Page 4 - WHFF 2026

The 35th Annual Woods Hole Film Festival

DOCUMENTARY The Bend in the River The Great Experiment
Robb Moss • USA • 2025 • 1:23
Stephen Maing, Eric Metzgar • USA • 2026 • 1:40
FEATURES Spanning nearly five decades, the film follows a Filmed in striking black and white across the US
over four consequential years, from 2017 to 2021,
group of friends from their youthful rafting trip
the film considers the results of what George
through the Grand Canyon in 1978 to the realities
of middle age and, ultimately, their reflections on
life and aging in their seventies. Blending past and Washington once called “our last great experi-
ment” in democracy. A mirror is held to an Ameri-
Admission Possible present, it becomes an intimate meditation on can nation at war with its own reflection, asking
not who is right, but whether the experiment itself
friendship, time, and the choices that shape a life.
Matthew Syrett, Bowie Alexander • USA • 2026 • 1:30 Wednesday, July 29 • 7:30pm • Meigs can survive.
An intimate look at high-achieving, first-gener- Sunday, July 26 • 4:30pm • Redfield
ation students from a New York City public high Best Day Ever M
school as they navigate the fraught college admis- Ben Knight, Berne Broudy • USA • 2025 • 0:47 Hard Twist : Through the Lens
sions process. Against the backdrop of pandemic Two mountain bikers find community in rural Vermont of Barbara Van Cleve NE
aftershocks, shifting national policies, and debates through a grassroots movement to build the world’s Cynthia Matty-Huber • USA • 2025 • 1:20
over equity, the film follows these students—many first completely adaptive trail network in the world.
from immigrant families—as they confront daunt- Monday, July 27 • 5:30pm • Clapp Auditorium Born into Montana’s ranching culture, photogra-
ing obstacles and immense pressure. pher Barbara Van Cleve redefined Western imag-
Monday, July 27 • 5:30pm • FA-Simon Center Beyond NE ery with a bold, independent vision that captured
the rugged beauty of the land and the strength of
A Life Illuminated Asia Johnson, Michael Kleiman • USA • 2025 • 1:29 the people, especially the women, who shaped it.
Inside Sing Sing prison, a group of incarcerated
Tasha Van Zandt • USA • 2025 • 1:29 men prepare for a TED-style event where they Tuesday, July 28 • 4:00pm • Redfield
Marine biologist Dr. Edie Widder undertakes share personal stories and ideas for reforming the Kikuyu Land
a daring descent 3,300 feet below the ocean’s prison system. The film follows seven participants— Andrew H. Brown, Bea Wangondu • Kenya • 2026 • 1:35
surface to document a mysterious bioluminescent producers, coaches, and speakers—capturing their
phenomenon. Combining footage from her latest emotional journeys from auditions to the stage, In Kenya’s tea highlands, one man’s claim to his
expedition with archival material from her pio- and offering an intimate look at healing, mentor- family’s stolen land sets Mr. Mungai against a
neering career, the film explores her lifelong quest ship, and transformation within the prison walls. multinational giant. His fight draws a local news
to illuminate the hidden wonders of the deep sea Monday, July 27 • 8:00pm • FA-Simon Center producer into a battle that exposes buried histo-
and highlights the importance of preserving its ries, family secrets, and the unfinished business of
fragile ecosystems. The [Conserv]atives NE colonial power.
Saturday, July 25 • 6:15pm • Redfield Nadia Gill, Dominic Gill • USA • 2026 • 1:25 Saturday, August 1 • 3:00pm • FA-Simon Center
Screening sponsored by: Four conservative activists—an evangelical scien- The Last Critic NE
tist, a farmer, a youth leader, and a Miami mayor— Matty Wishnow • USA • 2026 • 1:22
challenge party orthodoxy as they campaign for A portrait of Robert Christgau, the influential
climate action within the Republican Party during music critic who shaped the field of rock and pop
the battle over the Inflation Reduction Act. Their
Amazing Live Sea Monkeys NE efforts to unite a divided nation become even journalism over six decades. The film traces his
Mark Becker, Aaron Schock • USA • 2026 • 1:39 more urgent when political tides shift, highlight- journey from pioneering capsule reviews at The
Yolanda Signorelli von Braunhut fights to reclaim ing the precariousness of progress and the need Village Voice to his ongoing work on Substack,
the rights to the Amazing Live Sea Monkeys from for bipartisan support on climate issues. highlighting his impact on artists, fellow writ-
corporate interests who took them after her Friday, July 31 • 5:30pm • FA-Simon Center ers, and the evolution of music criticism itself. As
husband Harold’s death. As she battles to restore Christgau continues his craft into his eighties, the
the toy’s legacy from her deteriorating Potomac Crime & Parody NE documentary explores the uncertain future of
estate, Yolanda also confronts the shadow cast by Will Thwaites • USA • 2026 • 1:27 criticism in a digital age where traditional journal-
Harold’s controversial past, determined to protect After an amateur comedian is thrown in jail for ism faces new challenges.
