The Lower East Side Film Festival returns for its 16th edition

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The countdown is on for the 16th edition of the Lower East Side Film Festival, taking place April 30-May 4. 

This year's fest opens with "Run Amok," an invigorating drama from Brooklyn-based director NB Mager (her feature debut), with a cast that includes Alyssa Marvin, Patrick Wilson, Margaret Cho and former EV resident Molly Ringwald. 

Of particular local interest: the festival will close with David Shadrack Smith's documentary "Public Access," which looks at New York's public-access TV boom in the 1970s and '80s. 

As always, LESFF leans into emerging filmmakers, shorts, and offbeat programming — along with Q&As, panels and after-hours events. 

Screenings are typically held at the Village East by Angelika on Second Avenue and 12th Street, with additional events around the neighborhood. (Find the full schedule here.) 

At the Village East, I met festival directors, East Village residents, partners in life and work, Tony Castle and Roxy Hunt, plus their son, Leo, for a walk-through...

The two have been behind the Lower East Side Film Festival since its scrappy start in 2011, when it began as a pop-up on Norfolk Street with folding chairs and brown bags of alcohol. (The two started the fest with filmmakers Damon Cardasis and Shannon Walker.) 

Sixteen years on, they say the festival remains fiercely independent, filmmaker-first, and rooted in the same anything-goes downtown energy.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• About the Lower East Side Film Festival: 15 years of keeping it reel

New Italian restaurant Prosciutto coming to 9th Street

Coming-soon signage is up for an Italian restaurant called Prosciutto at 435 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue...

The owners will appear before CB3's SLA committee on May 11 to seek a beer-and-wine license. As of now, the applications aren't online just yet. 

This space was previously the sando shop Evil Katsu, which closed in December after five-plus years here in December.

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

Making friends in Tompkins today...

Report of a roof fire at 433 E. 13th St.

Just after 6 p.m., the FDNY responded to a report of a roof-deck fire at 433 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

According to a Citizen app, "firefighters quickly contained a fire involving trees on the roof... preventing the blaze from spreading to other areas." That report was corroborated by witnesses.

The fire response drew a big crowd... luckily there weren't any reports of injuries.

The amenities at the newish building (at the site of the former Peter Stuyvesant PO), EVE East Village, include a "sunny roof deck, complete with a grassy lawn, a sizable BBQ area, and an outdoor TV with sound system," per its website. 

Thanks to Tim and Henry for the photos! 

Updated... here's one more shot, via dwg...

MoRUS is screening films about squatting and housing activism on the Lower East Side

May is Lower East Side History Month, and the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) is marking the occasion with a weekly film series focused on squatting and housing activism in the neighborhood.

Screenings will take place on Thursday evenings at 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and films starting around 6:30, followed by discussions and Q&As with filmmakers, activists and other special guests.

The series runs from Thursday evening through May 28 and will spotlight stories tied to the Lower East Side's long history of grassroots organizing, housing struggles and community-building. 

Lower East Side History Month is an annual celebration of the people and places that have shaped the neighborhood, with more than 60 organizations hosting tours, talks, performances, and other public programs. This link goes to the events calendar.

Find more film info here. Admission is free; donations accepted. 

Flyer by Maya Drooker

Lawsuit filed to block East Village shelter plan; residents launch petition

Above: Project Renewal, 8 E. 3rd St. 

A group of local residents filed a lawsuit yesterday to stop the city's plan to relocate a key homeless-shelter intake center to the East Village, according to published reports. 

The suit, filed in the State Supreme Court, argues that the city improperly bypassed required public review and notice by declaring the closure of the longtime Bellevue Intake Shelter on 30th Street and the relocation of intake services to the East Village an emergency. 

As previously reported, beginning on May 1, adult men seeking shelter would be directed to Project Renewal's facility at 8 E. Third St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery, while intake for adult families (without minor children) would move to 333 Bowery between Second Street and Third Street.

Residents involved in the lawsuit said the shift would bring a more transient population to the block, raising concerns about the pace and process of the decision. 

A City Hall spokesperson, however, told the Times that conditions at the 30th Street shelter had been unsafe for years and that the move is necessary to ensure continued access to shelter services. 

