Preview by Brad Balfour, Arts Editor
What: Dances With Film NY
When: January 15 – 18, 2026
Where: Regal Union Square
850 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
Since 1998, the Dances With Film festival has championed aspiring filmmakers and little known projects. Originating in Los Angeles, DWF expanded to New York in 2022. Now the Dances With Film NY festival hits the Regal Union Square (850 Broadway, New York, NY) this January 15 through the 18th. DWFNY includes features, shorts, documentaries, pilots, and family friendly fare in a packed schedule.
The North American premiere of “Vindicta,” directed by Dominik Sedlar, opens the festival. A tale of a young woman’s revenge against the Nazis, this drama provides a timely tale set in the past. Documentaries include “Dad Genes” in which a former sperm donor discovers that he’s fathered dozens of children, thrusting him into the global spotlight and transforming him from anonymous donor to unconventional family man.
The Midnight Series block of films features works that are a little off kilter such as “Knifeman” in which a mild-mannered IRS Agent Horatio Hunt must suit up and become the superhero Knifeman to save his city from an assault by a sinister sorceress. This film is part Ultraman and part “Silence of the Lambs.”
The closing night film, “Roof,” is directed by Salvatore Sciortino. It tells of two co-workers facing terrible life choices who get locked on the roof of a skyscraper during a long, hot holiday weekend. What begins as an inconvenience turns into a fight for survival as they attempt increasingly dangerous ways to escape, all the while forming a unique and unexpected friendship.
There are various world premieres included in the slate. “By the Grape of God” is a holy addition to the genre of films about wine, a subject which propels the narrative to places it’s never gone before. In BTGOG, two priests—Thomas and Christopher—embark on a madcap wine tasting weekend in Solvang, CA, to find the perfect communion wine. The film spirals into a full-on identity crisis. When Thomas learns that Christopher received a sign from God to become a priest, he’s rattled and issues God an ultimatum: give him a sign this weekend or he’s done with the priesthood. The ending is surprising.
World Premiere, Saturday, January 17 at 5:15 pm
Walter Kim’s platonic dramedy “Banana Split,”is shot in gorgeous black and white. It draws inspiration from films like Before Sunrise, Lost in Translation, and Frances Ha. A story about Asian-Americans who are complicated, three-dimensional humans wrestling with identity, it’s rich in considerations of cultural expectations, and belonging. So many Asian-Americans born in the US live with an internal conflict: we’re not quite one thing or the other. I wanted to explore that tension authentically and without easy answers.” I know we’ve heard the expression “love letter to New York” before, but Kim’s story shows a unique — yet universal perspective.
World Premiere, Sunday, January 18 at 4:30 pm
The documentary “Holy Ghetto” reveals a side of Israel few people see — Tel-Aviv’s gritty, desperate red-light district. The film follows Olga, Dave, Yana, and Ohad through their memories, dreams, hopes, and fears, set against TLV’s red-light district, a neighborhood of contrasts where despair and resilience collide. Their stories reveal the human capacity to endure and transform in the most difficult circumstances.
World Premiere Friday, January 16 at 6:45 pm
DWFNY will also feature a slate of panels and events to be held at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Union Square with details TBA.
To learn more, go to: https://danceswithfilms.com/