The LOWER EAST SIDE FILM FESTIVAL is a showcase of innovative feature films and specialty short showcases, exclusive industry livestream Q&A’s, trivia nights, and more: for the first time, it is now a virtually interactive festival. Due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, LESFF has moved online, which will expand viewership to a broader audience demographic while continuing their mission of supporting independent filmmakers.
A diverse culture brings unique storytelling that the cinematic language has offered for the past 100 years, and has championed that ideal in LESFF’s programming in the past decade. The festival has announced their spotlights on immigrant and 1st/2nd generation filmmakers echoing the ethos of The Lower East Side itself, a neighborhood that has been home to many of the country’s immigrants.
The first five days of the online festival will roll-out premieres of feature films, shorts, and virtual events. The entirety of the program will remain live for the following week to allow festival goers 11 full days to soak up everything LESFF 2020 has to offer. The full event will run from June 18th-29, 2020.
The Lower East Side Film Festival 2020 | 10th Anniversary Sizzle
So without further ado, here is the full LESFF virtual lineup for 2020:
Thursday, June 18th – 6PM
Opening Night -All Films Go Live!
The Complete 2020 lineup is available online. Viewers can purchase individual tickets for features and short showcases ($10 each) or an All-Access Festival Pass ($30).
All films will be available online through June 29th.
Friday, June 19th – 6PM
Inside The Writers’ Room of Hulu’s “Ramy” with Ramy Youssef
Youssef, in conversation with The Writers Guild of America East, will discuss the process of writing about comedy, relationships and religion.
Moderated by Huffington Post’s Rowaida Abdelaziz.
Saturday, June 20th – 6PM
I LOVE NY Trivia Night
Festival Director, Shannon Walker hosts a night of trivia celebrating all the reasons we love New York – pandemic or otherwise.
Sunday, June 21st – 6PM
Rebecca Miller In Conversation with Shaina Feinberg
Rebecca Miller talks with LESFF Alumni filmmaker Shania Feinberg about their approaches to storytelling through indie film.
Monday, June 22nd – 6PM
Festival Awards
Festival Director Shannon Walker and Roxy Hunt announce the festival winners.
Judges
Indya Moore (Pose, Queen & Slim, Saturday Church)
Samantha Bee (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee)
Matt FX (MusicSupervisor — Broad City, Difficult People, In The Mix with Matt FX)
Laura Brownson (The Rachel Divide, Lemon)
Julie Cohen (Oscar-nominated RBG)
Sam Levy (Ladybird, Jerry Before Seinfeld, Frances Ha)
Heather Burns (Manchester by the Sea, Miss Congeniality)
Shannon Gibson (Executive Producer, Refinery29).
LESFF 2020 Films
FEATURE FILMS:
Blunderpuss
A clown goes on an apology tour after rehab.
Written & Directed by Shaina Feinberg
Starring Chris Manley, Jeff Seal, and Drae Campbell
Mentally AI
A character study of Al Lubel, “the funniest comedian you’ve never heard of,” and an exploration of how we define artistic success.
Directed by Joshua Edelman
Featuring Judd Apatow and Sarah Silverman
Unschooled
Beset by drugs, violence, and apathy, the Philadelphia public school system is failing. Desperate for a solution, some inner-city parents turn their hopes to an unlikely place; a newly opened educational resource center in the north Philadelphia neighborhood of Germantown called the Natural Creativity Center (NCC).
Directed by Rachel Beth Anderson & Timothy Grucza
Featuring Peter Bergson, veteran educator and founder of NCC
SHORT SHOWCASES:
‘I LOVE NY’ SHORTS
Missing your city a little bit right now? Let these short films remind you of the magic, the music, the mystery, and the magnetism of the greatest city in the world: NYC.
Films include: Yves & Variation, Sundays at The Triple Nickel, Corner Man, Cinema Rules Everything Around Me, The Cantor’s Last Cantata
‘THIS IS AMERICA’ SHORTS
This series of short films each capture a snapshot of today’s America: the search for acceptance, the fight for justice, and the emergency response to an accidental missile warning aimed at Hawaii.
Films include: Black Ghost Son, Coffee Shop Names, Do We Belong?, 808: How We Respond
‘ME, MYSELF, AND I’ SHORTS
Coming of age, mid-life crisis, self-exploration: these shorts tackle all the ups and downs of discovering, questioning, and owning your own identity.
Films include: Practice, A Mother, Eagle, Blocks, Mom and Me and My Little Rooster
‘OUT OF THIS WORLD’ SHORTS
Monsters, super-powers, aliens, and space travel: these shorts take you beyond the realm of reality and into a world of the extraordinary.
Films include: Below, Cosmic Fling, Balloon, Your Monster, Visitors
‘MIND F*CK’ SHORTS
Strap in! These films will be tough to get out of your mind long after they’re over, for a variety of reasons. You’ll see.
Films include: Horse, Others, Gholü, Eat The Rainbow, Nailbiter
‘NSFW FROM HOME’ SHORTS
It’s most likely exactly what you think.
Films include: Symbiosis, The D, Boys & Toys, Marcy Learns Something New, Unfinished Business
‘IN THE BIZ’ SHORTS
Movies about movies! We all know this business can be tough, but these shorts remind us that in the end, it’s all worth it! Right?
Films include: Avalanche, Dame, Marsha!, Ghostal Galaxies
SHORT HIGHLIGHTS:
Coffee Shop Names
Three Indian people imagine their personas as their “coffee shop names,” the names they give baristas because their real names are hard to pronounce.
Written by Deepak Sethi
Starring Danny Pudi, Karan Soni, and Kausar Mohammed
Marcy Learns Something New
Exploring themes of loneliness, connection and finding confidence in unexpected ways, the film follows a widow who goes to a dominatrix class and finds joy during a difficult time in her life.
Written & Directed by Julia Kennelly
Starring Rachel Dratch
Eagle
A Brooklyn High School senior receives some good news.
Written & Directed by Jose Acevedo
Starring Roy Wood Jr. and Antonio Ortiz Jr.
Balloon
A film that explores gender through a superhero myth.
Written by Dave Testa & Jeremy Merrifield, directed by Jeremy Merrifield
Starring Paul Scheer and Jonah Beres
For tickets and more LESFF info: https://www.lesfilmfestival.com/
From humble beginnings as a bisexual art kid who drank more coffee than a 40-year-old author, Remy now holds a BFA in Film Production from Chapman University and is a proud member of the HorrorBuzz team (and still a bisexual art kid who drinks too much coffee). They were first introduced to the world of horror and camp when their grandma showed them The Rocky Horror Picture Show at age 5, and never looked back. When they're not writing cartoons or working on movies, one can spot them in various clubs around Los Angeles performing very, very self-deprecating standup comedy. Howdy ho!
