NewportFilm Outdoors, which unfolds each summer in the legendary resort town of Newport, Rhode Island, is returning with a lineup of new documentaries covering everything from sports icons to writers and girl scouts. The outdoor screenings take place across Aquidneck Island and are held on the lawns of historic mansions and in public parks. It runs on Thursdays from June 25 through Aug. 27. The screenings also feature live music and filmmaker conversations.

The season kicks off at Great Friends Meeting House Lawn with “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World,” Sasha Waters’ intimate portrait of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. The film, which world premiered at True/False Film Fest and screened as part of DOC NYC Selects, will feature “American Masters” head Michael Kantor in attendance, with Rhode Island poet laureate and Brown University Literary Arts Professor Colin Channer moderating.

The series closes on Aug. 27 at Fort Adams with “Mighty Mary,” directed by Mary Mazzio. The documentary captures the moment when the first all-female crew entered the fiercely competitive world of the America’s Cup, challenging 144 years of tradition and forcing the sailing establishment to reckon with who belonged on the water. Mazzio will attend the screening, which will be moderated by journalist Addie Morfoot.

This year’s lineup includes several high-profile festival selections and premieres. Sundance Film Festival selections “Cookie Queens,” from director Alysa Nahmias, and the Billie Jean King documentary “Give Me the Ball!,” from Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff, will bring stories of trailblazing women to the series. “Summer of ’94,” which played SXSW, revisits the improbable rise of the U.S. Men’s National Team on the road to the 1994 World Cup, while “Jack Johnson: SURFILMUSIC,” which premiered at SXSW, traces Johnson’s evolution from surfer to filmmaker to renowned musician.

The summer will also feature “Odyssey,” Avi Belkin’s Tribeca-selected Apollo 13 documentary produced by Delirio Films and executive produced by Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Mary Lisio; “Learning to Fly,” Max Lowe’s Telluride-premiered documentary about former competitive runner turned photographer Aisha McAdams and the world of ultra running; and “Newport & The Great Folk Dream,” Robert Gordon’s Venice-selected archival immersion into the Newport Folk Festival from 1963 to 1966.

Highlights also include “John Shearer: American Moments,” presented in partnership with the Newport Jazz Festival, about the trailblazing African American photographer who rose through the ranks of Life Magazine before age 23.

A record number of filmmakers and film participants are expected this year with representatives from nearly every film planning to take part in in-person conversations. Events will be held at Rosecliff, Marble House, Aquidneck Park, Salve O’Hare, Rough Point, Chateau-sur-Mer, Miantonomi Park and Fort Adams.

The lineup has been curated by NewportFilm’s founder and artistic Director Andrea van Beuren.

Van Beuren states, “At NewportFilm, we remain committed to elevating bold, character-driven nonfiction storytelling that sparks genuine conversation and connects with audiences in a meaningful way. This summer season reflects that mission, and we are proud to be working with the community of producers, distributors, sales agents, and impact teams we’ve cultivated who are dedicated to bringing these stories to the screen.”

NewportFilm Outdoors is presented by Lila Delman Compass. Audiences can vote for their favorite film thanks to BankNewport’s 2026 Audience Award, along with live music and popcorn provided by A1 Roofing & Construction Company. The series is also supported by Hammetts Hotel. Year-round supporting sponsors include Kirby Construction, Park South Hotel NYC, Starkweather & Shepley and The Gardiner House.

See the full lineup below.

June 25 – “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World“
Great Friends Meeting House Lawn, Newport
Michael Kantor, Executive Producer, in attendance
Moderator: Colin Channer

Festival/Awards: World Premiere, True/False Film Fest 2026; DOC NYC Selects Spring 2026

Director: Sasha Waters
Producer: Sasha Waters
Executive Producer: Michael Kantor, John Keith
Director of Photography: Tyler Kirby, Nelson Walker

Mary Oliver – best-selling poet and Pulitzer Prize-winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, queer and out, but intensely private. Her poems inspire liberals and conservatives, atheists and believers, naturalists and urbanites. She was America’s unlikely, contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly fifty years in order to open herself and us, her readers, to the known and unknowable world.

