2015 Maine Short Film Festival Tour Schedule:
The tour includes:
January 15, 2015 @ Guthrie’s, Lewiston: 7:30 pm
January 29, 2015 @ Stonington Opera House: 7 pm
February 4, 2015 @ Space Gallery, Portland: 7:30 pm
February 19,2015 @ Frontier Cafe, Brunswick: 7:30 pm **Updated
March 18, 2015 @ Railroad Square Cinema, Waterville: 7 pm
March 29, 2015 @ The Strand, Rockland: 3 pm
April 9, 2015 @ The Alamo, Bucksport: 7 pm
April 10, 2015 @ Hammond Hall, Winter Harbor: 7 pm,
April 17, 2015 @ Denmark Arts Center, Denmark, ME: 7:30 pm
Sponsored by MFVA, featuring nine short fiction and non-fiction films from eight Maine filmmakers, the 90-minute festival competition was juried by three of Maine’s top film reviewers: Daniel Kany, art critic with the Portland Press Herald, Ben Fowlie, founder and director of the Camden International Film Festival, and Louise Rosen, artistic and executive director of the Maine Jewish Film Festival. The shorts are new releases from 2013 and 2014, by several of Maine’s top filmmakers.
“The purpose of the Maine Short Film Festival is to build audiences for the work of Maine filmmakers. It also builds support for important issues that confront the people of our state. We hope you will attend this festival and support the filmmakers and theaters in our state.” — Richard Kane, chairman of MFVA board and director of In These Times.
The titles and filmmakers include:
Liz by Sharyn Paul Brusie. Homeless at 13, Liz lived a tragic life of despair, raging behavior, and a brutal fight to survive on the streets. With raw grit and extraordinary conviction, she surrendered the struggle and found peace when she turned her fight to the boxing ring. Second Place Audience Choice Award and Honorable Mention for Best Short Documentary, 2014 Woods Hole Film Festival.
In These Times by Richard Kane and Melody Lewis-Kane. Since 1988, the Tree of Life Food Pantry has been providing emergency and supplemental food assistance to residents of the Blue Hill, Maine, peninsula. This inspirational film encourages all to support their local food pantry to help end hunger. Featuring the music of Noel Paul Stookey.
The Schmee of Havilah Hawkins by Steve Stone (director) and Kevin Ross (editor of www.OffCenterHarbor.com, a video website). Havilah “Haddie” Hawkins, a fourth-generation schoonerman, is the real deal. Catch a glimpse of the soul of a boat, and the soul of her captain — both icons of trailing-edge technology. Located on the coast of Maine in the quiet town of Brooklin, OffCenterHarbor.com is a video website created for classic boating enthusiasts.
ARRT! by Geoffrey Leighton, sponsored by the Union of Maine Visual Artists. The Artists Rapid Response Team creates banners and props to promote the work of progressive non-profits across Maine. Artists from throughout the state meet in Brunswick for a marathon ARRT! workday. This film tells the story of this group of artists and their commitment to creating a low-tech solution to issue-based communication.
Deux Ex Machina by Seth Campbell Brown. Covered in grease, sandwich in hand, Brown has been in his shop tearing wires and replacing logic with humor and wit; this is the story of a man building an incredibly beautiful yet incredibly dangerous machine. Premiered at the 2014 Camden International Film Festival.
A Story of Opportunities by Seth Campbell Brown. Ugandans walk hours to reach basic life needs. Living in isolated communities, individuals are physically stuck in a world of poverty; but there is hope for a new future, one in which they can carry themselves and their families’ eeds and dreams, on the back of a bicycle.
Farm by Christoph Gelfand. This is the simple story of a wandering spirit enjoying her time in nature. Combining precise sound effets with a lyrical voiceover, this non-fiction short is a calm retreat where the viewer can slow down and appreciate life on a farm.
Handful of Romance by Sean Martin. Two men cause their sock puppets to make out, creating awkward tension between them.
Ursula by Sarah Francoise and Anna Rios, produced by Jamie Hook. A young girl, wandering in a forest, meets a mysterious sunbather adrift on a lake; the stage is set for rural, pedestrian road movie in which nothing turns out to be quite what it seems. Ursula glows with the warmth of summer and the magic and confusion of childhood.
