Out On Film will bring five of 2025’s most anticipated queer films and documentaries to Landmark Midtown Art Cinema March 17-19 for Spring Mini-Fest’25.
Back for a third year, Spring Mini-Fest kicks off on Monday, March 17, at 7 p.m. with the joyful comedy-of-errors film “The Wedding Banquet,” starring Bowen Yang (“SNL,” “Wicked”) and Golden Globe Award winner Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”).
Here’s a rundown of each of the films:
The Wedding Banquet (March 17, 7 p.m.)
From director Andrew Ahn comes a joyful comedy of errors about a chosen family navigating cultural identity, queerness, and family expectations. Frustrated with his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris and running out of time, Min makes a proposal: a green-card marriage with their friend Angela in exchange for her partner Lee’s expensive IVF. Elopement plans are upended, however, when Min’s grandmother surprises them with an extravagant Korean wedding banquet. Starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung, The Wedding Banquet is a poignant and heartfelt reminder that being part of a family means learning to both accept and forgive.
Sally (March 18, 6:30 p.m.)
Sally Ride became the first American woman to blast off into space, but beneath her unflappable composure was a secret. Sally’s life partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, reveals their hidden romance and the sacrifices that accompanied their 27 years together. Cristina Costantini’s rich portrait of Ride brings a fullness to her life that goes beyond the headlines of her trailblazing voyage past Earth’s atmosphere. SALLY skillfully weaves together the dual threads of Ride’s story: the private romance she shared with her partner and the professional trajectory of her time in the space program that saw her contend with overt sexism and homophobia, prompting her secrecy.
Speaking Out (March 18, 8:30 p.m.)
Three gay men, Jose, Charlie, and Rigg, plagued by trauma of their own, undergo an emotional journey toward healing to become resilient, overcome their past, and finally speak out in director John Solis’ gripping, excellent documentary
An Unexpected Community (March 19, 6:30 p.m.)
In the early days of the pandemic, Andrea Meyerson, founder of Women On A Roll, launched an online platform for lesbians and queer women. She called it Women On The Net. Five nights a week, Meyerson provided a place for women all over the world to gather and share a wide range of entertaining programming. Feelings of isolation and loneliness were replaced with joy, laughter, and new friends – all via Zoom. Featuring: Lily Tomlin, Kate Clinton, Meredith Baxter, Vickie Shaw, Suzanne Westenhoefer and more.
On Swift Horses (March 18, 8:30 p.m.)
Muriel and her husband Lee are beginning a bright new life in California when he returns from the Korean War. But their newfound stability is upended by the arrival of Lee’s charismatic brother, Julius, a wayward gambler with a secret past. A dangerous love triangle quickly forms. When Julius takes off in search of the young card cheat he’s fallen for, Muriel’s longing for something more propels her into a secret life of her own, gambling on racehorses and exploring a love she never dreamed possible. Directed by Daniel Minhan, the film stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Will Poulter, Diego Calva and Sasha Calle
Get tickets and more details on all the films here.
