CIRCUIT ARTS IS TURNING 25!

Fridays & Saturdays
July 5–September 6

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

July 5–20
The Martha's Vineyard Performing Arts Center
Oak Bluffs

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.

Tickets for this special event are $125 each and include admission to a reception to follow.

July 10 | 5 & 8 PM

Both screenings will be followed by a discussion with film subject Allyson Felix, directors Perri Peltz and Matt O’Neill, and executive producers Tonya Lewis Lee and Nina Fialkow; filmmaker Dawn Porter will moderate

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; journalist E.J. Dionne will moderate

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; filmmaker Liz Garbus will moderate

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 and director Smriti Mundhra; Erika Dilday, the executive director of American Documentary, Inc., will moderate

This propulsive docuseries chronicles the continuing fight for racial justice in America. Its fifth episode explores the complexities of affirmative action policies and how a changing demographic landscape affected school desegregation in new ways.

July 17 | 5 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 18 | 7:30 PM

Hitch & the Giddyup takes 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 19 | 5 & 8 PM

Both screenings will be followed by a discussion with director Dori Berinstein and film subject Kenneth Cole

Join us for a reception between the screenings, at 7 p.m.

An homage by an Emmy and Tony-winning director and producer, this documentary illustrates how New York fashion designer and activist Kenneth Cole has put cause before commerce for 40 years.

July 23 | 7:30 PM

Followed by a discussion with director Lindsay Utz; Geralyn Dreyfous will moderate

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 24 | 8 PM

Followed by a discussion with director Elegance Bratton and producer Chester Algernal Gordon; filmmaker Suzanne de Passe will moderate

 Long before Beyoncé and Lady Gaga tapped into it, house music was born on the South Side of Chicago. This new documentary tells its irrepressible story.

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 26 | 7:30 PM

Followed by a discussion with director Ebs Burnough and composer John Forté

A reception will follow the discussion

In this new documentary about the enduring influence of Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road, present-day seekers and others reflect on the value of authentic experience and the search for genuine connection in a digital world.

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 tributes from professor and filmmaker Henry Louis Gates, Jr., film producer Nina Fialkow, and philanthropist and producer Jim Swartz.

Tickets for this special event are $350 each.

July 31 | 5 & 8 PM
The Strand Theatre, Oak Bluffs

Followed by a discussion with director Mara Brock Akil

If you were on the Island last summer, you might remember seeing camera crews. They were filming this very episode, and some of you might even be in it! Now is your chance to see it on the big screen. Watch the first four episodes at home, on Netflix, then join us to watch episode 5, featuring our beloved Island.

Judy Blume’s classic young-adult novel has been reimagined. In the fifth episode of this new television series about two Los Angeles high-schoolers navigating first love and intimacy amid social and parental pressures, Keisha and Chloe head to Martha's Vineyard.

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; CNBC news anchor Frank Holland will moderate

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.

August 2 | 4 PM
Edgartown Cinemas, Edgartown

Followed by a discussion with film subject Christo Grozev and several of the film’s executive producers; Martha’s Vineyard Times publisher Charles Sennott will moderate

This timely, suspenseful documentary follows whistleblowers and activists who risk their lives while exposing Vladimir Putin's authoritarian regime, facing grave consequences for their courageous efforts to uncover the truth.

August 7 | 5 & 8 PM

Featuring Stanley Tucci, Pack One Bag tells the epic true story of two Italian Jewish families fighting to survive fascism, love, and war. Go behind the scenes of the timely Tribeca-winning audio series with creator David Modigliani in an evening that's perfect for both fans of the series and newcomers alike. Presentation followed by a conversation moderated by Diana Barrett. 

 Pack One Bag is a 10-episode podcast tracing two Italian Jewish families’ escape from Fascist Italy, as documentarian David Modigliani uncovers a hidden family history and asks: When a strongman rises, how do you know when to flee?

August 8 | 4 PM

Join us for acclaimed playwright Carol Rocamora’s stage adaptation of award-winning historian Mary Beth Norton's new book about the world’s first advice column, in 1690s London. Performed by beloved Island actors, this witty and dramatic reading features real letters about love, marriage, and sex.

Cast: Brooke Adams, Scott Barrow, Amy Sabin Barrow, Brian Ditchfield, and Gerry Yukevich

Directed by Brooke Hardman Ditchfield

August 8 | 7:30 PM

Followed by a discussion with executive producers Amy Schumer and Chris Fischer, director Alexander Hammer, and film subject Jenn Freeman

In this dance documentary, a groundbreaking portrait of neurodivergence and self-discovery, choreographer and performer Jenn Freeman channels her recent autism diagnosis into her first evening-length solo work, exploring identity through movement.

August 12 | 7:30 PM

Followed by a discussion with director Sarah Friedland and executive producer Marni Grossman

An octogenarian woman transitions to life in assisted living as she contends with her conflicting relationship to herself and her caregivers amidst her shifting memory, age identity, and desires.

August 13 | 7:30 PM

Followed by a discussion with director Andrew Jarecki

In this new documentary from Oscar-nominated director Andrew Jarecki (Capturing the Friedmans), incarcerated men defy the odds to expose a cover-up in one of America's deadliest prison systems.

August 14 | 5 PM

Followed by a discussion with directors Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, and consulting producer Rebecca Celli 

In this Sundance-winning documentary, a divorced, motorcycle-riding former midwife becomes the first elected councilwoman in her Iranian village and challenges tradition by fighting child marriage and teaching girls to ride motorcycles.

August 14 | 8 PM

Followed by a discussion with director Tommy Gulliksen

Jens Stoltenberg navigates his final year as NATO secretary general, balancing Ukraine support promises with rising European war fears, in this new documentary that has already won several awards at European film festivals.

August 20 | 7:30 PM

Followed by a discussion with film subject Gentry Lee and director Robert Stone

 Legendary NASA robotics engineer and bestselling science-fiction author Gentry Lee has spent a lifetime seeking an answer to the ultimate cosmic question: are we alone in the universe? This awe-inspiring documentary reveals his conclusion.

September 4 & 5 | 7 PM

A bold, shockingly funny, brutally honest story of resilience and self-discovery, this international award-winning, critically acclaimed one-woman show follows Ellie Brelis as she explores mental health, identity, and family.