An Arrangement

A politician's wife with a drug problem that is threatening to derail her husband's gubernatorial run, is forced by her husband to secretly undergo rehab at their secluded summer home. But when he starts to take an interest in her young and unconventional nurse, tensions arise that put their marriage, and all of their lives, on the line.

An Autumn Summer

Kevin and his girlfriend, Cody, are two months into his family's annual trip at their lake house. Time causes change...and this year, one month remains before their lives take them on different paths. Amid peaceful days and adventurous nights, Kevin and Cody awaken to reality: This time together will eventually end, and each moment may become a fleeting memory.

Anxiety Club

A humorous and heartfelt exploration of anxiety through the lens of some of today’s most brilliant comedians: Tiffany Jenkins, Joe List, Marc Maron, Aparna Nancherla, Mark Normand, Baron Vaughn, and Eva Victor. With a mix of stand-up performances, sketch videos, exclusive interviews, and relatable everyday life scenarios, they candidly share their personal struggles with the condition that affects more than 300 million people.

Bankie Banx: King of the Dune

From humble beginnings on the remote island of Anguilla, trailblazing singer-songwriter Bankie Banx defied genre constraints and industry expectations to forge his own path. Dubbed “the Bob Dylan of the Caribbean,” he has journeyed from breakout stardom to founding the iconic Moonsplash Music Festival and the Dune Preserve, where he presides as pirate king of a de facto autonomous zone.

Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell's Swimsuit Issue

In the 1960s at the height of the Mad Men era, Jule Campbell fights sexism and accusations of objectification to turn the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue into a cultural phenomenon. She empowered models like Christie Brinkley, Tyra Banks, and Kathy Ireland while launching a media empire and creating a legacy that continues to inspire.

Comparsa

Sisters Lesli and Lupe are visionary young artists who are spurred to action after a horrific act of violence strikes their community in Guatemala City. From the shadows of a neighborhood scared into silence, these two sisters lead a luminous rebellion—unleashing joy, art, and radical truth in a fight for survival.

Cracking the Code: Phil Sharp and the Biotech Revolution

Phil Sharp’s journey from a Kentucky farm boy to Nobel laureate embodies the American Dream and the triumph of entrepreneurial spirit. His 1977 groundbreaking discovery of RNA splicing rewrote the rules of molecular biology and ignited a life-saving scientific revolution, laying the foundation for an industry that has become a cornerstone of global innovation and economic growth – and transformed the health of billions of patients worldwide.

Etched In Pavement

The legacies we inherit the moment we’re born into our circumstances, the legacy we create throughout our time on this earth, and ultimately how our legacy is kept alive by those we impact after we’re gone are all explored through the weaving paths of two young men from SW Detroit who set out to uplift their worlds in the best way they know how: FIGHTING.

Filmmaker Meetings with Chris Perez and Jonathan Finegold.

Filmmakers will be able to set up 20 minute meetings with Chris and Jonathan to discuss their individual projects. Advance registration required.

Folktales

On the precipice of adulthood, teenagers converge at a traditional folk high school in Arctic Norway. Dropped at the edge of the world, they must rely on only themselves, one another, and a loyal pack of sled dogs as they all grow in unexpected directions.

Friday Night Party featuring Arlo

Friday night Party with Arlo

Holding Liat

When Liat Beinin Atzili and her husband are kidnapped on October 7th, her Israeli-American family is thrust into turmoil, grappling with fractured loyalties and painful truths as they fight to bring her home—and hold on to the places they call their own. Through the intimate lens of a family’s experience, HOLDING LIAT poses complex questions of identity across generations, as the family is thrust into the epicenter of a global conflict rapidly unfolding in real-time.

Homewrecker

Megan is devastated when her mom can no longer afford to buy her a house, due to her stepdad’s financial troubles. So Megan decides that she has to split them up. With the help of her boyfriend, Liam, she hatches a plan to use artificial intelligence to make a deepfake sex tape of her stepdad in order to frame him for cheating. Things get messy as Megan commits to the increasingly elaborate scheme and grapples with the morality of her actions.

In Conversation with Elijah Wald

Boston-based music writer and critic Jim Sullivan and Ty Burr, film critic, will join Elijah Wald, musician and author whose books have served as the inspiration for critically acclaimed films such as INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS and A COMPLETE UNKNOWN. He has toured as a performer on five continents and served as student and accompanist to the founding folk-blues revivalists Dave Van Ronk and Eric Von Schmidt, the legendary Congolese guitarist Jean-Bosco Mwenda, and toured for five years with the African-American string-band master Howard Armstrong. He was the Boston Globe’s world and roots music correspondent for twenty years. His books include Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues; Narcocorrido, about the Mexican ballads of drug smuggling and social struggle; Global Minstrels: Voices of World Music; Dave Van Ronk’s memoir, The Mayor of MacDougal Street, which inspired the Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis; How the Beatles Destroyed Rock ’n’ Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music; The Dozens: A History of Rap’s Mama; and Dylan Goes Electric!, which inspired the hit movie, A Complete Unknown, which was based on his book about Bob Dylan's relationship to Pete Seeger and journey towards rock 'n' roll, Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night that Split the Sixties.

