Greenpoint Film Festival Announces 2026 Official Lineup for Landmark 15th Anniversary Edition
The Greenpoint Film Festival (GFF) proudly unveils the official lineup for its 2026 edition, marking a milestone 15th edition dedicated to showcasing innovative filmmakers and compelling stories from around the world.
GFF has always stayed true to its original vision: For Filmmakers. By Filmmakers. With Filmmakers. This year’s theme, “Unbound: Celebrating the Freedom to Tell Untold Stories,” reflects the festival’s enduring commitment to championing bold artistic voices, diverse perspectives, and stories that challenge, inspire, and connect audiences across cultures and communities.
The 2026 program features 8 narrative features, 6 documentary features, 94 narrative shorts, 19 documentary shorts, and 7 animated films, alongside numerous premieres across categories.
Leading the festival as the Opening Film is Café Chairel, directed by Fernando Guillermo Barreda Luna. A heartfelt and deeply human story, the film sets the tone for this year’s festival through its warmth, compassion, and emotional honesty, demonstrating cinema’s unique power to bridge cultures, generations, and lived experiences.
Closing the festival is When We Were Live, directed by John Spottswood Moore, an engaging documentary that pays tribute to the visionary creators behind Austin’s groundbreaking public-access television movement of the 1980s and 1990s. Through its exploration of creative freedom and community-driven media, the film serves as a fitting conclusion to a festival dedicated to independent expression.
Additional highlights include the New York Premieres of Mistake, directed by Honey Lauren, a bold, thought-provoking film that explores gender, identity, belonging, and the universal desire to be seen, understood, and loved for who we truly are; and the acclaimed documentary feature Nothing to See Here: Watts, a unique collaborative work directed by 15 community members, offering an intimate portrait of one of America’s most storied neighborhoods through the voices of those who call it home.
The 2026 jury brings together an accomplished group of filmmakers, artists, and industry professionals whose work spans narrative, documentary, performance, animation, cinematography, and design. This year’s jury includes Andrea Purcigliotti, Brooke Berman, Elizabeth Lo, James Madio, Malcolm Purnell, and Signe Baumane. Whose collective experience encompasses award-winning work across film, television, theater, and visual arts. Together, they offer a diverse range of creative perspectives in recognizing this year’s standout films.
The festival will take place August 5–9, 2026, at Broadway Stages, 259 Green Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222, featuring five days of film screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, networking events, and community gatherings. For ticket information, schedule updates, and additional festival announcements, please visit GreenpointFilmFestival.org and follow the festival on social media.
2026 Official Feature Film Lineup
Narrative Features
Baggage Claim
Café Chairel
Danny Is My Boyfriend
Genevieve’s Garden
Mistake
To Move Is Friction
The Virus of Restlessness
Two Ugly People
Documentary Features
Hoop Like This
Imprinted
Nothing to See Here: Watts
The Vegan Poultry Farmer
Uvalde Mom
When We Were Live
As the Greenpoint Film Festival celebrates its 15th anniversary this August, one of this year’s standout stories is its impressive slate of horror films—showcasing a new generation of filmmakers pushing the genre beyond traditional scares and into thought-provoking explorations of identity, history, psychology, and social commentary.
Since its inception, Greenpoint Film Festival has remained committed to its filmmaker-first mission: For Filmmakers. By Filmmakers. With Filmmakers. This year’s theme, “Unbound: Celebrating the Freedom to Tell Untold Stories,” is especially evident throughout its horror programming, where emerging directors use the genre to confront deeper emotional and cultural fears while delivering inventive, unforgettable cinema.
Highlights from this year’s horror lineup include:
- The Visitor (dir. Elliot Kealoha Blanchard) — A haunting psychological thriller following a struggling actress whose silent doppelgänger appears intent on replacing her, exploring ambition, identity, and the fear of being forgotten.
- Fully Stocked (dir. Nicolai Feldman) — A clever supernatural horror-comedy in which a couple’s seemingly idyllic Airbnb getaway unravels after discovering the rental’s refrigerator is haunted.
- Meat (dir. Jacob Hopewell) — A provocative psychological horror film that flips expectations as a young woman recounts a horrifying encounter where the hunter unexpectedly becomes the hunted.
- The Lone Piper (dir. Matthew Kravchuk) — Set during the Seven Years’ War in 1759, this atmospheric folk horror tale blends history, mythology, and survival as a Scottish bagpiper and an Algonquian girl confront both the horrors of colonial conflict and something far more sinister lurking in the wilderness.
Collectively, these films demonstrate how today’s independent horror filmmakers are using genre storytelling to explore timely themes including identity, grief, power, colonialism, isolation, and human vulnerability. Rather than relying solely on traditional scares, the films embrace psychological tension, folklore, dark humor, and elevated horror to tell deeply resonant stories.
As horror continues to be one of independent cinema’s most innovative and commercially successful genres, Greenpoint Film Festival has quietly become a destination for discovering bold new voices working in the space. This year’s lineup highlights filmmakers who are expanding the boundaries of horror while remaining true to the festival’s commitment to championing fearless, original storytelling.
