MAY 5, 2026 (Provincetown, MA) – Celebrating its 28th year, the Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) announced today its lineup of narrative, documentary, and short films as well as honorees for this year’s Filmmaker on the Edge and Festival Tribute. Acclaimed director and producer Ryan Murphy will be named 2026’s “Filmmaker on the Edge.”
Ryan Murphy has long held the position as the most prolific and most successful creator of his generation. Winner of multiple Emmy, DGA, PGA, Golden Globes, Writers Guild, GLAAD, HRC, People’s Choice, Peabody, and Tony Awards – Murphy was recently inducted into the Television Academy Hall Of Fame. Shows Murphy created as a writer, director and producer include Glee, American Horror Story, American Crime Story, Love Story, Feud, The Monster Anthology and many others. Murphy will be in attendance in Provincetown to receive the award in conversation with resident artist John Waters on Saturday, June 13th.
“With a body of work that blurs the line between provocation and inspiration, Ryan Murphy embodies the spirit of Provincetown: daring, inclusive, and vital to our cultural conversation,” said Executive Director Anne Hubbell.
It was also announced that notable choreographer and director, Adam Shankman, will be honored with a Festival Tribute. Shankman is one of Hollywood’s most versatile directors, choreographers, and producers, with a career spanning film, television, and stage. A multi-award-winning creative force, he has been recognized by the Emmys, DGA, and Critics’ Choice Awards. Shankman has directed and produced a wide range of hit projects, including HAIRSPRAY (2007), THE WEDDING PLANNER, A WALK TO REMEMBER, and ROCK OF AGES, while also serving as a key creative producer on numerous film and television productions. He will receive the honor in conversation with writer David Rooney on Thursday, June 11th in Ptown.
“Adam Shankman’s work has always been a joyful embrace of performance, spectacle, and heart,” said Andrew Peterson, Director of Programming. “Honoring him at this year’s festival is a celebration of an artist who has consistently brought audiences together through bold, entertaining storytelling.”
Shankman’s STOP! THAT! TRAIN! is set to open the festival ahead of its release on June 12th. The film follows best friends Tess (Ginger Minj) and DeeDee (Jujubee), train stewardesses who trade their dreary
shifts on the Stank Rail for the glitzy Glamazonian Express. When a catastrophic “Stormaganza” threatens to derail the high-speed train and crash it into Los Angeles, the duo in coach must join forces with the snobby first class attendants (Symone, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Marcia Marcia Marcia) and President Gagwell (RuPaul) to save the day in this wild ride of camp and comedy.
The festival will close with FAMILY MOVIE from filmmakers Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick. It follows a filmmaking family that find themselves in a real-life horror movie when a body turns up on the set of their low-budget slasher, forcing them to cover up the murder to keep filming. The film stars Bacon, Sedgwick, Sosie Bacon, Travis Bacon, Liza Koshy, John Carroll Lynch, Andrea Savage and Scoot McNairy.
The 2026 spotlight selections include Sundance breakouts JARIPEO, directed by Efrain Mojica & Rebecca Zweig, which chronicles Michoacán’s hypermasculine rodeos and Adrian Chiarella’s LEVITICUS, which centers on two teenage star-crossed lovers who must escape a violent entity that takes form of the person they desire the most.
Special screenings include John Waters Presents: SICK OF MYSELF from filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli whose latest film THE DRAMA opened earlier this year. The festival will also be screening the Criterion Collection 4K restoration of John Waters’ DESPERATE LIVING.
“We are thrilled to present such a vibrant lineup that includes laugh-out-loud comedies, beginning with our fabulous opening night film STOP! THAT! TRAIN!, as well as innovative dramas, moving international features, compelling documentaries, and wildly creative short films that definitely speak to this moment,” said Artistic Director Lisa Viola. “This year’s slate in particular represents bold new work from veteran filmmakers and first-time directors alike, and we look forward to having our devoted community gather in Provincetown to engage with our filmmakers and experience these films together on the big screen.”