Advocates have also raised questions about accessibility and whether the new site meets ADA requirements. It remains unclear whether the lawsuit will delay the planned transition, which is scheduled to take effect on May 1. 

Meanwhile, a community task force, VOICE (Village Organization for the Integrity of Community Engagement), has organized a petition, which "demands that the City rescind the emergency orders which have bypassed community safety." 

Find the petition here. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Residents question city's plan to shift shelter intake to the East Village

Art returns to a familiar wall on Avenue C

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Work continues on a new mural on the southwest corner of Avenue C and Sixth Street, where art is returning to this single-level structure. 

The project, led by Thrive Collective's Murals Art Director, Marissa Molina, is described as a "celebration of the neighborhood."

Also contributing is NYC-based artist OuterSource (below left)... with Molina and Thrive Collective Executive Director Jeremy R. Del Rio.

The mural is part of a 2026 Public Realm grant awarded by the city's Department of Small Business Services to Thrive Collective. Last November, organizers hosted a community gathering at the Lower East Side/Chinatown Family Enrichment Center to help inform the mural's design.

The wall previously featured the long-running "Alphabet City" mural, which lasted nearly 11 years before falling into disrepair and being repeatedly tagged. It was painted over last summer. The building wall has been a frequent target of vandalism in recent years.

Thrive originated in 1996 on the Lower East Side as a youth center in NYC Public Housing serving primarily Hispanic youth. Today, Thrive Collective partners with schools and communities across the city on mural and arts education projects, connecting artists with students and local residents. Read more about their work here. 

Here's an in-progress look... work will continue for the next few weeks, weather permitting...

The work will officially be unveiled during the Loisaida Festival on May 24.

The group is also creating a mural celebrating Earth Day at Bracetti Plaza on the corner of Avenue C and Third Street.

Signage alert: Bellanova on 9th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Signage arrived last week for a licensed dispensary coming to 331 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

The shop will be called Bellanova, a venture from Elizabeth McGrath (owner of the Corner Bistro) and Matthew Hennessy. 

McGrath said the space — a slim storefront — will focus on high-end, premium products. 

The applicants appeared before Community Board 3’s Cannabis Control Task Force last June. You can read their application here. 

This space was previously an unlicensed spot called Pride Smokes.

Monday's parting shot

Here's a 5 p.m. look at the SW corner of Avenue A and Ninth Street... where two workers have been painting the building. 

One of the workers today confirmed they would be painting over the 13-year-old mural by UK street artist STIK titled "Liberty."

Today, they focused primarily on the cornice atop the north-facing wall. 

We're told there has been some dialogue with the landlord, although it's unclear what, if anything, might transpire. TBD. 

The mural arrived in September 2013... a gift from the former Dorian Grey Gallery on Ninth Street... the work was to honor the history of Tompkins Square Park.

Shut out of Washington Square Park, 4/20 celebration descends on Tompkins

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Vendors arriving this morning for the annual 4/20 gathering at Washington Square Park were met with barricades and bag checks, according to East Village-based artist Delphine LeGoff (below in Tompkins today), who was there to sell her work.

"The perimeter of the park was barricaded by the NYPD completely, so only the area by the arch was accessible," she said. "They were checking bags, and no equipment or merchandise was allowed in — not even for artists." 

She added that officers were polite and told people, "Don't go to Union Square — just go to Tompkins."

By late morning, activity had shifted to Tompkins Square Park, the site of the first unofficial smoke-in in NYC history in June 1967. 

Around 11 a.m., EVG began receiving reports of vendors setting up marijuana tents, food stands, and art tables, along with a growing crowd and a party-like atmosphere.

Police soon made their way through the park, telling vendors that no tables, vending or smoking (of any kind) would be allowed. 

The message, at least initially, was framed as a warning.

A few hours later, a larger police presence arrived, effectively shutting things down.

An NYPD official said the goal was voluntary compliance, noting that any enforcement would likely result in civil summonses rather than criminal charges. 

Another source described the situation as "pretty chill," with no arrests or summonses as of 4:30 p.m.

