The New/Next Film Festival, presented by Baltimore Public Media, was initially conceived as a reaction to the announcement that the Maryland Film Festival would not have a 2023 festival. New/Next drew roughly 3,000 attendees over three days during its inaugural festival (August 18-20, 2023).
The festival’s 2024 lineup featured diverse film work of international scope alongside new and repertory work from the Baltimore film scene. More than 250 filmmakers attended the festival, which featured a revival screening of “Babette’s Feast” hosted by the Baltimore band Beach House, the Baltimore premiere of Conner O’Malley’s “Rap World” and the world premiere of Alexi Wasser’s “Messy.”
New/Next returns to The Charles Oct. 1-4, 2026, while activations are planned for independently run venues in the area including Baltimore Improv Group, Metro Gallery and others.
New/Next was co-founded by Sam Sessa and Eric Hatch, with Sessa serving as Producer and Hatch as Programmer. Other key members include Associate Producer Emma Hannaway and Tech Director Patrick Kieley.