The Provincetown International Film Festival 2025
The Provincetown Film Society (PFS) is a non-profit arts organization that began with the Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) in 1999 and has been providing year round programming ever since. PFS is an advocate for diverse representation in film and remains dedicated to showcasing achievements in independent film. In addition to PIFF, PFS operates the Water’s Edge, a year-round two-screen movie theater showcasing newly released films, mini-festivals, and special guest presentations. Additionally, PFS operates the Gabrielle A. Hanna Provincetown Film Institute which provides artists residencies, conferences, and workshops year-round.
PFS began in and continues to operate in Provincetown, a popular summer tourist destination in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Provincetown, or “Ptown,” is the oldest arts colony in America and has been home to the likes of Jack Kerouac, Jackson Pollock, John Waters, and Mary Heaton Vorse. Since the 1960s, Ptown has been a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community and remains a hub for queer culture with annual events such as Bear Week, Provincetown Carnival and Family Week, the largest gathering globally for families in the LGBTQ+ community.
The 27th PIFF will take place this summer, during which a variety of honors will be awarded. Presented annually by John Waters, the Filmmaker on the Edge Award is given to a film artist whose outstanding achievements and vision continue to push the boundaries of the medium. Past honorees include Luca Guadagnino, Sofia Coppola, and Sean Baker. The Excellence in Acting award is presented to an actor whose body of work demonstrates originality and innovation, with previous recipients including Colman Domingo, Chloë Sevigny, Gael García Bernal, and Alan Cumming.
Acclaimed writer-director-producer Ari Aster will be at the festival and in conversation with resident artist John Waters to receive this year’s Filmmaker on the Edge award. Aster’s genre-challenging work has seen critical and box office success with HEREDITY, MIDSOMMAR, and BEAU IS AFRAID. Murray Bartlett, an Emmy Award-winning actor and Provincetown local, will be honored with this year’s Excellence in Acting Award.
Additionally, the Next Wave Award is given to a film artist with an exciting and distinctive voice who takes artistic risks and has a passionate commitment to independent film. Eva Victor and River Gallo will both be at the festival to receive the award this year. Writer-director and actor Eva Victor established themselves as a singular cinematic voice with their feature directorial debut SORRY, BABY. Gallo is a GLAAD Award-winning filmmaker, actor, writer, model, and intersex rights activist whose groundbreaking work, exemplified by PONYBOI, is redefining queer representation in cinema.
Along with honoree conversations, this year’s PIFF will host the annual Garden Party, an invite-only opportunity for filmmakers and honorees, special guests, and press to mingle. The festival’s lineup of narrative, documentary and short films were announced on May 7, 2025 and include the spotlight selections JIMPA, directed by returning filmmaker Sophie Hyde, Annapurna Sriram’s FUCKTOYS, and the World Premiere of HURRICANNA, directed by Francesca Gregorini, which chronicles the final days of pop culture icon Anna Nicole Smith’s life.
Named one of Moviemaker’s 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee in 2025, the festival will run from June 11 - 15, 2025. Tickets go on sale online for pass holders and Provincetown Film Society members on May 16. General public tickets go on sale online on May 23. In-person tickets available at Waters Edge Cinema beginning May 24.