Spotlight
New York Shorts
J. Wortham, Heather Landsman, Eliza Barry Callahan, Fanny Texier, Charlotte Wells
This shorts program includes the world premiere of J. Wortham’s The People’s Beach, Heather Landsman’s ee, the world premiere of Eliza Barry Callahan’s The House Call, Fanny Texier’s A Woman’s Place Is Everywhere, and the world premiere of Charlotte Wells’s New York Never Let Me Down.
- Runtime
- 80 min
- Country
- U.S.
- Language
- English,
Italian - Year
- 2026
- More information
- Official film page
Screenings
The People’s Beach
J. Wortham, 2026, U.S., 15m
World Premiere
The People’s Beach
One of the city’s legendary cruising spots, Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways, is today, despite encroaching gentrification, the public space where queer and trans New Yorkers, especially of color, can be most comfortable in the least clothing. Juxtaposing priceless archival material with sunny and sensual new footage, J. Wortham’s documentary is a history, a celebration, and a rallying cry.
ee
Heather Landsman, 2026, U.S., 8m
New York Premiere
ee. Courtesy of Heather Landsman.
A girl in a collectibles store covets a rare figurine in Heather Landsman’s sexy hyperpop vignette. Online communities, fandom, shoplifting, and the stealth action video game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty become interlocking, quicksilver metaphors for the furtive, grasping workings of identity and desire under surveillance. Featuring local cult heroes Isobel Fox and Will Menaker in key supporting roles.
The House Call
Eliza Barry Callahan, 2026, U.S., 21m
English and Italian with no subtitles
World Premiere
The House Call
A veterinarian (Victoria Pedretti) drives through the dark to check on a prized white horse, only to be caught up in the intrigues of its shady owners, and a probing late-night conversation about classical philosophy, modern dance, and the nature of vocation. Novelist, musician, and filmmaker Eliza Barry Callahan turns genre on its ear, with voluptuous nocturnal celluloid cinematography by Alfonso Herrera Salcedo.
A Woman’s Place Is Everywhere
Fanny Texier, 2026, U.S., 22m
North American Premiere
A Woman’s Place Is Everywhere
Identical twins Emilija and Ona Rygelis have lived their whole lives in an industrial Williamsburg loft renovated by their artist mother in the 1970s. Filmmaker Fanny Texier follows the sisters over three years as they grieve their mother, welcome Ona’s new baby, and fight eviction proceedings, drawing a sharp, sensitive portrait of sisterhood, survival in the city, and the meaning of home. Winner of a Silver Bear Jury Prize at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival.
New York Never Let Me Down
Charlotte Wells, 2026, U.S., 14m
World Premiere
New York Never Let Me Down
Charlotte Wells (Aftersun, NYFF60) drops into the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region to visit Paula Spiro, a legendary drummer and drum teacher (whose former students include Luscious Jackson drummer and original Beastie Boy Kate Schellenbach). Having left New York in 2024, the elderly Spiro recalls her life in the city with wonderment and an unerring sense of rhythm, in a tribute to the artists and queer elders being pushed out of the place they shaped.
The People’s Beach
J. Wortham, 2026, U.S., 15m
World Premiere
The People’s Beach
One of the city’s legendary cruising spots, Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways, is today, despite encroaching gentrification, the public space where queer and trans New Yorkers, especially of color, can be most comfortable in the least clothing. Juxtaposing priceless archival material with sunny and sensual new footage, J. Wortham’s documentary is a history, a celebration, and a rallying cry.
ee
Heather Landsman, 2026, U.S., 8m
New York Premiere
ee. Courtesy of Heather Landsman.
A girl in a collectibles store covets a rare figurine in Heather Landsman’s sexy hyperpop vignette. Online communities, fandom, shoplifting, and the stealth action video game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty become interlocking, quicksilver metaphors for the furtive, grasping workings of identity and desire under surveillance. Featuring local cult heroes Isobel Fox and Will Menaker in key supporting roles.
The House Call
Eliza Barry Callahan, 2026, U.S., 21m
English and Italian with no subtitles
World Premiere
The House Call
A veterinarian (Victoria Pedretti) drives through the dark to check on a prized white horse, only to be caught up in the intrigues of its shady owners, and a probing late-night conversation about classical philosophy, modern dance, and the nature of vocation. Novelist, musician, and filmmaker Eliza Barry Callahan turns genre on its ear, with voluptuous nocturnal celluloid cinematography by Alfonso Herrera Salcedo.
A Woman’s Place Is Everywhere
Fanny Texier, 2026, U.S., 22m
North American Premiere
A Woman’s Place Is Everywhere
Identical twins Emilija and Ona Rygelis have lived their whole lives in an industrial Williamsburg loft renovated by their artist mother in the 1970s. Filmmaker Fanny Texier follows the sisters over three years as they grieve their mother, welcome Ona’s new baby, and fight eviction proceedings, drawing a sharp, sensitive portrait of sisterhood, survival in the city, and the meaning of home. Winner of a Silver Bear Jury Prize at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival.
New York Never Let Me Down
Charlotte Wells, 2026, U.S., 14m
World Premiere
New York Never Let Me Down
Charlotte Wells (Aftersun, NYFF60) drops into the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region to visit Paula Spiro, a legendary drummer and drum teacher (whose former students include Luscious Jackson drummer and original Beastie Boy Kate Schellenbach). Having left New York in 2024, the elderly Spiro recalls her life in the city with wonderment and an unerring sense of rhythm, in a tribute to the artists and queer elders being pushed out of the place they shaped.