25th Maine International Film Festival Program Guide

MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

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JULY 8-17 2022 STOP LOOK LISTEN A Project of

Presenting Sponsors

TABLE OF CONTENTS MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Festival Staff Mike Perreault Executive Director

Taylor Peterson Associate Programmer

Ken Eisen Programming Director

Logan Rollins Technical Coordinator

Julia Dunlavey Assistant Executive Director

Maddi Roy Venue Manager

Alan Sanborn Technical Coordinator, Projectionist J-sun Bailey Technical Coordinator, Projectionist Nancy Bixler Associate Programmer Eshani Chakrabarti MIFF Box Office Assistant Mary Ellms Marketing Associate Sophie Joyce Operations Specialist Jill Lawrence Patron Services Assistant

Saidah Russell Guest Programmer Phoebe Sanborn Administrative Coordinator Phoebe Ellen Sessler Assistant Venue Manager Liz Shapiro Production Manager, Waterville Opera House Sara Stewart Event & Volunteer Coordinator Marie Sugden Exhibitions Coordinator Greta Thiele Patron Services Assistant Zachary-Allen Wallace Assistant Venue Manager

Lisa Lessard Guest Services Coordinator

Bria Watson Associate Programmer

John Meader Photographer

Lily Webb Patron Services Assistant

Deni Merrill Assistant Box Office Manager

Mali Welch / All Over It Festival Graphic Design

Emilienne Ouellette Box Office Manager Jak Peters Associate Programmer, Projectionist, Festival Trailer Creator

Kayla Wesley Patron Services Assistant Lisa Wheeler Guest Services Coordinator

VENUES & SPONSORS

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

8–9

MID-LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: DEBRA WINGER

10–11

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: ALAN SANBORN

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OPENING NIGHT

13

SPECIAL GUEST: TATIANA HUEZO

14–15

CLOSING NIGHT

16

NEW FEATURES

17–35

MAINE FEATURES

36–37

MAINE SHORTS

38–39

SHORTS FROM AWAY

40–41

REDISCOVERY

42–46

SPECIAL EVENTS

47

INDEX

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Ticket Information Individual Tickets

Pass Information

Individual tickets for all festival screenings and events are available at MIFF.org

Full Festival Pass ($250): Admits one to all in-person, drive-in, and virtual events.

Nontransferable.

Advance ticket sales close four hours prior to showtime. After the cut-off time, tickets may only be purchased at the door to the venue one hour prior to showtime or at the Festival Box Office at Railroad Square Cinema.

Most screenings $12; Centerpiece Gala $15.

Partial Pass ($100): Ten admissions to inperson, drive-in, and virtual events; good for up to two admissions per event.

Pass holders must arrive at Railroad Square Cinema and the Waterville Opera House at least 15 minutes prior to showtime to receive priority entry.

Admission to the Skowhegan Drive-In Theater is on a first-come, first served basis. All event entry is subject to availability.

Special Thanks Jay Cocks, Desi Dubois, Sam Green, Mary Harron, Eboni Johnson, Mike Kaplan, RJ Millard (Bleecker Street Films), Ashley Page, Jim Stark, Jennifer Stott (Focus Features)

Become a Member Waterville Creates members enjoy special benefits at the Maine Film Center, Waterville Opera House, and Ticonic Gallery + Studios. Member benefits range from discounted admissions and advance ticket purchasing opportunities to free popcorn and merchandise. A selection of gifts from our partners at the Waterville Public Library and the Colby College Museum of Art are offered at all levels.

WATERVILLECREATES.ORG

Venues

Camera Policy

Railroad Square Cinema

Photographs and video footage will be taken throughout MIFF and will be used by the Maine Film Center for marketing purposes in our print materials, on our website and social media channels, and in third-party publications. Your presence at Festival events constitutes your consent to being included in such recordings. No cameras or recording devices other than those for official use may be used during any film screenings.

