The 24th MVFF
Films A-Z
March 20—24, 2024
76 DAYS
Dir. Joe Wein | Documentary | U.S.A. | 2024 | 1 hr. 47 min.
Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway co-founder Nat Benjamin will moderate a discussion to follow with film subject Steven Callahan and executive producer Robert Sennott
In this gripping documentary about survival and resilience in extraordinary circumstances, sailor Steven Callahan recounts his 76 days adrift in the Atlantic after being shipwrecked during a solo voyage.
Saturday, March 23 | 10 AM | Capawock Theatre
Sunday, March 24 | 10 AM | The Grange Hall
ÀMA GLORIA
Dir. Marie Amachoukeli | Drama | France | 2023 | 1 hr. 23 min. | Kabuverdianu and French with English subtitles
A six-year-old French girl loves her Cape Verdean nanny, but when the latter must return home to care for her own children, the two must make the most of their last summer together.
Friday, March 22 | 4:15 PM | The Grange Hall
Saturday, March 23 | 3:15 PM | Strand Theatre
BABES
Dir. Pamela Adlon | Comedy | U.S.A. | 2024 | 1 hr. 49 min.
In this feature directorial debut by Better Things creator and star Pamela Adlon, an aggressively single woman (Ilana Glazer) becomes pregnant after a one-night stand and must depend on the guidance of her married best friend (Michelle Buteau).
Saturday, March 23 | 7:30 PM | Capawock Theatre
Sunday, March 24 | 7 PM | The Grange Hall
THE BODY POLITIC
Dir. Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough | Documentary | U.S.A. | 2023 | 1 hr. 30 min.
Followed by a discussion with director and producer Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough and film subjects Erricka Bridgeford and Dante Johnson
Baltimore's young Black mayor, Brandon Scott, puts his personal and political future on the line in order to save his beloved city from chronic violence.
Saturday, March 23 | 12:30 PM | Strand Theatre
Sunday, March 24 | 1:15 PM | The Grange Hall
CALL ME DANCER
Dirs. Pip Gilmour and Leslie Shampaine | Documentary | U.S.A. | 2023 | 1 hr. 24 min. | English and Hindi with English subtitles
Followed by a discussion with film subject Manish Chauhan
A young Indian, Manish, struggles against his parents' insistence that he follow a traditional path, but meets a curmudgeonly Israeli ballet master who helps him pursue his dream to be a professional dancer.
Friday, March 22 | 1:30 PM | The Grange Hall
Saturday, March 23 | 5 PM | Capawock Theatre
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
1 hr. 1 min.
Followed by a discussion with producer Minoo Allen
Each of these short documentary films provides unique insight into the transformative power of nature. Through compelling and heartfelt stories, they illuminate the essential relationship between people and the environments in which they live.
Saturday, March 23 | 1 PM | Capawock Theatre
GHOSTLIGHT
Dirs. Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson | Drama / Comedy | U.S.A. | 2024 | 1 hr. 55 min.
When a Chicago construction worker unexpectedly joins a local community theater production of a Shakespeare play, the drama onstage starts to mirror that of his own life.
Friday, March 22 | 7:30 PM | Capawock Theatre
Saturday, March 23 | 8 PM | The Grange Hall
THE FORGOTTEN KINGDOM
General-admission tickets for this special MVFF performance are $25, and $15 for students and faculty of the Martha’s Vineyard public schools
Through dreamlike sand animation, narration blending memoir and poetry, and riveting music, this show by the Guy Mendilow Ensemble renders a mother’s letter to her daughter, bringing to life the vibrant Mediterranean world that existed during the Ottoman Empire.
Thursday, March 21 | 7 PM | Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center
GREAT PONDS: FINDING A BETTER BALANCE
Dir. Ollie Becker | Documentary | U.S.A. | 2023 | 40 min.
Followed by a discussion with director Ollie Becker, Vineyard Conservation Society executive director Samantha Look, Great Pond Foundation executive director Emily Reddington, and others
The second episode of Circuit Films’ Great Ponds series documents the continuing efforts to combat climate change and nitrogen pollution in Martha’s Vineyard’s coastal ponds, and urges public action to reduce carbon and nitrogen footprints.
Wednesday, March 20 | 6 PM | The Grange Hall
Saturday, March 23 | 3:15 PM | Capawock Theatre
IBELIN
Dir. Benjamin Ree | Documentary | Norway | 2024 | 1 hr. 41 min. | Norwegian with English subtitles
Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer, died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely, isolated life, until they started receiving messages from their son’s online friends around the world.
