Don’t let anyone tell you I hold a grudge! Even though Woods Hole Film Festival (WHFF) rejected our documentary, Coroner to the Stars, I just had to dive into the juicy line-up that is going to be slamming into Cape Cod audiences starting July 26th, running for eight exciting days through Saturday August 2nd. Would I have rather been watching the films while in attendance with my film? Sure, but I get it – our film has zero connections to the Cape Cod area, which is something WHFF has championed for their 34-years of existence, now the longest running film festival on Cape Cod, and one of the oldest in all of New England.
But WHFF is more than just a place to see adventurous new cinema. The festival is jam-packed with engaging Q&As with filmmakers, master classes, panels, workshops, and unforgettable live music parties. There truly does seem to be something for everyone, and that includes lovers of international cinema and exclusive premieres. This year’s line-up includes: 48 feature-length and 67 short dramas, comedies, documentaries, and animation from 14 countries, with seven world, five North American, two U.S., 48 New England, and 12 Massachusetts premieres.
Festival founder and director Judy Lasker had this to say: “We are thrilled to present the 34th Woods Hole Film Festival. The slate of films is second to none and in these times, independent film matters more than ever as a way to share stories. Film Festivals like the Woods Hole Film Festival bring people together around a shared experience and provide an opportunity to filmmakers and audiences to connect in person. We work year-round to create this amazing eight day event and we can’t wait to share it with the world.”
Though more coverage will follow, we wanted to highlight a few films screening at this year’s WHFF that we feel are well worth placing at the top of your ‘must-see’ lists. Whether you’re looking to laugh, cry, or jump into your lover’s arms from fright, WHFF has you covered. It’s big fest with an indie spirit, and those are always the best kind.
Your Woods Hole Film Festival Movie Mixtape begins…
Track 1:
“ANXIETY CLUB (2024)”
Director: Wendy Lobel
Featuring: Marc Maron, Joe List, Eva Victor, Mark Normand
As someone who lives with anxiety himself and relies on the pharmaceutical industry to live a normal life, I am always on the search for films that shed a light on just how complicated and unpredictable anxiety can be. Anxiety Club does just that, assembling a motley crew of well known comedians to discuss their struggles, particularly as it relates to their stand-up. But, the film isn’t just about stand-up comedy – that’s merely the lens through which they tell their story. Anxiety Club seeks to both better understand anxiety and offers salves for dealing with it. Every time someone shares their anxiety story, those who suffer from it feel a bit less alone. It’s a condition that affects 300+ million people, but it’s easy to feel like you’re the only one. Having comedians like Marc Maron, Mark Normand, Joe List, and Eva Victor discuss their struggles with such honesty and cheekiness makes it all the more tolerable.
This screening is co-presented by the Newburyport Documentary Film Festival.
Track 2:
SHATTERED ICE (2025)
Director: Alex Ranarivelo
Cast: Charlie Gillespie, Jack Falahee, Matt Letscher, Kyle Kennedy
When it comes to sports stories, Shattered Ice doesn’t really reinvent the wheel. In fact, it pretty much just wears the wheel out. But that’s not really what it’s about. It’s merely a vessel through which to tell a painful and powerful story of the wreckage suicide leaves behind. Charlie Gillespie, so profoundly moving in this year’s Suze, stars as a high school hockey player coping with the unexpected suicide of his best friend, the school’s star player. Based on the filmmaker’s own experiences in his small New England town, there is such authenticity to how this narrative plays out, offering no easy answers, and providing a deep insight into how human beings cope with loss. Jack Falahee delivers the performance of his career as a young hockey coach dealing with his own baggage, but it’s Gillespie, once again, who brings so much pathos and empathy to his character, showcasing his range and star power even more so than he did in Suze. You’ve definitely never seen a hockey movie like this before, and that’s a high compliment.
