The LFC reports back on the Maine International Film Festival!

July 18, 2011 by Lowell Film Collaborative

Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis in "O Lucky Man!" which screened Saturday, July 16 at the Maine International Film Festival with McDowell in attendance.

An LFC report on the Maine International Film Festival
(in short, we loved it!)

We picked a glorious weekend to be indoors for the Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) in Waterville, Maine this past weekend (July 15-17). Ok, perhaps a little bit of rain would have made us feel less guilty about missing the gorgeous summer sunshine, but at least we were joined by plenty of other enthusiastic film fest goers who also sat for hours in a darkened theater. As always, the MIFF was superb and offered up the perfect film fest getaway. In addition to spending our movie-watching time at the Railroad Square Cinema (the fest’s primary host venue), we spent as much time as we could in downtown Waterville at the spots we adore most: Barrels Community Market, Grand Central Cafe and Jorgensen’s Cafe. A new addition to the city center is a tea drinkerie called Selah Tea Cafe. We were delighted to run into this newly opened space (just three months old) and enjoyed delicious, expertly brewed hot and cold teas.

We want to state again how impressive this film festival is. Given that Waterville is a town of less than 25,000 people, it’s so great to see a group of people so immersed in film, so connected with their community, and so hellbent on delivering a quality festival that outshines the modest location where it’s held. From the pleasant and welcoming volunteers to the beautiful festival program (as good or better as any we’ve received at Boston festivals), this fest is truly one to be proud of. Our hats off to Festival Director Shannon Haines and her dedicated staff, including LFC friend and Festival Programmer Ken Eisen, founder of Shadow Distribution.

Malcolm McDowell fields questions after "O Lucky Man!" at the Maine International Film Festival. (Photo taken by Suzz)

In our two-and-a-half days at the MIFF, we enjoyed six amazing and VERY different films plus a screening of O Lucky Man! in commemoration of the MIFF’s special guest and Mid-Life Achievement Honoree Malcolm McDowell who traveled to Waterville and hung out at the event all weekend. If being just a few feet away from McDowell wasn’t already a thrill, he attended our final film screening on Sunday and looked as comfortable and casual as everyone else in the audience. McDowell wasn’t the only film star on hand — as always at the MIFF, we were treated to filmmaker and cast visits at most of the screenings, one of the primary things we love about this fest.

For your perusing pleasure, below is the list of films we viewed each day at the Maine International Film Festival along with our ‘Personal Picks’ — trailers for the films are located on each film website/Facebook page. Should you be free in the days ahead, the festival takes place through July 24. We wholeheartedly recommend making the trek to Waterville!

DAY ONE (July 15)
The American Folk Festival
Completed as a documentary film project, this vibrant film showcased a weekend in Bangor, Maine, during one of the largest music festivals in the northeast.

The Green
A Manhattan gay couple newly transplanted to a small Connecticut community experiences unforeseen conflict with the citizens of their new home.

DAY TWO (July 16)
Paul Goodman Changed My Life
A detailed and personal look into the fascinating and complicated life of poet, writer, activist, and anarchist Paul Goodman.

Darwin - Suzz’s Pick
Visit the eccentric people of Darwin, CA, an isolated 35-person town located at the ‘end of the earth’ in the heart of Death Valley. Fascinating, emotional and unforgettable.

O Lucky Man!
Malcolm McDowell is Mick Travis, a charming, disaffected coffee seller who finds himself hellbent on making a success of himself. Director Lindsay Anderson tells the story like a naughty Greek fable, complete with a 70′s Brit-pop Greek Chorus in the form of keyboardist Alan Price.

DAY THREE (July 17)
The Athlete - Brett’s Pick
The true story of Ethiopia’s 1960 Olympic gold-medal marathon runner Abebe Bikila comes to life through stunning archival footage and a fantastic lead performance by Rasselas Lakew.

Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country
Directors Mike Kaplan and John Dorr turn the camera on the legendary Robert Altman and Altman’s entire cast as they filmed Short Cuts, one of Altman’s most renowned films.

An LFC RAVE: The 14th Annual Maine International Film Festival comes to Waterville, July 15-24!

July 15, 2011 by Lowell Film Collaborative

Greetings, dear film friends! We’re heading to Waterville, Maine, for one of our favorite film fests! Hopefully we’ll rub elbows with the illustrious Malcolm McDowell on Saturday. Wish us luck! See you all next week!

