The New Hampshire Film Festival takes pride in bringing the spirit of independent filmmaking to New England’s thriving Seacoast region.
Each fall, NHFF gives film-lovers a first look at world-class, award-winning independent films, often before they hit the mainstream scene.
Director: Sean Baker
Accolades: Willem Dafoe, Best Supporting Actor nomination, 2018 Academy Awards
Featured at the 2017 NHFF
Moonie is a mischievous 6-year-old girl living in a motel in the dark shadows of Disney World. Over the course of one summer, the film follows her and her friends as they explore their sense of childhood adventure while her rebellious mother and the other adults in the area struggle with hard times.
Director: Ruben Östlund
Accolades: Best Foreign Language Film nomination, 2018 Academy Awards
Feature at the 2017 NHFF
A museum curator, Christian, puts on a show that explores the altruistic role of human beings. After he reacts foolishly to the theft of his phone, he’s dragged into shameful situations that counteract his good intentions. This, on top of an unexpected PR campaign, sends Christian and the museum into an existential crisis.
Director: Robert Eggers
Accolades: Directing Award, 2015 Sundance Film Festival
Featured at the 2015 NHFF
In New England during the 1630s, a devout Christian family makes their homestead on the outskirts of a wilderness area. After their newborn son disappears, the family turns on one another and becomes torn apart by the forces of possession, black magic, and witchcraft.
Director: Roger Ross Williams
Accolades: Best Documentary nomination, 2017 Academy Awards
Featured at the 2016 NHFF
Owen Suskind is a young man with autism who had trouble communicating with his family. That is, until they discovered a unique way of communicating by immersing themselves into the world of classic Disney films. This powerful documentary is a captivating example of how films can change lives.
Director: Mia Hansen-Løve
Accolades: Best Director, 2016 Berlin Film Festival
Featured at the 2016 NHFF
As a philosophy teacher in Paris, Nathalie’s life revolves around her students, caring for her possessive mother, and taking care of her husband and two children. But after a series of unfortunate events, Nathalie loses everything that once gave her life meaning and is forced to reinvent herself.
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Accolades: Best Documentary Award, 2013 Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards
Featured at the 2013 NHFF
What happens when intelligent and powerful creatures are kept in captivity? Blackfish follows the story of Tilikum, a notorious killer whale responsible for the death of three people. The film shows the devastating consequences of keeping whales in captivity — both for humans and animals.