Moviegoers exit a theater Sunday after viewing “Every Little Thing” during the 27th Maine International Film Festival at the Maine Film Center at 93 Main St. in downtown Waterville. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

WATERVILLE — For Maine International Film Festival organizer Peter Haase, the 10-day event is about much more than movies.

Haase had attended MIFF several times in years prior, but this was the first time he was formally working as an event coordinator. He works at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center at 93 Main St., where he has coordinated community events, art galleries and more for the past year.

Greta Thiele bags popcorn Sunday for moviegoers during the 27th Maine International Film Festival at the Maine Film Center at 93 Main St. in downtown Waterville. Thiele says she popped two 50-pound bags of popcorn during the 10-day festival that concluded Sunday. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Tessa Shanteler, an event assistant, samples popcorn Sunday during the 27th Maine International Film Festival at the Maine Film Center at 93 Main St. in downtown Waterville. Shanteler, who is wearing earrings in the shape of popcorn tubs, says she sold popcorn and completed other jobs during the 10-day festival that concluded Sunday. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Though Haase said he has only seen snippets of this year’s films, seeing festivalgoers, instead of movies, has given him a deeper appreciation for the community that MIFF has helped create.

“Filmmaking is a reminder of our humanity,” he said. “So many of the stories, regardless of background, regardless of where the film originated, bring us all here to watch, and that’s the beauty of art. It reminds us that this is a temporary journey, and we’re here to love each other and enjoy the ride.”

This year was the 27th time that the festival was held in downtown Waterville, featuring more than 100 films from more than 40 countries, from Ireland to Rwanda. Of the movies, nearly two dozen were made in Maine or directed by Mainers.

Jos Stelling, a Dutch director who showed his latest film, “Nastasja’s Dance,” at this year’s festival, was awarded MIFF’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mary Harron, whose films “Daliland” and “American Psycho” were shown at the festival, received this year’s MIFF Mid-Life Achievement Award.

This year’s festival saw strong attendance, according to venue manager Deni Merrill, with almost 2,500 individually ticketed guests turning out to see movies.

Attending MIFF is something of an annual tradition for Merrill and her family, and has been for some time. After years of seeing movies each year with her mother, Merrill began working with MIFF and the Maine Film Center. She said she has seen the festival grow each year in size and scope.

“I grew up going to Railroad Square (Cinema), I grew up going to the festival,” she said. “My mom loved it, and that place was like family. I started to work for the festival. It came right here downtown, and has kind of turned into a whole new thing, but you still see the same faces, plus a lot of new ones, every year.”

Eli Mowry, an event assistant, cools himself in front of a fan Sunday as he waits to receive moviegoers at the tent that serves as an entry point to the 27th Maine International Film Festival at the Maine Film Center at 93 Main St. in downtown Waterville. Mowry says he performed a variety of jobs during the 10-day festival that concluded Sunday. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Festivals like MIFF are particularly important for the support they show independent filmmakers, Merrill said. As audiences shift toward streaming movies at home, festivals give audiences a chance to enjoy and support films they would not otherwise have opportunity to see.

“We can all watch a movie at home, but there’s something about watching it with an audience and also during a festival,” Merrill said. “In-house cinema is always going to be special.”