New Hampshire Film Festival Announces 2026 Lineup

The New Hampshire Film Festival (NHFF) announced its 2026 film lineup, featuring more than 100 films from across the globe screening throughout downtown Portsmouth during the festival's 24th annual edition, taking place October 15–18, 2026.

Over four days, NHFF will bring together filmmakers, industry guests and audiences for a wide-ranging celebration of independent cinema featuring narrative and documentary features, short films, filmmaker Q&As, panels, workshops, parties and special events. The 2026 program spans an array of voices, genres and perspectives, with a number of this year's selections having previously premiered at major international festivals including Cannes, Venice, Sundance and Tribeca.

Leading this year's lineup are six Spotlight Films, covering all four days of the festival.

Friday's Red Carpet Spotlight Film, ROSE, directed by Markus Schleinzer and starring Sandra Hüller, follows a soldier who arrives in an isolated German village claiming an abandoned farmstead, only to face growing suspicion surrounding his identity and an increasingly violent reckoning.

Also screening on Friday is CARL SAGAN: WE ARE MADE OF STAR STUFF. Directed by Nanette Burstein the documentary explores the life and legacy of the visionary astronomer and television host whose groundbreaking ideas transformed the way millions understood science, humanity and our place in the universe.

Saturday's Spotlight Film, CLARISSA, directed by Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri, follows a Lagos society woman whose preparations for a party lead to an unexpected reunion with once-intimate friends and a bittersweet reckoning with their shared past.

LOOK BACK, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, adapts Tatsuki Fujimoto's beloved manga into a coming-of-age story about two teenage girls pursuing their shared dream of becoming professional manga artists.

Juliette Binoche stars in QUEEN AT SEA, a Lance Hammer-directed drama that focuses on navigating love and the fragile boundaries between care, protection and autonomy for an elderly parent suffering from dementia.

Closing out the Spotlight Film selections is MINOTAUR, from acclaimed filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev. Set in Russia in 2022, the drama centers on a successful company director whose carefully ordered life begins to collapse amid mounting corporate pressures and an increasingly unstable world.

Beyond the Spotlight selections, the feature narrative lineup includes work from a broad range of established and emerging filmmakers. FATHERLAND, directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, follows writer Thomas Mann as he returns from American exile to a ruined and divided Germany. THE LAST DAY, directed by Rachel Rose, stars Alicia Vikander, Victoria Pedretti and Wagner Moura in a drama about the lives of two mothers entwining over one New York summer day. The lineup also includes SEE YOU WHEN I SEE YOU, directed by Jay Duplass; THEIR TOWN, directed by Katie Aselton; and MOUSE, directed by Kelly O'Sullivan, among numerous other narrative features.

The documentary program similarly spans music, history, science, culture and deeply personal stories. Highlights include ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM, directed by William Greaves and David Greaves, built around an extraordinary 1972 gathering of luminaries from the Harlem Renaissance; SOUL PATROL, directed by J.M. Harper, chronicling the Vietnam War's first Black special operations team; SUMO: SPIRIT WEIGHS NOTHING, directed by Erik Shirai, offering rare access to the private world of Japanese sumo; NUISANCE BEAR, directed by Jack Weisman and Gabriela Osio Vanden, examining the collision between a polar bear's ancient migration route and modern human life; and JAIL TIME RECORDS, from directors Steve Happi and Dione Roach, and executive producer Taika Waititi, about a vastly overpopulated prison in Cameroon that contains a recording studio and record label and the inmates who record and perform while incarcerated.

The festival will once again place a particular emphasis on filmmakers and stories with ties to the Granite State through its New Hampshire Program, presented by New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) and New Hampshire PBS (NHPBS). The program is dedicated to showcasing filmmakers, producers, actors and projects with New Hampshire connections and celebrating the state's independent creative community.

Among this year's New Hampshire-affiliated selections is WE ARE THE SHAGGS, directed by Ken Kwapis, chronicling the legendary all-girl band from Fremont, New Hampshire, whose unconventional sound became one of rock music's most distinctive outsider stories. Other NH-affiliated films throughout the program include the narrative feature ROAD TO L'ETAPE DU TOUR, directed by Julia Coulter; documentaries ADAM'S APPLE, ENTANGLED MINDS, THE LAST YZTARI and SCHOOL FOR DEFECTORS; and an array of short films showcasing connections to the Granite State.

'This year's program brings together exciting discoveries from emerging filmmakers, new work from established voices and standout films that have appeared at Cannes, Venice, Sundance and Tribeca -- all alongside stories with deep New Hampshire connections,' said Ian McCarthy, lead programmer for the New Hampshire Film Festival. 'Audiences can expect four days of films that surprise, challenge and entertain, and we can't wait to welcome them and the filmmakers to Portsmouth.'

In addition to screenings, NHFF's signature festival experiences return throughout the weekend, including filmmaker Q&As, workshops, parties and the annual Comedy Panel, a conversation about the craft of comedy moderated by popular radio host Greg Kretschmar.

As a special presentation during this year's festival, The Music Hall will host SAY ANYTHING: AN INTIMATE SCREENING AND EVENING WITH John Cusack on Sunday, October 18 at 7 p.m. at the Historic Theater. The event will feature a screening of the beloved 1989 film, followed by a moderated discussion and audience Q&A with Cusack. Admission is complimentary for 2026 NHFF VIP Passholders, and separate event tickets are also available.

Longtime New Hampshire resident and film producer Amy Greene will also be honored during this year's festival as the recipient of the Van McLeod Award. Greene's recent credits include A24's THE DRAMA, the Anthony Bourdain biopic TONY, Academy Award-winning films THE HOLDOVERS and SOUND OF METAL, and Academy Award-nominated KNIVES OUT.

The New Hampshire Film Festival continues to be an Academy Award-qualifying festival for Short Film Awards and was recognized in 2026 by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the '50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee' for the second consecutive year and 11th time overall.

The 24th Annual New Hampshire Film Festival runs October 15–18, 2026, throughout downtown Portsmouth. Festival passes, day passes and individual film tickets are available, with Festival Passes priced at $150, NextGen Passes at $99 and individual film tickets at $17.50.

About New Hampshire Film Festival

The New Hampshire Film Festival's mission since its founding in 2001 is to inspire audiences with thought-provoking cinematic stories from visionary talents in independent filmmaking, and to provide a platform for emerging artists to advance their craft, engage with the community and promote to industry leaders. From young filmmakers to up-and-coming directors and seasoned screenwriters to veteran actors, NHFF showcases the brightest talent within the domestic and international film scene. The festival also emphasizes creative collaboration, education and networking through panel discussions, workshops, and social events. For more information visit nhfilmfestival.com.

New Hampshire Film Festival Sponsors

Key Auto is the Premier Sponsor for this event. Marquee Sponsors include Aland Realty, Needham Bank, and Studio Lab. Townsquare Media is the official Media Sponsor of the New Hampshire Film Festival.

About The Music Hall

The Music Hall is a nonprofit performing arts organization featuring curated entertainment from around the world in two theaters in its downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire campus: The Historic Theater, a landmark 1878 Victorian theater, designated an American Treasure for the Arts by the National Park Service's Save America's Treasures Program; and the intimate Music Hall Lounge around the corner. In January 2024, The Music Hall, a long-time collaborator and festival screening venue of New Hampshire Film Festival, took over the management of the festival with a goal to maintain and grow its status as a cultural asset, point of New Hampshire pride, and tool for building community and careers in the film industry and on the Seacoast. For information on the Music Hall, visit www.TheMusicHall.org