Featuring poems read by Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Jesse Welles, and Oprah Winfrey.

July 2 – “Summer of ’94“
Rosecliff, Newport
Dave LaMattina and Chad Walker in attendance
Moderator TBA

Festival/Awards: Official Selection, SXSW 2026

Director: Dave LaMattina, Chad Walker
Producer: Christopher Leggett, Rafael Marmor, Marc Gilbar, Dave LaMattina, Chad Walker
Executive Producer: Sara Bernstein, Amanda Farrand, Meredith Kaulfers, Justin Wilkes, Josh Greenbaum, Kaitlin March, Nick Dunn, Ewan Watt, Rebecca Covington, Mark Rooks, Frank Igrec, Richard Motzkin, Carie Goldberg Trutanich, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard
Director of Photography: John Rutland

Summer of ’94 reveals the wild rise of the U.S. Men’s National Team on the road to the 1994 World Cup and the history they were never meant to make. With no league and no roadmap, a ragtag group of players and an unlikely coach endured a grueling two-year training camp, hoping simply not to embarrass their nation at the first-ever World Cup on American soil. Armed with camcorders, the players documented it all, capturing raw moments as underdogs grew into future legends. Featuring never-before-seen footage and new interviews with Alexi Lalas, Cobi Jones, Tony Meola, and coach Bora Milutinović, the film shares how chaos, chemistry, and grit forged a brotherhood that changed U.S. soccer forever.

July 9 – “Cookie Queens”
Marble House, Newport
Alysa Nahmias, and film participant Olive in attendance
Moderator TBA

Festival/Awards: World Premiere, 2026 Sundance Film Festival, Family Matinee section; SXSW 2026

Director: Alysa Nahmias
Producer: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, Alysa Nahmias, Jennifer Sims
Executive Producer: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Tegan Acton, Hallee Adelman, Trevor Burgess, James Costa, Geralyn Dreyfous, Stephen G. Hall, Ruth Ann Harnisch, Melony Lewis, Adam Lewis, Ann Lewnes, Emma Pompetti, Chanel Pysnik, Regina K. Scully, Andrea van Beuren, Jennifer Pelling, Sheri Sobrato, Nathalie Seaver, Jamie Wolf
Director of Photography: Antonio Cisneros

A celebration of girlhood and the complexities that come with it, Cookie Queens is a coming-of-age story about the joys, pressures and tensions woven into one of America’s most cherished rituals: Girl Scout Cookie season.

July 16 – “Odyssey”
Aquidneck Park, Newport
Avi Belkin and Mary Lisio in attendance
Moderator TBA

Festival/Awards: World Premiere, Tribeca Festival 2026, Spotlight Documentary

Director: Avi Belkin
Producer: Christopher Leggett, Rafael Marmor, Avi Belkin
Executive Producer: Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Mary Lisio

On April 13, 1970, the world came to a halt as the Apollo 13 spacecraft suffered a sudden explosion in space, two days into its mission and 205,000 miles away from Earth. From this gripping moment, our film reveals humanity’s greatest adventure in space, uncovering the origin story of NASA and the Apollo program, one that reflects our precarious times. What begins as a race to the Moon becomes a mirror of our current, precarious era, just as a new global space race ignites.

Odyssey tells the unbelievable story of humanity’s first chapter in space, minute by breathtaking minute. Using over 2,500 hours of archival footage, much of it never-before-seen, the film traces the profound impact of the legendary astronaut Jim Lovell, captain of the doomed Apollo 13, and NASA’s legacy as it reverberates through today.

Built entirely from rare and newly restored material, the film evolves with the urgency of a thriller and the intimacy of lived memory. Rich archive places the audience inside the spacecraft, at the consoles of Mission Control, and within a world momentarily united by awe as they watched a breaking news event unfolding, live and in color, for the very first time.

