Nantucket Film Festival

Described by executive director Mystelle Brabbée as a film festival “incubator” 30 miles out to sea, the annual Nantucket Film Festival celebrates screenwriters and storytellers and promotes signature programming, including garden conversations and “Morning Coffee With,” designed to bring the island community together.

Sibling duo and Nantucket natives Jill and Jonathan Burkhart founded the festival in 1996; Brabbée joined the team the following year and has helped expand its programming over the decades to include interactive, live events that put attendees in discussion with those in front of and behind the camera. Noteworthy appearances this year include screenwriter Kerry Ehrin, actor and comedian Jason Mantzoukas, and documentarian Ken Burns.

“This festival is able to thrive because the town supports it, and people want to come,” said Brabbée. “All the audiences that we bring in, they love that festival environment.”

“The Water Connection” is one of the overarching themes of this year’s festival, Brabbée said, noting that programming includes films and live events related to the impact of climate change on water both locally and globally. “Chasing Time,” for instance, is a short film following environmental photographer James Balog, while “Shaped by Water” is a documentary exploring the relationship between athletes and water.

Nantucket Film Festival, June 19-24, nantucketfilmfestival.org

Roxbury International Film Festival

For the 26th year, the Roxbury International Film Festival, a staple of the Boston film festival circuit, brings films from around the world to locations throughout the neighborhood. The festival returns this summer for in-person and online events, including feature-length and short film screenings, live script readings, filmmaker hangouts, and more.

The festival originally was a local showcase before growing into an international film festival, though it’s still committed to displaying the creative lifeblood of Roxbury.

Lisa Simmons, artistic and executive director of the festival, said the people “in this community are storytellers. Whether it’s through music, poetry, visual arts, theater, there are a lot of folks in this community who are creative people.”

For the past two-plus decades, the festival has devoted itself to telling the many unique experiences of people of color, at home and around the world.

“For audiences who can come to a festival over 10 days and at any given moment see themselves on the screen, that’s the most important thing,” Simmons said. “This community is not a monolith.”

Roxbury International Film Festival. In person June 20-28, online June 27-July 2. roxfilmfest.com

Woods Hole Film Festival

Mainland Cape Cod boasts the oldest film festival in the state. The Woods Hole Film Festival has held annual screenings for more than 30 years; its upcoming programming will showcase 100-plus films over the span of eight days.

“Our programming tends to include films that are relevant to the work that happens here,” said founder and director Judy Laster. “We probably have more of a science focus in our selections than other festivals might.”

Following this theme, the WHFF will screen “76 Days,” a film that follows Steven Callahan as he navigates the open ocean after a whale sinks his sailboat, and “Follow the Journey,” a deep dive into the lives of whales.

Woods Hole is a hub for ocean science, with several local institutions dedicated to education and research about the planet’s largest ecosystem. Laster recommends checking out the Woods Hole Science Aquarium, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Ocean Science Discovery Center, the Nobska Lighthouse, and area restaurants.

“We include lots of films around music or comedy or animation, things that are a little bit lighter because our main competition isn’t other festivals — it’s the beach,” said Laster.

For those interested in attending, Laster recommends solidifying travel plans as soon as possible: “It’s the height of summer,” she said. “It can be crowded around here.”

Woods Hole Film Festival, July 27-Aug. 3, woodsholefilmfestival.org

Martha’s Vineyard Film Society Documentary Week

The Martha’s Vineyard Film Society’s Documentary Week kicks off its annual programming in late July, in time for the island’s busy season. The organization hosts half a dozen film festivals annually, the majority of which take place between May and August.

Executive Director Richard Paradise recognized Doc Week as a need nearly a decade ago, opting to show one documentary each night for eight nights. Programming this year includes “Girls State,” a documentary that considers what our democracy would look like in the hands of teenage girls, and “Donyale Luna: Supermodel,” which follows the life of a pioneering Black supermodel.

“It’s a little easier to get the filmmakers to come and attend — like, who wouldn’t want to be on Martha’s Vineyard in August?,” said Paradise. “Each documentary we show, we always have people there to talk about the documentary afterwards, and it’s become a mainstay of our August programming.”

