‘Dangerous Animals’ to Have U.S. Premiere at Rooftop Films 2025 Summer Series: Get the Full Lineup

The weather is just right for another season of the Rooftop Films Summer Series. The beloved annual festival is back, with IndieWire exclusively debuting the 2025 lineup. This year’s Summer Series will run from May 16 through August 22, and will include over 40 events, featuring new independent feature films, short film programs, family screenings, and live performances.

The U.S. premiere of Sean Byrne’s horror film “Dangerous Animals” is a highlight for the Rooftop Films slate; “Dangerous Animals” will have its world premiere during Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes before screening stateside at the Summer Series, with an in-person Q&A featuring director Byrne and cast members Jai Courtney, Hassie Harrison, and Josh Heuston on Thursday, May 22.

Non-profit Rooftop Films annually celebrates independent films and filmmakers with one of the world’s longest running and largest outdoor festivals for indie film. The screenings take place in outdoor venues across New York City’s five boroughs, ranging from the pier of Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park to Downtown Brooklyn’s Brooklyn Commons, the famed Fort Greene Park lawn, the West Village’s Gansevoort Plaza, and the historic Green-Wood Cemetery.

“Since 1997, Rooftop Films has pioneered a new vision for theatrical cinema—creating unforgettable experiences where films, spaces, and communities converge,” Rooftop Films’ Executive Director Adnaan Wasey said. “Our 2025 season reaffirms our commitment to filmmakers at this pivotal moment for independent film. We’re thrilled to help independent voices find their audiences and celebrate artistic risk-taking.”

Saidah Russell, Rooftop Films’ Head of Programming, added, “This season, we’re building on nearly three decades of the Rooftop Films tradition, showcasing daring, dynamic cinema in vibrant outdoor spaces. Every film we present is chosen to engage, surprise, and inspire, and we’re thrilled to welcome audiences to another summer of unforgettable nights filled with discovery and connection.”

The selected features include festival favorites such as Isabel Castro’s “Selena y Los Dinos” and Katarina Zhu’s Rachel Sennott-starring “Bunnylovr,” as well as Rachael Abigail Holder’s “Love, Brooklyn,” Amanda Kramer’s “By Design,” and Elizabeth Lo’s “Mistress Dispeller.” Elegance Bratton’s documentary “Move Ya Body: The Birth of House” and Jessica Earnshaw’s buzzy true crime doc “Baby Doe” will additionally screen.

For the ninth consecutive year, the Rooftop Films Summer Series will be presented by AMC Networks.

Check out the full lineup below, with all synopses provided by the festival. Additional programming, dates, venues, and partnerships will be announced throughout the summer.

Feature Film Programs

“Dangerous Animals“
2025 | Sean Byrne | Australia | 97 mins | US Premiere
Thursday, May 22nd @ Culture Lab LIC | Free with RSVP
When Zephyr, a rebellious surfer, is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer and held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below. An Independent Film Company & Shudder release.

“Sally“
2025 | Cristina Costantini | US | 103 mins | New York Premiere
Monday, June 2nd @ Gansevoort Plaza, Meatpacking District | Free with RSVP
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. A National Geographic Documentary Films release. Presented in partnership with NewFest and the Meatpacking District Business Improvement District, and as part of the Alfred P. Sloan Science on Screen® series.

“We Want the Funk!“
2025 | Stanley Nelson & Nicole London | US | 88 mins
Wednesday, June 11th @ The Louis Armstrong House Museum | Free with RSVP The syncopated story of funk music, from its roots to the explosion of ’70s urban funk and beyond. A PBS release. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Francisco Moya. RSVPs Available Now

“Corina“
2024 | Urzula Barba Hopfner | Mexico | 96 mins | New York Premiere Thursday, June 12th @ Fort Greene Park | Free with RSVP
A 20-year-old housebound woman accidentally compromises her publishing company’s famous book saga. To save her job and the company, she must overcome her fears. Presented in partnership with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy, as part of the Chinese and Spanish Language Film Series, and Cinema Tropical.

“Bunnylovr“
2025 | Katarina Zhu | US | 86 mins | New York Premiere
Saturday, June 14th @ New Design High School
A drifting cam girl (Katarina Zhu), struggles to navigate an increasingly toxic relationship with one of her clients (Austin Amelio) while rekindling her relationship with her estranged, dying father (Perry Yung) and showing up for her best friend (Rachel Sennott).

“Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story“
2024 | Alison Duke | US | 94 mins
Saturday, July 19th @ Brower Park | Free with RSVP
Sister Nancy is one of the most legendary Dancehall artists to grace a mic, and yet the understanding of her impact and legacy suffers beyond diehards of the genre. It’s time to rectify that. The song that has become a sample darling and star-making vehicle for many artists now brings into focus the trials, tribulations and rousing success of its original songstress. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Chi Ossé and BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!.

Rooftop Selects: “Architecton”
2025 | Victor Kossakovsky | Germany, France, US | 99 mins
Thursday, July 24th @ The Old American Can Factory
An extraordinary journey through the material that makes up our habitat: concrete, and its ancestor, stone. Filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky (Gunda, Aquarela) raises a fundamental question: how do we inhabit the world of tomorrow? An A24 release.

“Selena y Los Dinos“
2025 | Isabel Castro | US | 110 mins | New York Premiere
Saturday, July 26th @ Brooklyn Army Terminal | Free with RSVP
Selena Quintanilla — the “Queen of Tejano Music” — and her family band, Selena y Los Dinos, rose from performing at quinceañeras to selling out stadium tours. The celebration of her life and legacy is chronicled through never-before-seen footage from the family’s personal archive. RSVPs Available Now

“There Was, There Was Not“
2024 | Emily Mkrtichian | US, Armenia | 94 mins
Wednesday, August 13th @ Brooklyn Commons | Free with RSVP
The first line of every Armenian fairy tale, There Was, There Was Not tells the collective myth of a homeland lost forever — and four women’s resistance to that loss. Presented in partnership with ArteEast’s Unpacking the Archive.

“How Deep Is Your Love“
2025 | Eleanor Mortimer | UK | 100 mins
Saturday, August 16th @ Brooklyn Army Terminal
With deep-sea mining looming, biologists race to collect and name the undiscovered species of the abyss, the last wilderness on earth. Recipient of the 2022 Rooftop Films Water Tower Feature Film Grant! Presented part of the Alfred P. Sloan Science on Screen® series.

“Love, Brooklyn“
2025 | Rachael Abigail Holder | US | 97 mins | New York Premiere
Saturday, August 16th @ Brower Park | Free with RSVP
Three longtime Brooklynites navigate careers, love, loss, and friendship against the rapidly changing landscape of their beloved city. A Greenwich Entertainment release. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Chi Ossé.

“By Design”
2025 | Amanda Kramer | US | 99 mins | New York Premiere
Monday, August 18th @ Gansevoort Plaza, Meatpacking District | Free with RSVP A woman swaps bodies with a chair and everyone likes her better as a chair.

“Mistress Dispeller“
2025 | Elizabeth Lo | US, China | 97 mins | New York Premiere
Wednesday, August 20th @ The Old American Can Factory
A love triangle unfolds as a Chinese “mistress dispeller” goes undercover to bring a couple back from the edge of crisis. An Oscilloscope Laboratories release. Recipient of the 2023 Rooftop Films and Irving Harvey Color Correction Grant!

“Move Ya Body: The Birth of House“
2025 | Elegance Bratton | US | 87 mins
Saturday, September 20th @ Brower Park | Free with RSVP
House music has become big business, as pop superstars like Lady Gaga and Beyoncé incorporate the euphoric intensity and driving beats of the style into mainstream hits. But house didn’t begin on the beaches of Ibiza or at a stadium show. It was born in Chicago, where the backlash against disco led to the creation of a musical subculture centering Black and queer people. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Chi Ossé.

“Baby Doe“
2025 | Jessica Earnshaw | US | 100 mins | New York Premiere
Date & Venue TBA
After new forensic evidence emerges, a churchgoing mother of three in Ohio is arrested for murder decades after abandoning a child she says was stillborn.

Short Film Programs

This is What We Mean by Short Films: Opening Night 2025
Friday, May 16th @ Green-Wood Cemetery
Kick the summer off right with one of Rooftop’s biggest and best short film programs of the season!
Tickets Available Now

Vidas Vibrantes: Shorts en Español
Wednesday, June 4th @ Fort Greene Park | Free with RSVP
Transport yourself into vibrantly distinct worlds with a collection of Spanish-language shorts that explore memory, family, love, loss, and youthful mischief. Presented in partnership with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy as part of the Chinese and Spanish Language Film Series.

