One of the things John Gamache, associate director of the Woods Hole Film Festival, likes best about the annual Cape Cod event is its all-are-equal ethos.
“It’s really a community film experience,” he said of the event, taking place July 30- Aug. 6. “There isn’t a hierarchy here”; established directors and brand new ones “all just sort of celebrate it together.”
For Gamache, that makes the festival a great place for young filmmakers — and for the seasoned directors who came to Woods Hole early in their careers, and then “come back year after year” to be part of the festival’s “film family.”
Judy Laster, the festival’s executive director, points out that the program spotlights a large number of short films, which are “where a lot of filmmakers cut their teeth.”
And shorts filmmakers from around the world will come to see their films screened. This year, the makers of “Memento Mori,” an animated film from Ireland, and of the UK films “The Stupid Boy” and “All That Glitters,” will all be traveling to Woods Hole.
Another highly anticipated short that will screen at the WHFF is “North Star,” starring Kevin Bacon and Colman Domingo. Domingo, who is up for an Emmy for his portrayal of Ali in HBO’s hit series “Euphoria,” also served as an executive producer on the short.
Nearly half of the films in the lineup are directed or co-directed by women. And many of the festival’s films focus on issues of gender, race, or social justice.
Laster is particularly excited about “Fair Play,” a documentary looking at issues of domestic inequity that lists Reese Witherspoon as one of its executive producers. “Girl Talk” also tackles gender issues, following the girls on a Massachusetts high school debate team’s struggles to be heard over their male counterparts.
Directed by Gren Wells, the highly anticipated narrative feature “Dear Zoe” will screen at the festival ahead of its scheduled November release date. The film tells the story of a young girl coming of age and coping with the death of her sister and stars Sadie Sink, who plays Max Mayfield on Netflix’s “Stranger Things.”
Screenings include documentaries that focus on issues of racism. “Free Renty: Lanier v. Harvard” follows Tamara Lanier’s efforts to claim daguerreotypes of her enslaved great-great-great-grandfather Renty. The daguerreotypes, or early photographs, were commissioned in 1850 by a Harvard professor who intended them as evidence of the supposed “superiority” of the white race.
To highlight Woods Hole’s strengths in science — the community is home to several marine science institutions — the WHFF formalized its Film & Science Initiative several years ago.
As part of the initiative, the festival includes science-related films plus panels on science and filmmaking. They also help run workshops, fellowship programs, and conferences throughout the year.
“The Lake at the Bottom of the World,” to screen on the festival’s first day, focuses on a recently discovered lake buried 3,600 feet beneath Antarctic ice. The sensory verité style documentary follows scientists who study the lake and uncover a deeper understanding of both the planet’s past and its uncertain future.
Another film that deals with climate issues is “After Antarctica,” which looks at the life of explorer Will Steger, whom Judy Laster believes has “probably been more places in the Arctic and Antarctic than anybody” — on foot, at least. Steger will attend an in-person Q&A for the film and join a panel discussion on how to make a documentary in an extreme location.
All films with a filmmaker present at the festival will have a live Q&A session. After a long stretch where people weren’t gathering for live screenings, “there’s just a lot of enthusiasm around being here and interacting with an audience,” Gamache said.
Buy tickets online at woodsholefilmfestival.org/festival-2022/events.
Joy Ashford can be reached at joy.ashford@globe.com. Follow them on Twitter @joy_ashford.
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