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!

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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 3

July 12, 2010 by Lowell Film Collaborative

Although the MIFF promised another full day of independent and foreign films on Sunday, Suzz and I had to head back late in the afternoon, so we only caught two. Being a huge fan of old skool funk and soul music, I was personally bummed we wouldn’t get the chance to see Wheedle’s Groove, which was screening later in the evening. Hopefully I will have the chance to see it in the future. As for what we DID see, we started with Nenette, a unique French documentary about one of the oldest living orangutans in captivity that has been at the Jardin des Plantes zoo in France since 1972. Nenette is made up entirely of footage taken at the zoo of Nenette and her “cellmates” (one of which is her son), and we see no one but the orangutans. Voices from animal trainers, experts, poets, and common zoogoers are heard in the background, but only the animals are shown onscreen. This is a unique take on the subject, but not really enough to save the film from portraying little more than Nenette’s boring, and sad, living conditions. Although Suzz was a little more optimistic in her view of this film, this was my least favorite of the weekend.

Following that screening, we caught the world premiere of Finding Belgrade, a documentary that follows Miodrag Kolaric, a filmmaker from the capitol city of Serbia who decides to go on his first cross-country trek of the US to explore the four Belgrades here – in Maine, Montana, Nebraska and Minnesota. Kolaric hopes to discover more about these four cities and their relationship to his own hometown of Belgrade, Serbia. Along the way, he not only learns the distinct differences between these towns and his own but also finds multiple groups of Americans welcoming him with open arms, taking pride in their hometowns, and sharing their knowledge about Belgrade. It was a fun and light-hearted film that was a fitting ending to our weekend in Maine.

Before leaving, we cast our vote for favorite film among the ones we saw – both of us chose earthwork from Day 2, independent of each other – then headed back to Lowell. And yes, we stopped at Gelato Fiasco again on our way home (yes, it’s THAT good!). Some of our highlights of the weekend included Suzz’s delight upon sitting down at the second screening on Friday night and realizing that the theater chair in which she sat had been donated by none other than Stephen and Tabitha King (Bangor is only about two hours north); enjoying an insightful Q&A with documentary filmmaker Doug Block and his wife Marjorie following the screening of The Kids Grow Up; and spending a few moments with the organizers of the event to share our appreciation of their fest and to tout our own LFC passions. We loved the festival and wished there was a way to spend the rest of the week in Waterville. Alas, responsibilities at home awaited, so we were off on our way. Stay tuned, as we hope to attend more summer film festivals in the near future.

From the MIFF Facebook page - Suzz and I chatting up the organizers

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.