Rooftop Selects: Farm-to-Screen Shorts
Thursday, June 5th @ Brooklyn Grange Sunset Park
Humans, animals, Earth—this new program explores our tangled ties through docs, narratives, and experiments on climate, care, and kinship. Presented in curatorial partnership with The New York Times Op-Docs.

Cemetery Shorts
Saturday, June 7th @ Green-Wood Cemetery
It’s hard to face the end of life’s long journey. Linger with us a little while longer, and experience a thoughtful collection of films that surprise, mystify, and stir the soul. Presented part of the Alfred P. Sloan Science on Screen® series.

Poetic Portraits
Friday, June 13th @ The Old American Can Factory
Join us on the roof of Gowanus’ historic Old American Can Factory for a beguiling night of docu-shorts that explore the depths of the human experience.

Queerly Beloved: Pride Shorts in the Park
Wednesday, June 25th @ Fort Greene Park | Free with RSVP
Celebrate NYC Pride with an illuminating showcase of LGBTQIA+ stories from around the world.

Love is Strange: Romance Shorts
Tuesday, July 15th @ Gansevoort Plaza, Meatpacking District | Free with RSVP
Feel the warm embrace of our annual program of romantic short films about what it means to fall in love—or, at least, something like it.

New York Non-Fiction
Friday, July 25th @ Green-Wood Cemetery
Fasten your seatbelts and embark on a cinematic trip through this collection of New York City folklore. Presented in curatorial partnership with The New York Times Op-Docs.

Dark Toons
Wednesday, July 30th @ Brooklyn Commons | Free with RSVP
A gateway to mind-bending dreams, these strange, sinister, and spellbinding toons will surely transfix you.

Rooftop Shots: Closing Night 2025
Friday, August 22nd @ Green-Wood Cemetery
Stay awhile and celebrate the culmination of our 29th season with a bittersweet collection of new short films.

Trapped: Mind-Altering Shorts
Date & Venue TBA
Tap into the collective unconscious of a rogue’s gallery of grifters, hermits, and sociopaths with our infamous showcase of gloriously confounding cinematic curios.

URL IRL: Internet Shorts
Date & Venue TBA
From brainrot to belonging, these shorts dive into how the internet shapes identity, connection, delusion, and discovery.

Community Repertory Screenings

“In the Mood for Love“
2000 | Wong Kar Wai | Hong Kong | 98 mins
Wednesday, May 14th @ Fort Greene Park | Free with RSVP
Hong Kong, 1962: Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk) move into neighboring apartments on the same day. Their encounters are formal and polite—until a discovery about their spouses creates an intimate bond between them. Presented in partnership with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy as part of the Chinese and Spanish Language Film Series.

“Comrades, Almost a Love Story”
1996 | Peter Ho-sun Chan | Hong Kong | 118 mins
Thursday, May 22nd @ Fort Greene Park | Free with RSVP
Country boy Xiaojun (Leon Lai) moves to Hong Kong, hoping to get rich so that he can send for his hometown sweetheart and marry her. But Xiaojun barely scrapes by in the baffling metropolis, and is lonely until he meets city-slicker Qiao (Maggie Cheung). Presented in partnership with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy, as part of the Chinese and Spanish Language Film Series, and in curatorial partnership with The New York Times Op-Docs.

Drive-In Movie Night: “The Wild Robot”
2024 | Chris Sanders | US | 118 mins
Friday, May 30th @ New York Hall of Science | Free with RSVP
After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island’s animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose. Join us for a one-night-only revival of the Queens Drive-In, outdoors at the New York Hall of Science!

“Chico & Rita“
2010 | Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal & Tono Errando | Spain, Isle of Man, Hungary, Philippines | 94 mins
Tuesday, June 10th @ The Louis Armstrong House Museum | Free with RSVP
Cuba, 1948. Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and desire unite them as they chase their dreams and each other from Havana to New York to Paris, Hollywood and Las Vegas. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Francisco Moya.

“Moana 2“
2024 | David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand & Dana Ledoux Miller | US | 100 mins Thursday, June 12th @ P.S. 092 Harry T. Stewart Sr. | Free with RSVP
After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Francisco Moya.

“Mufasa: The Lion King“
2024 | Barry Jenkins | US | 118 mins
Friday, June 20th @ Helen Marshall Playground | Free with RSVP
Mufasa, a cub lost and alone, meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of a group of misfits searching for their destiny. Presented in partnership with NYC Council Member Francisco Moya.