88.1 WYPR is proud to announce the New/Next Film Festival, a weekend-long celebration of film culture taking place Aug. 18-20 in Baltimore.
Former Maryland Film Festival Director of Programming Eric Allen Hatch will curate the films for the festival that will take place at The Charles Theatre. New/Next will present emerging film work of international scope alongside a special emphasis on new and repertory work from the Baltimore film scene. The festival was conceived as a reaction to the announcement that the Maryland Film Festival (MdFF) would not have a 2023 edition.
“On behalf of the entire WYPR and WTMD staff and board, with thanks to the Abell Foundation, BakerArtist.org and the Baltimore Community Foundation as well as support from the State of Maryland, who together make the festival possible, it gives me great joy to be able to announce that there will be a film festival in Baltimore in the summer of 2023,” said Tom Livingston, WYPR’s interim general manager. “When my family moved to Baltimore in 2004, the Maryland Film Festival was one of our most cherished and annually anticipated events of the year. We were all saddened to hear that the Maryland Film Festival was going on hiatus for 2023, and I am really glad we can either provide New/Next as a bridge or just an opportunity to bring some great movies to the community.”
In order to deliver a film festival on such a compressed timetable, Next/Next is partnering with The Charles Theatre – formerly the home venue for MdFF for over a decade beginning with its inaugural 1999 edition. New/Next will offer Baltimore the first opportunity in many years to experience a world-class film festival with all of its screens under one roof.
“We’re thrilled to bring a vibrant crop of this year’s festival films to Baltimore, while also spotlighting Baltimore’s young and diverse film scene as the next great hub for U.S. independent cinema,” says Hatch, who in addition to 11 years with Maryland Film Festival has curated films at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Oak Cliff Film Festival and True/False Film Festival. “Presenting a film festival within one five-screen theater creates an ideal experience for both attendees and the visiting filmmakers.”
Support for The New/Next Film Festival comes from the Maryland State Arts Council, The Abell Foundation, BakerArtist.org, the Baltimore Community Foundation and the Maryland Film Office.
New/Next co-founder and creative director Eric Allen Hatch is a film curator, critic, and distributor based in Baltimore. From 2007-2018 he worked as a film programmer for Maryland Film Festival, serving as their director of programming from 2010 until leaving the organization in 2018. Previously, he created and programmed the First Thursdays Film Series at the BMA, authored hundreds of film and music criticism pieces for Baltimore City Paper, and co-founded the Red Room, the organization behind the High Zero experimental music festival. Hatch is the theatrical distributor of the films One Man Dies a Million Times (Jessica Oreck, 2019) and Naked Gardens (Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan, 2022), and a co-owner of Beyond Video, Baltimore’s non-profit video-rental library.
About WYPR
Your Public Radio (WYPR) is an NPR station serving Baltimore, Central Maryland and beyond. WYPR was founded in 2002 by local community members. It is an independent licensee with a diverse Board of Directors consisting of Maryland residents. In addition to airing national and international radio features, WYPR excels in local programming including its news, public affairs and cultural programs. WYPR is located at 88.1 FM on the radio dial and at 2216 N. Charles Street in Baltimore. As a listener-supported radio station, all contributions to the station are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. For more information, visit www.wypr.org or call 410-235-1660.
