ABOUT LESFF
At LESFF, we curate indie shorts and features that take over downtown NYC screens. We champion the undiscovered and underdog filmmakers who know that a huge budget does not equal a great film. Every event is distinctly LESFF: bold, unexpected, and deeply engaging.
We provide a heavily engaged core community of trendsetters, filmmakers, industry insiders and New Yorkers that come back year after year. With over 15 years of sold out screenings, our audience craves exclusivity, creativity, and the unique LESFF experience.
Since 2011 the Lower East Side Film Festival (LESFF) has celebrated indie-filmmaking and hosted a community of filmmakers and film-lovers through screenings, drive-in movies, block parties, pool parties, stand-up comedy, live music, drag shows, in storefronts, on rooftops, in underground clubs, and even one year a ‘Meatball Night’ - yes we did that.
We are committed to creating an unparalleled experience that combines visionary, independent filmmaking with the counterculture spirit of the Lower East Side.
May 2026 will mark the 16th Anniversary of the Lower East Side Film Festival. In its inaugural year, the LESFF crew turned a Lower East Side pop-up space into a unique and intimate theater that featured a month long residency of sold-out screenings of some of the independent film community’s most innovative new talent. Since then, the festival has premiered hundreds of short and feature films, hosted thousands of audience members, and has been deemed “one of the most exciting under the radar film events in all of New York City” (Film.com). LESFF was featured in New York Magazine’s Approval Matrix (under “Highbrow/ Brilliant”), The New York Times, Interview, Entertainment Weekly, Hollywood Reporter, The New York Post, IndieWire, Variety, and many, many more.
Summer 2026, LESFF is back for round two of Movies in the Park - our free outdoor screening series in partnership with Searchlight Pictures.
We’re taking over the bandshell in Tompkins Square Park and turning it into a downtown cinema under the stars. Big films, cold drinks, packed crowds, and that unmistakable LES energy.
Free, open to all, and always a good time.
“One of the best film festivals in New York. Amazing team, great events, fantastic films! Highly recommend”
— Serena Dykman, Filmmaker
“Great programming, excellent events, amazing staff. A gem of a festival.”
— Randy Yang, Filmmaker
“Loved this fest. Great screenings, with quality packed audience, a very responsive and personable staff, great festival events and I also like that its not WAY to big that you get a chance to meet everyone. So high quality. Def submit there. They are fantastic.”
— Mtume Gant , Filmmaker
“LESFF was phenomenal. Graciously hosted and thoughtfully organized by a truly fantastic team - who all put together such a thrilling experience in the heart of New York's historic Lower East Side.”
— Eric Jungmann, Filmmaker
LESFF isn’t just a place to screen your film, it’s a place to get it made.
Through our Stay Indie Project, we support a small, highly curated slate of films with development, financing, and production resources.
The first Stay Indie Projects to hit the screen have secured funding and found distributions deals and there are more to come.
We also offer Fiscal Sponsorship, giving filmmakers a way to raise tax-deductible funding under LESFF’s 501(c)(3) status.
It’s a simple, filmmaker-first structure designed to unlock donations, grants, and partnerships without the usual red tape.
Join the LESFF Family.
Submit your film, attend an event or volunteer.
