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The New/Next Film Festival has announced the dates for its third annual event and opened its 2025 call for entries via FilmFreeway.
The festival, presented by Baltimore Public Media, will take place on Oct. 2 – 5, 2025 at Baltimore’s Charles Theater.
“Baltimore Public Media is incredibly proud to bring back the New/Next Film Festival for its third year, further solidifying our commitment to expanding arts and culture in Baltimore and beyond,” said Craig Swagler, president and general manager of Baltimore Public Media.
“This festival is more than just a celebration of film — it’s a showcase of the bold creativity and diverse storytelling that make our city and region a cultural epicenter.”
Touting the geographic and artistic diversity of the event, Swagler continued, “Hosting some of the best independent films from across the state and country, New/Next continues to reflect the spirit, resilience, and artistic excellence of our outstanding community here in Maryland and right here in Baltimore City. We look forward to once again uniting filmmakers, audiences, and artists for this signature event that enriches and elevates our shared cultural experience.”
The New/Next Film Festival is curated by veteran film programmer Eric Allen Hatch. Last year’s festival saw the event expand its scope to four days, presenting more than 100 films, hosted by over 200 visiting film directors, cast, and crew members.
Highlights of New/Next’s 2024 edition included the opening night world premiere of Alexi Wasser’s “Messy,” named one of the year’s best films by John Waters; the world premiere of Jinho Myung’s “Softshell,” named the best film of the fest in Filmmaker magazine; and the Baltimore premiere of “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat,” nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.
There were also free-admission community screenings, dozens of short-film world premieres, and the festival donated 30 All-Access Passes to local high school and college film students and offered discounted tickets to neighborhood residents.
“The depth and array of emerging talent on display in our 2024 lineup was the most exciting I’ve ever experienced as a film programmer,” said Hatch, who programmed the Maryland Film Festival from 2007-2018. “I can’t wait to see what discoveries our call for entries yields in 2025.”
For more information on the 2025 New/Next Film Festival, click this link.
