Queer Voices: NYC Film Festival 2025

Block 5: "Lover and A Fighter"

Expired October 11, 2025 3:59 AM
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10 films in package
Acá Arriba (Up Here)
A week after his breakup, Venecio, decides to visit the bar he used to go to with his ex-partner. While drowning in his sorrows, he meets a young man who changes his solitary night.
For Small Creatures
In an encounter with an anomalous singularity in deep space, an astronaut gets a second chance to say goodbye.
It Happened in August
Aim (Aimme), a Thai immigrant navigating grief and lost dreams, returns to New York after her mother’s passing and is surprised by the sudden reappearance of her ex, Sandra, on a quiet August evening.
Jamaal
A couple invites an android robot into their home.
Last Day in Florida
Two queer people meet up in Brooklyn after years of not talking to each other and reminisce about dating (as each other’s beards) during high school back home in Florida.
Quinceañera
After being forced to have a quinceañera, a raging teenager is faced with joy and confusion when she meets a shy girl at dance practice.
SALTY
After a breakup hibernation, KeKe — a Black trans woman — is coaxed into a night out, where she unexpectedly connects with a sweet stranger and must decide between a fresh start or clinging to the past.
Side Roads
Franco and his boyfriend's nomadic life in an RV is interrupted by Franco's widowed mother's unexpected visit. Franco fabricates a groomed lifestyle to satisfy her expectations, much to his boyfriend's chagrin, only to discover that his mother may not be the same person he once knew.
The Last Goodbye
After a breakup, Nic and Kitty reunite at a park to clean up loose ends. Sometimes, relationship changes aren’t for better or worse—it’s just different.
UPSTAGE
Two dancers with contrasting styles butt heads, but when they become face to face their contention is overcome with a powerful sensation.
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“It’s tradition! You’re going to look so beautiful! You’re going to cherish this memory forever!” This is all the crap that 14-year-old Daniela (aka Dani) is tired of hearing as her Quinceañera approaches. While her traditional, Mexican mom is obsessed with the idea of a Quinceañera, Dani hates it. Unfortunately, she’s left with no choice and has to start attending her vals practice.


While Dani and her friends begin to plot on how to sabotage her Quinceañera, in enters Angelica (aka Angie) – a Catholic schoolgirl and daughter of the vals instructor. Since Angie seems so timid and lonely, Dani decides to be a nice person and talk to her. They have a fun time hanging out until Dani is confronted by her best friend about her closeness to Angie.


Even though Dani denies her feelings for Angie at first, deep down she knows the truth. So what does she do? Stick to her plans of sabotaging the Quinceañera and risk losing her

connection to Angie or follow her mother’s wishes and deal with the discomfort that this tradition doesn’t align with her authentic self?

  • Runtime
    20:44
  • Language
    English and Spanish
  • Premiere
    NY Premiere
  • Director
    Jessica V. Garcia
  • Screenwriter
    Jessica V. Garcia
  • Producer
    Jessica V. Garcia, Josslyn Glen, Elizabeth Uribe, Emily Rios, Armida Lopez
  • Filmmaker
    Jessica V. Garcia
  • Cast
    Katherine Bahena-Benitez Cast as Dani Raquel Justice Cast as Angie Armida Lopez Cast as Laura Arely Araniva Cast as Gloria Gilberto Ortiz Cast as Ivan Wednesday Diaz Cast as Vane Edward Padilla Cast as Priest
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