The 16th annual Naples International Film Festival’s wide selection of acclaimed films will include screenings under the stars of the small-business drama Freedom Hair and the musical crowd pleaser The Opener, as well as a performance of Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman accompanied by the Naples Philharmonic and conducted by Principal Pops Conductor Jack Ever performing Danny Elfman’s score.
Artis—Naples announced that the festival, to be held October 24-27, will include 58 films including 10 narrative features, 12 documentary features and 36 short films representing 26 countries, and several of the screenings will include in-person post-screening filmmaker Q&As. Naples is one of MovieMaker‘s 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.
“We are thrilled to present this year’s selection of films, each offering a unique lens through which audiences can explore the creativity of the human spirit,” said Artis—Naples CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen. “The Naples International Film Festival is an opportunity to enjoy the power of storytelling reflected across experiences, cultures and artistic expression.
“This year’s lineup embodies our ongoing commitment to celebrating the diversity of perspectives offered by independent film, inspiring introspection and connection within our community. We look forward to the profound conversations and shared experiences these films will undoubtedly spark.”
Added David Filner, executive vice president, artistic operations: “Our team has worked diligently to craft a slate of films that is representative of the diverse landscape of independent cinema. Whether through emotionally resonant documentaries or engaging narrative features, we’ve designed this year’s festival to provide audiences with an immersive cinema experience. NIFF continues to be a distinctive platform where filmmakers and cinephiles alike can come together, exchange ideas and celebrate the multidisciplinary nature of film as an art form.”
Festival Producer Shannon Franklin added: “Every year, NIFF serves as a dynamic meeting point for filmmakers and audiences, and this year is no exception. The festival has become a cornerstone for both emerging and established filmmakers, and we’re proud of the reputation it has earned as a welcoming, inspiring environment. We can’t wait to share these powerful stories with all the attendees who make NIFF so special.”
All screenings and events will be held in Hayes Hall, Daniels Pavilion or Norris Garden on the Artis—Naples Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Cultural Campus or at the festival’s new venue partner, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at Mercato.
Naples International Film Festival Highlights
The festival will open with its New Perspectives celebration of Short Films, including Adam J. Graves’ “Anuja,” about a 9-year-old girl working in a garment factory who receives a rare chance to attend boarding school; Nick Russell’s thriller “Favourites,” in which two young parents face a harrowing choice during a family camping trip in the Australian Outback; and Jumai Yusuf’s “Nate and John,” about a friendship that develops in the 1960s between a young Black barber’s assistant and a teenage hippie forced to get a haircut.
Also screening that night will be Ballard C. Boyd’s “Night Session,” in which a burglary quickly morphs into a therapy session, TJ O’Grady-Peyton’s Irish drama “Room Taken,” about a homeless man who secretly takes up residence in the home of an elderly blind woman, and Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz’s SXSW special jury prize winner “Trapped,” about a janitor at a prestigious high school who confronts a group of boys in the middle of a senior prank.
NIFF’s “Screenings Under the Stars” events will be held on a large outdoor screen in Norris Garden on the Artis—Naples cultural campus. Dianne Houston’s Freedom Hair, which pits a business-savvy mother with a natural hair braiding business against a cosmetology cartel, will screen on October 25, and Jeff Toye’s The Opener, about a struggling street musician who gets the chance of a lifetime, will screen on October 26. Toye and the documentary’s subject, Philip Labes, will take part in a post-film Q&A and a brief performance by Labes.
Films in the Naples International Film Festival’s competition categories will compete for more than $10,000 in cash prizes, including the Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature and Best Short as well as the Focus on the Arts Award, given to a feature-length narrative or documentary film with an emphasis on one or more of the visual or performing arts.
The Narrative Feature Juried Competition slate includes Shaun Seneviratne’s romantic comedy-drama Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts about a man who visits Sri Lanka to rekindle a relationship; Matthew Leutwyler’s Fight Like a Girl, about a young woman, kidnapped from her village in the Congo and forced to work in an illegal mineral mine, who joins an all-women boxing club; Steven Grayhm’s Sheepdog, about the physical and psychological trauma of war.
The Documentary Feature Juried Competition includes Joe Wein’s 76 Days Adrift, Steven Callahan’s story of survival alone on an inflatable raft in the Atlantic Ocean; Anthony Wonke’s The Accidental Spy, about America’s jihadist spy; and Jeremy Power Regimbal’s Between the Mountain and the Sky, about Maggie Doyne, who became guardian to over 50 Nepalese children.
The full Naples International Film Festival schedule is here.