Friday, March 22 | 4:45 PM | Capawock Theatre
Sunday, March 24 | 3:30 PM | Strand Theatre
INTERPRETERS WANTED
Dir. Robert Ham | Documentary | U.S.A. | 2023 | 1 hr. 23 min. | English and Pashto with English subtitles
Martha’s Vineyard Times publisher Charles Sennott will moderate a discussion to follow with director Robert Ham and film subject Ismail Haqmal
Afghan brothers and interpreters Saifullah and Ismail Haqmal form a lasting bond with American soldier Robert Ham, who documents their struggle to escape the Taliban and immigrate to the U.S.
Saturday, March 23 | 1 PM | The Grange Hall
Sunday, March 24 | 12:45 PM | Strand Theatre
LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH
Dir. Dawn Porter | Documentary | U.K. / U.S.A. | 2024 | 1 hr. 41 min.
Followed by a discussion with director Dawn Porter
Filmmaker Dawn Porter (The Lady Bird Diaries) chronicles the life, work, and personal struggles of American soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer Luther Vandross.
Friday, March 22 | 7 PM | The Grange Hall
Saturday, March 23 | 8 PM | Strand Theatre
THE MONKEY HOUSE
Dir. Avi Nesher | Comedy / Drama | Israel / Italy | 2023 | 2 hrs. 1 min. | Hebrew and Italian with English subtitles
In this witty literary thriller from acclaimed Israeli filmmaker Avi Nesher, a fading novelist (Adir Miller) enlists a reckless actress to execute an inventive scam that takes the film from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and Rome.
Sunday, March 24 | 6:30 PM | Strand Theatre
NAME ME LAWAND
Dir. Edward Lovelace | Documentary | U.K. | 2022 | 1 hr. 31 min. | Kurdish, British Sign Language, and English with English subtitles
Followed by a prerecorded discussion, via Zoom, with director Edward Lovelace
Void of any language or true sense of self, deaf six-year-old Kurdish refugee Lawand is challenged to adapt to his new home in England, learn British Sign Language, and finally communicate with the world.
Friday, March 22 | 5 PM | Strand Theatre
Saturday, March 23 | 10:15 AM | The Grange Hall
NARRATIVE SHORTS
39 min.
Followed by a discussion with director Àlex Lora
This short-film program explores human connection in a variety of contexts. From comedic exchanges between an older homeowner and younger homebuyers, to addressing climate change through lighthearted animation, all of these films underscore the importance of empathy in navigating life's challenges and differences. Two also won awards at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, including the jury prize for best short film.
Saturday, March 23 | 10 AM | Strand Theatre
THE OLD OAK
Dir. Ken Loach | Drama | U.K. / Belgium / France | 2023 | 1 hr. 53 min. | English and Arabic with English subtitles
In this film by the acclaimed director of the British social realist dramas I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You, villagers in Northeast England react to the arrival of Syrian refugees in their former coal mining community.
Sunday, March 24 | 10 AM | Strand Theatre
A SECRET SCREENING
Followed by a discussion, via Zoom, with one of the film’s directors
Join us for a death-defying documentary film you won’t forget!
Friday, March 22 | 7:30 PM | Strand Theatre
Saturday, March 23 | 3:30 PM | The Grange Hall
A TATTOO ON MY BRAIN
Dirs. Kate Davis and David Heilbroner | Documentary | U.S.A. | 2023 | 32 min.
For his entire career, neurologist Daniel Gibbs was daunted by the poor prognoses of early-onset Alzheimer’s patients. Now, diagnosed with the disease himself, he commits to researching and writing about his symptoms.
Saturday, March 23 | 6:30 PM | The Grange Hall
TUESDAY
Dir. Daina Oniunas-Pusić | Fantasy | U.K. / U.S.A. | 2023 | 1 hr. 51 min. | Rated R
A mother (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and her terminally ill teenage daughter (Lola Petticrew) confront Death when it arrives in the form of an astonishing, talking parrot.
Saturday, March 23 | 5:30 PM | Strand Theatre
UNDERWATER PROJECTS
Dirs. dream hampton and Liz Havstad | Documentary | U.S.A. | 2024
Followed by a discussion with director dream hampton and and executive producer and climate activist Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr.
Home to the world’s largest naval base, Norfolk, Virginia, is sinking. It is more vulnerable than even New Orleans. The insufficient flood walls end where a housing project and a historic African American community begins. This film mixes animation with live action, to profile the area’s local leaders as they rush to create climate resilience plans while facing an uncertain future.
Wednesday, March 20 | 4 PM | The Grange Hall
VINEYARD SHORTS
30 min.
Followed by a discussion with directors J. Michael Hayes and Zack O’Connor, director of photography Emerson Mahoney, and film subject Alex Palmer
This program features the work of Island residents J. Michael Hayes, Zack O’Connor, and Simon Werdmüller von Elgg, whose three thought-provoking short films showcase the diverse voices and creativity of Martha’s Vineyard’s filmmaking community.
Sunday, March 24 | 4:15 PM | The Grange Hall
