Brooklyn, NY - Rooftop Films, the non-profit organization celebrated as New York City’s home for independent films and filmmakers, is proud to announce the lineup for its annual Rooftop Films Summer Series, one of the world’s longest running and largest outdoor festivals for independent film.

Since its inception, Rooftop Films has set out to engage and inspire diverse communities by showcasing the work of burgeoning filmmakers in extraordinary outdoor venues across New York City’s five boroughs. Rooftop Films strives to make events accessible for all by offering free screenings and low ticket prices, with additional discounts and exclusive perks available through its membership program.

"Since 1997, Rooftop Films has pioneered a new vision for theatrical cinema—creating unforgettable experiences where films, spaces, and communities converge," says Rooftop Films’ Executive Director, Adnaan Wasey. "Our 2025 season reaffirms our commitment to filmmakers at this pivotal moment for independent film. We're thrilled to help independent voices find their audiences and celebrate artistic risk-taking."

This year’s Summer Series will run from May 16th through August 22nd, and will include over 40 events, featuring new independent feature films, short film programs, family screenings, and live performances. Programming highlights include:

- The US Premiere of the Independent Film Company & Shudder's Dangerous Animals, featuring an in-person Q&A with director Sean Byrne and cast members Jai Courtney, Hassie Harrison & Josh Heuston on Thursday, May 22nd! The film will be world premiering at Cannes in Directors' Fortnight before coming to New York.

- The chance to check out early screenings of new festival favorites, including Isabel Castro's Selena y Los Dinos; Amanda Kramer’s By Design; Katarina Zhu’s Bunnylovr; Eleanor Mortimer’s How Deep Is Your Love; Rachael Abigail Holder’s Love, Brooklyn; Elizabeth Lo's Mistress Dispeller; and many more!  
    
- This is What We Mean by Short Films: Opening Night 2025 on Friday, May 16th at Green-Wood Cemetery, featuring a night of music, community, and an exciting collection of some of the best new short films of the year.  
    
- The return of Rooftop’s celebrated shorts programming, including New York Non-Fiction, Love is Strange: Romance Shorts, Cemetery Shorts, new additions Farm-to-Screen Shorts and URL IRL: Internet Shorts, and more! Carefully curated selections of the best in independent short films from around the world, featuring a diverse array of narratives, documentaries, experimental, and animated works, showcasing emerging voices and groundbreaking storytelling. Select programs presented in curatorial partnership with The New York Times Op-Docs!

- Free community events, bringing the joy and the art of cinema to neighborhoods across the city, including partnerships with Council Members Francisco Moya & Shekar Krishnan in Queens, Chi Ossé in Crown Heights, Crystal Hudson in Fort Greene, Erik Bottcher in the Meatpacking District, and  Farah Louis in Flatbush.

For the ninth consecutive year, the Rooftop Films Summer Series will be presented by AMC Networks and its portfolio of iconic brands. Rooftop Films will be presenting exclusive advance screenings in New York with AMCN this summer.

“This season, we’re building on nearly three decades of the Rooftop Films tradition, showcasing daring, dynamic cinema in vibrant outdoor spaces,” says Saidah Russell, Rooftop Films’ Head of Programming. “Every film we present is chosen to engage, surprise, and inspire, and we’re thrilled to welcome audiences to another summer of unforgettable nights filled with discovery and connection.”

Russell and Wasey will also be co-hosting a virtual walkthrough of Rooftop Films’ 2025 slate on Tuesday, May 13th. During this exclusive session, viewers will get an inside look at the feature and short film programs that make up this year’s lineup! Whether you’re a filmmaker, journalist, or simply a fan of bold, independent storytelling, this is your chance to discover everything Rooftop has planned—straight from the team behind the scenes.

Tickets and Venues:

Tickets for select upcoming screenings are on sale now via the Rooftop Films website, with additional dates and tickets to be released in the coming weeks.

Additionally, three Rooftop Films screenings will be free to members as part of the Rooftop Selects Membership Screening Series. For first-access to events, memberships are available at www.rooftopfilms.com/support.

In addition to presenting amazing films, Rooftop Films is also known for their scenic and unique outdoor venues. 2025 venue partners will, among others, include the pier of Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, with support from New York City Economic Development Corporation; Downtown Brooklyn’s Brooklyn Commons, co-presented by Brookfield Properties; the famed Fort Greene Park lawn, in partnership with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy; The Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens; and the West Village’s Gansevoort Plaza, in partnership with the Meatpacking District; Greenwood’s historic Green-Wood Cemetery; the roof of The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus; the roof of the Lower East Side’s New Design High School; and New York Hall of Science in Queens.

Feature Film Programs

Dangerous Animals

2025 | Sean Byrne | Australia | 97 mins | US Premiere

Thursday, May 22nd @ Culture Lab LIC | Free with RSVP

When Zephyr, a rebellious surfer, is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer and held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below. An Independent Film Company & Shudder release.

