WE are the filmmakers' film festival. Our objective is to present thought-provoking, high-caliber, and entertaining documentary films to the vibrant cultural communities. By curating the best of documentary films, we encourage meaningful interaction with our community about social issues, current and historic events, and sometimes the sheer delight of life on planet Earth.

MANY OF OUR FILM SCREENINGS are enhanced by intimate discussions with relevant experts and, whenever possible, the filmmakers themselves, providing our audiences with a unique immersive experience.

To continue with our objective your donation is needed to support the Newburyport Documentary Film Festival. Your donation is a tax-deductible contribution.

THE WATCH CLUB January ‘23

The Watch Club Archive

This month in The WATCH CLUB‍

Winner of the Documentary Director award and a Grand Jury Prize nominee at 2022 Sundance, Reid Davenport’s I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE is a funny, infuriating look at the ways disabled folks must navigate a hostile world. When a circus tent goes up outside Reid’s Oakland apartment, he launches into a meditative journey exploring the history of freakdom, vision, and (in)visibility. Shot from the director’s perspective – mounted to his wheelchair or handheld – the film serves as a clear rebuke to the norm of disabled people being seen and not heard.
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Watch the film on PBS’s POV series,  on the POV website.
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Our 2022 Festival Films

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Watch Club Archives here

Check out more Filmmaker Interviews here.

Riveted: The History of Jeans

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This program is supported in part by grants from the local cultural councils of Amesbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, and Salisbury, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.