Jimmy & The Demons

For six decades, Jimmy Grashow’s intricate woodcuts and fantastical sculptures in cardboard have graced many galleries and museums. His work has been featured on album covers and in countless publications including Rolling Stone, Esquire, and the New York Times. Now at age 79, Jimmy is offered a commission by an art collector who has a strong faith that is different from his own.

Lost Wolves of Yellowstone

On January 12, 1995 wolves returned to Yellowstone, 50 years after their extirpation. Mollie Beattie, the first female director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, carried the first Canadian born wolf into The Park’s experimental acclimation enclosure, Alpha Female Wolf No. 5. From that day forward, their lives would be forever connected.

Love, Danielle

When Danielle, a happily married thirty-something, tests positive for a BRCA1 gene mutation, she learns that this puts her at a very high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Thanks a lot, DNA. She now struggles with daily life, working at her bakery with her hubby Pat and hanging out with her clueless best buds on game night. She now contemplates preemptively removing her "ticking time bomb" breasts and reproductive organs before cancer gets her, too. Ultimately, Danielle must figure out how to prioritize her health and well-being by putting herself first.

Loving John

John Godinet is an irrepressible Pacific Islander and ultra-runner living with his husband Peter in rural Maryland. He’s outrun abuse as a teenager and discrimination as an adult, but now has a new adversary: ALS. But ALS isn't so much the subject as it is a catalyst -- life lived with a ticking clock. Nothing is simple -- not the love of friends, husband, family or even oneself. But John has a survival strategy: humor and even hilarity!

Magic Hour

Harriet, a once-promising filmmaker, is stuck in the suburbs of New Jersey. Alienated from her cheating husband and spurned by her teenage daughter, she secretly enrolls in film school. But, when she gets fired off her own film and found out by her daughter, Harriet must decide if her life’s ambition is pure folly or a dream worth saving.

Master Class: Brad Silberling - Wearing Many Hats

In this Master Class, Brad Silberling, television and film director whose credits include the feature films CASPER, CITY OF ANGELS, MOONLIGHT MILE, LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS and LAND OF THE LOST among others as well as numerous television credits, will talk about working in film and television, changing roles and adapting to work on projects both large and small and developing the skills to adapt to a variety of projects.

Master Class: The Intersection of Music and Documentary Filmmaking

The intersection of music and documentary filmmaking represents a unique space where creativity meets complex business decisions. This Master Class will unite two industry leaders - entertainment attorney Chris Perez and music supervisor Jonathan Finegold - to share their expertise on everything from creative music selection to navigating rights and budgets. Drawing from their extensive experience with acclaimed documentaries and global productions, they will provide valuable insights into both the artistic and business aspects of music in filmmaking.

Mistura

In 1960’s Peru, a privileged French-Peruvian woman’s life unravels when her husband’s betrayal ostracizes her from elite society and leads her to embrace people from the very communities that she was raised to disregard. Amidst the backdrop of newfound alliances, she embarks on a transformative journey that challenges societal norms and reveals Peru’s authentic identity through a daring culinary venture that celebrates the country’s remarkably diverse cuisine and peoples and ignites a revolution that redefines her life.

Motherland

In the Motherland, state-run Children’s Centers raise all citizens, ensuring a fair upbringing and freeing parents from child-rearing burdens. This seemingly utopian system turns into a nightmare for a Motherland enforcer who uncovers the true identity of a young woman in her care. When the Center launches a program to combat population decline, she becomes determined to protect the young woman from becoming part of it. Defying the system she once upheld, she risks everything to save her—that is, if the Motherland doesn’t stop her first.

My Sweet Land

Growing up in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh),11-year-old Vrej dreams of becoming a dentist in his picture-postcard village with its roaming ducks and golden bees. His sweet land, however, is strewn with mines from previous wars, shaping a country that remains unrecognized to the world. Vrej’s life takes a sudden turn when war erupts, forcing him to flee with his family. He spends his days in exile impatiently waiting for victory, but reality takes a different turn; Armenians lose the war. Upon returning to his surviving village, he confronts the devastation, new power dynamics, and education that prepares children for near-future battles. Vrej must learn the rules of war… But can he carry a nation’s hopes on his young shoulders? The film is a testament to the people of Artsakh, where hope and trauma had shaped their resilience across generations.

Oceania: Journey to the Center

A mother and her adult son in Kiribati grapple with climate change and the predicted loss of their home islands as they strive to maintain their culture, freedom and independence after decades of colonizing encounters.

