11 Places to Check Out During New York’s Downtown Festival
The Downtown Festival in New York was founded by artists to celebrate artists. No noise, no nonsense - just genuine cultural exchange geared towards discovery.
Filmmaker Rebekah Sherman-Myntti founded The Downtown Festival to celebrate independent film - cutting through the noise of the mainstream industry to go direct to the heart of the art and the artists. A space for legendary icons and up-and-coming talent to gather, collaborate, mix, and showcase their work, The Downtown Festival has become a key event at the heart of New York's blooming independent film and music scene, showcasing voices unafraid to bring unprecedented ideas to the screen or stage, fostering inspiration and collaboration.
Inclusive to all ages and backgrounds, The Downtown Festival runs from October 9 - 19 2025. If you're a lover of independent film and music heading to New York for The Downtown Festival this week, Rebekah shares her top picks on where to check out below, from post-screening martini to director Q&As:
1
The Downtown Festival’s official home base for our film program October 10th - 18th. It’s a beautiful red jewel box movie theater tucked inside The Roxy in Tribeca, a truly perfect setting for our one-night-only screenings, premieres, intimate filmmaker conversations, and rowdy Q&As.
2
So’s
Home to The Downtown Festival’s Welcome Celebration on October 9th. Not yet open to the public, this cellar-level club on the Tribeca–Chinatown border is poised to be an instant go-to the moment it gets on people’s radar.
3
A wood-panelled, moody cocktail bar wrapped in a panoramic Hudson River mural with a good crowd and late hours. One of The Downtown Festival’s spots for a post-screening martini or nightcap.
4
The Downtown Festival's go-to for cast-and-crew hangouts - NYC’s first Hokkaidō restaurant and karaoke bar. Catch our featured artists singing late into the night!
5
The Downtown Festival’s favourite place to fuel up! It has fabulously strong espresso, a signature Tahini Latte and Coffee Cola—perfect for a pre-screen caffeine run between Tribeca and Chinatown.
6
A light-filled loft in Chinatown that will host The Downtown Festival’s panel discussions and a special performance on October 19th.
7
King of Downtown, Keith McNally, joins us as a featured filmmaker for a special 35th anniversary screening of his directorial debut End of the Night on October 10th so we must include his iconic SoHo institution on the list!
8
Downtown's quintessential independent bookstore — pick up copies of books by some of our featured artists there! I Regret Almost Everything by Keith McNally and new releases too such as Nymph by Stephanie LaCava and Scene by Abel Ferrara!
9
Our film program’s opening night after-party spot on October 10th. Excellent sound, bar, and vibe in the East Village!
10
Founded by Nini & Elensio, with creative partner Jack Doyle Smith, The Hancock is a Brooklyn-based non-profit artist residency and cultural space. They will co-host a music showcase with us at a surprise downtown location on October 19th.
11
The Film-Makers’ Cooperative (New American Cinema Group) is NYC’s artist-run, nonprofit home for experimental film. Since 1961, they’ve collected, preserved, and shared work outside the studio system—now a member-run catalog of nearly 6,000 films shaping generations of underground and avant-garde cinema. The Co-op is home to Rachel Amodeo’s film What About Me that will be playing at Roxy Cinema on October 18th followed by a conversation between Rachel and film critic Richard Brody.