Martha’s Vineyard Film Society’s Doc Week, July 29-Aug. 2, mvfilmsociety.com

Lonely Seal International Film, Screenplay, and Music Festival

California resident Hammad Zaidi started his film festival in Arlington because “I wanted to find a city with an incredibly high level of intelligence, with a lot of universities, and with a lot of open-mindedness,” he said, calling from his home in Redondo Beach.

Since 2018, Zaidi’s Lonely Seal Festival has been a fixture of Arlington’s Regent Theatre, with feature-length films, documentaries, shorts, and music videos from around the world. The festival’s full lineup will be revealed next Thursday, but a few highlights he teased include the documentary “The Water of Life: A Whisky Film” and the 45th anniversary screening of The Who’s 1979 film “The Kids Are Alright,” directed by Jeff Stein, brother of Regent Theatre co-owner Leland Stein.

Zaidi, who heads a distribution company called Lonely Seal Releasing, said a mission of the festival is to spotlight diverse voices — including female, LGBTQ+, and disabled filmmakers — and stories that other festivals wouldn’t typically show.

Zaidi says he’s had great experiences at other film festivals, but “I’d always tell my friends, if I ever had one, I would do this differently.”

Lonely Seal International Film, Screenplay, and Music Festival. Aug. 20-25. Use code “GLOBESEAL” for 20 percent off tickets and passes. lonelysealfestival.com

Parks Movie Nights

Throughout August, 11 public parks across the Greater Boston area will become free outdoor movie theaters as a part of the city’s annual Parks Movie Nights program. From “Encanto” in East Boston to “A Million Miles Away” at Jamaica Pond under a meteor-shower sky, there are plenty of opportunities for people to camp out under the stars and screens.

“I love parks, I love being outside, and it’s so fun for me to be able to activate [the parks] in this way,” said Steve Kruszkowski, program manager of Parks Movie Nights. “Good memories are created with your friends and family at movie nights.”

Other films and locations include “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” at Peters Park in the South End, “Elemental” at Healy Playground in Roslindale, and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” at Malcolm X Park in Roxbury. Each movie begins at dusk, and free popcorn will be provided while supplies last.

Parks Movie Nights. August. boston.gov/movie-nights

Adri Pray can be reached at adri.pray@globe.com. Follow her @adriprayy. Henry Bova can be reached at henry.bova@globe.com.

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DALLAS — The NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV lacked drama until suspense finally entered the arena with a blast Wednesday, not once, but twice in a frantic fourth quarter and threatened to shake up the series.

The first time: The Dallas Mavericks, down 21 points, turned tornado and ripped through a 22-2 run. Would they actually take the lead?

(They didn’t.)

The second time: Luka Doncic was whistled for his sixth and final foul after colliding with Jaylen Brown with 4:12 left. Would the call be overturned on review?

(It wasn’t.)

And because of that, history now asks this suspenseful question:

When will the Boston Celtics finish the job and make the 18th championship in franchise history official?

No cigars have been lit back in Boston, but the Celtics can smell the aroma from Dallas. Because teams that lead 3-0 in a best-of-seven series are 156-0, including 14-0 in the Finals. Because, aside from that Game 3 fourth-quarter sizzle, the Mavericks haven’t dropped many hints that history will be proven wrong.

Here are five takeaways from the Celtics’ 106-99 win in Game 3 and why the ending is perhaps inevitable:

1. The return of the J in Jayson

The once familiar sight of a high-arching trajectory finishing with a splash finally — and consistently — came to the rescue of Tatum, who until Game 3 couldn’t find a rhythm.

His jumper was good enough to give him a jolt of confidence, to help the Celtics assume early control of the game and to give Boston one more weapon to throw at Dallas.

The Celtics had plenty of help and didn’t need Tatum to score efficiently in the first two games, and a good thing, too, because he was faulty. Not so in Game 3. With the series shifting to Dallas, the Celtics missing Kristaps Porzingis and the Mavericks desperate, a return to form by Tatum would be most welcome by Boston.

Tatum responded. He scored 20 of his 31 points in the first half and constantly countered each overthrow attempt by the Mavericks to assume a big lead. Despite Doncic and Kyrie Irving (combining for 37 points) punishing the Celtics in the half, once the buzzer sounded at the break, the Mavericks had just a one-point advantage, mainly because of Tatum.

