The Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) is an annual film festival founded in 1999 and held on Cape Cod in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The festival presents American and international narrative features, documentaries and short films for five days in June of each year.[1]
The festival is a program of the Provincetown Film Society, the non-profit parent organization which also operates the year-round Waters Edge Cinema (formerly known as Whaler's Wharf Cinema), a year-round Provincetown movie theater presenting what it considers the best in current independent and international cinema.[2]
The festival hosts films and panel discussions[3] and incorporates the cultural, historic, and artistic character of Provincetown:[4] with its thriving art colony, its large gay and lesbian population,[5] its original Native American and Portuguese heritage, and its congenial scenic setting. In keeping with its mission, the festival often presents films about countercultural figures, such as John Lennon, Allen Ginsberg,[6] William S. Burroughs, BeBe Zahara Benet, and Andrea Dworkin.
In 2022, the Provincetown International Film Festival became an Academy Awards-qualifying festival. Short films that receive Best Narrative Short, Best Queer Short and Best Documentary Short awards are automatically eligible to enter the Short Films competition for the concurrent season of the Oscars.[7]
Founded in 1999, the first opening night film was Run Lola Run.[8]
Other notable premieres have included A Master Builder, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, American Splendor, Whale Rider, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Cameraperson, Howl, The Innocents, Brittany Runs a Marathon, Vita & Virginia, and Coffee & Cigarettes. Retrospective screenings have included Some Like It Hot, Grey Gardens, Clerks, Showgirls, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and the 50th anniversary of Psycho.[4]
Notable attendees include Lily Tomlin, Ted Kennedy, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, Jim Jarmusch, Kevin Smith, Tilda Swinton, D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus, Ira Kaplan, Al Maysles, Faith Hubley, Parker Posey, Mira Nair, Christine Vachon, Alan Cumming, Chloe Sevigny, Michael Musto, Patricia Clarkson, David Cronenberg, Todd Haynes, Sofia Coppola, Gus Van Sant, Jillian Bell,[9] Tab Hunter,[10] Ang Lee, Barney Frank and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe.[11][12][13]
Cult filmmaker John Waters hosts events or presents awards at PIFF every year.[8]
In its ongoing mission to honor the work of both established and emerging directors, PIFF has established a number of awards.
The 2010 Awards were given to the following films:[14][15]
The 2012 Awards were given to the following films:[16]
The 2022 awards were given to the following films:[17]
In addition to the usual "best film" types of awards, each year PIFF presents three unique and prestigious awards:
Filmmaker on the Edge Award,[18] presented to a film artist whose outstanding achievement, innovation, and vision continue to push the boundaries of film.
Excellence in Acting Award,[19] presented to a film artist whose admirable body of work pushes the boundaries of the medium, demonstrating originality and innovation.
Next Wave Award,[20] presented to a film artist who has an exciting and distinctive voice, takes artistic risks, and has a passionate commitment to independent film.
Filmmaker on the Edge Award[edit]
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Excellence in Acting Award[edit]
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