New/Next Film Festival set to return

Event expanded to 4 days this fall

Baltimore Public Media is bringing back and expanding the New/Next Film Festival, an event originally conceived as a stopgap measure until the troubled Maryland Film Festival could figure out its plans.

Now, with the Maryland Film Festival returning next month, Baltimore film fans will have another chance to celebrate movies this fall as the New/Next festival sets up Oct. 3-6 at the Charles Theatre.

The New/Next festival was expanded to four days to feature more films and visiting filmmakers and launched a call for entries. The event will also have at least two free screenings for the community. While the Charles Theatre will be the New/Next base, organizers plan to coordinate activities with other venues, including Baltimore Improv Group, Metro Gallery and Mobtown Ballroom.

“New/Next’s first year was arguably the best experience I’ve had in 20 years as a film-festival curator, and I’m thrilled that we’ll be back at The Charles Theatre for a bigger and even better second edition this October,” said Eric Hatch, New/ Next’s programmer and co-founder and the former Maryland Film Festival director of programming, in a news release Thursday. “The landscape of independent cinema is always evolving, and I can’t wait to bring work by some of the most exciting new voices in film to our amazing audiences.”

The Maryland Film Festival, which in its prime attracted more than 12,000 visitors, had to cancel its 2023 event to recoup financially. The arts community shifted to support the New/ Next Film Festival. Programmers would develop a lineup of 23 feature-length movies and 53 short films, attracting some 3,000 attendees over three days.

Marking its 25th year, the Maryland Film Festival is set for May 2-5 at The Parkway Theatre in Station North.

“We’d originally conceived of the New/Next Film Festival as a stand-in for the Maryland Film Festival,

which went dark last year to reorganize, but the response was so overwhelmingly positive, that we had to bring New/Next back,” said Craig Swagler, Baltimore Public Media president and general manager, said in the release. “Baltimore has such a vibrant community of filmmakers and film lovers — there’s plenty of room for multiple festivals to not only coexist but thrive.”

A New/Next lineup has not been released for this year, but a limited number of all access passes will be available during WYPR’s spring pledge drive. Funding for the festival includes support from the Maryland State Arts Council, BakerArtist.org, Leidy Foundation and Baltimore Community Foundation.