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NewportFilm Outdoors, which hosts screenings of documentaries on the grounds of some of Newport’s most historic estates and outdoor venues, is unveiling its new summer season. The lineup includes films on a wide array of subjects, ranging from the country’s top teenage speech competitors to mountaineer Emily Harrington to music legend Kenny Loggins.
Screenings will be held at Gilded Age mansions such as Rosecliff (the setting for the Robert Redford and Mia Farrow film version of “The Great Gatsby”), as well as Doris Duke’s Rough Point and Fort Adams, home to the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals.
The series kicks off on June 26 at Great Friends Meeting House with Cody Sheehy’s “The Last Dive,” which recently premiered in competition at Tribeca Festival. Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine’s “Middletown” will close the festival on Aug. 28 at Marble House. “Middletown” is the latest film from the “Boys State” filmmakers and has already taken top prizes at the Wisconsin and Milwaukee Film Festivals.
In collaboration with the Newport Folk Festival, NewportFilm will present “Conviction of the Heart,” a tribute to Loggins, with the rocker scheduled to attend alongside director Dori Berinstein. It will also collaborate with the Newport Jazz Festival to screen “Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately?”
Festival organizers say that the lineup for the series’ 15th edition spotlights groundbreaking women, such as Jacinda Ardern (“Prime Minister”) and Sports Illustrated editor Jule Campbell (“Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue”).
The lineup includes films from A24, HBO Documentary Films, Jolt and Tribeca Films. It was curated by NewportFilm’s founder and artistic director, Andrea van Beuren.
“At NewportFilm, our mission is to elevate bold, character-driven nonfiction storytelling that resonates with today’s audiences and sparks meaningful conversation,” Van Beuren said in a statement. “As artistic director, I’m proud to continue to nurture deep ties within the documentary filmmaking community while actively expanding strategic partnerships with theatrical distributors, streamers and emerging platforms committed to showcasing impactful content.”
Here’s the full lineup:
June 26 — “The Last Dive” (Cinetic Media)
Great Friends Meeting House Lawn, Newport
*Cody Sheehy in attendance*
Director: Cody Sheehy
Producer: Mark Monroe, Randy and Christopher Gebhardt
Director of Photography: Chance Falkner
Synopsis: Terry is a legendary figure in Baja Mexico, an American veteran who has spent decades living on—and in—the water. Once a man burdened by a troubled past, Terry’s life was transformed by an unlikely friendship with Willy, a 22-foot oceanic manta ray. For nearly two decades, Willy would slap his wings against the hull of Terry’s sailboat to signal their next dive, and together they explored the ocean’s depths—an extraordinary bond that turned Terry into an unexpected conservationist. Now in his 80’s, Terry embarks on one final journey to a remote island in hopes of reuniting with his old friend. But he’s also searching for something deeper: peace, closure, and a chance to say goodbye.
July 3 — “Girl Climber” (Redbull Studios/ Jolt)
Fort Adams, Newport
*Emily Harrington in attendance*
Director: Jon Glassberg
Producer: Tyler Young, Jessica Glassberg, Philipp Manderla
Executive Producer: Galen Knowles, Georg Aschauer, Jennifer Peedom
Director of Photography: Jon Glassberg
Synopsis: Professional climber Emily Harrington has summited Everest, 8000-meter peaks, and dominated the competition circuit but her greatest challenge extends beyond the physical. To cement her legacy in the male dominated world of elite rock climbing, she sets her sights on a career-defining 24-hour ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan. Caught between the pursuit of personal ambition and the ticking biological clock of life, a near-fatal fall forces Emily to reckon with what she’s willing to risk. Equal parts gripping survival story and intimate portrait, “Girl Climber” isn’t just about breaking records, it’s about breaking barriers.
