Newburyport
Documentary
Film
Festival
NBPT DOCU FEST
September 2027 TBA
We are the Filmmakers' Film Festival
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2026 Film Festival Award Winners
Best Feature Film:
ADAM'S APPLE - Amy Jenkins
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Best Short Film:
TORNADO TASTES LIKE ALUMINUM STING - James Rutenbeck
Best New England Filmmaker Feature:
LEAVING ANGOLA - Andrew Kukura
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Best New England Filmmaker Short:
FROZEN FRAMES: MURPHY'S YELLOWSTONE - Allison Argo
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Best First Time Feature Film:
THE NARROW LAND - Jaiden van Bork
David Kleiler Cinephile Award:
THE LAST YZTARI - Tim O'Donnell
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Jury's Award:
THE GREAT EXPERIMENT- Stephen Maing
co-director: Eric Daniel Metzgar
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Audience Award Feature Film:
LEAVING ANGOLA - Andrew Kukara
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Audience Award Short Film:
MAN IN THE WAVE - Greg Shea
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YES Award:
THE UPROOTED - Elena Conic
2026 Program Guide
(Young Emerging-Filmmakers Showcase)
THE WATCH CLUB
We’re still riding high from the wonderfully energized weekend of our 22nd annual in-person film festival in late September. Now we’re back it with the latest episode of our monthly filmmaker interview series, in which we discuss the ever-expanding world of fantastic documentaries available to stream.
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Jessica Earnshaw’s BABY DOE, which debuted at South by Southwest last year, is out now. The true story of a devoted mother who gets linked through DNA evidence with the death of her first baby 30 years prior, the film comes at a time when the public has become fixated – given the ongoing saga of the Lindsay Clancy trial – on questions about motherhood, mental health, and criminal justice.
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Watch BABY DOE, streaming now on Apple TV, Prime Video, and other platforms. Then make plans to join us in THE WATCH CLUB for a live Q&A with director Jessica Earnshaw at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday, October 20. Or watch the interview anytime afterward on our YouTube channel.
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What is THE WATCH CLUB?
Our 2025 Festival Winners
BEST FEATURE FILM: NIGHT FIGHT
Director: Khary Saeed Jones
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BEST SHORT FILM: POPPY CRASH
Director: Andalusia K. Soloff
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BEST NEW ENGLAND FEATURE FILM: UNLESS SOMETHING GOES TERRIBLY WRONG
Directors: Kaitlyn Schwalje, Alex Wolf Lewis
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BEST NEW ENGLAND SHORT FILM: DUKAKIS: RECIPE FOR DEMOCRACY
Directors: Erin Trahan, Jeff Schmidt
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BEST FIRST TIME FEATURE FILM: THE OPENER
Director: Jeff Toye
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THE DAVID KLEILER CINEPHILE AWARD: THE PAINTED LIFE OF GREGORY GILLESPIE
Director: Evan Goodchild
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AUDIENCE AWARD: CHECKPOINT ZOO
Director: Joshua Zeman
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2025 YES Award winner: METTLE
Directors: Surabhi Sundaram & Chelsea Casabona
Columbia University School of Journalism’s Master’s 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