17 Railroad Square, Waterville

Waterville Opera House 1 Common Street, Waterville

Skowhegan Drive-In Theater 201 Waterville Road, Skowhegan

PRESENTING SPONSORS

SHOWRUNNER SPONSOR

OFFICIAL VEHICLE OF MIFF

VENUE SPONSORS

DAY SPONSORS

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

OFFICIAL DIGITAL CINEMA SPONSOR

MEDIA SPONSORS

PRODUCER’S CLUB Joel and Alice Johnson

DIRECTOR’S CLUB Barbara and Ted Alfond, Pat Clark, Charles and Lore Ferguson, Peter and Lee Lyford, Christina Oddleifson, Nancy Sanford, Tobi Schneider, Stephen and Cathy Sears, Kathryn Slott

HOSPITALITY SPONSORS

FUNDED IN PART BY A GRANT FROM:

MIFF FAN CLUB

FRIENDS

Peter and Joan Beckerman, Judy and OF THE FESTIVAL John Bielecki, Michael Brown, Charles Susan Emmerling and Bob and Joy Intriago, Karen Kusiak, Jim Ingalls, Laura Juraska, LaLiberty, Ross Metzman, Jennifer Marilyn Renfrew, Joan Strode, Lisa Tarzia Sanzenbacher, Barbara Shea

Maine International Film Festival 2022 MIFF.ORG

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TAKE A SEAT For $1000, you can name a seat in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center for yourself, your family, your business, or someone you wish to honor.

Make your pledge today. 207.616.0292 WATERVILLECREATES.ORG/DONATE

VIRTUAL FESTIVAL The following films are available to stream at MIFF.ORG beginning on the following dates to the end of the festival:

10 Water St. Suite 106 Waterville, Maine 04901 (207) 861-8138

Welcome to the 25th Maine International Film Festival.

Stop. You’ve arrived at a place where audacious and incredible things have happened. Where, decades ago, a group of young film enthusiasts with little more

Saturday, July 9

than army-surplus projectors and a desire to share cinema from around the world established our small city as a cornerstone of the arthouse theater movement.

3:00 P.M. M AINE

NARRATIVE SHORTS

3:00 P.M. SWEET DISASTER 8:00 P.M. T HE NOISE OF

ENGINES

Where a community of people from all walks of life can revel in and reflect upon the experience of the movies. Where dozens of volunteers and staffers give of their time. Where shared discoveries lead to connections.

Look. Throughout these ten days, see a hundred stories other than our own unfold before new and familiar faces in the audience, all of which seem different afterward. Notice the sponsors and advertisers who give generously, enabling

Sunday, July 10

us to do this work. Give a wave to Alan Sanborn, legend and co-founder of our independent cinema whose children, when they were young, sometimes slept

3:00 P.M. M AINE

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

6:00 P.M. E LIZABETH

BISHOP AND THE ART OF LOSING

11:00 P.M. LETTERS2MAYBE

in the glow of the projection booth, and cheer him on as he receives a Lifetime Achievement Award. See our future home at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center take shape on Castonguay Square.

Listen. To the joyous applause for first-time filmmakers making their big-screen debuts and for venerated guests like Debra Winger, who joins us at MIFF for a Mid-Life Achievement honor. To the sublime soundscapes created by our friend Sam Green at this year’s Centerpiece Gala. To others’ reactions and comments as

Monday, July 11 6:00 P.M. S HORTS FROM

you’re leaving a screening. To the Kennebec River as you get out and explore this beautiful region.

AWAY

11:00 P.M. SUNNER

We’re honored that you’ve joined us for this special anniversary.

See you at the movies,

Wednesday, July 13 8:00 P.M. W HEN YOU GET

TO THE FOREST Mike Perreault Executive Director Maine Film Center

Maine International Film Festival 2022 MIFF.ORG

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Railroad Square Cinema 1 RR1 150 seats

Railroad Square Cinema 2 RR2 90 seats

Saturday July 9

12:30 P.M. MAINE NARRATIVE SHORTS 3:30 P.M. RIVER 6:30 P.M. FAIRWAYS TO HAPPINESS 9:30 P.M. TOO PUNK TO DIE

12:15 P.M. IL PARADISO DEL PAVONE (THE PEACOCK’S PARADISE) 3:15 P.M. STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT 6:15 P.M. THE STORY OF MY WIFE 9:15 P.M. LITTLE PALESTINE: DIARY OF A SIEGE

Sunday July 10

12:30 P.M. MAINE DOCUMENTARY SHORTS 3:30 P.M. VENGEANCE IS MINE 6:30 P.M. ANNÉES 20 (ROARING 20s) 9:30 P.M. ALONERS

12:15 P.M. DAD ROCK SHOWN WITH AMERICAN JUSTICE ON TRIAL 3:15 P.M. MILLIE LIES LOW 6:15 P.M. REVOLUTION FROM AFAR 9:15 P.M. TEMPESTAD

