18th Annual Bushwick Film Festival Kicks Off Next Week, Oct 1–5
Featuring Chilean thriller Todos somos justos, the festival showcases nearly 100 films — including 10 world premieres and 35 New York premieres — from the next generation of indie voices in Brooklyn and around the world.
Program & Tickets Available:
www.bushwickfilmfestival.com/Tickets
Brooklyn, NY — The 18th Annual Bushwick Film Festival (BFF) kicks off next week, October 1–5, 2025, bringing five days of independent film and culture to venues across Brooklyn. This year’s theme, Meet Us at the Movies, is an invitation to connect through film and share the experience with friends, filmmakers, and fellow movie lovers.
This year’s programming is a bold mix of big feelings and fresh perspectives — films that make you laugh, think, scream, feel seen, get inspired, and maybe even want to change the world. With nearly 100 films from New York and around the globe, the 2025 lineup includes 11 World Premieres, 10 East Coast Premieres, and 24 New York Premieres, showcasing bold new voices and unforgettable stories.
Festival Highlights
Todos Somos Justos — This gripping Chilean social thriller by Carlos Leiva transforms a quiet dinner party into a violent moral showdown. Exploring power, class, and justice with sharp tension, the film stars Paulina García and Andrew Bargsted. A winner of the Bolivia Lab and Dolby Grant, Todos makes its New York Premiere at BFF.
$HARE — A boundary-pushing web series about three women who inherit a British-Swiss mining empire — and dismantle it from the inside. Created by Swiss filmmaker Katja Meier, $HARE recently caught the attention of Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn, who joined as Executive Producer after its award-winning debut at SeriesFest.
67 Bombs to Enid — From Executive Producer Errol Morris, this powerful documentary centers on survivors of nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands and the legacy carried by their descendants.
The Color of Air — In this German feature, three siblings reunite to sell their childhood home — only to unearth a buried family history. The film makes its North American Premiere at BFF.
AT SEE — An innovative short that uses Open Audio Description to create a fully shared cinematic experience for blind and sighted audiences alike.
A Rare Grand Alignment — Directed by Cinqué Lee and featuring Roman Griffin Davis, Felix Jamieson, Charlie Price, and Kristofer Hivju. Set in 1982 Norway, three American boys become trapped in a cable car with a dead body during a rare celestial event. A haunting meditation on fear, friendship, and fate.
Drip Like Coffee — Directed by Anaiis Cisco, this lyrical Brooklyn romance follows two Black femme-identifying baristas navigating desire, identity, and emotional survival.
Honeyjoon — A Tribeca One Million Dollar Recipient (2024). Written and directed by Brooklyn filmmaker Lilian Mehrel, this sexy dramedy follows a Kurdish-Persian mother and her American daughter on a funny, deeply human journey through grief and rediscovery in the Azores.
Fireline — Directed by Robin Takao D’Oench and executive produced by Lena Waithe, this short follows an incarcerated firefighter caught between a deadly blaze and a justice system that won’t let him go.
Coroner to the Stars — A documentary portrait of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, Hollywood’s legendary coroner, who performed autopsies on Monroe, Kennedy, and other icons. A fascinating look at fame, forensics, and truth.
Slumlord Millionaire — A timely and urgent documentary on housing justice in NYC, following tenants and organizers fighting displacement in the face of gentrification.
Shorts Highlights
From the intimate to the epic, this year’s shorts explore big themes in small, unforgettable ways — with stories about identity, family, fear, and change. Short blocks highlights include:
Matriarch — Stories that reckon with the weight, warmth, and complexity of motherhood
For the Gworlies — A joyous tribute to friendship, chosen family, and unfiltered fun
The Art of Letting Go — Women breaking cycles and finding power in release
How to Fix Your Heart — Tales of heartbreak, hilarity, and healing
Strange Futures — Sci-fi shorts exploring the uncanny edges of tomorrow
In the Name of Justice — Grounded films about resilience, community, and the fight for fairness
Art / History — Shorts on creativity, memory, and legacy, anchored by The Art of Brotherly Love, a revival of the 1800 USS Ganges rescue of enslaved Africans.
October Comes with a Scream
On Saturday, October 4, BFF dives into horror with a lineup of scary and campy favorites — including Between Two Waves, a speculative ghost story about grief, memory, and what we can’t leave behind. The chills continue with two standout shorts blocks: Everyday Nightmares, which twists familiar spaces and relationships into unsettling tales, and Scream Queens, a campy collection of haunted sleepovers and toxic friendships.
Festival Events
In addition to screenings, BFF will host, Opening Night Blue Carpet & Reception, Industry Brunch, Comedy Night, Award-Winning Screenings
Tickets & Passes
Passes are available now at bushwickfilmfestival.com/tickets, including new options like, Film Friend Friday Pass, My BFF Pass, Group Chat Bundle. All passes include access to select screenings and special events.
Sponsors & Partners:
This year’s festival is made possible thanks to the support of our sponsors and partners, including Spectrum, Great Jones Distilling Co., Brooklyn Coop, Freelancer’s Union, DCP For All, World Owned, Lovejoys, The Birdhouse, Lot45, Streat Team, All Things Iceland, ZenBusiness, Adobe Express, Broadway Stages, and JolaHouse.
About the Bushwick Film Festival
The Bushwick Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and MWBE-certified organization dedicated to discovering emerging voices and building community through film. One of the few U.S. festivals led by a woman of color, BFF draws over 5,000 attendees annually and features films from more than 60 countries.
Press Contacts:
Kerri-Ann Seredinsky | Big Picture Media
KerriAnn@BigPictureMediaOnline.com