Odyssey reveals how one near-disastrous mission became a triumph of ingenuity and teamwork. At a time when the world feels more divided than ever, it’s important to remember a time when humanity looked up, came together, and reached for something greater than itself. How space once united us, and can again.

July 23 – “Jack Johnson: SURFILMUSIC”
Salve O’Hare, Newport

Festival/Awards: World Premiere, SXSW 2026

Director: Emmett Malloy
Producer: Daniel Pappas, Tim Wheeler, Wyatt Daily
Executive Producer: Kim Johnson, Chris Malloy
Cinematography By: Tahnei Roy, Harley Astorga, Tyler Manson, Dave Homcy

SURFILMUSIC is a new documentary chronicling Jack Johnson’s evolution from surfer to filmmaker to world-renowned musician. The film traces how Jack’s early years making surf films with close friends became a foundation for a much broader creative life, capturing moments in and out of the water that later surfaced in his songwriting. Blending rare footage from those formative surf films and Jack’s personal and family archives with present-day reflections, the film weaves together how lived experience, friendship and exploration shaped the sound and stories behind the music.

Directed by Emmett Malloy, featuring Jack Johnson, Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Gerry Lopez, Chris Malloy, G. Love, Ben Harper, John Florence, Emmett Malloy, Kim Johnson and more, with a score by Jack Johnson and Hermanos Gutiérrez. In loving memory of Tamayo Perry.

July 30 – “John Shearer: American Moments”
Rough Point, Newport
In partnership with the Newport Jazz Festival, Jim Spione, Alison Shearer and Nate Smith, Artistic Director of Newport Jazz, in attendance

Director: James Spione
Producer: Alison Shearer, Jesse P. Cutler, James Spione
Cinematography by: John Molinelli

In this soon-to-be-released short, a trailblazing African American photographer recounts his rise through the ranks of the country’s most prestigious picture magazines during the heyday of American photojournalism. Photographing the era’s social and political turmoil as well as cultural icons like Muhammad Ali, B.B. King, Richie Havens and the young Michael Jackson, John Shearer had an office at LIFE Magazine before he turned 23 years old, but it all came crashing down when the publishing industry imploded just a few years later. The film features an inspired jazz/blues soundtrack by John’s daughter, New York City-based recording artist Alison Shearer, in collaboration with James Spione’s longtime composer Emile Menasché.

Aug. 6 – “Learning to Fly”
Chateau-sur-Mer, Newport

Festival/Awards: Telluride Film Festival 2025

Director: Max Lowe
Producer: Evan Hayes, Katy Chevigny
Executive Producer: Max Lowe, Justin Barocas, Erika Gabrielli, Robin Green, Stefano Caroti, Chad Moore
Director of Photography: Jenni Morello

Learning to Fly follows former competitive runner turned photographer Aisha McAdams as she embarks on a journey to document the triumphs and struggles of some of the biggest names in ultra running, such as Jim Walmsley and Eszter Csillag, as they compete at the Western States Endurance Run in the mountains of Eastern California and the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in the French Alps.

While photographing and interviewing these elite runners, Aisha confronts her own painful and complex past, and the reasons why she had to step away from racing, a pursuit that had once brought her a much-needed sense of freedom, joy and belonging.

On its face, it might be hard to understand why someone would push themselves to run grueling 100-mile trail races, through the night and up and down thousands of feet of mountain trails. Throughout the journey of documenting these elite athletes in competition though, watching their failures and triumphs up close and seeing the community they’ve built by the process of pushing the unknown, Aisha starts to reclaim not only her love of the sport but also her belief in her own ability to confront her own idea of impossible within her interpretation of the sport.