Monday July 11

3:30 P.M. QUEEN OF GLORY 6:30 P.M. NOCHE DE FUEGO 9:30 P.M. SUNNER SHOWN WITH “STATELINES”

3:15 P.M. TEMPESTAD 6:15 P.M. SECRET DEFENSE 9:15 P.M. UTAMA

Tuesday July 12

3:30 P.M. A LOVE SONG 6:30 P.M. CLAYDREAM 9:30 P.M. THE BIG PAYBACK

3:15 P.M. EL LUGAR MÁS PEQUEÑO (THE TINIEST PLACE) 6:15 P.M. ARTHUR RAMBO 9:15 P.M. STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT

Wednesday July 13

3:30 P.M. SECRET DEFENSE 6:30 P.M. MIKE’S MURDER 9:30 P.M. A VAST SHADOW HOUSE SHOWN WITH “PLACE AND TIME– PORTLAND MAINE”

3:15 P.M. ADOPTION 6:15 P.M. LA CHICA NUEVA (THE NEW GIRL) SHOWN WITH “BOBBIN” 9:15 P.M. PÉNÉLOPE, MY LOVE

Thursday July 14

3:30 P.M. THE GANG OF FOUR 6:30 P.M. DEFENDING THE DARK WITH A SKY TOUR PROJECTION BY JOHN MEADER 9:30 P.M. NORTH BY CURRENT

3:15 P.M. VENGEANCE IS MINE 6:15 P.M. MILLIE LIES LOW 9:15 P.M. DEAD RINGER

Friday July 15

3:30 P.M. PASSION IN A PANDEMIC 6:30 P.M. SHORTS FROM AWAY 9:30 P.M. THE HEROIC TRIO

3:15 P.M. THE GANG OF FOUR 6:15 P.M. DAD ROCK SHOWN WITH AMERICAN JUSTICE ON TRIAL 9:15 P.M. QUEEN OF GLORY

Saturday July 16

12:30 P.M. MAINE DOCUMENTARY SHORTS 3:30 P.M. MAINE NARRATIVE SHORTS 6:30 P.M. CHINATOWN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – ALAN SANBORN 9:30 P.M. CLAYDREAM

12:15 P.M. SUNNER SHOWN W/ “STATELINES” 3:15 P.M. AND SO I STAYED SHOWN WITH “FINDING OUR VOICES” SHORTS 6:15 P.M. HOPEFUL: THE STORY OF MAINEWORKS 9:15 P.M. YUNI

Sunday July 17

12:30 P.M. HOPEFUL: THE STORY OF MAINEWORKS 3:30 P.M. CASABLANCA BEATS

12:15 P.M. TOM MEDINA 3:15 P.M. IL PARADISO DEL PAVONE (THE PEACOCK’S PARADISE)

Friday July 8

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Railroad Square Cinema 3 RR3 50 seats

Waterville Opera House WOH 800 seats

Special Events

6:30 P.M. OPENING NIGHT: CASABLANCA BEATS

8:30 P.M. OPENING NIGHT PARTY / WATERVILLE ROCKS: START MAKING SENSE HEAD OF FALLS, WATERVILLE

12:00 P.M. S WEET DISASTER 3:00 P.M. YUNI 6:00 P.M. L E BRUIT DES MOTEURS (THE NOISE OF ENGINES) 9:00 P.M. LOST HIGHWAY

12:30 P.M. DIVA (IN 35MM) 3:30 P.M. ALI AND AVA 6:30 P.M. MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS

12:00 P.M. E L LUGAR MÁS PEQUEÑO (THE TINIEST PLACE) 3:00 P.M. TOM MEDINA 6:00 P.M. PENELOPE, MY LOVE 9:00 P.M. LETTERS2MAYBE

