• By Mabel Pais

Screening

Director ADAM J. GRAVES’s ‘ANUJA’

Director SHAUN SENEVIRATNE’s ‘BEN AND SUZANNE, A REUNION IN 4 PARTS’

And Many More

Artis—Naples, home of the Naples Philharmonic and The Baker Museum, is the premier center for the arts in Southwest Florida. The 16th annual Naples International Film Festival (NIFF – artisnaples.org/naples-international-film-festival) located at 5833 Pelican Bay Boulevard, Naples, Florida will be held October 24-27, 2024.

This year, NIFF will include 58 films (10 narrative features, 12 documentary features and 36 short films) representing 26 countries, with several of those films including in-person post-screening filmmaker Q&A conversations. Select filmmakers will also participate in panel discussions during the festival. All screenings and associated events will be held in person in Hayes Hall, Daniels Pavilion or Norris Garden on the Artis—Naples Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Cultural Campus or at the festival’s new venue partner, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at Mercato.

The 2024 Naples International Film Festival (NIFF) Lineup

OPENING NIGHT FILM PRESENTATIONS

Anuja

Director: Adam J. Graves; India/U.S.; 22m

When an intelligent 9-year-old girl working in a back-alley garment factory is offered a rare chance to attend boarding school, she faces a choice that will determine the fate of her future and her family.

Favourites

Director: Nick Russell; Australia; 5m

When a family’s camping trip in Australia’s Outback turns deadly, two young parents are tested and soon come to grips with an impossible choice.

Nate and John

Director: Jumai Yusuf; U.S.; 8m

John and Nate first meet in the 1960s, when John, a surly teenage hippie, is forced by his father to get a haircut. Nate, a young Black barber’s assistant, obliges. From this ordinary beginning, a deep and enduring friendship blossoms between the two men over years of haircuts.

Night Session

Director: Ballard C. Boyd; U.S.; 11m

When a burglar runs into the resident of an apartment he just broke into, the burglary quickly morphs into an impromptu therapy session where the burglar assists the resident in processing his impending divorce—all while the resident assists the burglar in robbing his apartment.

Room Taken

Director: TJ O’Grady-Peyton; Ireland; 18m

When a man newly arrived in Ireland finds himself experiencing homelessness, he secretly takes up residence in the home of an elderly blind woman. As he tries to remain unnoticed, an unexpected and unique bond forms between them, reshaping their lives in ways neither could have imagined.

Trapped

Directors: Sam Cutler-Kreutz, David Cutler-Kreutz; U.S.; 15m

A special jury prize winner at SXSW, Trapped follows Joaquin, a janitor at a prestigious high school, as he confronts a group of boys in the middle of a senior prank—putting him between the boys, his boss, and his moral compass. 

CLOSING NIGHT FILM

Batman (1989)

Director: Tim Burton; U.S.; 126m

The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker. 

NARRATIVE FEATURES IN COMPETITION

Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts

Director: Shaun Seneviratne; U.S./Sri Lanka; 110 minutes 

Fight Like a Girl

Director: Matthew Leutwyler; Rwanda/DR Congo; 118m

Sheepdog

Director: Steven Grayhm; U.S.; 122m

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES IN COMPETITION

76 Days Adrift

Director: Joe Wein; U.S.; 110m

The Accidental Spy – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director: Anthony Wonke; UK; 97m

Between the Mountain and the Sky

Director: Jeremy Power Regimbal; Canada; 93m

ADDITIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURES

Breakup Season

Director: H. Nelson Tracey; U.S.; 102m

Days of Happiness

Director: Chloé Robichaud; Canada; 118m

Freedom Hair

Director: Dianne Houston; U.S.; 99m

Kiss of the Con Queen

Director: Tom Waller; U.S.; 116m

My Sunshine

Director: Hiroshi Okuyama; Japan; 90m

Never Not Yours

Directors: John Klein, Steve Kniss; U.S.; 82m

The Paper Bag Plan

Director: Anthony Lucero; U.S.; 107m

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

Every Little Thing

Director: Sally Aitken; Australia; 93m

Giants Rising

Director: Lisa Landers; U.S.; 82m

Mad About the Boy

Director: Barnaby Thompson; U.K; 90m

Naked Ambition: Bunny Yeager

Directors: Dennis Scholl, Kareem Tabsch; U.S.; 73m

The Opener

Director: Jeff Troye; U.S.; 72m

Porcelain War

Directors: Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev; Australia/U.S./Ukraine; 87m

Rise Above

Director: Maryilene Blondell; U.S.; 53m

Sanibel – WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Herbert James Winterstern; U.S.; 65m

Shari & Lamb Chop

Director: Lisa D’Apolito; U.S.; 92m

ADDITIONAL SHORT FILMS

There are 23 short films.

STUDENT FILMS

There are 8 student films.

TICKETS

For tickets and passes to the Festival, visit artisnaples.org/naples-international-film-festival/ticketing

ARTIS—NAPLES

Home of The Baker Museum and the Naples Philharmonic, Artis—Naples is unique among cultural institutions nationwide, equally dedicated to both the visual and performing arts featuring artists of global distinction. Learn more at artisnaples.org.

KIMBERLY K. QUERREY and LOUIS A. SIMPSON CULTURAL CAMPUS

Learn more at artisnaples.org

NAPLES PHILHARMONIC

The Naples Philharmonic has long been recognized as one of the cornerstones of Southwest Florida’s arts community. Learn more at artisnaples.org/naples-philharmonic.

THE BAKER MUSEUM

The Baker Museum is the foremost fine art museum in Southwest Florida, presenting an ambitious slate of exhibitions annually to complement installations of works from its permanent collection. Learn more at artisnaples.org/baker-museum.

EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY

In addition to creating and presenting visual and performing arts, Artis—Naples provides robust education and community activities for students of all ages in Collier and Lee counties.

In 2017, Artis—Naples acquired the Naples International Film Festival (NIFF), expanding its film offerings and providing a platform for the festival’s continued excellence and growth. In 2023, the festival’s 15th anniversary year, NIFF was named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “20 Great Film Festivals in Vacation Destinations.” Learn more at artisnaples.org/education/family/community-day.

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, Cuisine, Health & Wellness, Business, and Education)