Newburyport
Documentary
Film
Festival
NBPT DOCU FEST
We are the Filmmakers' Film Festival
2026 Festival September 25-27
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.
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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
THE WATCH CLUB: AMERIGO
Join us for this month’s Watch Club interview with the entrepreneur David McCourt. He’s the best-selling author of “Total Rethink” and the producer behind AMERIGO, a new feature-length documentary that asks a timely question: Does the American Dream still exist?
David, a Watertown native who spends much of his time these days in his family’s native Ireland, will be joining us for the live taping of this month’s chat at 1 p.m. on Monday, June 29. Make yourself a sandwich, and settle in with your own questions about the future of “living the dream”!
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Watch AMERIGO, now streaming on PBS. Then make plans to join us in THE WATCH CLUB for a live Q&A with producer David McCourt at 1 p.m. ET Monday, June 29. 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 2025 Program
Photo History
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