12:30 P.M. FAIRWAYS TO HAPPINESS 3:30 P.M. ELIZABETH BISHOP AND THE ART OF LOSING 6:30 P.M. BREAKING

3:00 P.M. SHORTS FROM AWAY 6:00 P.M. SWEET DISASTER 9:00 P.M. TROPIC OF VIOLENCE

3:30 P.M. THE STORY OF MY WIFE 6:30 P.M. THE HEROIC TRIO

7:00 P.M. TAKE 4 ENSEMBLE GREENE BLOCK + STUDIOS 18 MAIN ST, WATERVILLE 9:00 P.M. PARTY FOR TATIANA HUEZO FRONT & MAIN 9 MAIN ST, WATERVILLE

3:00 P.M. NORTH

BY CURRENT 6:00 P.M. L ITTLE PALESTINE: DIARY OF A SIEGE 9:00 P.M. A VAST SHADOW HOUSE SHOWN WITH “PLACE AND TIME– PORTLAND MAINE”

7:30 P.M. CENTERPIECE GALA: 32 SOUNDS

9:00 P.M. CENTERPIECE GALA RECEPTION OPA 139 MAIN ST, WATERVILLE

3:00 P.M. WHEN YOU GET TO THE FOREST SHOWN WITH “SPROUT” 6:00 P.M. LETTERS2MAYBE 9:00 P.M. DEAD RINGER

3:30 P.M. THE CONVERSATION (IN 35MM) 6:30 P.M. FREE CHOL SOO LEE

3:00 P.M. ALONERS 6:00 P.M. A LI AND AVA 9:00 P.M. FREE CHOL SOO LEE

3:30 P.M. THE CONVERSATION (IN 35MM) 6:30 P.M. THE LOVERS

3:00 P.M. ART IN THE PARK: FUN WITH FLIP BOOKS HEAD OF FALLS, WATERVILLE 8:30 P.M. LOST HIGHWAY SKOWHEGAN DRIVE-IN THEATER

3:00 P.M. TROPIC

OF VIOLENCE 6:00 P.M. RIVER 9:00 P.M. LE BRUIT DES MOTEURS (THE NOISE OF ENGINES)

3:30 P.M. ARTHUR RAMBO 6:30 P.M. A DANGEROUS WOMAN (IN 35MM) MID-LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – DEBRA WINGER

9:00 P.M. PARTY FOR DEBRA WINGER FRONT & MAIN 9 MAIN ST, WATERVILLE

12:00 P.M. E LIZABETH BISHOP AND THE ART OF LOSING 3:00 P.M. ADOPTION 6:00 P.M. T OO PUNK TO DIE 9:00 P.M. LA CHICA NUEVA (THE NEW GIRL) SHOWN WITH “BOBBIN”

12:30 P.M. UTAMA 3:30 P.M. THE SHELTERING SKY (IN 35MM) 6:30 P.M. ANNÉES 20 (ROARING 20s)

9:00 P.M. PARTY FOR ALAN SANBORN AMICI’S CUCINA 137 MAIN ST, WATERVILLE

12:00 P.M. WHEN YOU GET TO THE FOREST SHOWN WITH “SPROUT” 3:00 P.M. P ASSION IN A PANDEMIC

12:30 P.M. DIVA (IN 35MM) 3:30 P.M. THE BIG PAYBACK 7:00 P.M. CLOSING NIGHT: COLD REFUGE

9:00 P.M. CLOSING NIGHT PARTY SILVER STREET TAVERN 2 SILVER ST, WATERVILLE

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MID-LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD DEBRA WINGER Legendary status as the top actress in Hollywood. Three Oscar nominations for Best Actress. A string of wildly commercially successful films, followed by many decades of adventuresome choices in more boundary-pushing films. That’s just a bit of the acting props of Debra Winger. And now, at last, a Mid-Life Achievement Award here at the Maine International Film Festival, which means, among other things, we have many more decades of her great work to look forward to! While Debra is perhaps best known for films like URBAN COWBOY, AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN and TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (the latter two of which garnered those Academy Award nominations, along with the later SHADOWLANDS), it will be thrilling to have the chance to discover or rediscover her even more marvelous performances in the films we’ll be screening at MIFF with her this year, films that cover the gamut from Hollywood to indie cinema, and which span the world, from L.A. to Tunisia. We are honored to host the wonderful Debra Winger at MIFF this year!

