Ari Aster, Murray Bartlett Among Provincetown International Film Festival Honorees

The Provincetown International Film Festival will celebrate its 27th year with honorees including Ari Aster, Murray Bartlett, Eva Victor and River Gallo, and will open with Linus O'Brien's documentary Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror. It will close with Michael Koehler's Spiritus: No Business Like Dough Business.

The festival, consistently one of our 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee, will be held June 11-15. Details, including ticketing information, can be found here.

Aster will be named 2025’s “Filmmaker on the Edge” in anticipation of the release of his next film, Eddington, which A24 will release on July 18. The Hereditary, Midsommar and Beau Is Afraid director will receive the award in conversation with resident artist and film legend John Waters on Saturday, June 14.

"Ari Aster’s films weave grief, beauty and dread into unforgettable cinematic experiences,” said Anne Hubbell, PIFF’s executive director. “We’re excited to welcome Ari to Provincetown for a thrilling conversation about his dynamic filmography.” 

Provincetown local and Emmy winner Murray Bartlett will be honored with this year’s Excellence in Acting Award. The star of The White Lotus and HBO’s The Last of Us, appears in Ponyboi, which is playing at PIFF this year. He will receive the honor in conversation with Academy Award nominee and prior PIFF Filmmaker on the Edge honoree Christine Vachon on Saturday, June 14. 

“Murray Bartlett has distinguished himself as a remarkable talent, bringing depth and authenticity to every role,” said PIFF’s director of programming, Andrew Peterson. “From Ponyboi to The Last of Us to Welcome to Chippendales and his Emmy Award-winning performance in The White Lotus, Murray demonstrates a rare ability to connect with audiences through vulnerability, humor and strength. We’re thrilled to honor him this year." 

Eva Victor and River Gallo will receive this year's Next Wave Awards. Victor is a writer, director and actor who has established themselves with their feature directorial debut Sorry Baby, which will play this year at PIFF. Gallo is a GLAAD Award-winning filmmaker, actor, writer, model, and intersex rights activist who wrote, stars in and produced Ponyboi.

“Eva Victor and River Gallo represent the very essence of independent artistry. With our Next Wave Awards, we are incredibly proud to celebrate their diverse talents as both creators and powerful leads in each of their original debut features," said PIFF artistic director Lisa Viola. 

Strange Journey follows the journey of The Rocky Horror Picture Show from its origins as a London fringe theater play to its status as perhaps the biggest cult film of all time. Spiritus is a documentary about one of the oldest family-run businesses in Provincetown, the excellent Spiritus Pizza and Ice Cream. It highlights the challenges faced by the business and the queer community during the AIDS crisis and Puritanical attitudes of the 1970s and 1980s. 

This year’s spotlight selections include Jimpa, directed by returning filmmaker Sophie Hyde, Annapurna Sriram’s F---toys, and the World Premiere of Hurricanna, directed by Francesca Gregorini, which chronicles the final days of Anna Nicole Smith. 

This year’s full festival lineup is below: 

OPENING NIGHT 

STRANGE JOURNEY: THE STORY OF ROCKY HORROR – directed by Linus O’Brien CLOSING NIGHT 

SPIRITUS: NO BUSINESS LIKE DOUGH BUSINESS – directed by Michael Koehler SPOTLIGHT SELECTIONS 

F---TOYS – directed by Annapurna Sriram

HURRICANNA – directed by Francesca Gregorini 

JIMPA – directed by Sophie Hyde 

NARRATIVE FEATURES 

THE BALTIMORONS – directed by Jay Duplass 

CACTUS PEARS (SABAR BONDA) – directed by Rohan Kanawade DREAMING OF LIONS – directed by Paolo Marinou-Blanco DREAMS (SEX LOVE) – directed Dag Johan Haugererud EAST OF WALL – directed by Kate Beecroft 

FAMILIAR TOUCH – directed by Sarah Friedland 

JIMMY – directed by Yashaddai Owens 

MESSY – directed by Alexi Wasser 

OH, HI! – directed by Sophie Brooks 

OPERATION TACO GARY’S – directed by Michael Kvamme

PLAINCLOTHES – directed by Carmen Emmi 

PONYBOI – directed by Esteban Arango 

QUEENS OF THE DEAD – directed by Tina Romero QUEERPANORAMA – directed by Jun Li 

SAUNA – directed by Mathias Broe 

SISTERS – directed by Susie Yankou 

SORRY, BABY – directed by Eva Victor 

TWINLESS – directed by James Sweeney 

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES 

ARE WE GOOD? – directed by Steven Feinartz 

COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT – directed by Ryan White CREEDE U.S.A. – directed by Kahane Corn Cooperman

