Press

Cinephiles in Baltimore have some reason to complain—we often get first-run indie films weeks after they premiere in New York or L.A.—but then again, we have the New/Next Film Festival and they don’t.

For four days this fall, the stretch of North Charles Street around the historic Charles Theatre will feel like the center of the independent film world. Also: A Conversation with Eric Allen Hatch and Sam Sessa

BRUISER’s crit & culture editor Alex Lei offers a preview of what’s to come at this weekend’s New/Next Film Festival

Baltimore's New/Next Film Festival returns this week with more than 160 films, including several premieres and plenty of local connections.

The New/Next Film Festival will bring 300 filmmakers to The Charles Theatre next weekend.

Next week, Baltimore’s oldest cinema, the Charles Theatre, will introduce audiences to the newest voices in film during the New/Next Festival.

The New/Next Film Festival, taking place the first weekend of October at the Charles Theatre, has announced its full lineup of more than 160 films. This is the fourth year of the festival.

The New/Next Film Festival returns next week for its fourth year with a diverse and exciting slate of features, documentaries, and shorts. Mixing Baltimore-bred selections with more international fare, the slate once again feels vital, like getting spoilers for where cinema as a medium will go in years to come.

New/Next Film Festival, presented by Baltimore Public Media and taking place October 1-4, 2026 in Baltimore’s historic 5-screen Charles Theatre, announced its full lineup of 160+ films today, including 30+ emerging titles, 6 world premieres and 5 U.S. or North American premieres.

It’s Thursday night in Baltimore, and a crowd is making a beeline from The Charles Theatre to the New/Next Film Festival’s opening night party across the street at Metro Baltimore.

Lukas Armstrong-Laird reports from Baltimore’s hottest indie film fest.

Begun as a scrappy response to the Maryland Film Festival cancelling its edition in 2023, New/Next held its third run in Baltimore from October 2 to 5 and has already announced that the festival will be back next fall.