2024 NH Film Festival: Movies to watch, Alan Ruck of 'Succession' to appear in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH — The 22nd annual New Hampshire Film Festival lineup will feature more than 100 independent films Oct. 17–?20, and actor Alan Ruck of "Succession" fame will be a special guest.

The movie screening venues are The Music Hall's historic theater, The Music Hall Lounge, 3S Artspace, Moffatt-Ladd House and St John’s Episcopal Church, all in Portsmouth. The event is being led by The Music Hall and its executive director, Tina Sawtelle, for the first time in 2024.

A look at NH Film Festival 2024 lineup

Nicole Gregg, the festival's founding director, highlighted Academy Award-winning director Andrea Arnold’s "Bird," calling it "a British drama bridging social realism and surrealism starring the brilliant Barry Keoghan," as well as Marielle Heller’s "Nightbitch," which stars "a fearless Amy Adams." She noted a number of the local festival's film lineup premiered at "some of the world’s most prestigious festivals, including Sundance, Cannes, and Venice."

NHFF lead programmer Ian McCarthy highlighted several notable films, including “La Cocina,” a black-and-white tragicomedy set in a Times Square restaurant featuring an unexpected performance by Rooney Mara. He also mentioned “Mistress Dispeller,” a Chinese documentary about a woman hired to break up extramarital affairs, and “Eephus,” a baseball drama directed by critic-turned-filmmaker and Nashua native Carson Lund. Additionally, McCarthy praised Tracie Laymon’s SXSW winner “Bob Trevino Likes It,” which stars Barbie Ferreira as a young woman who forms an unlikely bond with a man she meets on Facebook who shares her father’s name.

Sawtelle highlighted "Pierce," as "a Taiwanese fencing thriller," as well as "Rent Free," describing it as a "Austin-set queer buddy comedy" and "It Was All a Dream," calling it a "documentary with never-before-seen footage of the golden era of hip-hop."

She noted 39 films with New Hampshire connections will be shown, "a testament to the thriving creative community right here in our state.”

The entire slate of films selected for the festival can be found at NHFilmFestival.com.

Alan Ruck to appear at NH Film Festival in 2024

The festival will feature a special evening with veteran actor Alan Ruck, whose career in television includes the widely popular "Succession," and movies such as "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off" and "Speed." Ruck’s Oct. 18 appearance will include a Q&A session.

Actress-comedian Eliza Coupe will host the festival's annual comedy panel. Other panel topics include working in New England’s production field, producing content for public television, strategies for getting films to different audiences, and an intimate chat with some of this year’s filmmakers.

How to get tickets to 2024 NH Film Festival

Tickets and passes are on sale at nhfilmfestival.com/festival-passes-page/ or at The Music Hall’s downtown ticketing hub at on 134 Congress St. The public can purchase passes for the entire festival or buy a day pass. This year, The Gallery at Jimmy’s will serve as NHFF’s official headquarters in downtown Portsmouth.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: 2024 NH Film Festival in Portsmouth: Movies lineup, Alan Ruck