July 10— “Prime Minister” (Magnolia Pictures)
Château-sur-Mer, Newport
*Lindsay Utz in attendance*
Director: Michelle Walshe, Lindsay Utz
Producer: Cass Avery, Clarke Gayford, Leon Kirkbeck, Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane, Katie Peck
Executive Producer: Chris Matson, Michael Cleaver
Director of Photography: Clarke Gayford, Leon Kirkbeck, Thor Thielow
Synopsis: In August 2017, in the lead-up to national elections, Jacinda Ardern unexpectedly became New Zealand’s opposition party leader. She had just turned 37. Two frenetic months later, she was Prime Minister. Just before the final vote was in, she discovered she was pregnant. She would become only the second head of state in history to give birth while in office. A series of crises – the Christchurch massacre, pandemic lockdowns, and disinformation-fueled protests outside Parliament – would test her leadership. Going behind the scenes of her administration and her private life, “Prime Minister” follows Jacinda for seven years as she is catapulted to the top of New Zealand politics, becomes a feminist political icon, resigns suddenly from office and continues to champion the fight against isolationism, fear, and the distortion of truth.
July 17 — “Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue “(Tribeca Films)
Aquidneck Park, Newport
*Jill Campbell in attendance*
Director: Jill Campbell
Producer: Jill Campbell, Jonathan Gray, Rob Lyons, Sharon Cooney Shuttleworth
Executive Producer: Sharon Cooney Shuttleworth/EUE Documentaries
Director of Photography: Nelson Walker, Gregory Gerhard
Synopsis: “Beyond the Gaze” delves into the groundbreaking legacy of Jule Campbell, the visionary founder of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Set against the backdrop of a male-dominated era in the 1950s and 60s, Campbell transformed a struggling magazine into a cultural phenomenon, renowned for its stunning imagery and celebration of female beauty. The film offers an intimate portrait of Campbell, featuring never-before-seen archival footage, personal reflections, and candid interviews with the models she championed.
July 24 — “Conviction of the Heart“
Newport International Polo Grounds, Portsmouth
*In partnership with Newport Folk Festival- Dori Berinstein and Kenny Loggins in attendance*
Director: Dori Berinstein
Producer: Dori Berinstein, Amir Almutairi, Natasha Davison, Ryan Harrington, Ernie Herrman, Jane Seymour
Executive Producer: Liz Armstrong, Ryan Harrington
Director of Photography: Alan Deutsch & Andrew Papastaphanou
Synopsis: Multi-platinum, Oscar and Tony-nominated, Grammy and Emmy-winning songwriter and recording artist Kenny Loggins was a very shy, gawky, unpopular kid with low self-esteem. Even after his remarkable musical talents were discovered, Loggins thought he had to create a persona to do the rock star thing. Loggins spent the subsequent 50 years reinventing himself over and over, both to chase his artistic dreams and to stay in the game. Loggins went from being a pivotal figure in the folk-rock movement with Loggins & Messina in the 1970s, to a solo career collaborating with Michael McDonald, Michael Jackson, Steve Perry, Melissa Manchester, Thundercat, Barbara Streisand, Richard Marx and Stevie Nicks on multi-Grammy-winning hits, and global recognition as the king of the movie soundtracks such as “Footloose” and “Top Gun” in the 1980s.
July 31 — “Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately?” (HBO Documentary Films)
Rough Point, Newport
*Amy Scott in attendance*
Director: Amy Scott
Producer: Brian Morrow, Jonathan Lynch
Executive Producer: Bill Simmons, Jody Gerson, Marc Cimino
Cinematography by: Jonathon Narducci
Synopsis: With “Mr. Jones” they became overnight sensations. With August and Everything After, they became the soundtrack to a generation. But behind the soaring choruses and poetic lyrics was a band — and a frontman — navigating the dizzying highs and heavy costs of fame. This deeply personal documentary dives into the legacy of Counting Crows and their enigmatic lead singer Adam Duritz, not as a nostalgia play, but as a raw and revealing look at identity, artistry, and the fine line between performance and reality. With unprecedented access, the film follows the band’s rise from the coffeehouses of Berkeley to headlining arenas — and the emotional turbulence that came with it.