Mid-Life Achievement Award Presentation (35mm screening) Friday, July 15 6:30 P.M. | WOH

A DANGEROUS WOMAN

USA 1993 - 35mm - 102 minutes, in English Director: Stephen Gyllenhaal Screenplay, Producer: Naomi Foner Cast: Debra Winger, Garbriel Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Laurie Metcalf, David Strathairn, John Terry Print Courtesy: Universal Pictures Though Debra Winger garnered a 1993 Golden Globe Best Actress for A DANGEROUS WOMAN, this complex, unusual, unconventional film didn’t find the audience it—and in particular Winger’s drop-dead astonishing performance— deserved. With this 35mm screening, we aim to correct that at least a bit. Debra’s supporting cast, including fellow MIFF Mid-Life Achievement Award honoree Gabriel Byrne in a charming turn, as well as Barbara Hershey, David Strathairn, are memorable as well, but the film centers on Winger’s Martha Horgan: bespectacled, mentally different, and shying from conventional, deep contact with others. She lives a sheltered life with her young aunt, Frances, and holds down a modest job until she is set up for having pillaged small sums of money from her employer. But Martha truly never lies... either about that, or about her strong feelings for Byrne’s romantic handyman. Where can such unusual honesty lead? “Movies are so seldom perfect that it’s enough to find something perfect in them. What’s nearly perfect in A DANGEROUS WOMAN is the Debra Winger performance” —Roger Ebert. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Peter and Lee Lyford

Wednesday, July 13 6:30 P.M. | RR1

MIKE’S MURDER USA 1984 - DCP - 109 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay, Producer: James Bridges Cast: Debra Winger, Mark Keyloun, Darrell Larson, Paul Winfield Print Courtesy: Warner Brothers In a role written expressly for her, Debra plays Betty Parrish, an open young Los Angeles bank teller who becomes deeply involved with her charismatic tennis teacher, Mike, who turns out to have much more he’s investing his time in than just tennis. Mike disappears for long stretches, and then reappears in her waiting life. What’s he up to? It’s a hint to say that Mike’s absences are not just due to any possible interests in other women. MIKE’S MURDER, directed by James Bridges, who also helmed Winger’s breakout performance in URBAN COWBOY, is “more than just a mystery movie…MIKE’S MURDER is an all-American sexual thriller”— Armond White, Out. —Ken Eisen

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DEBRA WINGER THE LOVERS

Thursday, July 14 6:30 P.M. | WOH

USA 2017 - DCP - 97 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Azazel Jacobs Producers: Ben LeClair, Chris Stinson Cast: Debra Winger, Tracy Letts, Aidan Gillen, Melora Walters Print Courtesy: A24 Longtime married couple Mary and Michael are perhaps bored in their lives. And most definitely bored in their marriage. Secretly, each has taken a serious lover, and each lover has a burning desire for them. Both Mary (Winger) and Michael (Tracey Letts) have vowed to tell their spouses of their new flames and desire for a divorce as soon as their grown son and his partner, who are coming for a rare short visit home, depart. But a funny (or is it?) thing happens: at precisely this moment, Mary and Michael suddenly rediscover…well, let’s put it this way: the hots for each other, in Aza Jacobs’ unusual recent indie comedy with a touch of the not-so-comic to it. “Its emotional reserves are deeper and more capacious, its sense of mystery more profound, than in just about any American movie of any scale I’ve seen in recent memory”—Justin Chang, L.A. Times. —Ken Eisen

Shown in 35mm

THE SHELTERING SKY

Saturday, July 16 3:30 P.M. | WOH

United Kingdom, Italy 1990 - 35mm - 138 minutes, in English, French and Arabic with English subtitles Director: Bernardo Bertolucci Screenplay: Mark Peploe, Bernardo Bertolucci Producer: Jeremy Thomas Cast: Debra Winger, John Malkovich, Campbell Scott Print Courtesy: Warner Brothers Debra Winger and John Malkovich star in Bernardo Bertolucci’s sweeping, majestic film, based on the celebrated Paul Bowles novel. Working with his great cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, Bertolucci takes us into the Sahara post-WWII with Kit (Winger), Port (Malkovich) and Tunner (Campbell Scott). They see themselves not as tourists, but as travelers, as Kit says. What are they seeking in their travels? That may be as much a mystery to them as to anyone else, though the Sahara’s dazzling beauty may be a limited form of an answer.