• • • •

The Maine International Film Festival
Friday, July 15 – Sunday, July 24, 2011
Waterville, Maine
MIFF.org

In just a couple of weeks, the 14th Annual Maine International Film Festival — one of our favorite local fests — comes to the quaint city of Waterville and the charming, homegrown indie theater the Railroad Square Cinema [it all started with a passion for movies -- read "Railroad Square Cinema: Maine's Movie Mecca," 1999]. Festival co-founder and director Ken Eisen (he founded the Fest along with his late, beloved wife, Beth) has become a good friend and film compadre, though we’ve only met in person once. We first spoke to Ken almost three years ago as we planned our Lowell screenings of Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus and Girls Rock. We obtained licensing for the films from Ken’s Waterville-based distribution company Shadow Distribution, who have since acquired rights to some mighty impressive titles, including last year’s MIFF hit The Kids Grow Up and one of our favorites, Earthwork, which we’re proudly screening right here in Lowell on Tuesday, September 13, as part of our 2011 Film & the Arts Series. The relationships we’ve made since starting up the Lowell Film Collaborative have been priceless – thank you, Ken, for the support you give to independent filmmakers and all us indie film buffs.

The MIFF’s catchy tag of 10 days, 100 films, 50 filmmakers is no lie. Their program is packed so be prepared to spend time working out your schedule. As is tradition, the Fest bestows a Mid-Life Achievement Award to an actor or actress of the highest caliber. Their 2011 recipient, Malcolm McDowell, is this year’s Guest of Honor and will accept his award on Saturday, July 16 at Colby College’s Given Auditorium. McDowell’s work will be showcased and celebrated through screenings of his most renowned films, including (of course) A Clockwork Orange and O Lucky Man! (He was unforgettable as the vulgar, sex-obsessed Roman emperor in Caligula, but we’re pretty sure the MIFF is trying to keep the Fest open to all audiences!) Other award honorees in years past include John Turturro, Peter Fonda and Sissy Spacek. If rubbing elbows with Malcolm isn’t enough, you’ll also meet producers, writers, directors and actors at many of the MIFF screenings. This is a special treat for indie film buffs, and something we treasure about this Fest.

We attended the MIFF in 2010 and had a blast taking in all the films we possibly could and even tried our hand at blogging each film we saw; a tough feat given our tight viewing schedule. We think sitting in a Railroad Square Cinema chair donated by Stephen King inspired us (be sure to look for the coveted seat in their smaller screening room — it’s got great mojo!) One of the remarkable things that impressed us about the MIFF was Waterville’s Festival support — everywhere we went we saw welcome signs in the windows and were treated to special deals as Festival goers. Believe us when we say that this makes a HUGE difference to a visitor. It’s something we’re always pushing for in Lowell and we’re happy to say that Waterville makes it look easy. Not-to-be-missed spots in downtown Waterville include Barrels Community Market and Jorgensen’s Main Street Cafe, two of our favorite places. Another gem, the Grand Central Cafe, is right next door to the Railroad Square Cinema and is always decked out for the Fest – their pizza is pretty phenominal. Click here for more info on Waterville and its shops and eateries.

Your next step? Visit the Maine International Film Festival at miff.org and sign up to get an e-mail alert when their complete film lineup gets released. We’re confident you’ll make this indie film fest an annual trek!

The Maine International Film Festival, Day 1

July 10, 2010 by Lowell Film Collaborative

Suzzanne and I drove up from Lowell on Friday for a fun weekend of film at the 13th Annual Maine International Film Festival (MIFF). We did make a quick pitstop in Brunswick for a sandwich at Frontier, our favorite cafe/cinema/gallery in New England (not to mention dessert at Gelato Fiasco, THE best gelato I have ever had the pleasure of consuming!), but our hearts were set on the quaint town of Waterville, where films would be screening at the Railroad Square Cinema and the Waterville Opera House.

We arrived in Waterville, picked up our weekend pass, dropped off our things at the hotel, then made our way over to the Opera House for the opening-night screening of Get Low, a film that promised huge returns thanks to its outstanding cast of Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, and Lucas Black. And huge returns we received – Duvall is absolutely spot-on as Felix Bush, an aging hermit who lives on the outskirts of a small Southern town in the 1930s. With enough local tall tales to keep even the bravest kid from venturing beyond his fence, Bush plays up his larger-than-life mythology, but in truth, he’s got a soft underbelly and a big skeleton in his closet.

When he approaches the local funeral home with an odd request – a funeral party BEFORE he dies with the townspeople who have rejected him for decades invited to attend - the home’s financially-strapped director (Murray) and his assistant (Black) take Bush up on his offer. Among the party’s attendees is widow Maddie Darrow (Spacek), an old friend of Bush’s who is closer to Bush’s hidden secret than even she realizes. Get Low is beautifully shot and perfectly acted, with enough subtle humor to offset its dark story.

Following that screening, we headed over to the Railroad Square Cinema to see Conversations with My Gardener, a wonderful French film that tells the story of a blossoming summer friendship between a successful Parisian artist (played by Daniel Auteuil) and his gardener (Jean-Pierre Darroussin). Discovering upon their introductions that they were childhood acquaintences, the artist and the gardener develop an instant bond, and their summer is spent discussing their passions, their experiences, and their views of the world. In turn, we the audience see their personalities and their complexities, quickly developing an appreciation for both of them as the human beings they are and not the stereotypes so easily assigned to them by their professions. This is a moving and incredible film that captures life as only the French seem able to.