Page 4 - WHFF 2026

The 35th Annual Woods Hole Film Festival

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