Track #3:
THE LIBRARIANS (2025)
Director: Kim A. Snyder
Academy-Award nominated filmmaker, Kim A. Snyder, has spent most of her career chronicling school shootings through various lenses, including her groundbreaking short, Death By Numbers, and her 2020 feature documentary, Us Kids. With The Librarians, Snyder stays in school, but tackles another educational challenge – book bans. Told through the stories of various librarians fighting to protect Constitutional rights for their children, the film showcases just how under siege the American education system currently is from outside forces seeking to limit what we can read, think, and say. We don’t often think of the role librarians hold in society, but they are many times our gateway into reading and discovery. The Librarians will give you a brand new appreciation for what librarians do, and how they continue to fight for us. In the world of intellectual freedom, they truly are the first responders. They’re the heroes we need now.
Track #4:
MAGIC HOUR (2025)
Director: Jacqueline Christy
Cast: Miriam Shor, Josh Stamberg, Austin Pendleton
They say, “You can’t teach an old dog news tricks.” Well, that’s never quite rang true for me. In my experience, the old dogs are generally more interested in learning and growing than the young dogs, already set in their way through an upbringing filled with participation trophies, entitlement, and the idea that they can and should do ANYTHING they want. If someone can do anything they want, they usually choose nothing much. But forget new tricks. Magic Hour isn’t about ‘new’ ones – it’s about reclaiming your old ones; it’s about doing what’s best for you and learning to prioritize yourself as much as others; and, it’s about kindness. The act of it. The practice of it. The false idea that you have to avoid it to exert control. Filmmaker Jacqueline Christy has crafted a loving ode to never giving up on your dreams.
Track #5:
WELCOME TO JAY (2024)
Director: Jeffrey Morgan
Where I grew up, in Northeastern Alabama, we had a zero percent non-white population for most of my childhood. It was the kind of place where – if you were eating in a diner, and a stranger walked in, the room went silent and everyone just stared. If you were a Black stranger, it might even be worse than that. So, Welcome to Jay hits home for me, a documentary about a small town in Northwestern Florida still very much contending with complicated racial dynamics. It’s a story that feels like it was plucked out of the 1950s rather than the 2010s, and it feels as timely now as it ever has. Filmmaker Jeffrey Morgan gets unprecedented access to the families and officials involved in the case of a young Black man, Gus Benjamin, who was found dead in 2010 after attending a party in the town. The trial of his accused murderer, Robert Floyd, is equally upsetting and complex. Welcome to Jay explores it, warts and all, as the community of Jay struggles to deal with both its past and its present so that a future is even possible.
Track #6:
TINSMAN ROAD (2025)
Director: Robbie Banfitch
Cast: Robbie Banfitch, Leslie Ann Banfitch, Salem Belladonna
If you saw Robbie Banfitch’s trippy, phantasmagoric horror film, The Outwaters, then you know he doesn’t subscribe to traditional filmmaking. Though that film wasn’t for me, Tinsman Road very much is. It follows in the vein of recent found footage films like Hell House, LLC and Horror in the High Desert, but is entirely its own. Set in the 90s and filmed entirely on an old camcorder, it follows a young man who returns home to make a documentary about the disappearance of his sister, who went missing on Tinsman Road. Almost immediately, his mother starts talking about ghosts and angels, and strange things start happening. You’re going to need to exercise patience with this one, as it does take a while to get going. But, once it does, the scares are visceral, and the character groundwork that has been laid really produces results. I found myself quite taken by the simplicity and emotionality on display here. Banfitch is one to watch.
For more information on Woods Hole Film Festival, or to purchase tickets/passes, visit: https://woodsholefilmfestival.org/.
The Woods Hole Film Festival is presented by the Woods Hole Film Festival, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established to: organize the annual Festival; form relationships and strategic alliances with other film festivals and organizations to showcase independent film; emphasize the work of emerging and New England filmmakers; showcase the work of independent filmmakers who have a relationship to Cape Cod or whose films are relevant to or enhance the quality of life on Cape Cod and to develop and foster a creative independent film community within the Festival and on Cape Cod. The Festival also works with individuals, businesses and institutions to develop and present programs and events that further its goals.
As a non-profit corporation, the Woods Hole Film Festival is supported by donations, sponsorships, grants, and event admissions to produce and present the excellent programming enjoyed by attendees and the film community. We look forward to your continued support during our fourth decade. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Please visit our donation and sponsorship page for opportunities to support the Woods Hole Film Festival.
