past decade, LESFF has made The Village East Cinema, a theater in the heart of ‘little Ukraine,’ its home. Ukraine x LESFF is a celebration of the deep Ukrainian roots in the city, and the deep passion for cinema within Ukraine. Complimentary beer & wine will be served, as well as snacks provided by Veselka.
Films include:
Oh!
Description: A young family with two children go to the country house to take a break from the city bustle and take out the old junk from the apartment. There is a conflict between the children. The brother has stolen the candy from his sister. But parents are so busy with their thoughts that they don't pay much attention to it. As follows they almost knock down an old woman on the road. In order to solve the conflict, the couple decides to bring her to the gas station. How will the journey turn into? What will be the price of a child theft? Directed by OLGA ZOLOTAREVA
Mia Donna
Description: Oksana and Tolik are a couple who have lived together for almost 30 years. Oksana, as the dominant woman in the family, considers Tolik completely independent. Choosing clothes at the Khmelnytsky Bazaar, she asks her husband to wear a T-shirt. He reluctantly steps into the blind and turns into a seven-year-old boy. Doctors are powerless and no one can bring him back. Oksana clings to old life, but the problem is more serious than she thought. Directed by. PAVLO OSTRІKOV
The War that Changed Rondo
Description: The film represents a story about a war that has no heart and does not understand any language, but touches everyone and leaves scars on everyone. Directed by OLGA GAVRYLOVA
If you close your eyes tightly
Description: Little Leo dreams of being given a camera for his birthday and he is looking forward to this event. But when he accidentally sees his mother with another man during the celebration, his desire changes. Directed by. ARSENIY PRYLIPKA
Thank You!
Description: A young volunteer on an old minibus is trying to bring vital things to the military in the East, where there are fighting, but there are difficulties along the way. People far from volunteering are trying to help the guy. The film shoots a real volunteer car that has driven more than 1000 km in the war zone, delivering medicines and evacuating the wounded. Directed by MAKSIM LIUKOV
I Heart NY Night Shorts
8:30pm at Village East Cinema
Whether it's a lover of vintage books in Greenwich Village, a mysterious downstairs neighbor in Bushwick, or a family of Sneakerheads in New Jersey (yes NJ counts), these characters remind us of our true love for this little town.
Films include: Hallelujah Anyway, Anyway; Bacon N’ Laces; No Hoodie; Jefferson Ave; 34 Carmine St
OPENING NIGHT PARTY
10:00PM at The Delancey Rooftop
Kick-off the 12th Annual LESFF atop the canopied Rooftop Garden of The Delancey in the Lower East Side. Beats by D’Jay Tilda, complimentary drinks, and live performances from special guests.
Friday, July 8th
Filmmaker Reception
3PM - 5PM at Bronx Brewery East Village
LESFF welcomes our 2022 Filmmakers to meet and mingle for an afternoon of brews in collaboration with our partner and new neighbor, Bronx Brewery East Village. We’ll be serving our very own custom brew, BXB x LESFF’s ‘Passion Project Pale Ale’. This passion fruit infused pale ale, named in honor of our filmmakers’ labors of love, is a medium-bodied, citrus-forward beer and will be available at the Filmmaker Reception, as well as all of our screening, and at the Bronx Brewery East Village Tap Room beginning July 7th for the duration of the festival!
Creepy Creature Double Feature Pt. 1: CRABS!
7:00PM at Village East Cinema
Join us for a Creepy Creature Double Feature. Our first film will be the NEW YORK PREMIERE of CRABS! A horde of murderous crab monsters descend on a sleepy coastal town on Prom night, and only a ragtag group of outcasts can save the day.
Writer/Director Pierce Berolzheimer will join us for a short Q&A after the screening.
Creepy Creature Double Feature Pt. 2: 20 Anniversary: Eight Legged Freaks
9:00PM at Village East Cinema
Join us for a Creepy Creature Double Feature. Our second film will be the 20th anniversary screening of Eight Legged Freaks. Venomous spiders get exposed to a noxious chemical that causes them to grow to monumental proportions. Starring David Arquette and a then-newcomer Scarlett Johansson.
Saturday July 9th
Feature Documentary: i am Gen Z
6:00PM at Village East Cinema
Through expert interviews and the web lens of Generation Z, this documentary explores how the digital revolution is impacting our society, our brains and mental health. It dives into how the forces driving the digital revolution are working against humanity and have put us on a dangerous trajectory that has huge ramifications for this first generation growing up with mobile digital technology. Directed by Liz Smith. Filmmakers in attendance for Q&A to follow.
