Every year since 1972, New York\u2019s Film at Lincoln Center has held the New Directors\/New Films Festival, which has showcased early work from directors like Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Guillermo Del Toro, Christopher Nolan, and many more. The 2026 iteration of the festival kicks off on April 8, and The A.V. Club can exclusively debut the trailer for the festival\u2019s 55th edition.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Among the most immediately recognizable titles from this year\u2019s festival are Australian horror film Leviticus from director Adrian Chiarella, which will open the festival and enjoyed positive reviews when it premiered at Sundance earlier this year, and Peter Oh\u2019s Erupcja<\/a>, which features one of Charli xcx\u2019s many acting performances set to grace screens across 2026. John Early, who last appeared at ND\/NF as the star of Theda Hammel\u2019s Stress Positions<\/a>, returns to the festival this year as a director with his debut feature Maddie\u2019s Secret. That film, which also stars Early, features a who\u2019s-who of alt-comedy talent, including Kate Berlant, Eric Rahill, and Conner O\u2019Malley. The festival will close with Donkey Days from director Roseanne Pel, which premiered at Locarno. Of course, half the fun of a festival like this one is walking into a movie you\u2019ve never heard of and leaving with a new favorite director.\u00a0<\/p>\n