both the Sea Monkeys and their true story. political satire, The Onion joins his fight for free Tuesday, July 28 • 5:30pm • Meigs
Saturday, July 25 • 7:45pm • Clapp Auditorium speech in a case that helps draw national atten- The Last Place on Earth NE
Anne Packard: An Artist’s Resolve tion to police conduct and accountability. David Booth Gardner • Indonesia • 2026 • 1:42
Arthur Egeli • USA • 2026 • 1:14 Tuesday, July 28 • 6:15pm • Redfield Set deep within Sumatra’s vast Leuser Ecosystem,
At 92, Anne returns for one final visit to the Prov- The Cycle of Love NE the film follows an eight-year struggle as wildlife
incetown gallery that transformed her life. Once Orlando von Einsiedel • UK, Sweden • 2025 • 1:38 activists confront the illegal palm oil industry to
dismissed by the art world and left to raise five In 1977, PK, a 23-year-old street artist from Delhi’s protect one of the world’s last untouched rainfor-
children alone, Anne defied expectations—selling ‘untouchable’ caste, embarks on a 6,000-mile jour- ests. Through animal rescues, anti-poaching op-
her paintings from her front yard before build- ney by bicycle across continents to find Lotta, the erations, and reforestation efforts, it captures the
ing a thriving gallery with her daughters. As she woman he loves. Guided by a childhood prophecy urgent fight to preserve a sanctuary where tigers,
prepares to say goodbye to the space that became and fueled by hope, PK’s quest becomes an ex- elephants, rhinos, and orangutans still roam free.
a hub for artists and collectors, Anne’s story is a traordinary true story of love, destiny, and courage. Sunday, July 26 • 8:00pm • Clapp Auditorium
testament to resilience, creativity, and the endur- Saturday, July 25 • 4:00pm • Redfield Leaving Angola
ing power of art.
Sunday, July 26 • 7:15pm • FA-Simon Center The Dads Andrew Kukura • USA • 2026 • 1:33
Luchina Fisher • USA, Spain, Canada • 2026 • 1:12 Filmed over seven years inside Louisiana’s Angola
Artists in Residence M prison, the film follows the relationship between
Katie Jacobs • USA • 2025 • 1:30 A group of dads building a movement to support a lifer turned inmate pastor and mentor and a
their trans and gender expansive kids are forced to
Purchasing a house together on the Bowery in the make an impossible choice amid a shifting politi- young father preparing for release through a re-
1950s, three female artists defied societal norms cal landscape: stay and fight or flee the country. entry program. As one man offers hard-won wis-
and prioritized their art over traditional roles as Friday, July 31 • 4:00pm • Redfield dom and trade skills, their bond becomes a lifeline
wives and mothers. Through interviews with the for both—one seeking freedom, the other offering
women, now in their 90s, as well as their grown The Endless Frontier NE hope from within prison walls.
children, Artists in Residence explores the emo- Marilyn Ness • USA, France • 2026 • 1:22 Friday, July 31 • 7:45pm • FA-Simon Center
tional complexities of being an artist and a parent. An intimate, urgent portrait of three scientists
A heartfelt celebration of independence, creativity, working to solve some of the most pressing Los Lobos Native Sons NE
and the enduring strength three women all can challenges of our time, from disease to climate Doug Blush, Piero F. Giunti • USA • 2026 • 1:33
relate to. change, while revealing the growing threat to the The definitive chronicle of the extraordinary
Wednesday, July 29 • 7:30pm • FA-Simon Center American research engine and what is at stake for 50-year journey of Latin rock legends Los Lobos,
us all if it falters. drawing on rare archival material and intimate
access to reveal the music, roots, and legacy of this
Tuesday, July 28 • 8:00pm • Clapp Auditorium enduring American band.
The Baddest Speechwriter of All Forever Home Sunday, July 26 • 2:00pm • Clapp Auditorium
Members of the Band in Attendance for the Q&A
Short Documentary • Ben Proudfoot, Stephen Curry • Allison Argo • USA • 2025 • 0:56 Wednesday, July 29 • 7:45pm • Clapp Auditorium
USA • 2026 • 0:29 In the heart of North Carolina, two dreamers are
At 93, Clarence B. Jones recounts sacrificing revolutionizing animal care through groundbreak-
personal security to help shape history as Mar- ing architecture for society’s abused and forgotten. M Massachusetts Premiere
tin Luther King Jr.’s lawyer and speechwriter. With wild creativity and compassion, their farm
Saturday, July 25 • 1:00pm • Redfield animal rescue invites us to rethink the meaning of NE New England Premiere
“home” and our relationship with ALL beings.
Wednesday, July 29 • 5:30pm • Meigs W World Premiere