Newburyport
Documentary
Film
Festival

NBPT DOCU FEST

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We are the Filmmakers' Film Festival

September 25-27, 2026

Submissions for our 2026 Festival are now open

Submissions for our 2026 Festival are now open, and we would love for you to submit new work and remain part of our growing filmmaking community. Please feel free to share the news with your fellow filmmakers as well—we welcome their voices, too.

As we begin the New Year, we wish you happiness, good health, and continued creativity. We look forward to staying connected and to discovering the powerful, inspiring stories you’ll bring to life in the year ahead.

THE WATCH CLUB

COMING UP IN THE WATCH CLUB:

Women’s History Month may have just ended, but it’s never too late to celebrate the legacy of Bella Abzug, one of the most revered – and vilified – female politicians of the 20th century. In BELLA! THIS WOMAN’S PLACE IS IN THE HOUSE, the rabble-rousing feminist who brought her indomitable spirit to the floor of the US Congress gets her due.

“I always had a decent sense of outrage,” said the brash New Yorker, and she used it on behalf of women, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, and many others. In this acclaimed biographical documentary, Hillary Clinton, Barbra Streisand, Gloria Steinem and other notables attest to the infectious sense of duty that “Battling Bella” espoused.

Watch BELLA! THIS WOMAN’S PLACE IS IN THE HOUSE, now streaming on American Masters on the PBS website. Then make plans to join us in THE WATCH CLUB for a live Q&A with executive producer Liz Abzug at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 15.

Watch the interview anytime afterward in our Watch Club archive.

Watch the film

Watch the interview

THE WATCH CLUB: BELLA! THIS WOMAN’S PLACE IS IN THE HOUSE

What is THE WATCH CLUB?

Keep the conversation going throughout the year in THE WATCH CLUB. It's like a book club, but for documentaries.

Each month we'll recommend a new documentary to stream, then invite you to join us on YouTube and Facebook for a live online Q&A with the filmmaker.

Our 2025 Festival Winners

BEST FEATURE FILM: NIGHT FIGHT

Director: Khary Saeed Jones

BEST SHORT FILM: POPPY CRASH

Director: Andalusia K. Soloff

BEST NEW ENGLAND FEATURE FILM: UNLESS SOMETHING GOES TERRIBLY WRONG

Directors: Kaitlyn Schwalje, Alex Wolf Lewis

BEST NEW ENGLAND SHORT FILM: DUKAKIS: RECIPE FOR DEMOCRACY

Directors: Erin Trahan, Jeff Schmidt

BEST FIRST TIME FEATURE FILM: THE OPENER

Director: Jeff Toye

THE DAVID KLEILER CINEPHILE AWARD: THE PAINTED LIFE OF GREGORY GILLESPIE

Director: Evan Goodchild

AUDIENCE AWARD: CHECKPOINT ZOO

Director: Joshua Zeman

2025 YES Award winner: METTLE

Directors: Surabhi Sundaram & Chelsea Casabona

Columbia University School of Journalism’s Master’s Program

Our 2025 Program

Our Sponsors

The Newburyport Documentary Film Festival is supported in part by grants from the local cultural councils of the surrounding towns as well as our local sponsors.
If you would like to become a sponsor, please visit our Sponsors page

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