Some vendors said they would pivot to giving items away to avoid violating vending rules. Others voiced frustration, saying they would prefer a legal pathway to operate. "We want a license," said one participant from Long Island. "This could be tax revenue for New York." 

Licensed cannabis operators were also on hand, some expressing concern that unregulated activity undermines their businesses while they remain bound by strict rules. 

By 4:20 p.m., the traditional moment was still marked — with plenty of smoke drifting across the park.

All told, it remained a relatively low-key scene. While police ultimately moved to shut down the event, the NYPD did so without force, and there were no reports of injuries or arrests. Officers were largely polite and low-key, and participants, for their part, kept things respectful.

For a gathering that had the potential to go sideways, it never did.

Here are scenes from the morning and early afternoon in Tompkins...

First look at the condoplex that replaced a former synagogue on 4th Street

Workers recently removed the sidewalk scaffolding at 256 E. Fourth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C — offering the first unobstructed look at the new residential building rising on the site of a former synagogue-turned-church. 

As previously reported, the property housed the Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel, which itself occupied a building that began life in 1925 as the Lemberger Congregation Anshei Ashkenaz, one of the East Village's many "tenement synagogues."

The structure was gutted and replaced with a new six-story condo development expected to contain several residences. 

Project architect Stephen Conte told the Post last year that there was no way to save the original façade, as decades of water damage rendered the already-thin front walls unsafe.

Preservationists had voiced concern about the loss of one of the neighborhood’s remaining historic synagogue buildings, part of a broader wave of redevelopment reshaping the East Village and surrounding neighborhoods. 

For months, the work here was hidden behind scaffolding. Now it's all in plain view ... and the past is harder to see.

--

ICYMI: Here's a New York Municipal Archive photo from the early 1940s, when this was the Lemberger Congregation Anshei Ashkenaz. The property, dating to 1859, was once part of Petrus Stuyvesant's estate.

Around the clock again: Veselka’s weekend overnight service is back

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Friday marked the first time in years that Veselka was open around the clock again — and the East Village institution didn't ease back into it quietly. 

We stopped by overnight, where the dining room stayed busy past its usual operating hours. 

"It went really well, and the restaurant was full pretty much until 3 a.m., when things started to settle down a bit," Veselka COO Justin Birchard told us.

As we first reported, Veselka brought back around-the-clock dining on Fridays and Saturdays... so the restaurant on Ninth Street and Second Avenue will open Fridays at 9 a.m. and close again on Sundays at 11 p.m.

On the first overnight service, there was a special cake...

... and small orders of fries for those waiting for a table...

Before the pandemic, Veselka served customers 24/7 for nearly 30 years. When indoor dining resumed, the restaurant scaled back hours, with ownership previously citing staffing challenges for all the shifts.

This car has made the city nearly $10,000

Steven shared this photo the other day from First Avenue at Ninth Street... we were like, Can't imagine why the driver got a ticket for parking like this, haha.

Perhaps the car broke down or ran out of gas?

Anyway, we looked up the plate using public records. 

Apparently, parking is problematic for the driver, to the tune of nearly $10,000. 

Public records show 107 violations dating back to 2024 — two for bus lane violations, 100 for parking and five for speeding. The violations have mostly occurred in Manhattan, though a few have happened in Brooklyn and Queens. 

All this has led the driver to pay $9,816.45 in fines, with another $505 outstanding. 

At this point, it's less a parking problem and more a lifestyle.

Openings: Teriyaki One Japanese Grill on 1st Avenue

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Teriyaki One Japanese Grill debuted earlier this month at 225 First Ave. between 13th and 14th Streets.

Per the restaurant's website: 

Teriyaki One is reversing the clichéd fast food industry by serving fresh, high-quality homemade meals in a timely and stylish manner. While inheriting and developing traditional culinary arts, we attach importance to environmentalism and advocate healthy dietary concepts such as low sodium, no processed food and no MSG. 

Teriyaki One has "opened over 30 restaurants in New York City and New Jersey," per its website. 

This space has been home to many ventures in recent years, including Buffalo Wild Wings, Crab du Jour and Checkers.

Sunday's parting shot

Photo by Cecil Scheib 

Tonight's fiery sunset made it seem a lot warmer than it actually was...

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