ANNOUNCING THE

21st ANNUAL

MARTHA'S VINEYARD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

WELCOME!

Join us this week to celebrate the Festival’s 21^st year of bringing you the best in world cinema. At the MV Film Center, September 8–13, you can see some of the world’s best narrative and short films and experience the power of film through creative storytelling, fascinating characters, and riveting imagery. We’ve sought out gems from the Middle East, Africa, and other regions often overlooked on American screens.

Kick off your festival experience on Tuesday with READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN, based on the international best-seller from Iran. Next, it’s FILIPIÑANA, a dark comedy about the inequality of wealth in The Philippines that won a Special Jury Award at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

Day 2 opens with FRANZ, a biopic about the iconic Czech writer Franz Kafka. It’s the most ambitious project to date of three-time Academy Award-nominated director Agnieszka Holland. Next up is THE BLUE TRAIL, a Brazilian film about age empowerment set along the lush waters of the Amazon.

Day 3, our official Opening Night, come to a gala tent party at Tisbury Marketplace from 5:30–7:00 pm. Mingle, imbibe, and nibble Morocco-inspired foods by Goldie’s Rotisserie, with live jazz from the Eric Johnson Group. At 7:30 we’ll screen the Moroccan film CALLE MALAGA, which won the Audience Award at the Venice Film Festival.

Day 4 opens with HANGING BY A WIRE, in which a routine school commute in Northern Pakistan turns terrifying when a cable car malfunctions, stranding schoolboys and others high above a valley in peril. Next is an annual perennial crowd favorite: the SHORT FILM JURIED COMPETITION. After the 9 finalists (chosen from over 275 entries) are shown, our jury will announce the winner (Last year’s winner, THE SINGERS, went on to win the 2025 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film!)

Day 5: Saturday opens with LIFE IS LIFE, an Italian dramedy inspired by true events involving a powerful businessman and plans for a luxury eco-resort in a quiet Sardinian village. The film features an unforgettable performance from non-actor and real-life shepherd Giuseppe Ignazio Loi. The next film is MY FATHER’S SHADOW from Nigeria, an achingly honest traverse of tenderness and austerity between a mythical father and curious sons that won a 2026 BAFTA Award and was the UK’s entry for 98th Academy Awards. The final Saturday film is the riveting drama SHEEP IN THE BOX, from Japan’s auteur Koreeda Hirokazu, set in the very near future.

Day 6: Sunday, the festival’s final day, opens with COLORS OF TIME, from France, a genealogical journey that takes us to the City of Light in 1895, when Parisian creativity was at its apex. Next is UNIDENTIFIED, from Saudi Arabia, a murder mystery where a young, recently divorced woman tries to solve a case the authorities show little interest in.

Closing night THE SIEGE OF PARADISE whisks you away to Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera coastline. The area, renowned for stunning vistas and rich cultural heritage, has brought an onslaught of four million visitors each tourist season, overwhelming the otherwise tranquil lives of the few thousand locals. And the festival wraps up with a splendid harbor side party at THE WAVE restaurant, a short walk away from the TMP. Bring your dancing shoes when DJ Smooth B is providing the music.

Richard, Festival Director

Michael, Associate Director

Chris, Assistant Director/ Membership

Ayanna, Theater Manager

OUR SPONSORS

Click the image below to watch our film festival trailer

OPENING NIGHT PARTY & FILM: 

CALLE MALAGA

On Opening Night of the Festival, enjoy meeting fellow festival attendees and special guests inside a tented reception, from 5:30-7:00 PM, on the beautiful waterfront lawn adjacent to Lagoon Pond, just off Beach Road at the Tisbury Marketplace. 

We’ll be serving sparkling rosé champagne, wine, beer and Goldie’s Rotisserie Truck provides the delicious Moroccan inspired appetizers and buffet meal, with wonderful live musical accompaniment. And for an extra dreamy treat, Mad Martha’s Ice Cream will be serving cones or cups.

