NYC Film & Acting Events Calendar
Find NYC film events, filmmaker Q&As, indie festivals, acting workshops, comedy, theatre, networking, and creative industry events — curated for New York's working entertainment scene.
Upcoming
- Sep25to Sep 27
Imagine This Women's International Film Festival 2026
A full festival built to get women filmmakers seen and connected — real screenings plus panels and workshops, not just a screening series. Open to any audience.
Regal Union Square · union square
Festivals · TicketedQ&A - Sep25to Oct 12
New York Film Festival (NYFF64)
The fall institution since 1963 — go for the films that set the year's conversation.
Film at Lincoln Center (Walter Reade Theater & Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center) · lincoln square
Festivals · TicketedQ&A - Oct7to Oct 11
Bushwick Film Festival 2026
Brooklyn's scrappy, community-rooted indie fest — 19 years of screenings, panels, and networking built for the borough's filmmakers.
Various Bushwick venues · bushwick
Festivals · Passes & tickets — see festival siteQ&A - Oct13to Oct 17
Architecture & Design Film Festival 2026 (ADFF:NY)
A niche most film calendars skip — documentaries on the built world, design, and the people who shape it, often with post-screening talks. Good for anyone whose work touches production design, space, or visual craft.
Village East by Angelika · east village
Festivals · Ticketed - Oct14to Oct 18
Chelsea Film Festival 2026
A well-run international indie fest in the heart of Manhattan — features, shorts, and the kind of Q&As and panels where you actually meet people.
Regal Union Square (expected) · union square
Festivals · Passes & tickets — see festival siteQ&A - Oct15to Oct 22
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2026
One of the city's best genre festivals: bold new horror, a real filmmaking community, and a crowd that shows up. A strong room for anyone making genre work or looking to.
Nitehawk Cinema · williamsburg
Festivals · Ticketed - Oct23to Nov 5
The Workers Unite Film Festival 2026
A focused documentary festival with a clear point of view and real filmmaker presence. If you make social-issue or labor docs, this is your room.
Cinema Village · greenwich village
Festivals · Ticketed - Nov3to Nov 15
The Gotham Storytelling Festival 2026
A whole festival built around getting up and telling a true story well — and watching people who do it for real. For anyone working in narrative, from writers to performers to podcasters.
UNDER St. Marks · east village
Festivals · $25 per show - Nov6to Nov 12
Big Apple Film Festival 2026 (Fall Edition)
A long-running NYC indie fest at Cinema Village — features, shorts, and a screenplay competition, welcoming to first-time directors and writers.
Cinema Village · greenwich village
Festivals · Passes & tickets — see festival siteQ&A - Nov11to Nov 19
DOC NYC 2026
America's largest doc festival and a must for nonfiction filmmakers — premieres, panels, and industry access across the city, with an online extension.
IFC Center + Manhattan venues · greenwich village
Festivals · Passes & tickets — see festival siteQ&A - Nov13to Nov 16
Video Art & Experimental Film Festival 2026 (VAEFF)
A home for the experimental end of the medium — video art, essay films, and formal risk-taking. Rare programming, and a real community for artists working outside the mainstream.
Cinema Village · greenwich village
Festivals · Ticketed - Nov16to Nov 22
Dumbo Film Festival 2026
A small, well-run indie festival in one of Brooklyn's best settings. Close quarters with the filmmakers and a real community feel — good for getting seen and making connections.
Multiple venues in DUMBO · dumbo
Festivals · Ticketed - Jan16
Inner Frame Film Festival
Psychoanalytic shorts on the big screen, then a real conversation with the filmmakers, artists, and clinicians behind them.
7:30 PM · SVA Theatre · chelsea
Festivals · TicketedQ&A - Feb24to Feb 28
Winter Film Festival 2027
A midwinter indie showcase with 100+ films, panels, and a red-carpet awards night — a welcoming festival for independent voices.
Club 230 Fifth · nomad
Festivals · Passes & tickets — see festival siteQ&A