The Brooklyn Film Festival has announced the lineup for its 28th edition, set to run May 30 through June 8. This year’s theme is “Pause,” and the event will feature 145 films from 34 countries, including 36 world premieres, 17 U.S. premieres, 28 East Coast debuts and 44 New York firsts.
Founded in 1998, the Brooklyn Film Festival is a competitive international festival that highlights independent filmmakers and positions Brooklyn as a hub for cinema. The 2025 edition will include a mix of narrative and documentary films, along with shorts, animations and experimental works.
The festival opens with the world premiere of “This Will Never Work,” a narrative feature about a family intervention that turns into a mystery. The film stars Marinda Anderson, Amandla Jahava, Jerimiyah Dunbar, Portia, Usama Siddiquee, Pete Grosz, Ron Canada and Sarah Stiles. Many cast members are expected to attend the opening night screening, which begins at 7 p.m. at Windmill Studios in Greenpoint.
Over 10 days, the festival will screen 42 curated programs, 31 at Windmill Studios and 11 at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. All films will also be available for online viewing 24/7 from May 31 through June 8. Tickets and passes are available on the festival’s website and can be picked up at screening venues once the event begins.
Narrative features in competition include “Alice-Heart,” a black-and-white film set in Philadelphia about a college senior searching for meaning in shallow friendships; “Difference & Repetition, 2020,” which follows a woman reconstructing memories of a broken marriage in Lima, Peru; “Domestic Animals,” about five friends whose weekend getaway is upended when their dogs vanish; and “Era,” a coming-of-age story set in 1990 Kosovo during political unrest.
Other narrative selections include the dark UK comedy “Foul Evil Deeds”; “I See the Demon,” a psychological thriller; “Intruders,” about migrant minors caught in a mystery; “Mouse,” centered on a thief and his pen pal; “Stationed at Home,” set on Christmas Eve; and “The Courageous,” about a mother’s journey toward redemption. Additional titles include “The Rabbit Hole,” “The Snare,” “Violent Butterflies” and “White Flash,” which tackle mental illness, police violence and family trauma.
Documentary highlights include “Cycle,” which examines police brutality in the U.S.; “Desert Angel,” about a migrant’s journey across the U.S.-Mexico border; and “Harkness,” focused on an avant-garde musician challenging the boundaries of the art world. Other films explore themes of identity, motherhood, migration and resistance. Notable titles include “Larry (They/Them),” “Love Chaos Kin,” “Roads of Fire” and “She Cried That Day,” which tells the stories of missing Indigenous women.
The festival will also host online events and social media content through Cinesend. Sponsors for the 2025 edition include the Brooklyn Film Society, Cinelease, Quebec Government, PRG, AbelCine, Be Electric, MPE and others. The festival’s advertising campaign, created by the agency Otherway, supports this year’s theme with a digital trailer and branded materials.
For tickets, the full schedule and more details, visit brooklynfilmfestival.org.