What Is Love? Shorts
6:30PM at Village East Cinema
What does love look like? Can we define it? Is it in the kindness of strangers, a bond tested between best friends, or the tension of a first date? This Shorts Showcase explores and celebrates all kinds of love - no matter what shape it takes.
Films include: Niko & Eleanor; Egg; Drumtalk; Send Nudes; Buzzkill; Mr. Oberbeck
Doc Night Shorts
8:30PM at Village East Cinema
You can’t make this sh*t up. Always our most popular night of programming, this year’s documentary shorts night includes falconry, rock stars, and one very legendary documentarian.
Films include: By Any Means: Manny Kirchheimer makes SONS at 90; Game Hawker; DOPOYUMemories; Bacon N’ Laces
Sunday July 10th
Party of One Shorts
6:30pm at Village East Cinema
You’re in good company. Mid-life crisis? Quarter-life crisis? Pandemic-induced existential crisis? This showcase will have you sighing in recognition, laughing through tears, and realizing - you’re not alone.
Films include: Help Me Mary; Bitter Taste; I Love You, I Hate You; Mover
The Great Outdoors Shorts
8:30PM at Village East Cinema
A celebration of the world outside and the communities we build there. This shorts program will bring you to mountain peaks, continental coastlines, desert plateaus, and back again. All without leaving your seat.
Films include: Game Hawker; The Black Foxes; Camp Yoshi; Malik
Monday, July 11th - CLOSING NIGHT
JK LOL Shorts
7:30PM at Village East Cinema
You deserve a good laugh and a reason to stop scrolling TikTok. Come join us for slightly longer stories on a much larger screen with this showcase of highly curated comedy shorts.
Films include: We Should Get Dinner; Squirrel Wars; Buzzkill; Aspirational Slut; My House, Carl; SPF
CLOSING NIGHT PARTY
9:00PM at Blind Barber
Close out the 2022 Lower East Side Film Festival with a rowdy celebration at Blind Barber with complimentary drinks, and live DJ.
LESFF 2022 Virtual Festival
The LESFF 2022 program will be available to stream beginning July 7th and will continue to roll out new feature films and shorts programs each day as the corresponding in-person screenings are completed. After all in person screenings conclude on July 11th, the entire program will continue to be available to stream until July 17th. Virtual passes will be available for purchase for individual films or shorts programs, as well as an all-access pass which grants full access to stream the entire program. More information on our virtual festival here.
2022 JURY BIOGRAPHIES
MIRIAM SHOR
Miriam Shor starred in the hit series Younger, for which she received a Critics’ Choice nomination. She directed several episodes as well. Additional television acting credits include Mrs. America, The Americans (SAG nomination), High Maintenance,The Good Wife, GCB, Swingtown, Mildred Pierce, and Damages. On stage, Shor has starred in productions of Sweat; Merrily We Roll Along; Almost, Maine; Scarcity; The Wild Party; Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams; Boy; Book of Days. She created the role of Yitzak in the Off-Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and starred in the film adaptation (Screen Idol Award, Sundance Audience Award). Shor was most recently featured in the films The Midnight Sky, directed by George Clooney, and Lost Girls, directed by Oscar-nominee Liz Garbus. She is a proud Union member of Actors’ Equity, SAG, and the DGA.
CHLOE FINEMAN
Chloe Fineman joined the cast of SNL in 2019 as a featured player, and was promoted to a regular cast member in 2021. With her notable impressions of Drew Barrymore, Britney Spears & Timothee Chalamet (to name a few), Chloe has quickly made a name for herself.
She’s made appearances on Fallon, The Drew Barrymore Show & Today. Additionally, Fineman was honored as part of Variety's New York Women’s Impact Report and has been featured in Vanity Fair, W Magazine, Interview Mag, Glamour and InStyle. Her popular Instagram feed @Chloecrazy has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, among other publications.
Chloe was a 2018 New Face at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival and a Sunday Company Member of the prestigious Groundlings Theater. Her TV credits include, Big Mouth, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens, Search Party, High Fidelity & Mozart in the Jungle.