August 7 — “Speak” (WME)
Miantonomi Park, Newport
*Guy Mossman in attendance*
Director: Jennifer Tiexiera
Co-Director: Guy Mossman
Producer: Pamela Griner, Guy Mossman, Jennifer Tiexiera
Executive Producer: Josh Gad, Simon Kilmurry, Lisa Hepner, Christoph Baaden, Abby Ellin, Joseph Wolfe, Polly Wolfe, Schultz Family Foundation, Hallee Adelman, Dawn Bonder, Daniel J. Chalfen, Marci Wiseman, Toby Nalbandian, Greg Schmidt, Sean Bradley, Lauren Lexton, Jenny Warburg, Jamie Wolf, Nathalie Seaver, J. Todd Harris.
Director of Photography: Guy Mossman
Synopsis: “Speak” follows five of the nation’s top teenage speech competitors, capturing the euphoria of victory and the devastation of defeat as they craft and perform original oratories over the course of a 9-month season. Their dream is simple: To win the Super Bowl of public speaking, the NSDA Nationals. We witness them, their coaches and their parents as they fight to keep school speech programs alive amid budget cuts, book bans and censorship efforts that reach a fevered pitch during the 2024 election year.
August 14 —”André is an Idiot” (A24)
O’Hare Lawn, Newport
*Tony Benna in attendance*
Director: Tony Benna
Producer: André Ricciardi, Tory Tunnell, Stelio Kitrilakis, Joshua Altman, Ben Cotner
Executive Producer: Nicole Stott, Emily Osborne, Marissa Torres Ericson, Jessica Harrop, Greg Boustead, Joby Harold, Lee Einhorn
Director of Photography: Ethan Indorf
Synopsis: Unexpected, irreverent, and absurdly funny, “André is an Idiot” is a wildly life-affirming film about death. When André, a brilliant idiot, learns he’s dying from a disease he could have detected with a colonoscopy, he decides to document his final journey. As an iconoclastic ad man, he had defied convention throughout his life. True to form, André approaches mortality with his trademark humor andcuriosity, determined to learn how to die both happily and ridiculously. In a unique collaboration with director Tony Benna, André’s stories and musings are brought to life with imaginative stop-motion animation, capturing his unique approach to life’s challenges and joys.
August 21 — “Starman“
Rosecliff, Newport
*Robert Stone and Gentry Lee in attendance*
Directed & Written by: Robert Stone
Producer: Ray Rothrock, Keith Haviland, Robert Stone
Director of Photography: Tom Hurwitz, ASC
Synopsis: Are we alone in the universe? For over half a century, legendary NASA engineer and best-selling science fiction author, Gentry Lee, has explored every aspect of this question in the realms of space science, robotic exploration and the human imagination. At age 82, he has come to a revelatory conclusion.
August 28th — “Middletown” (Submarine Entertainment)
Marble House, Newport
*Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine in attendance*
Directed and Written by: Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine
Producer: Teddy Leifer, Florrie Priest, Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine, Danny Breen
Executive Producer: Zhang Xin, Joey Marra, William Horberg, Jeff Skoll, Courtney Sexton, Dan O’Meara
Director of Photography: Thorsten Thielow
Synopsis: 1991. Upstate New York. A group of teenage misfits, inspired by a renegade English teacher, embark on a student film project and uncover a vast conspiracy that is poisoning the ground beneath their feet. Banding together to confront the indifferent adults, corrupt politicians and a violent criminal organization threatening their small town, they produce an investigative documentary that causes shockwaves in their community. “Middletown” is a coming-of-age story based on exclusive access to hundreds of hours of candid, humorous and nostalgic video outtakes, and the cooperation of Fred Isseks and his intrepid students as they reckon – thirty years later – with a defining event in their lives and a remarkable story of civic courage.
NewportFilm Outdoors is presented by Lila Delman Compass. Audiences can vote for their favorite film thanks to BankNewport’s 2025 Audience Award, along with live music and popcorn provided by A1 Roofing & Construction Company. The series is also supported by Hammetts Hotel and Rhode Island Commerce. Year-round supporting sponsors include Kirby Construction, Park South Hotel NYC, Starkweather & Shepley and Stratus Foundation/flyADVANCED. newportFILM’s 15th Anniversary sponsor and continued supporter is 11th Hour Racing.
English (US) ·