Provincetown International Film Festival

Schedule of Events:

Ari Aster

Ari Aster is an acclaimed director, screenwriter and producer. His most recent film, Eddington, starring Pedro Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone, recently premiered in competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. After graduating from the AFI Conservatory in 2010, Aster first garnered shock and acclaim with the short film The Strange Thing about the Johnsons (2011). He then moved on to write and direct a string of bold, visionary feature films known for blending unsettling horror spectacle with the dark humor of his unique cinematic voice. Those films, produced and distributed by A24, include Hereditary (2018)— at the time A24’s highest grossing release and nominated for Best First Feature at that year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards—Midsommar (2019), and Beau is Afraid (2023).

In addition to writing and directing his own feature films, Aster also produces and executive produces, along with producing partner Lars Knudsen, for some of the most distinctive filmmaking voices of our time, including Kristoffer Borgli, Yorgos Lanthimos, and David and Nathan Zellner, via their production company Square Peg.

Ari Aster will be in conversation with filmmaker and icon John Waters

11:00am: Come See Me in the Good Light at Waters Edge 1:

Directed by Ryan White

Two poets, one incurable cancer diagnosis. Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley go on an unexpectedly funny and poignant journey through love, life, and mortality in Ryan White’s remarkable new documentary. A captivating portrait of Gibson’s artistic process, a stirring depiction of her harrowing health battle and an ode to her unique true love with partner Falley all in one, COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT is a life-affirming, heartstring-pulling masterpiece supported by a powerhouse team of executive producers including Tig Notaro, Abby Wambach, and Brandi Carlile.

6:00pm: Dreaming of Lions at Waters Edge 2:

Directed by Paolo Marinou-Blanco

With unmistakable allusions to Harold and Maude, DREAMING OF LIONS is, of all things, a thoroughly original tragicomedy about euthanasia and assisted suicide. In a tour-de-force performance, Brazilian actress Denise Fraga anchors the film as Gilda, a woman who seeks out the help of an underground organization that helps the terminally ill kill themselves painlessly and peacefully. At group meetings, she bonds with the much younger Amandeu (Joao Nunes Monteiro). When they discover secrets about the organization, they escape to Mallorca to die, falling in love along the way.

4:00pm: Dreams (Sex Love) at Waters Edge 1:

Directed by Dag Johan Haugererud

At 17, Johanne falls in love for the first time with her female teacher. Wanting to preserve her intimate feelings, she documents her newfound emotions and experiences in writing. When her mother and grandmother read what she has written, they are initially shocked by its intimate content but soon see that it has literary potential. As they debate whether to publish it, Johanne navigates the gap between her romantic fantasy and reality, and all three women confront their differing views on love, sexuality, and self-discovery in this delicately drawn story. DREAMS is the final installment of director Dag Johan Haugerud’s trilogy SEX-LOVE-DREAMS.

1:30pm: East of Wall at Art House:

Directed by Kate Beecroft

Following the death of her husband, Tabatha, a young, tattooed and rebellious horse trainer wrestles with financial insecurity and unresolved grief while providing a safe refuge for her children as well as for a group of wayward teenagers on her ranch in the Badlands. Her teenage daughter Porshia, a TikTok star and rodeo queen, spends her days speeding across the plains on horseback faster than her mom in her pickup truck.

First-time director Kate Beecroft spent three years in South Dakota embedded with the community and the Zimiga family, with each playing themselves in this uniquely hybrid film. The result is a gorgeously conceived and unforgettably immersive experience.

Eva Victor:

Eva Victor (they/she) is a writer-director and actor whose fearless, character-forward comedic sensibility has cemented them as an undeniable triple threat to watch. Their feature directorial debut SORRY, BABY premiered to high acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival. The film, which Victor also wrote and stars in alongside Naomi Ackie and Lucas Hedges, was produced by Barry Jenkins, and won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, with the jury praising its “stunning honesty [and] moving sense of humor.” A24 will release the film in the fall.

Prior to SORRY, BABY, Victor cut their teeth in the comedy sphere, achieving significant success with myriad viral videos. They have written for The New Yorker and Reductress, serving as an associate editor and staff writer at the latter. As an actor, Victor has appeared in several roles, most notably as Rian in the final three seasons of Showtime’s Billions.

4:00pm: Familiar Touch at Art House:

Directed by Sarah Friedland

Sarah Friedland’s insightful feature debut follows an octogenarian woman’s transition to life in an assisted living facility as she contends with her conflicting relationship to herself and her caregivers amidst her shifting memory, age identity, and desires. The remarkable Kathleen Chalfant’s sensitive central performance and Friedland’s constant centering of Ruth’s own experience and perspective as she adjusts to this disorienting new stage of life imbue this coming-of-(old)-age story with uncommon dignity. FAMILIAR TOUCH takes on a challenging subject and creates a film filled with love and compassion.