ENIGMA – directed by Zackary Drucker 

EVERYTHING MOVES – directed by Michael Cestaro 

FOLKTALES – directed by Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady 

FOREVER HOME – directed by Allison Argo 

HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY – directed by Sam Feder 

IT’S NEVER OVER, JEFF BUCKLEY – directed by Amy Berg 

KEROUAC’S ROAD: THE BEAT OF A NATION – directed by Ebs Burnough THE LIBRARIANS – directed by Kim A. Snyder 

MARLEE MATLIN: NOT ALONE ANYMORE – directed by Shoshannah Stern MOVE YA BODY: THE BIRTH OF HOUSE – directed by Elegance Bratton MY MOM JAYNE – directed by Mariska Hargitay 

SAINTS AND WARRIORS – directed by Patrick Shannon 

SALLY – directed by Cristina Costantini 

SEEDS – directed by Brittany Shyne 

SPECIAL SCREENINGS 

John Waters Presents: PINK NARCISSUS – directed by James Bidgood THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW – directed by Jim Sharman SHORT FILMS 

NARRATIVE SHORTS 

13 CEMETERY ROAD – directed by Daniel Gómez Llata 

AFTER WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LIBRARY – directed by Syra McCarthy ANYWAY, I PISS SITTING DOWN – directed by Zak Slattery 

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! – directed by Zen Pace 

THE ART OF SURVIVAL (UNAFRAID) – directed by Lauren Elizabeth Wolk, Jackie Reeves BEACH-O – directed by Karen Lawler, Leah Smith

BELLY BELLY – directed by Gabriel Carnick 

CALAMITY JANE – directed by Robin Cloud 

CLOSE TO THE BONE – directed by Jenny Byrne, Katy Miller CUMING OUT – directed by Jasmine J. Johnson 

EVERY OTHER WEEKEND – directed by Mick Robertson, Margaret Rose F*CK THAT GUY – directed by Hanna Gray Organschi 

YÚ CI (FISH BONES) – directed by Kevin X. Yu 

GENDER REVEAL – directed by Mo Matton 

GRANDMA NAI WHO PLAYED FAVORITES – directed by Chheangkea LISBON – directed by Matthew Jacobs Morgan 

LOST IN SAN FRANCISCO – directed by Brett McCarl Thomas MANGO – directed by Joan Iyiola 

NEW YORK DAY WOMEN – directed by Fredgy Noël 

ONE DAY THIS KID – directed by Alexander Farah 

THE PLUMBING – directed by Charlotte Istel 

REMEMBER ME – directed by Claire Lory Titelman 

SHOULDER SEASON – directed by Sierra Schnack 

SISTER! – directed by John Onieal 

STALLING – directed by Jasia A. Ka 

SUSANA – directed by Gerardo Coello Escalante, Amandine Thomas SWEET TALKING GUY – directed by Dylan Wardwell, Spencer Wardwell TO NOVOSIBIRSK – directed by Sasha Korbut 

WE SHOULD EAT – directed by Shaina Feinberg 

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS 

ARTHUR EGELI: BEYOND THE FRAME – directed by Tess Anne Lancaster CAMP WIDOW – directed by Laura Green, Anna Moot-Levin DRAKE CARR’S FAVORITE THING – directed by Andrea Yu-Chieh Chung THE FAULT LINE – directed by Brydie O’Connor

LOVE BIRDS – directed by Angel Morris, Elliot Kennerson 

MOOSKA – directed by Samuel Aarnio 

THE NEW YORKER THEATER: A TALBOT LEGACY – directed by Sergio Maza RANDA – directed by Sterling Hampton IV 

RICHARD NEUTRA’S MASLON HOUSE – directed by Scott Goldstein, Dave Yakir SIGNS FROM THE MAINLAND – directed by Michael Cestaro 

TIGER – directed by Loren Kasey Waters 

WE’LL CARRY ON ALRIGHT – directed by Megan Rossman 

ANIMATION SHORTS 

404 – directed by Gina Kamentsky 

A BIRD HIT MY WINDOW AND NOW I’M A LESBIAN – directed by Carmela Marie Murphy, AJ Dubler BOOKED A ROOM – directed by Kris Lefcoe 

DRAGFOX – directed by Lisa Ott 

IT’S A RAINBOW – directed by Robert Davis 

LITTLE SHREW (SNOWFLAKE) – directed by Kate Bush 

Main image: Provincetown International Film Festival honorees Murray Bartlett (L) and River Gallo in Ponyboi.