New American Cinema
Going to the movies has been a favorite American pastime for over a century, and these filmmakers are determined to keep their works at the cutting edge of film’s future. Each of these selected films represents a unique voice, and together they reflect the diversity of the American experience.
Again Again
USA | 2026 | 99 min. | Mia Moore, Heather Ballish
Aberdeen-raised director Mia Moore’s debut film, executive produced by Lilly Wachowski, is a heady, romantic sci-fi starring a trans woman who enters a new day after ten years stuck in “the loop.”
April X
USA | 2025 | 93 min. | Michel K. Parandi
A black-market body-parts hustler (Connor Storrie) desperately searches for his missing twin sister who can digitally record her dreams. As he digs deeper, a sinister conspiracy threatens to consume them both in this sci-fi noir thriller.
Assets & Liabilities
USA | 2026 | 62 min. | Zach Weintraub
Tacoma-based director Zach Weintraub’s fictional counterpart—also named Zach—is a burnt-out suburban dad who is taken on a wild supernatural odyssey when he meets a skater kid at the park who reminds him of his younger, more idealistic self.
Chili Finger
USA | 2026 | 100 min. | Edd Benda, Stephen Helstad
When a human finger is accidentally served in a cup of fast-food chili, the restaurant, its horrified customers, and the digitless victim all scramble over who gets blamed, and who gets paid, in this queasy black comedy.
Crystal Cross
USA | 2025 | 88 min. | Richie James Follin (Cherokee)
A quirky Christian singer and a suicidal loner road trip across America, forging an unlikely bond. Crystal Cross is a tender, offbeat meditation on faith, fracture, and unexpected connection, enveloped in an excellent soundtrack.
Drunken Noodles
USA | 2025 | 81 min. | Lucio Castro
Narrative shifts, flashbacks, folds, and even a dash of magical realism mark this quiet examination of modern queer relationships, presenting three facets of the romantic life of a young New Yorker.
Edie Arnold is a Loser
USA | 2026 | 73 min. | Megan Rico, Kade Atwood
Lace up your combat boots and whip out that black eyeliner for Edie Arnold is a Loser, an infectiously charming coming-of-age flick about a self-proclaimed loser starting a punk band at her Catholic high school.
Hot Water
USA | 2026 | 97 min. | Ramzi Bashour
A Lebanese-born mother drives her troublesome son across the U.S. after he is expelled for fighting at school. Along the way, the bickering duo find common ground in this charming debut-feature dramedy from Ramzi Bashour.
I Love Boosters
USA | 2026 | 115 min. | Boots Riley
A crew of professional shoplifters take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. It’s like community service.
I Want Your Sex
USA | 2026 | 90 min. | Gregg Araki
When fresh-faced Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon, and provocateur Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse.
If I Go Will They Miss Me
USA | 2026 | 92 min. | Walter Thompson-Hernández
Expanded from an award-winning Sundance short, Walter Thompson-Hernandez infuses empathy in this lyrical feature about a sensitive boy in Watts who constructs a mythological imagination for his family, contrasting sharply with their complicated reality.
The Invite
USA | 2026 | 107 min. | Olivia Wilde
Joe and Angela’s marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places. Have they reignited the spark or lit the match that burns it all down?
Late Fame
USA | 2025 | 96 min. | Kent Jones
Willem Dafoe plays a post office employee whose early book of poetry is “rediscovered” by a group of aspiring artists who adopt him as an elder statesman, flattering him but also causing him to question their authenticity.
Lucky Lu
USA | 2025 | 103 min. | Lloyd Lee Choi
A NYC delivery rider’s world is turned upside down when he loses his only source of income. With his family on their way from Asia, Lu is forced to navigate the unforgiving city and fight to protect the fragile life he’s spent years building.
See You When I See You
USA | 2026 | 101 min. | Jay Duplass
A comedy writer struggles to process the grief over his younger sister’s suicide in this Jay Duplass ensemble “traumedy,” based on the real-life experiences of screenwriter Adam Clayton-Holland’s emotionally raw memoir.
Valentina
USA | 2025 | 84 min. | Tatti Ribeiro
In this humorous docu-comedy, Keyla Monterrose Mejia shines as the titular character Valentina, a beleaguered El Paso resident confronting city council in her campaign for local economic justice.