DAN PERLMAN
Dan Perlman is a comedian, writer, and director from New York City. He is currently the executive producer, co-creator-writer-star of Showtime’s critically-acclaimed comedy series, FLATBUSH MISDEMEANORS. As a stand-up, Dan has been featured on Comedy Central. His writing has also been featured in The New Yorker. Dan’s most recent short film, CRAMMING, won the Audience Award at the Brooklyn Film Festival and first prize at the Rhode Island International Film Festival
TALLIE MEDEL
Tallie Medel (diverse pronouns) is an educator, multidisciplinary artist and award-winning actor in New York City. Medel is one-third of dance comedy trio Cocoon Central Dance Team and the host of DARLING TALLIE, a dance comedy show and party. Film credits include Daniels' EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, Dan Sallitt's FOURTEEN and THE UNSPEAKABLE ACT, Caleb Johnson's THE CARNIVORES and JOY KEVIN, and SNOWY BING BONGS ACROSS THE NORTH STAR COMBAT ZONE, a collaboration with Rachel Wolther, Alex H. Fischer and Cocoon Central Dance Team. They teach clown, they're a gif, and they have big juicy eyeballs.
JENNIFER MORRISON
Jennifer Morrison is a multi-talented force whose dynamic work can be seen both in front of and behind the camera. She was most recently featured on NBC’s widely acclaimed show “This Is Us” as Cassidy Sharp. Morrison has been a primetime television fixture for more than a decade. Prominent roles include Dr. Allison Cameron on the Emmy Award winning medical drama, “House," Emma Swan in ABC’s fan favorite “Once Upon A Time," and Zoey Pierson in CBS’ award-winning long-running comedy “How I Met Your Mother." Film credits include "Intersection," "Urban Legends: Final Cut," "Bombshell," and many more. In addition to acting, Morrison has directed various projects, including episodes for Peacock’s “Dr. Death,” HBO’s “Euphoria” and the 2017 comedy-drama film, “Sun Dogs,” which she also produced through Apartment 3C Productions, the production company she launched in 2016. Apartment 3C Productions was created with the vision of utilizing the experience she has gained from working alongside talented directors and visionaries throughout her career, in order to craft her own voice as a storyteller across all mediums.
HEATHER BURNS
Heather Burns’ film credits include Manchester by the Sea, Brave New Jersey, The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, What’s your Number?, Ashes, Breaking Upwards, Choke, The Groomsmen, Bewitched, Miss Congeniality I & II, Two Weeks Notice and You’ve Got Mail.On television she currently appears on The Good Fight and other recent credits include The Politician, Blindspot, Sneaky Pete, Friends from College and Bored to Death. Her theater credits include, The Kid Stays in the Picture at the Royal Court, Peace for Mary Francis, Dinner with Friends, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, Will Eno’s Middletown, Lobby Hero and the West End production of This is our Youth.
AJAY NAIDU
Ajay Naidu recently completed production on The Kindergarten Teacher opposite Maggie Gyllenhaal and Gael Garcia Bernal, which is set to premiere Netflix in winter 2018. Other film credits include cult classic Office Space, Richard Linklater’s SubUrbia (independent Spirit Award nomination), Bad Santa, Scary Movie 3, Hotel For Dogs, The Accidental Tourist, The Wrestler, The Honeymooners, The Guru, Hannibal, Requim For A Dream, Chutney Popcorn, and Pi. In 2006, Naidu directed his first feature film Ashes which had its release in 2010 and for which he won Best Actor accolades from the New York Indian Film Festival in New York and the London Asian Film Festival. Naidu’s first professional acting job was the film Touch and Go (released in 1986) which he won from an open call. Television include “Blindspot”, “Friends From College”, “Odd Mom Out”, “Deadbeat,” “Bored to Death,” “30 Rock,” “West Wing,” “Lateline”,“The Sopranos” and MTV India’s “The Ajay Show”. As an emcee vocals include Talvin Singhs Mercury award winner “OK.” Theatre includes The Kid Stays In The Picture (Royal Court), Indian Ink (Roundabout), Master and Margarita and Measure for Measure (Theatre Complicite), Little Flower of East Orange alongside Ellyn Burstyn directed by Phillp Seymour Hoffman (Public Theatre) Darwaza (solo performance, Labrynth). The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui alongside Al Pacino, directed by Simon McBurney. In 2001 Naidu’s solo theatre piece Darwaza was a sold-out hit at New York’s Labrynth Theatre.
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