“Bernardo Bertolucci’s SHELTERING SKY is about sliding over the edge into oblivion, but going in style…. Bertolucci’s most seductive, most hypnotic movie…. The Sahara is a magnificent metaphor for a universe that is overwhelming in its vastness and complexity, but also as simple and finite as a grain of sand…. Mr. Malkovich and Miss Winger are extraordinarily fine as the lovers, each being just idiosyncratic enough to take the curse off the exoticism in which the movie is awash…. THE SHELTERING SKY is stunning to look at, but it is never simply picturesque. It mesmerizes”—Vincent Canby, New York Times. —Ken Eisen

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LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: ALAN SANBORN MIFF has given its Mid-Life and Lifetime Achievement Awards to some of the finest and most famous cinema actors and creators of the past four decades. Though every one of them was richly deserving, none deserves it more than our own Alan Sanborn, for 43 years a rock that Railroad Square and MIFF have been built on. For 41 of those years—the only exceptions were the time lost during the pandemic shutdown and after the fire that destroyed the original Railroad Square building in 1994 before it was rebuilt—you could find Alan, behind the counter selling tickets or buttering your popcorn, or up in the projection booth, lighting your eyes with cinematic images. Amiable to all and cool as a proverbial cinematic cucumber, Alan never calls attention to himself. This special evening in his honor will be a spectacular and past-due occasion to make that not the case for a change. Like all our award winners, Alan will be honored with the screening of a film of their choice—and his is CHINATOWN, certainly itself a stage-stealer.

Saturday, July 16 6:30 P.M. | RR1

Lifetime Achievement Award Presentation

CHINATOWN

USA 1974 - DCP - 130 minutes, in English Director: Roman Polanski Screenplay: Robert Towne Producer: Robert Evans Cast: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman Print Courtesy: Paramount Pictures What can you say about arguably one of the greatest films ever made? What starts out as a crackerjack private eye movie turns into an iconic indictment of capitalism, greed, power and a depiction of pure, unforgettable charming evil in disguise as Jack Nicholson’s J.J. Gittes becomes involved both professionally and personally with Faye Dunaway’s alluring, deeply threatened Evelyn Mulwray and her Biblically named father, John Huston’s Noah Cross, in Robert Towne’s nonpareil screenplay. Filled with iconic lines and scenes and a truly killer finale, CHINATOWN looked great in its 1974 day, nominated for 11 Oscars including Best Picture (though only Towne emerged a winner) and looks even more iconic and just plain terrific now, combining the grandest of Hollywood lavish craftwork and beauty with a deeply committed and embittered anti-establishment view, a seeming contradiction that makes the movie and its spectators shake. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Peter and Lee Lyford

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OPENING NIGHT New England Premiere

CASABLANCA BEATS

Friday, July 8 6:30 P.M. | WOH Sunday, July 17 3:30 P.M. | RR1

Morocco, France 2021 - DCP - 101 minutes, in Arabic with English subtitles Director, Screenplay: Nabil Ayouch Producers: Nabil Ayouch, Amine Benjelloun, Bruno Nahon, Alexandra Henochsberg Cast: Anas Basbousi, Ismail Adouab, Nouhaila Arif, Zineb Boujemaa, Meriem Nakkach, Abdelilah Basbousi Print Courtesy: Kino Lorber Director Nabil Ayouch drew on his own experience opening a youth cultural center in Casablanca, Morocco for this story of a former rapper named Anas who takes a job teaching hiphop in an underprivileged neighborhood there. Despite their differences in identity, religion, and politics, Anas encourages his students to bond together and break free from the weight of restrictive traditions in order to follow their passion and express themselves through the arts. Mixing intimate yet high-stakes drama with infectious musical sequences, the film transports audiences to a lively and contemporary Casablanca. The bottom line is this: CASABLANCA BEATS is a ton of fun! —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Tobi Schneider

CENTERPIECE GALA New England Premiere

32 SOUNDS

Tuesday, July 12 7:30 P.M. | WOH

USA 2022 - 95 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Sam Green Producers: Josh Penn, ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann Print Courtesy: Sam Green Though Sam Green’s co-directed breakout documentary, THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND, received an Oscar nomination, in recent years it’s his live presentations combining film with live music and other collaborations with artists including The Kronos Quartet that have spurred his prodigious inventiveness. He returns to MIFF with 32 SOUNDS, an experience you will not be able to have the same way again—it’s only performed live—and with which you’ll be thrilled. It’s both an immersive documentary and a profound sensory experience, performed on stage with Sam’s live narration and his sound crew, and featuring original music

by JD Samson (of the bands Le Tigre and MEN). The film explores the elemental phenomenon of sound by weaving together 32 sound explorations into a cinematic meditation on the power of sound to bend time, cross borders, and profoundly shape our perception of the world around us. Headphones will be provided to each audience member for this unique experience. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by David and Kim Hallee / Boy Locksmith