Opening Night Party featuring Sarah Burrill Band

Join us at the Captain Kidd for the Opening Night Party of the 34th Annual Woods Hole Film Festival - featuring music by Sarah Burrill!

Out of Plain Sight

Not far from Catalina Island, aboard one of the most-advanced research ships in the world, David Valentine discovered a corroded barrel on the seafloor that gave him chills. The full environmental horror sharpens into greater clarity once he calls Los Angeles Times journalist Rosanna Xia, who pieces together a shocking revelation.

Overcome

In this autobiographical journey infused with music and movement, celebrated actress Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy, Private Practice, The Leftovers, Goliath, Heat, The Old Man) takes us along as she learns how to become a true ally to her daughter Charlotte, born with a rare chromosomal abnormality. Years of testing and assessment yield frustratingly few results, leading Brenneman to surrender to a new path forward. Funny, poignant, and powerful, “Overcome” takes a bold look at preconceptions of disability, what we consider “normal,” and the promise/challenge of a truly inclusive society. This is a recording of a performance presented at the Cotuit Center for the Arts, March 2024.

Party 8: Closing Night Awards Celebration

Phillip Dutton: Leap of Faith

Equestrian Phillip Dutton overcomes humble roots on an Australian cattle farm, inauspicious beginnings in the US, and a life-changing riding accident to become a seven-time Olympian in the sport of Eventing; but does the aging legend have enough left to qualify for his eighth Games at the age of 60?

Prime Minister

The chronicle of Jacinda Ardern's tenure as New Zealand PM, navigating crises while redefining global leadership through her empathetic yet resolute approach.

Rebel with a Clause

One fall day, Ellen Jovin set up a folding table on a Manhattan sidewalk with a homemade sign that said “Grammar Table.” Right away, passersby began excitedly asking questions, telling stories, and filing complaints. What happened next is the stuff of grammar legend. Ellen and her filmmaker husband, Brandt Johnson, took the table on the road, visiting all 50 states as Brandt shot the grammar action. People from every imaginable background visited the table to share a laugh, settle disputes, and talk about their grammar insecurities. But this story transcends grammar. It’s the story of an epic quest in a divided time to bring us closer together.

Revisit

As Olivia charts her course through Beijing's urban maze post-graduation, a fateful call redirects her to Macau. Faced with her grandmother's ailing health, Olivia embraces her role as caregiver. Through their time together, they sharedstories, find comfort, and rebuild their relationship.

Room For Us? Confronting Nantucket's Housing Crisis

Where do you go when the average home price is $4.5 Million, the cheapest freestanding house costs $1.8 Million, and you're 30 miles out to sea? Despite significant investments in affordable housing and the efforts of a committed group of housing advocates, the unique pressures of living on a vacation island that caters to billionaires and millionaires has many locals asking: "Does Nantucket have room for us?"

SHORTS: Be The Change

"Be the change that you wish to see in the world." Six short films that embody Gandhi's famous words: Amish Country Queer • Forward is a Pace • Headbang • Ruby • The Changebaker • They Call Me The Tattoo Witch

SHORTS: Conversations

There's no failure to communicate here: Fiddler on the Moon: Judaism in Space • Goodnight • Resaca • Shouting at the Sea • Terms & Conditions

SHORTS: Decisions Decisions

Sometimes we get it right. Sometimes, not so much: A Radical • Alice • Crying on Command • Le Parrot  • My Kind of People • Saverio • Swipe • Through Thin Ice

SHORTS: Finding Our Way

There's no set age where we no longer have to try to figure things out: Appalheads • Deuce • Jean Jacket • Snowbird • The Second Oldest Man Alive

SHORTS: Modern Problems

These probably weren't issues for our parents: Babka • Catalogue of Noses • City of Pigs • Common Fly • i want to go to moscow • Prawn Star • Supercritical

SHORTS: Moving Forward

Going backwards isn't an option: Class Reunion  • Lazybones • Middleground • Ploujét  • River Oaks • Simple Machine

SHORTS: Not Your Average Bedtime Story

A little dark. A little weird. A little funny: A Capsule for Robin • Cliff • House Hunters • Mother's Child  • My Boo • The Woods are Lovely, Dark and Deep • Triptych

Science Filmmaking in Changing Times

Shattered Ice

High school hockey bruiser Will Mankus is struggling to navigate life as a teenager following the unexpected loss of his best friend and the school's star player to suicide. As he confronts his grief, Mankus must lift himself up from rock bottom with the help of his small-town New England community to find hope and purpose through his family, friends, and the sport he loves.

Séance

In 1892 California, a woman contemplating adultery is forced to take refuge from a storm at the home of her first husband and ​​his unstable wife, who claims to be haunted by their dead child.​