Backstage at New/ Next Film Festival

For the 2026 edition of New/Next Film Festival, photographer E. Brady Robinson was commissioned to create a series of backstage portraits of the filmmakers, directors, and actors whose work appeared throughout the festival. Working in the Filmmakers Lounge at BIG (Baltimore Improv Group), Robinson photographed subjects including filmmaker and actor Alex Karpovsky, director Tommy Franklin, filmmaker Marnie Ellen Hertzler, filmmaker Albert Birney, director Shawn Antoine II, and composer and musician Dan Deacon.

Presented by Maryland Public Media, New/Next returned for its fourth edition October 1–4, 2026, bringing more than 160 films to Baltimore, including six world premieres and five U.S. or North American premieres. The festival opened with Hertzler’s documentary Eternity One, while its world premieres included Karpovsky’s dark comedy Riptides and Franklin’s deeply personal documentary You Don’t Know My Name.

With set styling form An-Phuong Ly, Robinson brings the deliberate visual language of the studio backstage, creating bold, highly produced portraits that reflect the energy of New/Next. Together, the photographs form an evolving archive of the filmmakers and creative community shaping independent cinema today. BmoreArt presents a selection from the larger commissioned series.