NewFilmmakers Los Angeles

🎬 Stories that challenge perspectives—and redefine what’s possible. Join us May 16th for NFMLA’s Monthly Film Festival, a powerful day of programming spotlighting disability stories and talent both in front of and behind the camera. ✨ The day opens with MiFilm x NFMLA | Seen in Full: Disabilities in Focus, presented in partnership with @minoritiesinfilm , celebrating emerging filmmakers with disabilities. InFocus: Disabilities follows, showcasing a wide range of storytelling that centers authentic, lived experiences. The evening concludes with May Shorts, a bold collection of dark comedy, drama, and absurdism exploring complex human experiences. ✨ A full day of films that push boundaries, spark conversation, and elevate new voices. 📅 Mark your calendars – May 16, 2026 02:30pm PDT - 10:00pm PDT Program #1 – MiFilm x NFMLA | Seen in Full: Disabilities in Focus 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM – Pre-Reception 3:00 PM – 4:45 PM – Program 4:45 PM – 5:00 PM – Audience Q&A Program #2 – InFocus: Disability 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM – Pre-Reception 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM – Program 7:00 PM – 7:15 PM – Audience Q&A Program #3 – May Shorts 7:15 PM – 7:45 PM – Pre-Reception 7:45 PM – 9:45 PM – Program 9:45 PM – 10:00 PM – Audience Q&A 🎟️ Learn more about our festivals and other programs at

🚨 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 /awards/best-film-festival/

💣 Some threats aren’t buried as deep as we think. Klaus Muller is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the May Shorts program. 🎬✨ Synopsis: In the heart of the Arizona wilderness, park ranger Tommy Dolan stumbles upon a chilling discovery: a long-lost nuclear bomb hidden among the trees. Desperate, he calls in federal bomb expert Klaus Muller to defuse the situation, but as tensions rise, it becomes clear that one of them is not who he says he is. Klaus Muller ✍️🎥 Writer & Director: @ztolchinsky 🎥 Producers: Sven Gey, Will Martinez, Chinyere Nywodim 🎟️ Learn more: /events/

☢️ Some legacies never stop echoing. Born Secret is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the May Shorts program. 🎬✨ Synopsis: A filmmaker returns to his hometown Oak Ridge, the secret city that built the atomic bomb. There he meets the workers who created humanity's greatest weapon, while their grandchildren inherit a world on the brink of nuclear catastrophe. Born Secret 🎥 Director: @rileyfitch ✍️ Co-Writers: Riley Fitchpatrick, Grant Conversano, Adam Conversano 🎥 Producers: Grant Conversano, Adam Conversano @applehousepictures 🎟️ Learn more: /events/

🕯️ Some fears are passed down like stories. Koko Suzan is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the May Shorts program. 🎬✨ Synopsis: Based on true events, a young girl's life is turned upside down when her grandmother's strange behavior sparks fears of witchcraft. Koko Suzanne 🎥 Director: @zachbandler ✍️ Co-Writers: Emmanuel Epenge and @zachbandler 🎥 Producers: @vmazz1914 and Emmanuel Lupia 🎟️ Learn more: /events/

🎙️ Some stories hit differently when they become personal. Never Hike Alone is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the May Shorts program. 🎬✨ Synopsis: In her true crime podcast “Never Hike Alone,” Liz investigates and reports on women who have gone missing on solo hikes. When her own brother, Kit, falls out of touch, she knows she must find him herself. In searching for Kit, she meets an avid listener, Judith, who believes in the mission of Liz’s podcast. Judith wants to help, but when Liz and Judith uncover some troubling information about Kit, they both must decide what to do. Never Hike Alone 🎥 Co-Directors: @bethgallag @GallagherBethAnn ✍️ Writer: Alison Kertz 🎥 Producers: Mary Kertz, @alisonkertz @bethgallag 🎟️ Learn more: /events/

🎻 Find out how the human spirit can endure. SŪNNA rounds out our May 2026 Film Festival lineup! Synopsis: When sudden hearing loss shatters her identity, a young Indian musician is left in silence until the echoes of memory, touch, and culture help her reclaim music and herself. ✍️🎥 Writer & Director: @radhamehta 🎥 Producer: @pallavisastry 🎬Cast & Crew: Anisha Nagarajan Aaliya Mehta Isue Shin Joseph Murphy 🎟️ Get your tickets now at: /events/

🏛️ Some secrets are too dangerous to keep hidden. The Guilted Age is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the May Shorts program. 🎬✨ Synopsis: In 1890, inside a grand Texas mansion, Louisa, a young maid, is visibly unwell. Her brief moment of solitude is interrupted by Lady Annabelle, a sophisticated socialite from New York, who is also seeking refuge from the lively household. Louisa fails to hide her discomfort, and Lady Annabelle insists she seeks medical help. When Louisa refuses, the two women get into a heated argument. In a desperate move to avoid seeing the doctor, Louisa whispers something to Annabelle, and the story takes some unexpected turns.…. The Guilted Age @theguiltedage_film ✍️🎥 Writer & Director: @stineholemankovsky 🎥 Producers: Pete Chambers (@madcowpete ), Sophia Ogilvie (@sophia_ogilvie ), Francesco Loy Bell (@francesco__loybell ) 🎟️ Learn more: /events/

🐾 What do we lose when we become something else? Moti is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the May Shorts program. 🎬✨ Synopsis: One day a dog named Moti turns into a boy. Shocked and confused, Moti’s human masters take him to the hospital to find out what is wrong. Science intervenes: Moti starts to evolve. But in becoming fully human Moti loses something vital along the way: his doggy sense of smell, his canine way of navigating the world. Moti ✍️🎥 Writer & Director: @yashhsaraf 🎥 Producers: shahkaran__ @yashhsaraf 🎬 Crew: @priyankarpatra @rushabose 🎟️ Learn more: /events/

🛤️ Some journeys remain unseen… even when thousands take them every day. The Long Spring is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the May Shorts program. 🎬✨ Synopsis: One of the most dangerous journeys on the planet, taken every day by tens of thousands, is also one of the least documented. Until now. The Long Spring ✍️🎥 Writer & Director: @oginelli 🎥 Producers: @frankiefogg 🎬 Crew: Warren Mendy Gomes Assiba Acts 🎟️ Learn more: /events/

Just announced by @indiewire - the one and only @diegoluna_ will join @nfmla and the @filmcalifornia for the 2026 @festivaldecannes at the @americanpavilion with @akstanwyck , @flicsca , @filmsantamonica , @chulavistaec , @marinadelrey_ca , @inicia_films , @valerie_delpierre , @42west , @sassyhils , @obscuredreleasing , @ryanlattanzio , @film_sf , @danalharris , @chrisofalt , @goldhouseco , @gathrfilms , @pijamafilms , @arthouseconvergence , @sundanceorg , @telluridefilm , @berlinale , and more! See the full line-up at /news/events/american-pavilion-2026-cannes-programming-indiewire-1235193200/

💘 Some journeys of self-discovery begin with a single question: what does love actually feel like? Eros is part of the lineup for NFMLA’s May Monthly Film Festival, featured in the InFocus: Disabilities program. 🎬✨ Synopsis: Autistic perpetual university student Max realises she’s never experienced romantic love and decides she’s going to get it somehow... She’ll figure out the how later. Eros 🎥 Co-Directors: Spike Hogan and @zoedamouse ✍️ Writer: @zoedamouse 🎥 Producers: Spike Hogan and @zoedamouse @maisonmaisan 🎟️ Learn more: /events/