Aug. 13 – “Newport & The Great Folk Dream”
Miantonomi Park, Newport
Robert Gordon in attendance
Moderator TBD

Festival/Awards: World Premiere, Venice International Film Festival 2025, Out of Competition

Director: Robert Gordon
Producer: Joe Lauro, Robert Gordon, Laura Jean Hocking
Executive Producer: Dan Braun, Josh Braun, Bruce Feldbaum, Robert Gordon, Joe Lauro
Cinematographer: Murray Lerner, George Pickow, Frances Grumman, Stanley Meredith

Before Coachella and Woodstock, there was Newport. From 1963 to 1966, the Newport Folk Festival catalyzed America’s youth, creating a forum for the protest song to grow, for a generation to find its voice, for Bob Dylan to evolve from political balladeer to leather-jacketed rock n’ roller. Newport & The Great Folk Dream is an immersion into these years, told by those who were there, including Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and the Freedom Singers. Like the festival itself, this film uses the draw of the stars to expose a thrilling range of American musical styles, including Gullah Island gospel, stinging delta blues and ancient-sounding milling songs of Cape Breton, what Variety describes as “a broad and exquisitely chosen swath of the music” that conveys a society where democracy embraces diversity. From award-winning filmmakers Robert Gordon and Joe Lauro, and drawn entirely from rare and previously unseen archival footage, Newport & The Great Folk Dream shows how music can illuminate struggle, inspire courage and stir passionate controversy.

Aug. 20 – “Give Me the Ball!”
Rosecliff, Newport
Elizabeth Wolff in attendance
Moderator TBD

Festival/Awards: World Premiere, Sundance Film Festival 2026; SFFILM Festival 2026

Director: Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff
Producer: Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff, Dominic Crossley-Holland, Dan Cogan, Chris James, Gentry Kirby
Executive Producer: Jon Bardin, Tommy Coriale, Louis Mole, Isabel Davis, Jay de Andrade, Ben Lampkin, Heather Anderson, Marsha Cooke, Brian Lockhart, Burke Magnus
Director of Photography: Thorsten Thielow, Tony Hardmon

Billie Jean King is a global icon whose impact on tennis and equality resonates around the world. But the personal turmoil behind this transformational figure has in many ways remained hidden from view. In Give Me the Ball!, we come to understand the sacrifices King was forced to make behind the scenes, even as she fought high-profile battles for the professionalization of her sport and equal treatment for women. From struggling to escape an unhappy marriage and hiding her sexual orientation to facing an eating disorder and staring down misogyny at every turn, her march to triumph was a long and often lonely one. This is a woman whose saga cuts deeper than her victory in the “Battle of the Sexes” showdown, and the film showcases King like the persistent fighter she was forced to be. Through a trove of rarely seen archival material and powerfully honest interviews with King, this film explores the depths of agony she endured so that others might follow a less painful path. It is the story of selflessness, struggle and triumph that shines an unforgettable light on a figure who is widely admired but, until now, never properly understood.

Aug. 27 – “Mighty Mary”
Fort Adams, Newport
Mary Mazzio in attendance
Moderated by Addie Morfoot

Director: Mary Mazzio
Producer: Allison Abner, Grant Hill, Mary Mazzio
Executive Producer: Elizabeth Banks, Hugh Jackman, Arthur M. Blank, Grant Hill, Tamia Hill, Sue Wagner, Bryan White, Christine White, Bill Hudson, Laurie Tisch, John H. Carlson, Bill McNabb, Katie McNabb, Bruce Herring, Tricia Herring, Dori Walton, Bill Walton, Jesse Sisgold, Jason Reed, John Weinbach, Lauren Gaffney, Alexis Garcia, Allison Abner
Director of Photography: Peter Levy, Patrick Ruth

Director Mary Mazzio captures the seismic moment when the first all-female crew entered the fiercely competitive world of the America’s Cup, the legendary sailing competition long considered the exclusive domain of men. Aboard the Mighty Mary, a team of pioneers, world-class sailors and Olympians set out to do more than compete: they challenged 144 years of tradition and forced the sailing establishment to reckon with its assumptions about who belonged on the water. Dismissed by some as a publicity stunt, the crew proved the naysayers wrong, becoming a formidable presence and a powerful emblem of change. Mighty Mary is a rousing story of courage, teamwork and persistence, revealing how one bold act can ripple outward to shift culture, expand possibility and open doors for generations to come.