27th Maine International Film Festival announces full festival program

WATERVILLE — The Maine International Film Festival has confirmed a full lineup of  more than 100 films for its 27 ^th annual 10-day festival held July 12–21 in Waterville. A project of the Maine Film Center, MIFF returns this summer to once again showcase a  diverse range of Maine-made films, international cinema, rediscoveries of timeless classics, and  world premieres. This year’s program draws in part from the record number of submissions ever received in the festival’s history.

“I am so happy to be sharing this year’s 100-film slate with audiences here in central Maine,”  said MIFF Programming Director Ken Eisen. “This year’s MIFF proves that cinema is alive and  flourishing as never before, as we welcome cinema and filmmakers from Maine and from  around the world with a greater diversity and quality than MIFF or anywhere else in our region  has ever seen. Our visiting filmmakers and actors are remarkable, our rediscoveries will open  your eyes to the past, and our premieres will open them to the future.”

The festival will open Friday, July 12, with “Every Little Thing”, an infectiously charming  documentary about Terry Masear, who dedicates her life, love, and savings to rescue countless  tiny hummingbirds. The Maine-made feature film “The Ghost Trap” will serve as this year’s  centerpiece on Wednesday, July 17. Gorgeously shot on Maine’s stunning seawaters, the  adaptation of K. Stephens’ novel follows a young lobsterman caught in an increasingly  threatening industry. Closing out the festival on Sunday, July 21, is Irish feature “Kneecap”. A  completely atypical music biopic, Kneecap charts the rise of the eponymous Belfast, Northern  Ireland-based group, starring the band as themselves, and exploring how they sculpted their  own defiant sound rapping in their native Irish language.

This year’s program includes a special series spotlighting new Rwandan cinema, including  feature films and shorts alike. MIFF and the Maine Film Center’s international reputation has  steadily grown over the years as the organizations continue to build working partnerships  overseas. Last year, MFC Executive Director Mike Perreault served as a juror in the Mashariki  African Film Festival in Kigali, Rwanda. He made several connections in Kigali and we are excited  to welcome Rwandan filmmakers Yuhi Amuli and Myriam Birara to MIFF this year to present the  Maine premieres of their films “Citizen Kwame” and “The Bride”, respectively.

Though continually expanding its international footprint, the backbone of MIFF every year is its  unique and robust lineup of Maine-made features and shorts, which compete for the annual  Tourmaline Prizes of $5,000 and $2,500, respectively. The Tourmaline Prizes are designed to  celebrate the best of Maine filmmakers and foster the state’s developing filmmaking industry.  This year’s program features three Maine-made full-length features (“The Ghost Trap”, making its New England premiere, “Carlo…and His Merry Band of Artists”, and “The Ruse”, both making their  world premieres), and 19 Maine-made shorts, including narrative films, documentaries, and  music films.

“MIFF represents the best 10 days of the summer in Maine,” Perreault said. “With world  premieres, brand-new made-in-Maine films, the opportunity to meet the filmmakers  themselves, and a host of special events and programs, I’m excited for MIFF to light up  downtown Waterville for this 27th annual celebration of film.”

MIFF will welcome back (for the first time since 2006) Canadian filmmaker Mary Harron to  present her with the 2024 Mid-Life Achievement Award. Harron’s films “Daliland”, “Charlie Says”, “The Moth Diaries”, and “American Psycho” will all screen at the festival this year. Dutch auteur Jos  Stelling will return to Waterville as the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award-honoree, having  received the inaugural Mid-Life Award in 1999. Stelling brings with him what he says will be his  final film, “Natasja’s Dance”, for its U.S. premiere.

MIFF returns to the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, home of the Maine Film Center, and the Waterville Opera House for its 27 ^th edition July 12–21. Visit MIFF.org for the full festival lineup and  to reserve passes and tickets. Those who have already purchased their passes can now enjoy a full week of advanced access to ticket reservations for individual screenings before tickets  become available to the public June 14.

Maine Film Center educates, entertains, and builds community through film. Founded in  2009 to unite Railroad Square Cinema, Maine’s first independent art house cinema, and the  annual Maine International Film Festival, MFC serves as an important cultural anchor by  showing the best of American independent, international, and repertory film, and offering the  best popcorn in the known universe. For more information visit MaineFilmCenter.org.

Founded in 1998, the Maine International Film Festival is a project of the Maine Film  Center. The 10 days of the festival showcase around 100 films, representing the best of  American independent and international cinema, and spotlight some of Maine and New  England’s most exciting and innovative filmmakers.