The Downtown Festival Celebrates the Past and Future of NYC Film

The Downtown Festival Celebrates the Past and Future of NYC Film

By Tobias Hess
Oct 15, 2025

Despite an ever rising cost of living and a teetering local job market, artists in New York City are still producing some of the world's most vital and boundary pushing art, be it in music, film or fashion.

That doesn't mean the forces of AI, venue closures and corporate consolidation don't sting though, all of which make inventive art-making tough business in this prohibitively expensive metropolis.

That's why it's vital to have festivals like The Downtown Festival, a vibrant new film festival that is ringing in its second year.

With a mix of new premiers, anniversary screenings and moderated talks at Roxy Cinema,The Downtown Festival captures the varied, yet unified nerve of New York City cinema, from a world premier of the Julia Fox and Tim Heidecker-led feature, Fior di Latte, to an anniversary screening of Balthazar and Odeon restaurateur Keith McNally's 1990 film, End Of The Night. And it serves as a reminder that art making persists in this City, even as mediums and pathways shift, from artists who made their name on TikTok (like Kareem Rahma of Subway Takes-fame who stars in Love New York ) to director Susan Seidelman, who showed a 40th anniversary screening of her Madonna vehicle and zeitgeist-defining feature, Desperately Seeking Susan.

"Historically, New York’s downtown brought together film, music, and art into a restless, pulsating ecosystem defined by independence, risk, and real community," says Rebekah Sherman-Myntti, founder & director of The Downtown Festival. "Every generation thinks Downtown is over and every generation remakes it, or tries to. As Manhattan shifts (and grows less hospitable to artists), The Downtown Festival is committed to sustaining that cross-disciplinary, defiant, DIY energy."

"Rebekah and I are independent filmmakers, so we wanted to showcase work across time that embodies a certain grit—the idea of just making something and not waiting for permission," adds Briana Bursten, associate director of The Downtown Festival. "Ultimately, our goal is to celebrate the work of our community, bring people together, and carry on a legacy of creating with friends old and new."

In addition to the exciting film programming, the Festival also hosted an opening party, which featured a performance from legendary director Abel Ferrara's band, and continues have a slew of post-film talks, such as a Q&A for Gus Dapperton's debut feature, The Isdal Man moderated by actor Lucas Hedges. On October 15th, there is a benefit concert for the Asylum Support Clinic at Baby's All Right with musical performances from Porches, Fantasy of a Broken Heart and others, and comedy from Jaboukie Young-White, Honey Pluton, Charlie Bardey and Rachel Coster. The festival closes with a concert at a secret location featuring True Blue, Superfan and others.

"Year one of The Downtown Festival proved that the audience is there and that this is something that should exist. Last year taught me to be even more fearless, from our programming to pulling off ideas people said were impossible," shares Sherman-Myntti, "Starting a festival without sponsors is insane, but where there’s a will, there’s a way, and thanks to the generosity of so many, we’ve been hosted all over the city and have brought together a community of people who want to help build this."

Indeed, the road for independent art in New York City may be a treacherous one, but maintaining is desperately needed, or else we're destined for an artless New York. And how sad is that?

The Downtown Festival is ongoing through October 19th. Information about events, screenings and tickets can be found here.

Photography: Joaquin Bear and Matt Weinberger
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