Festival 2026: May 29, 30, 31 at The Zukor Theater, Kaufman Astoria Studios
Opening Night Party: May 28, 7-11pm at Heart of Gold
Festival 2026 Schedule
FRI MAY 29
HS 4-6pm
A RAY OF HOPE - PAKISTAN
TREE OF LIFE - CROATIA
EMILIE - MALAYSIA
THE FIRST STEP - GA
PRESS REWIND - WA
WINGMAN AI - NYC
SLICE - NYC
DELILAH - NYC
CRAZY DAY ZOMBIE DIE- NYC
TOTALLY NORMAL HUMAN GIRL - NYC
I DEFY YOU STARS - NYC
IN YOUR SHOES - NYC
FREE THE KNEE -NYC
BIRDS OF A FEATHER - NYC
BESTIES - NYC
FRI MAY 29
YOUTH 6:30-9pm
The Voice Of Old - India
Better The Devil You Know - USA
On Air - USA
The Art of Being Different - USA
What Stars Are You Under - USA
The Weathermen - USA
Up Next - USA
To Love - USA
SAT MAY 30
STUDENT SHOWCASE
(Films Made in AFFWorkshops)
9am PS234Q, PS212Q, Q300, MS122Q
10am PS84Q SOLD OUT
11am PS166Q/Oct Workshop SOLD OUT
12:15pm MS122Q/Q300
1:30pm PS166Q/PS84Q
2:30pm 2026 Media Lab Film (funded by a grant from NYC CULTURE) + Queens Stories (funded by a grant from NYFA)
4pm PS84Q/PS166Q/PS212Q/PS234Q SOLD OUT
SAT MAY 30
ANIMATION 6-8pm
Survivors - USA
Max & Maple - USA
Backstreet Birds - Lithuania
Into the Clouds - France
Pages - South Korea
Petra and the Sun - Chile
Hawks - Singapore
Shoes - South Korea
Miracle Under 34th Street - USA
Not a Hero by Accident - USA
First Winter - USA
[BUG FIXES] - USA
How To Wash Clothes You Love - South Korea
Our Pockets are Full - USA
Love Rosina - USA
Pow - USA
SAT MAY 30
KEVIN 8:30-10pm
FREE SCREENING & VIRTUAL TALKBACK WITH
CREATORS OF NEW PRIME ANIMATION SERIES
KEVIN
ABOUT A CAT WHO LIVES IN ASTORIA
Moderated by BRYAN KORN, EP, HILDA/Messi & The Giants
SUN MAY 31
Main Festival 12:30-2:30pm
Equal - USA
Mamko Moja L'uba - USA
The Toaster - South Korea
A Night In - USA
Karupy - Canada
Alfonze - USA
2 Queens in a Pod Podcast - USA
SUN MAY 31
Main Festival 3-5pm
The Sight Unseen - USA
No Biggie - USA
The Resonance - USA
In Case of Emergency - USA
We Are Kings - USA
SUN MAY 31
Main Festival 5:30-7:30pm
Grandchild 139 - Argentina
I’m Glad You’re Dead Now - France/Palestine
The Swipe - USA
Full Metal Basket - France
Gibranistan - USA
My Dear Watson - USA
The Ritual - USA
Disability Accommodations at the Zukor Theater:
We ask all of our filmmakers to encode closed captions into their films so they are accessible to all audiences.
We have fidget toys and blankets to borrow for those who might need them.
Wheelchair users: The Zukor is an historical building and as such is unfortunately not wheelchair-friendly. There are 4 steps up to the hall and then another 4 stairs up to the theater and the single use restroom is right next to the theater entrance. We can also take you to the main Kaufman building should extra bathrooms be needed.
There is however plenty of room in the back of the theater and the front of the theater for wheelchairs to be comfortably placed. We also have steel wheelchair ramps that we bring with us and we will make sure to get you in, if you are ok using the steel ramps and having us help you.
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Student Showcase
All of the films from the year’s Astoria Film Festival Workshops and residencies are premiered here, with students featured on filmmaker panels and the red carpet
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Youth Festival
Features selected films from around the world, created by youth under the age of 24, as well as submitted group films from High School and Middle School Film Programs
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Main Festival
Features selected short films, animations, and podcasts from around the world, with filmmaker panels, awards, prizes, parties, and red carpet interviews.
GUEST JURY 2026
One of our main goals as a festival is to get our filmmakers and creators work in front of industry professionals as much as possible
Submissions for the 2026 Festival ended April 21
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Yunah Chung
VP, Content & Development
SAMANSA
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Bryan Korn
Emmy/BAFTA/Annie Award Winning Animation Producer
Messi & The Giants, HILDA
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Ruth Morrison
Animation Writer
Co-Founder, NYC Animixer
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Golda Calonge
Literary Manager, SWEATER
FMR Legal Counsel, 9 Story Media
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Alison Weller
Actor
Professor, Brooklyn College
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Ed Kulzer
Senior Editor
Sesame Street
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Taehyun Hwang
Film Programming Director
Korean Cultural Center NY
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Kathleen S Wilson PhD
Professor, NYU Tisch
Fmr Media Executive, Viacom
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Jen Beman
Documentary Editor
FMR NatGeo