9:00pm: Fucktoys at Art House:

Directed by Annapurna Sriram

Channeling her inner John Waters, director Annapurna Sriram takes no prisoners in guiding audiences through the seedy underbelly of “Trashtown” as her character (known only as AP) seeks to break a curse, under which multiple psychics have told her she’s been long-suffering. As AP follows this quest, she stumbles upon a variety of characters and absurd situations, each one crazier than the last. With FUCKTOYS, Sriram announces herself as a confident, exciting, and brave new voice in cinema. Featuring Big Freedia, Sadie Scott, Francois Arnaud and Damian Young.

10:30am: Heightened Scrutiny at Waters Edge 2:

Directed by Sam Feder

In addition to the surge in anti-trans legislation that Chase Strangio battles in the courtroom, he must also fight against media bias, exposing how narratives in the press influence public perception amidst the fight for transgender rights. Director Sam Feder expands 2020’s Disclosure’s examination of the depiction of trans lives on screen in this blisteringly important new documentary. HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY wisely grounds its examination of complex and overwhelming issues by centering Massachusetts-raised ACLU lawyer Strangio, a hero for many in the LGBTQ+ community, as he prepares to participate in historic litigation that will take him all the way to the Supreme Court.

6:30pm: It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley at Waters Edge 1:

Directed by Amy Berg

Singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley had an outsized impact on the culture despite having only released one album before his tragic death at age 30. Known for his incredible vocal range and groundbreaking 1994 album Grace, Buckley became an icon before his untimely death in 1997. Never-before-seen footage, exclusive voice messages, and firsthand accounts from Jeff Buckley’s inner circle paint a captivating portrait of the gifted musician. Veteran filmmaker Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil, West of Memphis) has crafted an emotional portrait of the life and legacy of a complex and beloved artist, allowing us to see the deeper side of the man behind the legend.

9:00pm: Jimpa at Town Hall:

Directed by Sophie Hyde

Hannah takes her nonbinary teenager, Frances, to Amsterdam to visit their gay grandfather, Jim—lovingly known as Jimpa. But Frances’ desire to stay abroad with Jimpa for a year means Hannah is forced to reconsider her beliefs about parenting and finally confront old stories about the past.  Olivia Colman, John Lithgow and Aud Mason-Hyde display impressive, natural chemistry as a thoroughly unconventional modern family. Sophie Hyde’s (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande) loving, insightful examination of intergenerational tensions within the LGBTQ+ community, also serves as a spirited tribute to the resilience and joy of that community.

9:00pm: Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation at Waters Edge 1:

Directed by Ebs Burnough

KEROUAC’S ROAD: THE BEAT OF A NATION explores how Jack Kerouac’s iconic novel On the Road resonates in today’s America. The film highlights the legacy of the book and Kerouac’s complex identity, acknowledging how his fluid relationships and emotional bonds with both men and women helped shape his writing and worldview.  Director Ebs Burnough intertwines stories of modern-day “on-the-roaders” with artists Kerouac influenced and friends who knew and loved him. In an era defined by screens and constant connectivity, we can still learn from Kerouac’s journey and what it means to engage in real time with the world around us.

8:30pm: Move Ya Body: The Birth of House at Waters Edge 2:

Directed by Elegance Bratton

PIFF alum Elegance Bratton assembles a mix of interviews with house music pioneers and forgotten innovators, many of them queer and Black, along with impressive archival footage to create a definitive history of house music and a pivotal cultural period. From its beginnings in Chicago through its march to global domination, Bratton reclaims the narrative of this genre and, in a bigger sense, asks compelling questions about who gets credit—and compensation—for culture in America. Featuring interviews with Celeste Alexander, Lady D, Kevin Aviance, and Lena Waithe.

11:00am: My Mom Jayne at Art House:

Directed by Mariska Hargitay

Mariska Hargitay was just three years old when her mother, Jayne Mansfield, died tragically in a car accident at the age of 34. MY MOM JAYNE follows Mariska as she seeks to know, understand, and embrace her superstar mother for the first time. Through intimate interviews with family members, and a collection of never-before-seen photos and home movies, Hargitay grapples with her mother’s public and private legacy and discovers the layers and depth of who Jayne was, not only to her audience but to those who were closest to her. The result is both a reclaiming of her mother’s story and an emotional search for her own truth.