RSVPs Available Now

Sally

2025 | Cristina Costantini | US | 103 mins | New York Premiere

Monday, June 2nd @ Gansevoort Plaza, Meatpacking District | Free with RSVP

Sally Ride became the first American woman to blast off into space, but beneath her unflappable composure was a secret. Sally’s life partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, reveals their hidden romance and the sacrifices that accompanied their 27 years together. A National Geographic Documentary Films release. Presented in partnership with NewFest and the Meatpacking District Business Improvement District, and as part of the Alfred P. Sloan Science on Screen® series.

RSVPs Available Now

We Want the Funk!

2025 | Stanley Nelson & Nicole London | US | 88 mins

Wednesday, June 11th @ The Louis Armstrong House Museum | Free with RSVP

The syncopated story of funk music, from its roots to the explosion of '70s urban funk and beyond. A PBS release. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Francisco Moya.

RSVPs Available Now

Corina

2024 | Urzula Barba Hopfner | Mexico | 96 mins | New York Premiere

Thursday, June 12th @ Fort Greene Park | Free with RSVP

A 20-year-old housebound woman accidentally compromises her publishing company's famous book saga. To save her job and the company, she must overcome her fears. Presented in partnership with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy, as part of the Chinese and Spanish Language Film Series, and Cinema Tropical.

RSVPs Available Now

Bunnylovr

2025 | Katarina Zhu | US | 86 mins | New York Premiere

Saturday, June 14th @ New Design High School

A drifting cam girl (Katarina Zhu), struggles to navigate an increasingly toxic relationship with one of her clients (Austin Amelio) while rekindling her relationship with her estranged, dying father (Perry Yung) and showing up for her best friend (Rachel Sennott).

Tickets Available Now

Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story

2024 | Alison Duke | US | 94 mins

Saturday, July 19th @ Brower Park | Free with RSVP

Sister Nancy is one of the most legendary Dancehall artists to grace a mic, and yet the understanding of her impact and legacy suffers beyond diehards of the genre. It’s time to rectify that. The song that has become a sample darling and star-making vehicle for many artists now brings into focus the trials, tribulations and rousing success of its original songstress. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Chi Ossé and BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!.
RSVPs Available Now

Rooftop Selects: Architecton 2025 | Victor Kossakovsky | Germany, France, US | 99 mins

Thursday, July 24th @ The Old American Can Factory

An extraordinary journey through the material that makes up our habitat: concrete, and its ancestor, stone. Filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky (Gunda, Aquarela) raises a fundamental question: how do we inhabit the world of tomorrow? An A24 release.

Tickets Available Now

Selena y Los Dinos

2025 | Isabel Castro | US | 110 mins | New York Premiere

Saturday, July 26th @ Brooklyn Army Terminal | Free with RSVP

Selena Quintanilla — the “Queen of Tejano Music” — and her family band, Selena y Los Dinos, rose from performing at quinceañeras to selling out stadium tours. The celebration of her life and legacy is chronicled through never-before-seen footage from the family’s personal archive.

RSVPs Available Now

There Was, There Was Not

2024 | Emily Mkrtichian | US, Armenia | 94 mins

Wednesday, August 13th @ Brooklyn Commons | Free with RSVP

The first line of every Armenian fairy tale, There Was, There Was Not tells the collective myth of a homeland lost forever — and four women’s resistance to that loss. Presented in partnership with ArteEast’s Unpacking the Archive.

RSVPs Available Now

How Deep Is Your Love

2025 | Eleanor Mortimer | UK | 100 mins

Saturday, August 16th @ Brooklyn Army Terminal

With deep-sea mining looming, biologists race to collect and name the undiscovered species of the abyss, the last wilderness on earth. Recipient of the 2022 Rooftop Films Water Tower Feature Film Grant! Presented part of the Alfred P. Sloan Science on Screen® series.
RSVPs Available Now

Love, Brooklyn

2025 | Rachael Abigail Holder | US | 97 mins | New York Premiere

Saturday, August 16th @ Brower Park | Free with RSVP

Three longtime Brooklynites navigate careers, love, loss, and friendship against the rapidly changing landscape of their beloved city. A Greenwich Entertainment release. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Chi Ossé.
RSVPs Available Now

By Design

2025 | Amanda Kramer | US | 99 mins | New York Premiere

Monday, August 18th @ Gansevoort Plaza, Meatpacking District | Free with RSVP

A woman swaps bodies with a chair and everyone likes her better as a chair.
RSVPs Available Now

Mistress Dispeller

2025 | Elizabeth Lo | US, China | 97 mins

Wednesday, August 20th @ The Old American Can Factory

A love triangle unfolds as a Chinese “mistress dispeller” goes undercover to bring a couple back from the edge of crisis. An Oscilloscope Laboratories release. Recipient of the 2023 Rooftop Films and Irving Harvey Color Correction Grant!
Tickets Available Now

Move Ya Body: The Birth of House

2025 | Elegance Bratton | US | 87 mins

Saturday, September 20th @ Brower Park | Free with RSVP

House music has become big business, as pop superstars like Lady Gaga and Beyoncé incorporate the euphoric intensity and driving beats of the style into mainstream hits. But house didn’t begin on the beaches of Ibiza or at a stadium show. It was born in Chicago, where the backlash against disco led to the creation of a musical subculture centering Black and queer people. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Chi Ossé.
RSVPs Available Now

After new forensic evidence emerges, a churchgoing mother of three in Ohio is arrested for murder decades after abandoning a child she says was stillborn.

