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The Newburyport Documentary Film Festival (NDFF) is held every September along with year-round programs in Newburyport, MA, a small seaport city 40 minutes north of Boston, bringing the highest caliber documentary films to the community.
The Newburyport Documentary Film Festival (NDFF) returns September 15-17 with its live, in-person program of high-caliber documentary films at both the Firehouse Center for the Arts and the Screening Room.
This year’s festival includes 15 feature films and 13 short films covering a wide variety of culturally relevant topics, issues and stories from around the corner and across the world.
After the 3-day in-person event, selected films will also stream online from September 18-21.
ADMISSION INFO
Phone: (978) 572-0993
Website: https://www.nbptdocufest.org/
Additional time info:
This year’s lineup includes two World Premieres: Filmmaker Arthur Musah’s BRIEF TENDER LIGHT documents the inspiring stories of four MIT students from four different African countries as they pursue their education and dreams on two continents.
The second film, filmmaker Hoag Kepner’s TORCHED, follows the Austin Torch, a group of women/non-binary athletes as they strive to legitimize their fringe sport of Ultimate Frisbee.
“Not only are this year’s films diverse and enlightening, but so many of the filmmakers and people featured in the films come from all over the US and abroad to participate in the Q&A for each film,” says NDFF Executive Director Joanne Morris. “It always makes for fascinating discussion and gives audiences a lot of behind-the-scenes insights into topics as well as the making of the films.”
Opening night on Friday, September 15 will begin the festival with the film 32 SOUNDS, an immersive and profound sensory experience from filmmaker Sam Green that explores the ability of sound to bend time, cross borders and shape our perceptions of the world. The film begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Firehouse Center for the Arts, with a free reception with cash bar for ticket holders at 6:30 p.m. An after-party will follow at Loretta on Pleasant St.
Also, for Friday early birds, at 3:00 p.m. the Screening Room will host a free showing of five short films from student filmmakers and media arts majors competing for this year’s $1000 “YES” Award (Young Emerging Filmmakers Showcase).
Saturday night’s Showcase Film at 7:30 p.m. at the Firehouse Center for the Arts is IMMEDIATE FAMILY, a captivating film about a group of close friends who evolved into a studio band that supported artists such as James Taylor, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt and others. The film describes their role in shaping music history.
The after-discussion for this film will feature filmmaker Denny Tedesco, as well as Michael Carabello, a Newburyport resident and a founding member of Santana. Included in the ticket price is a free reception with cash bar before the film beginning at 6:30 p.m., and an after-party at Brine on State St. in Newburyport.
The festival will close on Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. at the Firehouse Center for the Arts with SLOANE: A JAZZ SINGER, a poignant film that traces the career of jazz legend (and onetime Stoneham resident) Carol Sloane, who was a 1960’s regular on The Tonight Show and has been compared to Ella Fitzgerald.
The film features rare archival footage and documents Sloane’s passion for music despite financial and emotional setbacks. Ticket price includes an after-film panel featuring the filmmaker Michael Lippert via Skype and several of Carol’s close friends, notably WFNX-FM Jazz Host Jeff Turton, and an after-party reception downstairs at Sea Level.
Ticket prices for daytime films are $15 for regular admission and $12 for seniors/students. Nighttime films are $20 for regular admission and $18 for discounted admission.
To view the entire film line-up and film trailers, and to purchase tickets, visit NBPTDOCUFEST.ORG. (Note: Online newspaper formats can additionally include the direct hypertext link to the Website at https://www.nbptdocufest.org/.
You can also follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/nbptdocufest, Twitter at @nbptdocufest , Instagram at @nbptdocufest and find us at Newburyport Documentary Film Festival on YouTube.
Contact
Joanne Morris, Newburyport Documentary Film Festival