OPENING NIGHT MENU

Passed Appetizers (5:30 pm)

Harissa steak skewers with yogurt sauce

Puff pastry with roasted carrots and feta

Zaalouk (Moroccan eggplant dip) with pita

Chermoula grilled shrimp

Mains on Buffet Table (5:30 pm - 7:00 pm)

Chicken tagine, apricots, dates, slivered almonds, green olives, 

Moroccan chickpea stew with carrots and swiss chard 

Basmati rice with toasted almonds, dried fruit, parsley

Cucumber tomato salad with lemon, mint, red onion, sumac

Labneh

Mad Martha’s Ice Cream 

After the reception, guests will be invited to make their way to the Film Center for a special OPENING NIGHT screening of CALLE MALAGA

The film begins at 7:30 pm.

Your ticket is good for both the OPENING NIGHT reception and the OPENING NIGHT FILM. 

*There will be no tickets sold for our Opening Night film separately.

CALLE MALAGA

(MOROCCO)

Thursday, September 10th @ 7:30pm

An aging Spanish woman in Tangier resists her daughter’s decision to sell her home. Determined to stay, she does everything she can to keep her place and reclaim the belongings of a lifetime. Along the way, she rediscovers love and desire.

“Touzani’s ‘Calle Málaga’ is a reminder to savor the days we have in the places and communities we hold dear.” – RogerEbert.com

CLOSING NIGHT PARTY

at THE WAVE MV & FILM:

THE SIEGE OF PARADISE

(ITALY)

Sunday, September 13th @ 4:30pm

MV Film Center

In Cinque Terre on Italy’s northern Riviera, fewer than 3,000 locals endure over four million tourists each summer. Across one chaotic season, six very different lives play out in parallel, revealing a sharply funny and surprisingly tender story of paradise under pressure in the age of social media driven tourism.

The Wrap party begins 6:15 PM

Following the Closing Night Film, the Italian documentary THE SIEGE OF PARADISE, we will reconvene at THE WAVE Restaurant, 52 Beach Road in Vineyard Haven, for our Closing Night Party. Your ticket includes both the closing night film and admittance to the party at THE WAVE MV. Enjoy wonderful food, libations and live music from DJ Smooth-B. Dancing is encouraged!

Passed Appetizers:

Caprese Bites, Mini Crab Cakes, Tuna Cucumber Cups

Buffet:

Charcuterie, Bolognese Orecchiette, Rigatoni with Shrimp in Vodka Sauce, Fennel & Orange Salad, White Bean Salad, Cookies & Brownie Bites

*There will be no tickets sold for our Closing Night film separately.

Sterling Bishop, a.k.a. DJ Smooth B, is Martha’s Vineyard’s trusted DJ for epic celebrations, unforgettable weddings, and the Island’s best parties. Originally from Boston, Sterling has spent over two decades bringing his energetic open-format style to the Vineyard, effortlessly blending Motown, funk, hip-hop, R&B, reggae, and today’s hits.

The Wave is a coastal restaurant at the edge of Vineyard Haven, where the food is rooted in what arrives fresh and what the season allows. No fanfare — just careful cooking and good hospitality.

We source locally where we can, and every dish is built around restraint: a few good things, treated well.

FULL SCHEDULE

READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN

(IRAN/ITALY)

Tuesday, September 8th @ 4:00pm

The screen adaptation of Azar Nafisi's beloved memoir tells the true story of a literature professor in revolutionary Iran who, amidst censorship and religious extremism, gathers seven of her most dedicated female students to immerse themselves in banned literary classics. A film by Eran Riklis starring Golshifteh Farahani (Paterson), Zar Amir (Holy Spider), and Mina Kavani (No Bears).



"Warmly transposing Nafisi’s experience in the post-revolution Iran onto the screen with sensitivity.”

- Variety

“Vivid and gripping… Truly a film for these times.”

