CIRCUIT ARTS IS TURNING 25!

June 20 | 4:30 PM
Martha's Vineyard Performing Arts Center

Preceded by an introduction from executive producer Justin Falvey and producer, renowned ocean conservation advocate, and film subject Wendy Benchley

This hotly awaited new documentary was expressly made by director Steven Spielberg’s own production company, Amblin Entertainment, and National Geographic, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the release of Jaws. Featuring rare archival footage and directed by Laurent Bouzereau, who has also made an award-winning documentary about Jaws composer John Williams, the film explores the chaotic production on Martha’s Vineyard, the origins of the novel adapted for the screen, and the cultural obsession both birthed. With insights from cast, crew, and ocean advocate Wendy Benchley, wife of the late Jaws writer Peter Benchley, this film dives into the enduring appeal of Spielberg’s now-classic thriller, its legacy, and its surprising impact on shark fascination and marine conservation.

June 25 | 7:30 PM

Followed by a discussion with director and writer Michael J. Weithorn

In this new drama, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon respectively star as a urologist and security guard whose chance encounter, during a foiled robbery, sparks an unexpected friendship that upends both of their lives in unforeseen ways.

June 26 | 7:30 PM

In this Sundance-winning documentary, Israeli comedian and activist Noam Shuster-Eliassi challenges her audiences with hard truths.

June 27 | 7:30 PM

A Sundance winner and nominee for several awards at the recent Cannes Film Festival, this dark comedy follows a young professor healing from trauma in a small New England college town.

June 28 | 5 & 8 PM

Followed by a discussion with producer and actor Amanda Peet, director, writer, executive producer, and actor Matthew Shear, and producer Christopher Dodds

In this new comedy costarring Amanda Peet and Alessandro Nivola, and partly set on Martha’s Vineyard, a laid-off, thirty-something New York paralegal starts babysitting his psychiatrist’s granddaughters and falls for their mother, an actress in a rocky marriage.

Fridays & Saturdays
July 5–September 6

Tickets for the Drive-In’s sixth season are now on sale!

July 5–20

This Olivier Award-nominated new play celebrates movie history and ventures into the choppy waters surrounding Hollywood’s first blockbuster, Jaws. Co-written by Ian Shaw, son of legendary British actor Robert Shaw, who played Quint, it brings us aboard the Orca and behind the scenes on the 1974 film set.

Presented by the North Shore Music Theatre, in association with Circuit Arts

Celebrate 50 years of JAWS — check out all the events!

July 9 | 7:15 PM

Join director Doug Liman and former Universal Pictures chairman Stacey Snider for an exclusive screening of the director’s cut of the first film in the Bourne series. As the film plays, they will offer live commentary, sharing behind-the-scenes stories, production challenges, and the unconventional choices that helped redefine the modern spy thriller. A reception will follow.

Tickets for this special event are $125 each.

July 10 | 5 & 8 PM

Followed by a discussion with film subject Allyson Felix, directors Perri Peltz and Matt O’Neill, executive producer Tonya Lewis Lee, and Nina Fialkow

Allyson Felix is the most decorated track and field athlete of all time, but at the peak of her career, she faced a life-threatening pregnancy. This new documentary chronicles her very public battle over maternal protections in sports—taking on its most powerful brand.

July 11 | 7:30 PM

Followed by a discussion with directors Perri Peltz and Matt O’Neill, executive producer Kristin Powers, and Geralyn Dreyfous, chief film officer and co-founder of Jolt, the independent-film streaming platform premiering this documentary

A gripping exposé that follows the legal fight to hold Big Tech accountable for the tragic consequences of social media’s influence on children and teens, this documentary reveals the human cost of the unregulated internet—and the urgent need for legislative action.

July 12 | 5 PM

Followed by a discussion with directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady

In this gentle, nuanced documentary framed by Norse legend, teenagers attend a folk high school in Arctic Norway, relying on their peers, sled dogs, and ultimately themselves as they navigate the path to adulthood.

July 12 | 8 PM

Followed by a discussion with director Petra Costa and executive producer Geralyn Dreyfous

From the Oscar-nominated director of The Edge of Democracy, this riveting new documentary reveals how Brazil’s evangelical movement paved the way for the ascent of Jair Bolsonaro and posed the threat of theocracy.

July 16 | 7:30 PM

Followed by a discussion with executive producer Dawn Porter; Erika Dilday, the executive director of American Documentary, Inc., will moderate

The fourth part of the propulsive docuseries chronicling the continuing fight for racial justice in America, this episode explores the growing environmental justice movement in West Virginia and Florida, as local activists face threats to their communities' health and survival.

July 18 | 7:30 PM

Hitch & the Giddyup take the reins with a full-throttle set of original bluegrass, Americana, and honky-tonk, delivering a night of pure, high-energy sound and storytelling.

July 23 | 7:30 PM

Followed by a discussion with director Lindsay Utz

A winner at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, this documentary chronicles the Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern's tenure as New Zealand’s prime minister, navigating crises while redefining leadership through her empathetic yet resolute approach.

July 25 | 7 PM

Join us for a surprise film screening with special guests. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience you’ll be talking about long after the credits roll.

July 29 | 6 PM

Join us as we honor producer Geralyn White Dreyfous, a visionary whose work has shaped the world of documentary filmmaking. We are proud to present her with Circuit Arts’ second Martha’s Vineyard Film Icon Award, celebrating her extraordinary impact and career. The evening will include a short screening, a silent auction, and an Italian-inspired dinner by chef Nina Levin, along with heartfelt tributes from renowned scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and philanthropist Jim Swartz, reflecting on Ms. Dreyfous’s lasting legacy.

Tickets for this special event are $350 each.

August 1 | 7 PM

Followed by a discussion with director Kim A. Snyder, producer Maria Cuomo Cole, and executive producers Colleen Deveer and Marni E.J. Grossman

A reception will follow the discussion

In this urgent, timely documentary by the director of Us Kids, librarians unite to combat book banning and defend free expression in Texas, Florida, and other states.