Tue, Aug 4 → Tue, Aug 11 · New York City
This week
Everything worth your time in the next seven days. Listings are verified from organizer sources or submissions.
Runs Jul 23 – Aug 16 · AMT Theater
Broadway Bound Theatre Festival 2026
A summer festival of new plays and musicals in development, on West 45th Street.
$30–40 (varies by show) · Best for actors & theatre-people
Runs Jul 28 – Sep 8 · Film Forum
NYC in Transit
A Film Forum series of classic NYC movies where the subway, the El, and the streets are the real stars — timed to the Transit Museum's 50th.
$18 general, $12 members · Best for filmmakers & writers
Runs Jul 30 – Aug 16 · Gene Frankel Theatre
Gene Frankel Theatre Play Festival 2026
A summer festival of new plays at the Gene Frankel Theatre in NoHo, including Onomatopoeia Theatre Company.
$28–106 · Best for actors & theatre-people
Wed, Aug 5 · 8:00 PM · The Bell House
The Moth StorySLAM: Bossy
An open storytelling slam at The Bell House — tell a true 5-minute story on the theme Bossy.
$22.05 · Best for writers & actors
Runs Aug 5 – Aug 9 · Broadway Stages
Greenpoint Film Festival 2026
Greenpoint's indie film festival — five days of new and upcoming filmmakers in North Brooklyn.
$22.05 per program · $50 day pass · $150 all-access · Best for filmmakers & writers
Thu, Aug 6 · 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM · Bryant Park (Reading Room)
Writers Workshop at Bryant Park: Writing Humor
A free humor-writing workshop with Gotham president Alexander Steele — learn the craft, then write.
Free · Best for writers & comedians
Runs Aug 6 – Aug 23 · UNDER St. Marks
The Little Shakespeare Festival 2026
FRIGID's festival of small-cast, independent takes on Shakespeare — the 2026 theme is 'ShakesPUNK,' loud and countercultural.
$25 in-person, $20 streaming · Best for actors & theatre-people
Fri, Aug 7 · 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM · Marcus Garvey Park — Richard Rodgers Amphitheater
HARLEM WEEK / ImageNation: Prince Documentary + Soul Train Tribute
A free outdoor HARLEM WEEK doc screening on Prince's early years, wrapped in a Soul Train-style tribute.
Free · Best for filmmakers & first-timers
Fri, Aug 7 · 7:00 PM · Industry City, Courtyard 5/6 (Rooftop Films)
Rooftop Films: Love is Strange — Romance Shorts 2026
A program of romance shorts, screened outdoors in a Sunset Park courtyard.
$22 · Best for filmmakers & writers
Runs Aug 7 – Aug 15 · Chain Theatre
Chain NYC Film Festival 2026
An NYC showcase for independent film, with filmmaker talkbacks, at Chain Theatre.
$13 advance, $15 door · Best for filmmakers & writers
Fri, Aug 7 · TBA · Solas Bar
48 Hour Film Project — New York 2026
Draw a genre, then write, shoot, and edit a short film in 48 hours — premiere and awards follow.
From $158/team · Best for filmmakers & writers
Runs Aug 7 – Aug 16 · Regal UA Midway + multiple Queens venues
Festival of Cinema NYC 2026
Queens' 10th annual indie film festival — shorts, features, and filmmaker Q&As in Forest Hills.
Passes not yet on sale — check the festival site · Best for filmmakers & writers
Sat, Aug 8 · 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM · Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument, Riverside Park
Summer on the Hudson: Shakespeare Workout
A free outdoor class in the basics of acting and stage combat, in Riverside Park.
Free · Best for actors & theatre-people
Sat, Aug 8 · 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM · Marcus Garvey Park — Richard Rodgers Amphitheater
HARLEM WEEK / ImageNation: Black Anime K-Con Preview
A free outdoor HARLEM WEEK preview of the new Black Anime K-Con festival, capped by an RZA concert film.
Free · Best for filmmakers & first-timers
Sat, Aug 8 · 8:00 PM · The Old American Can Factory (Rooftop Films)
Rooftop Films: Sour Minnows
An indie feature program, screened outdoors in a Gowanus courtyard after dark.
$22 · Best for filmmakers & writers
Sun, Aug 9 · 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM · Online
New Plaza Cinema Talk Back: Great Expectations (1946)
An online talk back on David Lean's 1946 Dickens adaptation, led by film historian Max Alvarez.
$5 suggested donation · Best for filmmakers & writers
Mon, Aug 10 · 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM · Bryant Park
Reel Talks at Bryant Park: The World of Black Film
Criterion's Ashley Clark on a century of Black cinema, free at Bryant Park.
Free · Best for filmmakers & writers
Mon, Aug 10 · 8:00 PM · The Bell House
The Moth StorySLAM: Schooled
An open storytelling slam at The Bell House — tell a true 5-minute story on the theme Schooled.
$22.05 · Best for writers & actors
Tue, Aug 11 · 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM · B&H Event Space
B&H Event Space: Cinematic Portraits & Documentary Storytelling
Documentary filmmaker Brett Garamella on cinematic portraits and storytelling in the field — free at B&H.
Free · Best for filmmakers & crew