11:00am: Oh, Hi!  Town Hall:

Directed by Sophie Brooks

Iris and Isaac’s first romantic weekend getaway goes awry in this romantic dark comedy of miscommunication and mismatched expectations. Basking in the magnetically charged opposites-attract chemistry between Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman), writer-director Sophie Brooks maintains a sense of cheeky, off-kilter whimsy and twisted humor as the couple’s inability to read one another leads to an escalating series of potentially perilous misunderstandings. Gordon (The Bear, Theater Camp), who also co-wrote the story and produces, continues to make a name for herself as one of the most exciting performers and creators of her generation.

1:00pm: Plainclothes at Town Hall

Directed by Carmen Emmi

Set in upstate New York in 1997, a young police officer named Lucas (Tom Blyth) is working undercover to entice gay men into illicit interactions by luring them into a shopping mall bathroom. When Lucas finds himself drawn to a handsome target named Andrew (Russell Tovey), he ultimately defies his professional orders and soon begins to unravel under the pressure of keeping his true self a secret. First-time director Carmen Emmi deftly explores a risky and forbidden existence for a young man in uniform in this taut, dramatic story of hidden desire.

1:00pm: Queerpanorama at Waters Edge 2:

Directed by Jun Li

In a broken city, a gay man impersonates men he has had sex with and brings this new persona with him to his next hook-up. Only by pretending to be someone else can he be truly himself.  A series of erotic interludes (exquisitely shot in black-and-white) take various forms and tones, but come together to assert the underlying beauty and vulnerability of hook-up culture in Jun Li’s striking third feature. QUEERPANORAMA offers a highly intimate, naturalistic exploration of the meaning of desire amidst one character’s journey of self-discovery.

1:30pm: Sally at Waters Edge 1:

Directed by Cristina Costantini

Sally Ride became the first American woman to blast off into space, but beneath her unflappable composure was a secret. Sally’s life partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, reveals their hidden romance and the sacrifices that accompanied their 27 years together. The story of a trailblazing woman fighting for respect in a male-dominated world combines with a beautiful heretofore largely unknown love story in director Cristina Costantini’s (Science Fair, Mucho Mucho Amor) nuanced portrait of the incredible Sally Ride, detailing both her personal experiences and professional accomplishments with care.

3:30pm: Seeds at Waters Edge 2:

Directed by Brittany Shyne

SEEDS is a deeply moving and powerful exploration of three Black generational farmers in the American South, creating an intimate portrait of farming today. Deploying a visually striking observational approach, and utilizing rich black-and-white cinematography, filmmaker Brittany Shyne showcases these farmers’ lives, joys, and struggles, as well as the fragility of legacy land ownership. Black farmers owned 16 million acres of land in 1910, but today, that number has dwindled to a mere fraction of the original. Through these stories, we see the cycles of inequity and embedded racism that persist to this day, and the signs of hope and renewal with younger generations of farmers.

1:00pm: Sorry, Baby at Fishermen Hall:

Directed by Eva Victor

Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on… for everyone around her, at least.  In an aching and tender debut feature, writer-director-star Eva Victor displays a tremendous specificity of voice, depicting graduate student-turned-professor Agnes with sensitivity and emotional clarity both before and after her colossal, life-interrupting trauma. The Massachusetts-shot SORRY, BABY premiered at Sundance Film Festival before screening in Cannes as the Closing Night selection of Directors Fortnight, a rare achievement that speaks to the biting, funny and fragile film’s deep emotional power.

6:30pm: The Baltimorons at Art House:

Directed by Jay Duplass

After cracking a tooth on Christmas Eve, newly sober ex-improv artist Cliff (Michael Strassner) has to find a dentist that will see him during the holiday. He stumbles upon Didi (Tony Award® nominee Liz Larsen), who is willing to treat him, and from there they begin an unexpected adventure crisscrossing Baltimore together. Director/writer Jay Duplass (The Puffy Chair), in his solo feature directorial debut, and lead actor/writer Michael Strassner have crafted a charming May-December Christmas story grounded with laughs and a real connection between the unlikely pair over the course of one very memorable night.

6:30pm: Twinless at Town Hall:

Directed by James Sweeney

Two young men meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely bromance in writer-director-star James Sweeney’s funny and daring second feature. Dylan O’Brien (also a star of PIFF 2025 film PONYBOI) delivers a bravura turn as wildly different twins—the irresistible queer charmer Rocky and macho, dim Roman—amidst Sweeney’s lonely, codependent character Dennis’s growing fixation on both brothers. TWINLESS is a sexy, twist-filled pitch-black psychosexual comedy that marks the arrival of a bold and inventive new triple-threat filmmaking voice.

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