By setting the tone, Tatum also set the table for the player who might win Finals MVP …

2. Brown put Dallas (and Doncic) down for the count

The 1-2 punch was complete when Brown took the cue from Tatum and finished the job. Brown was sensational in the second half, and not just because that’s when he scored 24 of his 30 points.

Two plays put it in perspective:

His dunk put the Celtics up 15 near the end of the third quarter and (temporarily) put the Mavericks and American Airlines Center to sleep.

Then, realizing Doncic was one foul away from disqualification, Brown attacked and wisely beat Doncic to the spot, causing the contact that sent Doncic to the bench for good.

Brown also demonstrated what this series has revealed: he’s a tough assignment for Doncic.

Or anybody in that second half (and especially the fourth quarter).

“I think this team has trusted me, especially in this playoffs and those moments to just be who I am,” Brown said. “I felt like I’ve been able to just deliver just by being patient and being poised. Those opportunities have presented themselves, and I’ve been able to take advantage of them.

“But we were able to make plays and find a way to win. And we’ve been in those positions, and we’ve lost. It was great to overcome that with my brother, Jayson, and with our team. That was special.”

So Tatum and Brown, as they’ve done all season, and pretty much through much of their careers together, were two much — 61 points combined.

3. It was all in vain for Irving

After a week of owning up to the obvious — that his impact in this series was lacking — Kyrie Irving turned back into the punishing point producer that everyone saw throughout the postseason.

He had 28 points combined in Games 1 and 2. He had 35 in Game 3. Shaking defenders, reaching his sweet spots on the floor and dropping step-back jumpers, Irving was at times impossible to keep in check.

And in the end, it meant nothing for Dallas — just as Tatum’s poor shooting meant nothing in the first two games for Boston.

The crucial moment for Irving came when Doncic fouled out with four minutes and change remaining. Could he be the savior, compensate for the big absence and give the Mavs a chance in this series?

Irving did bring the Mavericks within a point on a layup moments later. But it was the closest they would get, and Irving never scored another basket, just a pair of free throws, because the Celtics forced him to pass.

“Jrue (Holiday) was picking me up full court,” he said. “They knew they were going to pressure me to get the ball out of my hands.

“I just tried to make the right plays, make sure guys were in the right spots, have them understand that we still have a chance to win this basketball game. That was all I was thinking.”

4. Mavs’ support still lacking

In a decision that could only be described as desperate, Mavs coach Jason Kidd blew the dust off Tim Hardaway Jr. and gave him extended Game 3 minutes. Hardaway fell out of the rotation months ago and only saw 27 minutes in this series.

But Kidd was grasping for answers, which happens when, once again, the roll call for the role players mostly came up empty.

Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, Dereck Lively II, Derrick Jones Jr. — players who constantly stepped forth in the postseason and made Doncic’s life easier — were mild at best.

This is their first taste of mid-June hoops, so their struggles are somewhat understandable. They’re clearly no match for what the Celtics are bringing to help Tatum and Brown.

5. No Porzingis, no problem

Porzingis was a scratch due to his latest injury, which was ironic, considering that injuries were what spoiled his time with the Mavericks. What it didn’t do was spoil the Game 3 outcome for the Celtics.

Al Horford and — surprise — Xavier Tillman were enough to keep the Mavericks from taking advantage. Porzingis was especially effective as a rim protector in Games 1 and 2, thwarting the Mavericks with timely blocks and making them think twice before attacking the rim.

There were no abundant dunks off lobs by Lively and Gafford and the rest, once again, even without Porzingis. Horford had a pair of steals and a block.

And Tillman, who was quietly acquired midseason from Memphis, was pressed into duty and responded with a pair of blocks — and his first 3-pointer of these playoffs — in 11 minutes. It was the most important 11 minutes of his career, considering the stakes and the situation.

“To hear the bench going crazy on our end… it was pretty awesome.”

Xavier Tillman on his corner three during Boston’s 3Q run 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Wu6KCpOaSY

— NBA (@NBA) June 13, 2024

“Obviously, I was probably going to play some more,” said Horford. “Then we needed somebody from the bench to come in and give us minutes, and Xavier was amazing tonight. His energy, defensively he held his own, time and time again. He was just ready for the moment.