Short Film Programs

This is What We Mean by Short Films: Opening Night 2025

Friday, May 16th @ Green-Wood Cemetery

Kick the summer off right with one of Rooftop’s biggest and best short film programs of the season!

Tickets Available Now

Vidas Vibrantes: Shorts en Español

Wednesday, June 4th @ Fort Greene Park | Free with RSVP

Transport yourself into vibrantly distinct worlds with a collection of Spanish-language shorts that explore memory, family, love, loss, and youthful mischief. Presented in partnership with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy as part of the Chinese and Spanish Language Film Series.

RSVPs Available Now

Rooftop Selects: Farm-to-Screen Shorts

Thursday, June 5th @ Brooklyn Grange Sunset Park

Humans, animals, Earth—this new program explores our tangled ties through docs, narratives, and experiments on climate, care, and kinship. Presented in curatorial partnership with The New York Times Op-Docs.

Tickets Available Now

Cemetery Shorts

Saturday, June 7th @ Green-Wood Cemetery

It’s hard to face the end of life’s long journey. Linger with us a little while longer, and experience a thoughtful collection of films that surprise, mystify, and stir the soul. Presented part of the Alfred P. Sloan Science on Screen® series.

Tickets Available Now

Poetic Portraits

Friday, June 13th @ The Old American Can Factory

Join us on the roof of Gowanus' historic Old American Can Factory for a beguiling night of docu-shorts that explore the depths of the human experience.

Tickets Available Now

Queerly Beloved: Pride Shorts in the Park

Wednesday, June 25th @ Fort Greene Park | Free with RSVP

Celebrate NYC Pride with an illuminating showcase of LGBTQIA+ stories from around the world.

RSVPs Available Now

Love is Strange: Romance Shorts

Tuesday, July 15th @ Gansevoort Plaza, Meatpacking District | Free with RSVP

Feel the warm embrace of our annual program of romantic short films about what it means to fall in love—or, at least, something like it.

RSVPs Available Now

New York Non-Fiction

Friday, July 25th @ Green-Wood Cemetery

Fasten your seatbelts and embark on a cinematic trip through this collection of New York City folklore. Presented in curatorial partnership with The New York Times Op-Docs.

Tickets Available Now

Dark Toons

Wednesday, July 30th @ Brooklyn Commons | Free with RSVP

A gateway to mind-bending dreams, these strange, sinister, and spellbinding toons will surely transfix you.

RSVPs Available Now

Rooftop Shots: Closing Night 2025

Friday, August 22nd @ Green-Wood Cemetery

Stay awhile and celebrate the culmination of our 29th season with a bittersweet collection of new short films.

Tickets Available Now

Community Repertory Screenings

In the Mood for Love

2000 | Wong Kar Wai | Hong Kong | 98 mins

Wednesday, May 14th @ Fort Greene Park | Free with RSVP

Hong Kong, 1962: Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk) move into neighboring apartments on the same day. Their encounters are formal and polite—until a discovery about their spouses creates an intimate bond between them. Presented in partnership with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy as part of the Chinese and Spanish Language Film Series.

RSVPs Available Now

Comrades, Almost a Love Story

1996 | Peter Ho-sun Chan | Hong Kong | 118 mins

Thursday, May 22nd @ Fort Greene Park | Free with RSVP

Country boy Xiaojun (Leon Lai) moves to Hong Kong, hoping to get rich so that he can send for his hometown sweetheart and marry her. But Xiaojun barely scrapes by in the baffling metropolis, and is lonely until he meets city-slicker Qiao (Maggie Cheung). Presented in partnership with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy, as part of the Chinese and Spanish Language Film Series, and in curatorial partnership with The New York Times Op-Docs.

RSVPs Available Now

Drive-In Movie Night: The Wild Robot

2024 | Chris Sanders | US | 118 mins

Friday, May 30th @ New York Hall of Science | Free with RSVP

After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose. Join us for a one-night-only revival of the Queens Drive-In, outdoors at the New York Hall of Science! Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Francisco Moya and NYSCI.

RSVPs Available Now

Chico & Rita

2010 | Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal & Tono Errando | Spain, Isle of Man, Hungary, Philippines | 94 mins

Tuesday, June 10th @ The Louis Armstrong House Museum | Free with RSVP

Cuba, 1948. Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and desire unite them as they chase their dreams and each other from Havana to New York to Paris, Hollywood and Las Vegas. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Francisco Moya.

RSVPs Available Now

Moana 2

2024 | David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand & Dana Ledoux Miller |  US | 100 mins

Thursday, June 12th @ P.S. 092 Harry T. Stewart Sr. | Free with RSVP

After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she's ever faced. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Francisco Moya.

RSVPs Available Now

Mufasa: The Lion King

2024 | Barry Jenkins | US | 118 mins

Friday, June 20th @ Helen Marshall Playground | Free with RSVP

Mufasa, a cub lost and alone, meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of a group of misfits searching for their destiny. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Francisco Moya.

RSVPs Available Now