WATERVILLE — The Maine International Film Festival has confirmed a full lineup of more than 100 films for its 27th annual 10-day festival, set for July 12-21 in Waterville.
A project of the Maine Film Center, MIFF showcases 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.
The festival open Friday, July 12, with “Every Little Thing,” a 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. Shot on Maine’s 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.” The atypical music biopic 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 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,” “Carlo … and His Merry Band of Artists,” and “The Ruse”), and 19 Maine-made shorts, including narrative films, documentaries, and music films.
MIFF returns to the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, home of the Maine Film Center, and the Waterville Opera House for its 27th edition.
Visit miff.org for the full festival lineup and to reserve passes and tickets.
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