“It’s not easy being in that position. He came in and he knocks down that big three as well. But defensively he was special. He didn’t get an opportunity the first two games and he has stayed with it, really took advantage of it.”

* * *

Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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We all know that no team in the history of the Association has recovered from a 3-0 deficit, so unless you think these Mavs are basketball’s answer to the 2004 Red Sox (Luka Doncic as Curt Schilling?), you can make arrangements for the parade.

The Celtics are 15-2 in these playoffs and will take a 10-game winning streak into Friday’s Game 4 in Texas. They are on the cusp of completing one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history. This will be Boston’s 18th championship, putting the C’s back ahead of the Lakers and their 17, and perhaps only the second time the Celtics have swept an NBA Finals. (Bill Russell and Co. did it to the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959.)

It’s almost official, Celtic fans: Seven years after Danny Ainge drafted Tatum to pair with Brown, the Jays are finally going to win a championship. They’ve been to the conference finals five times. This is their second NBA Finals. Now is their time.

When Game 3 was over, Tatum and Brown embraced on the court.

“I told him I was proud of him and he said the same thing,” reported Tatum.

Game 3 was played on the 13th anniversary of Dallas’s lone NBA championship, when Dallas coach Jason Kidd was a veteran guard for coach Rick Carlisle, and the 40th anniversary of Boston’s Game 7 victory over the Lakers in 1984 (a.k.a. Cedric Maxwell’s “Hop on my back!” game).

The Celtics trailed, 25-12, in the first quarter, cut it to 1 by intermission, then seemingly blew it open with a hail of threes late in the third. An emphatic Darryl Dawkins-like drive and slam by Brown in the closing seconds of the quarter made it 85-70 after three, and Boston’s lead swelled to 21 one minute into the fourth.

Incredibly, it was down to 93-92 with three and a half minutes left. Fortunately for Boston, Doncic (27 points) fouled out (via a blocking foul on Brown) with 4:12 left. Kidd challenged the play, but the call was upheld.

“We couldn’t play physical,” complained Doncic. “I don’t know . . . six fouls in the NBA Finals . . . C’mon man. Better than that.”

It was only the fourth time in Doncic’s NBA career that he fouled out of a game.

There was considerable pregame conversation regarding the shooting slumps of superstars Irving and Tatum. Irving endured two stink bombs in Boston, missing all eight of his threes, averaging a mere 14 points, and shooting 35 percent. Tatum shot 32 percent in the two games at home.

When Celtic coach Joe Mazzulla was asked if we are seeing the best version of JT, the ever-combative coach asked the reporter if he lived in Brazil or America. When the reporter stated Brazil, Mazzulla said, “That’s probably why you asked that question. None of the American ones did. They look at the lens differently . . . In America, nothing is ever good enough.”

OK. Swell, coach.

Tatum responded with a 13-point first quarter, his best of the series, and 20 in the first half.

On the other side, Irving came into the game unusually humble and contrite, telling reporters, “It’s my fault. I’m taking accountability for not playing particularly well.’’

He scored the first bucket of the night, 14 seconds in. Dallas went up, 9-2, and Mazzulla needed a timeout inside two minutes of play. The Celtics started 1 for 7 from three, and Xavier Tillman came in to replace Al Horford. Boston trailed by 13. It felt like they might be routed.

Not so. Sam Hauser came off the pine to hit a couple of threes and Tatum went off for 13, including a cherry-pick sneakaway, as Boston closed the first quarter with an 18-6 run to cut it to 31-30.

The Celtics led, 91-70, when Dallas went on a 22-2 run, capped on a basket by Irving. Unfortunately for Dallas, Doncic was gone. Boston’s lead proved simply too big to fail.

“You were going to expect a run from them because they had a 19-point [third] quarter,” said Mazzulla. “And just the type of shots they take alone, you knew they were going to make some kind of run.”

“It’s not over till it’s over. We just got to believe,” said Yogi Doncic. “Like I always say, it’s first to four. We’re going to stay together. We lose together, we win together.”

Message to Celtic fans: There’s still time to catch a flight to Dallas-Fort Worth and score tickets to Game 4. The Big D’s resale market should be pretty reasonable.

Pack your brooms.

Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at daniel.shaughnessy@globe.com. Follow him @dan_shaughnessy.