With New Directors/New Films is now under way and we’ve got you covered with the films the critics are excited about!

“It’s a proving ground — and one with a proven track record” says IndieWire in their recent writeup of the festival, highlighting nine must-see films by the emerging filmmakers showcased in this year’s lineup.

The festival was praised in The New York Times, saying “New Yorkers searching for signs of elusive spring need look no further than New Directors/New Films.” White Sun was described as “a satisfyingly holistic work” by Manohla Dargis, who went on to also discuss Wulu as “a tense, tight feature debut, has made a familiar story singularly his own.” And on the filmmakers behind My Happy Family: “Georgian directors Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross could choreograph a ballet, but, lucky us, they’re filmmakers.”

The Last Family was also the recipient of much acclaim. On RogerEbert.com, the film was praised as “the finest movie to come from Poland in the last 25 years” and compared to a version of  Beetlejuice directed by Mike Leigh.

The Village Voice sees the festival as “a cinematic antidote — a potent tonic for the revival of the spirit” after the banality displayed in many films each year. “No local moviegoing event affords so indispensable an occasion for surprise.”

Brooklyn Magazine offered some insight into the “adventurous” shorts across the two programs in this year’s lineup, after speaking. Speaking with Indian filmmaker Ashim Ahluwalia, “I’ve always liked the eeriness of ghost stories, and in a way, my Events in a Cloud Chamber is one.”

Out of the Latin American auteurs featured in the lineup, Remezcla breaks down the six must-see films, including two noteworthy shorts: As Without So Within and The Blue Devils, both in Shorts Program 2.

In their first-ever roundup of the festival, Screen Slate writes about their highlights from the festival, made up of “bold works by early-career filmmakers.”

We will continue to add to this writeup as more press is published about the festival. Stay tuned!