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Winter is looking a little less dreary all of a sudden, with the announcement of New York City's very first film festival devoted entirely to comedy.
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The New York Comedy Film Festival has announced the full lineup for its inaugural edition, running February 15–22, with screenings and events taking place at venues including Asylum NYC and the Baruch College Performing Arts Center. Spanning a full week, the festival aims to showcase the range of comedic storytelling on screen, from broad laughs to darker, more experimental takes, across features, shorts, series and documentaries.
Founded by Jess Domain, Norm Laviolette, Steve Eliau and Bob Melley, comedy and film veterans, the festival will screen over 75 films, alongside filmmaker panels, Q&As and special events designed to dig into how comedy works and why it endures. Organizers have positioned the festival as a platform for both established voices and emerging filmmakers, with programming that mixes recognizable names and unexpected discoveries.
Among the most notable films screening this year is Before We Get Started, a documentary that shines a light on the often unseen role of stand-up warm-up comedians, featuring appearances and commentary from figures like Amy Schumer, John Oliver, Howie Mandel, Nikki Glaser, Seth Meyers and others. The documentary lineup also includes the opening night selection You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, which explores a pivotal moment in comedy history and its ripple effects across film and television.
Narrative features in this year’s lineup include current Oscar contender Sentimental Value, a darkly funny drama starring Renate Reinsve, Elle Fanning and Stellan Skarsgård, and Bunny, an East Village-set comedy about two friends trying to cover up a dead body. The festival will also include a wide range of short films and episodic pilots, offering audiences a look at new comedic voices and formats that might otherwise struggle to find a theatrical platform.
In addition to daytime and evening screenings, the festival will feature late-night programming, including an Almost Midnight series devoted to future cult comedies, boundary-pushing humor and films best experienced with a crowd after hours. Panels and conversations throughout the week will focus on writing comedy, directing for laughs and navigating the current film and television landscape as a comedy creator.
Tickets and passes start at $33 and are now on sale. The hope is that the fest will be successful enough to warrant becoming an annual event for comedy fans.