This year’s festival lineup is below:
OPENING NIGHT
STOP! THAT! TRAIN! – directed by Adam Shankman
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
FAMILY MOVIE – directed by Kevin Bacon
SPOTLIGHT FILMS
JARIPEO – directed by Efrain Mojica, Rebecca Zweig
LEVITICUS – directed by Adrian Chiarella
NARRATIVE FEATURES
COTTON FEVER – directed by Daniel Blake Schwartz
EDIE ARNOLD IS A LOSER – directed by Kade Atwood, Megan Rico
GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY SEX PASS – directed by David Wain I WANT YOUR SEX – directed by Gregg Araki
IN A WHISPER – directed by Leyla Bouzid
JULIAN – directed by Cato Kusters
LADY CHAMPAGNE – directed by D’Arcy Drollinger
LATE FAME – directed by Kent Jones
MADDIE’S SECRET – directed by John Early
THE MUSICAL – directed by Giselle Bonilla
ON THE SEA – directed by Helen Walsh
POWER BALLAD – directed by John Carney
ROMERÍA – directed by Carla Simón
SEE YOU WHEN I SEE YOU – directed by Jay Duplass
SHE KEEPS ME YOUNG – directed by Doron Max Hagay
SPARKS – directed by Fergus Campbell
TEST – directed by Sam McConnell
TRIAL OF HEIN – directed by Kai Stänicke
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
ADAM’S APPLE – directed by Amy Jenkins
ANNE PACKARD: AN ARTIST’S RESOLVE – directed by Arthur Egeli
BANG MY BOX: THE ROBIN BYRD STORY – directed by Jyllian Gunther, Stephanie Schwam BARBARA FOREVER – directed by Brydie O’Connor
THE BIG CHEESE – directed by Sara Joe Wolansky
THE BRITTNEY GRINER STORY – directed by Alexandria Stapleton
COOKIE QUEENS – directed by Alysa Nahmias
GIVE ME THE BALL! – directed by Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff
THE HAND THAT HOLDS THE LINE – directed by Geoff Bassett
HUNKY JESUS – directed by Jennifer Kroot
THE LAST CRITIC – directed by Matty Wishnow
MARY OLIVER: SAVED BY THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD – directed by Sasha Waters MINESHAFT: THE CRUISING MURDERS – directed by Jeffrey Schwarz
SEIZED – directed by Sharon Liese
SOUL PATROL – directed by J. M. Harper
SUMMER TOUR – directed by Mischa Richter
TIME AND WATER – directed by Sara Dosa
UNCLE ROY – directed by Keri Pickett
WHEN A WITNESS RECANTS – directed by Dawn Porter
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
John Waters Presents: SICK OF MYSELF – directed by Kristoffer Borgli
DESPERATE LIVING – directed by John Waters
EROSIONS – directed by Site-Specific Dances (Michael Spencer Phillips, Emma Kazaryan and Dino Kiratzidis)
SHORT FILMS
NARRATIVE SHORTS
2 GIRLS KISSING – directed by Noah Schamus
ALBATROSS – directed by Amandine Thomas
ATTAGIRL! – directed by Chris Klimovski
AWAY – directed by Miles Damon and Jack Damon
BUBBE & TAL – directed by Daisy Rosato
CALLBACK – directed by Matthew Puccini
CHARLIE IS NOT A BOY – directed by Pol Kurucz
CHI MANGIA SOLO – directed by Francesco Aram Zenati
COCKROACH – directed by Justice Maya Singleton and Liliana Padilla
COUPLES SKATE – directed by Kaliya Warren
CREATURE OF THE DEEP – directed by Angus Reardon
HAIL MAYA – directed by Fredgy Noël
I & ME – directed by Elizabeth Chatelain
I’M GONNA KILL YOU – directed by Andrew Chappelle
KILORAN BAY – directed by Michael Bruce
THE LAST WISH – directed by Kimberley Ann Surin
MUNCHIES – directed by Brittany Alexia Young
OLD DYKES – directed by Ezra Rose
SAM WANTS HER SWEATER BACK – directed by Whitney Chitwood
SQUALL MOUTH – directed by Eva Chaitman
STINGING NETTLES – directed by Jershua West
THE WINDKEEPER – directed by Julia C. Liu
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
THE ARTIST MUST GROW EVER MORE SELFISH – directed by Susan Sandler BOBBY WETHERBEE, 60 YEARS PERFORMING IN PROVINCETOWN – directed by Scott A. Coffey BUCKSKIN – directed by Mars Verrone
FREE JOAN LITTLE – directed by Yoruba Richen
LINDA GERARD:LOOK AT ME – directed by Adam Golub
ON THE TIDE – directed by Mimi Mailcoat Bois
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SCHOONER HINDU – directed by Angela McNerney PACIFIC LADY – directed by Zada Clarke
RESPIRATEUR – directed by Paul Moakley
ROOM OF THE ABSOLUTE – directed by Natalie Shirinian and Elizabeth Baudouin SEX IN DRAG – directed by John Mark Hostetler
SOME KIND OF REFUGE – directed by Alexandra Kern
WOMEN LAUGHING – directed by Kathleen Hughes and Liza Donnelly
ANIMATION SHORTS
APART – directed by Pola Maneli
MARBLE & LEMONS – directed by Anna Katalin Lovrity
MILK OF LIFE – directed by Joseph So
RUFFLED FEATHERS – directed by Brianna Stringfellow
The Provincetown International Film Festival runs June 10–14, 2026 in Provincetown, MA, and was named one of Moviemaker’s 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee in 2025. Purchase festival passes at provincetownfilm.org. Tickets go on sale online for pass holders and Provincetown Film Society members on May 15. General public tickets go on sale online on May 22. In-person tickets available at Waters Edge Cinema beginning May 31. America’s oldest artist colony, Provincetown has been home to the likes of Jack Kerouac, Jackson Pollock, Norman Rockwell, Mary Heaton Vorse, Anthony Bourdain, Helen Frankenthaler, John Waters, and Ryan Murphy.
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About The Provincetown Film Society
The Provincetown Film Society (PFS) is an advocate for diverse representation in film, providing year-round programming and platforms that allow voices of all kinds to be heard via film. Locally, PFS’ work positively impacts the cultural and economic vitality of Provincetown. Nationally, its work helps shape industry discussions around parity in film. Through PFS’ work, we have an ability to better understand and appreciate human struggles and triumphs, showcasing our similarities and differences in today’s diverse culture.
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Honoree Pronouns:
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Adam Shankman – he/him
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