For this extended segment of Front Row Center, host Lauren Korn speaks with the co-directors and editors of The Boys of Summer, Mito Habe-Evans and Annabel Edwards. The film will have its world premiere at the 2026 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.
A hat-tip to the film‘s producers Tsering Bista and Razi Jafri, as well as to June Jennings from NPR‘s publicity team, for helping to coordinate this conversation.
About the film:
At a remote summer camp in the Vermont woods, a group of teenage boys embarks on a journey of emotional growth. Free from screens and societal expectations, they learn to open up, support one another, and redefine what it means to be a boy. A tender vérité portrait of vulnerability, friendship, and the quiet rebellion of feeling deeply in a world that often tells boys not to.
The Boys of Summer is a new film from NPR, debuting at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival on February 16, 2026, at the Zootown Arts Community Center in Missoula, sponsored by Montana Public Radio. The first screening begins at 5:30 p.m., with additional screenings on Tuesday, February 17th, at 1:30 p.m., and Friday, February 20th, at 4 p.m. It will be available to stream February 18th.
The team at NPR will be hosting an informal reception on Monday, February 16th, at Montgomery Distillery, from 7-9 p.m., after the first screening of the film. This reception is open to the public.
About Mito:
Mito Habe-Evans co-manages NPR’s Video team and is responsible for the creative direction and sensibility of NPR videos. She leads the team in its pursuit of projects that are “smart with heart,” from the comedic economics explainer series Planet Money Shorts to the short film Senior Spring, a national portrait of teens and guns. She developed NPR’s signature documentary style with What Democracy Looks Like and One Nation Under The Sun.
About Annabel:
Annabel Edwards is a documentary filmmaker and editor based out of New York City. She grew up in Atlanta and moved to Chicago to attend the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She currently works for NPR, where she directs, edits, produces, and occasionally draws on top of videos. Her work has been recognized by the White House News Photographers Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights, among others.