- The Atlantic

FILIPIÑANA

(PHILIPPINES)

Tuesday, September 8th @ 7:30pm

Tee girl Isabel feels strangely drawn to Dr. Palanca, the president of the country club where she works. However, after piecing together a violent picture of what lies beneath the club’s pristine surface, she realizes that what began as an innocent infatuation is actually rooted in a sinister shared history.

“[A] mesmerizing, ultimately moving, class satire… Both everything and nothing happens in ‘Filipiñana,’ the cutting, confident, and ultimately formally captivating feature debut from writer-director Rafael Manuel…” — THE WRAP 

“An invigorating dose of arch formalism in a sea of mainstream sincerity…In Filipiñana, the angle of a golf club can evoke suspense, a piece of fruit on the ground can feel like a tragedy, and a casual glance can take your breath away…” — VULTURE

FRANZ

(CZECH REPUBLIC/GERMANY/POLAND)

Wednesday, September 9th @ 4:00pm

Three time Academy Award-nominated director Agnieszka Holland embarks on her most ambitious project to date, a biopic of the iconic 20th-century Czech writer Franz Kafka. Conceived as a kaleidoscopic mosaic, the film follows the imprint Kafka left on the world from his birth in 19th-century Prague to his death in post-WW1 Vienna. FRANZ gives audiences a brand new perspective on the life of the man behind the literary giant.

“It truly feels Kafka-esque” – The Daily Planet 

“One of the most unconventional biopics in recent years.” – Loud and Clear Reviews 



“A must-see for fans of director Agnieszka Holland, modern classic literature, German history, biopics, and historical dramas. – That Shelf

THE BLUE TRAIL

(BRAZIL)

Wednesday, September 9th @ 7:30pm

In a not-so-distant dystopian future where the government sends seniors to isolated colonies under the guise of boosting the economy, 77-year-old Tereza (Denise Weinberg) decides her story is far from over. Refusing to surrender her independence, she embarks on a journey to pursue the dreams she is not yet ready to abandon. Along the way, she discovers freedom, companionship, and the joys of going wherever the river takes her. Winner of the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, the latest from director Gabriel Mascaro (Neon Bull, Divine Love) is an inspiring reminder that it’s never too late to take flight. 

“this weird and defiantly original picture is quite a trip.” – Observer (UK)

COMPLAINT NO. 713317

(EGYPT)

Friday, September 11th @ 1:00pm

Magdy and Sama, a retired couple in their 60s, live quietly in their Cairo apartment. Their calm routine is disrupted, when their fridge breaks down. What should be a simple repair spirals into a bizarre, months-long battle with a shady maintenance company. As the fridge remains unfixed, so does everything else, pushing them to confront not only the cracks in the system but also in their own sense of purpose.

HANGING BY A WIRE

(PAKISTAN)

Friday, September 11th @ 4:00pm

Hanging by a Wire recounts the true story of a routine school commute that turned terrifying when a makeshift cable car’s wire snapped, leaving eight passengers — including six schoolboys — suspended hundreds of feet above a ravine in the remote Himalayan foothills. With the clock ticking before the remaining cable was expected to fail, an unlikely band of local rescuers raced against time to bring them home safely. Drawing on firsthand testimony and remarkable on-the-ground footage, the film is a tense, true-life portrait of courage, community, and the class divides that complicated the rescue effort.

“An edge-of-your-seat true rescue story with with a razor-edged social sting.” – Screen Zealots

SHORT FILMS JURIED COMPETITION

(INTERNATIONAL)

Friday, September 11th @ 7:30pm

From more than 250 entries our festival selection committee has chosen 9 finalists. We will screen each short film and our jury will select the “Best Overall” film at the conclusion of the program. 

See our web site for Short Film details

LIFE IS LIFE

(ITALY)

Saturday, September 12th @ 1:00pm

Inspired by a true story, this Italian box office hit comedy from Riccardo Milani sees two different sets of ideals collide on an unspoiled stretch of coastline in southern Sardinia.

