As per the necessity these days, The Lower East Side Film Festival is presenting their lineup online this year, kicking off their 2020 Virtual Schedule tomorrow night. The fest is highlighting premieres of feature films, beloved themed short film showcases, virtual events (Trivia Night!), Industry Livestreams (panels and conversations), with Judges Indya Moore (Pose), Samantha Bee (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee), and more at the helm.
This year’s theme promises to spotlight immigrant and 1st/2nd generation filmmakers with the 2020 film line-up that acknowledges the character of The Lower East Side itself.
Feature films include:
Blunderpuss – Directed by Shaina Feinberg; After a stint in rehab, a clown goes on an apology tour. Eager to reinvent himself he purchases a pair of tap shoes. Starring Chris Manley, Drae Campbell, Mona Chalabi, Karolena Theresa, Jeff Seal and Chris Roberti.
Mentally AI – Directed by Joshua Edelman; featuring Judd Apatow and Sarah Silverman. A character study of, “the funniest comedian you’ve never heard of,” and an exploration of how we define artistic success, Mentally AI follows Al Lubel, a former Star Search grand champion as he struggles to get by, perpetually broke and sleeping on friends couches, as he continues to pursue his artistic dreams into his sixties.
Unschooled – Directed by Rachel Beth Anderson and Timothy Grucza; Unschooled follows three inner-city high school students as they embark on a radical educational program in North Philadelphia – a program dedicated to empowering students to direct their own education.
Featured festival events include:
“Inside The Writers’ Room of Hulu’s Ramy“ with Ramy Youssef and the writers behind the upcoming 2nd season, in conversation with The Writers Guild of America East, discussing the process of writing about comedy, relationships and religion.
“Rebecca Miller In Conversation with Shaina Feinberg,” a conversation with filmmaker Rebecca Miller and LESFF Alumni filmmaker Shania Feinberg as they discuss the creative choices they have made when faced with overcoming obstacles, and how – pandemic or not – indie-filmmaking requires an ability to adapt and how that adaptability has shaped their work and their careers.
Viewers can purchase individual tickets for features and short showcases ($10 each) or an All-Access Festival Pass ($30). All panels and Trivia Night are free.
See the full schedule HERE.
All films will be live starting June 18th at 6:00pm. The festival will unveil new content everyday at 6:00pm through June 22 but will be available to stream through June 29th.
Winners will be announced online on Monday June 22nd at 6pm.
