The 18th Annual Naples International Film Festival will screen 59 films, including 10 features, nine documentaries and 40 short films. Representing 13 countries, this year’s lineup includes 47 premieres.
The festival opens on Thursday, Oct. 22, with Opening Night Shorts, featuring five creative short films screened in Hayes Hall. The festival will close on Sunday, Oct. 25, with a presentation of "Superman in Concert," featuring a live performance of John Williams’ iconic score by the Naples Philharmonic, led by Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly.
In addition to Hayes Hall, this year’s venues also include the Daniels Pavilion and Norris Garden on the Artis—Naples campus along with Paragon Theaters – Pavilion.
MORE INFORMATION:
This year’s lineup of 59 films was curated from nearly 1,000 submitted films.
Of the 47 premieres, two are world premieres, four U.S., three east coast and 38 Florida premieres.
Select filmmakers will participate in post-screening Q&A conversations as well as panel discussions during the festival.
“Film holds an important place within the multidisciplinary mission of Artis—Naples, offering another way for artists and audiences to encounter ideas, perspectives and experiences beyond their own,” Artis-Naples CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen said. “As we welcome filmmakers and film lovers to the 18th edition of the Naples International Film Festival, we look forward to the conversations, connections and discoveries this year’s remarkable lineup will inspire.”
David Filner, executive vice president, artistic operations, added, “This year’s slate of films reflects the extraordinary range of independent filmmaking, from intimate documentaries and inventive narratives to short films that accomplish something remarkable in just a few minutes. Across the lineup, audiences will encounter distinctive voices, ambitious storytelling and the unique pleasure of discovering a film they may not have encountered anywhere else.”
“What makes NIFF stand out among film festivals is the sense of connection that develops between filmmakers and audiences over these four days,” said Festival Producer Shannon Franklin. “We want artists at every stage of their careers to feel genuinely welcomed here, and we want audiences to leave each screening energized by the films and by the chance to experience them alongside fellow film lovers.”
Opening Night Shorts program
NIFF’s Oct. 22 Opening Night Shorts program will screen five inventive short films in Hayes Hall (5833 Pelican Bay Blvd). The lineup includes:
- Will Niava’s “Jazz Infernal,” a semiautobiographical story about a young trumpeter arriving in Montreal from Ivory Coast under the weight of his father’s musical legacy;
- Matthew Inman’s “My Dog: The Paradox,” a funny and heartfelt adaptation of his Eisner Award-winning comic about the strange bond between people and their dogs;
- Cassidy Rast and Odin Wadleigh’s “Body of Work,” following Florida artist Eric Anfinson as he discovers painting after a spinal cord injury redirects his life;
- Pranav Bhasin’s “We Were Here,” about three retirees waging war against household technology; and
- Daniel Audritt and Kat Butterfield’s “Life Goes On,” a darkly comic tale of a hospice patient trapped in a time loop on the final day of his life.
Cinema Under the Stars in Norris Garden
NIFF’s signature “Cinema Under the Stars” in Norris Garden on the Artis--Naples cultural campus will feature the east coast premiere of Rebecca Tansley’s documentary “Tenor: My Name Is Pati” on Friday, Oct. 23. The film looks at charismatic Samoan tenor Pene Pati, whose against-the-odds journey from the South Pacific to the world’s greatest opera stages has earned him comparisons to Pavarotti along the way.
On Saturday, October 24, audiences will see Jeff Dickamore and Aurora Florence’s “Too Soon” under the stars. The film follows a former singer-songwriter turned elementary school music teacher and a music producer as they navigate young widowhood and solo parenting after an accidental casket swap brings them together.
Narrative Feature films
The Narrative Feature Juried Competition slate includes:
- A.R. Ephraim’s award-winning feature directorial debut, “A Woman’s Work,” about a young woman in rural Kentucky who works as a coal miner to provide for her young sisters;
- Eamonn Murphy’s Irish drama “Solitary,” about a widowed farmer whose sense of security is shattered after a home invasion; and
- The Florida premiere of indie-stalwart Katie Aselton’s “Their Town,” about two teenagers from opposite ends of the social spectrum confronting uncertain futures over one night in their small town.
Beyond the competition slate, additional narrative feature highlights include NIFF alum Ballard C. Boyd’s feature directorial debut, “Jackrabbit.” The film is a mystery-comedy about an investigative journalist and struggling actress who despise one another but are forced to team up to solve the disappearance of their mutual best friend.
John Mossman’s mockumentary “Line Cooks,” about a college student who takes a job as a line cook at a hole-in-the-wall Korean taco joint, only to discover that it’s run by ex-convicts and cartel members, will make its world premiere. Jay Silverman’s “Yale” is based on a true story written by Naples resident Van Billet. The film, which stars Caitlin McGee, Kevin Dunn and Rachael Harris, follows a young woman who must convince the father she has not seen in 30 years to donate one of his kidneys to save her son’s life.
The Documentary Feature Juried Competition
The Documentary Feature Juried Competition includes:
- Rebecca Tansley’s “Tenor: My Name Is Pati;”
- Jonathan Nastasi and Vivian Sorenson’s “Fork in the Road,” which features Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation,” “The Last of Us”) bringing humor and authenticity to the movement supporting sustainable, regenerative farming, from Alaskan kelp harvesters to dairy farmers in Kentucky; and
- NIFF alumni Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel’s “I Got Bombed” at Harvey’s, which recounts the events of August 26, 1980, when an elaborate bomb packed with 1,000 pounds of dynamite was wheeled into Harvey’s Wagon Wheel Casino in Lake Tahoe alongside a demand for $3 million.
- Additional documentary highlights beyond the juried competition include Arthur Egeli’s “Anne Packard: An Artist’s Resolve,” which follows acclaimed Cape Cod painter Anne Packard as, at 92, she prepares to leave behind the gallery that helped define her career.
- Lara St. John’s “Dear Lara” follows the renowned violinist as she exposes decades of sexual abuse and institutional complicity in the classical music world.
- Don Hardy’s “Unspoken Bond” is a deep dive into the unique bond between humans and animals, following three lives forever changed by an animal—a champion dressage rider confronting grief, a woman struggling with addiction who finds hope in the trust of a fox and a veteran finding his way back to the world through his service dog.
Closing Night Awards Ceremony
More than $15,000 in cash prizes will be awarded at this year’s Closing Night Awards Ceremony in the Daniels Pavilion on Sunday, Oct. 25. NIFF will once again present the Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature and Best Short Film, as well as the Focus on the Arts Awards, the Impact Award, the Indie Spirit Award, the Programmers’ Choice Awards, the Best First Feature Award, the Rising Star Award and the Florida Film Award.
Additionally, 2026 marks the seventh consecutive year NIFF presents juried awards in Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature categories, and it is the second year the festival will present juried awards in the Short Films category, which have been expanded to include Best Live Action Short Film, Best Documentary Short Film and Best Animated Short Film.
Closing Night Pops performance
NIFF’s Closing niight on Sunday, Oct. 25, will feature a beloved classic in a format unique to NIFF as Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly and the Naples Philharmonic present “Superman in Concert,” performing John Williams’ soaring score from the 1978 classic live. This special event continues NIFF’s tradition of pairing film with live orchestral performance for a memorable finale.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