Efisio is a solitary shepherd who lives in the small house where he was born, a silent guardian of a time that seems to no longer exist. Meanwhile Giacomo (Diego Abatantuono), the president of a powerful Milanese real estate group, is determined to transform the picturesque coast into a luxury resort alongside construction site manager Mariano (Aldo Baglio) who is tasked with convincing Efisio to sell his land. Caught between these irreconcilable worlds is Efisio’s daughter Francesca (Virginia Raffaele), who is torn between the call of change and her deep attachment to her homeland.



But when Efisio refuses yet another multi-million offer, negotiations turn into a legal battle. As pressure mounts and the community fractures, Efisio’s unwavering ‘no’ takes on collective meaning in this David versus Goliath tale about courage, cultural identity and the environment.

MY FATHER'S SHADOW

(UK/NIGERIA)

Saturday, September 12th @ 4:00pm

The UK’s Best International Feature Film entry to the 98th Academy Awards® and recipient of the Caméra d’Or Special Mention at Cannes, Akinola Davis Jr.’s MY FATHER’S SHADOW is a poetic, tender portrait of father-son bonds. Framed by the political landscape of 1993 Lagos, the film follows a father and his two young sons as they journey into and around the vibrantly rendered Nigerian metropolis, quietly reckoning with their relationship while navigating a city on the precipice of democratic crisis. Brothers and collaborators Akinola Davis Jr. and Wale Davies bring us a groundbreaking feature debut — centering an award-winning performance by Sopé Dìrísù (Slow Horses, Gangs of London) — that reveals the profound depths of what families leave unspoken. 

” This is an absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing film.” – Filmweek

SHEEP IN THE BOX

(JAPAN)

Saturday, September 12th @ 7:30pm

A Film by Koreeda Hirokazu

In the near future, Otone and Kensuke, a grieving couple who have lost their son, take into their lives a humanoid identical to their late child. 

“Few filmmakers are as attuned to human emotion and interaction as Koreeda” – The Gate

COLORS OF TIME

(FRANCE)

Sunday, September 13th @ 12:00pm

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

A group of strangers, all descendants of a woman named Adèle Meunier, are gathered in Normandy. The town would like to purchase her long-abandoned property, and four “cousins” are tasked with overseeing the transaction. Thus begins a genealogical journey into the past, taking us to 1895 Paris, with the City of Light on the brink of an industrial and cultural revolution. Aptly entitled “The Coming of the Future” in French, Colors of Time literally plunges us into a moment in time when Parisian creativity is at its apex… when not only electricity and technology, but photography and Impressionism in painting and music are creating a spark that’s about to erupt into a movement far beyond anyone’s expectations. Cédric Klapisch‘s endearing new comedy is nothing less than a soul-stirring, time-traveling – at times, hallucinogenic – trip for lovers of the arts everywhere.

“A charming, visually rich time-travel fantasia” – Algo Más Que Cine

UNIDENTIFIED

(SAUDI ARABIA)

Sunday, September 13th @ 2:30pm

Sparked by the discovery of the lifeless body of a teenage girl in the desert; When no one claims the body, Noelle Al Saffan, a newly divorced, true crime aficionado who recently lost a child of her own, gets obsessively involved. Despite a ticking clock that seemingly guarantees the girl’s senseless death will be discarded as a cold case, Noelle is determined to identify the body and uncover the truth. She slowly unravels a mystery entangled within a traditional society in transition, where women are learning to create more space for themselves and to take control of their own destinies. 

“both thrilling and wondrous” – The New Yorker

The Martha's Vineyard Film Society, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural arts organization celebrating 28 years of service. Although our main activity consists of the operation of the award-winning Martha's Vineyard Film Center, our programming offers much more than films. We produce special community events in collaboration with numerous Island non-profits, host live performances, stream MET Opera live from NYC, and offer Youth Programming year-round, including our Summer Camp with MVTV and Featherstone Center for the Arts. We hope you, our patrons and members, found this newsletter a glimpse into our continued efforts to fulfill our mission and enliven our Island’s cultural arts scene.