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SPECIAL GUEST Tatiana Huezo has only been writing and directing films for a tad over a decade now, but she has already established herself as being among the world’s most distinctive, accomplished, and just plain strong filmmakers. Born in El Salvador, she has lived and fashioned her career in Mexico, though her films span much of Latin America. While she is already a regular on the podium for honors at Mexico’s Ariel awards, international recognition is everywhere, including a Director’s Guild of America nomination for NOCHE DE FUEGO. The world we see in her films, be they documentaries or fiction films, is the truth, unblinking yet beautiful, painful yet vibrant and, above all, human, often using imagery and capturing life’s vibrancy with an unshowy yet unforgettable and deep power. There’s a world to discover in Tatiana’s work. Or rather, many worlds. —Ken Eisen

Sunday, July 10 12:00 P.M. | RR3 Tuesday, July 12 3:15 P.M. | RR2

EL LUGAR MÁS PEQUEÑO (THE TINIEST PLACE) Mexico 2011 - DCP - 108 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles Director, Screenplay: Tatiana Huezo Producer: Nicolás Celis Print Courtesy: Icarus Films and CCC Though it was “only” Huezo’s film school thesis project, THE TINIEST PLACE won Mexico’s Ariel Award for Best Documentary in 2011. Venturing to El Salvador, Huezo has given voice to residents of a small, rural town who recall the country’s bloody civil war and recall their loved ones who perished in it. But, ever reliant on her striking sense of imagery, Huezo has made something that goes far beyond “talking heads” to take us into these people’s worlds.

Shown With

ABSENCES Mexico, El Salvador 2015 – DCP – 28 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles Director: Tatiana Huezo Producers: Anaïs Vignal, Julio López Editor: Lucrecia Gutiérrez Maupomé Print Courtesy: Tatiana Huezo Huezo made it two-for-two with her win of a second Ariel (Mexican Oscar) Award for her second film, this time for Best Documentary Short. After five years, Lulú still lives in a house by herself, yet continues to nurture her hopes of finding her husband and son alive after their kidnapping on the road to Monterey.

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TATIANA HUEZO Free Admission!

NOCHE DE FUEGO

Monday, July 11 6:30 P.M. | RR1

Mexico 2021 - DCP - 110 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles Director, Screenplay: Tatiana Huezo Producers: Nicolás Celis, Jim Stark Cast: Guillermo Villegas, Mayra Batalla, Alejandra Camacho One of this year’s 15 shortlisted Oscar films for Best International Film, NOCHE DE FUEGO (Huezo’s preferred title) is a full-blown knockout. Largely shot from the perspective of its central, very young characters, living in a world that’s not what we normally associate with childhood, NOCHE DE FUEGO is “an intimate, tactile study of the fabric of female friendship set against a blood-stained backdrop of Mexico’s cartel-based conflict; a coming-of-age journey in a world that is poisoned – literally – by violence. But bleak as the facts of life undoubtedly are in this mountainous region in central Mexico, Huezo creates a beguiling, heady sense of enchantment which links the lives of Ana (played by Ana Cristina Ordóñez González as an 8-year-old and Marya Membreño as a 13-year-old) and her two friends…. Huezo’s picture, which is loosely adapted from a novel by Jennifer Climent, is distinctive in its child’s-eye-view of this most abnormal of normalities”—Wendy Ide, Screen Daily. —Ken Eisen

TEMPESTAD

Sunday, July 10 9:15 P.M. | RR2 Monday, July 11 3:15 P.M. | RR2

Mexico 2016 - DCP - 105 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles Director, Screenplay: Tatiana Huezo Producers: Nicolás Celis, Sebastián Celis Executive Producer: Jim Stark Print Courtesy: Shadow Distribution Tatiana Huezo’s breakout film was TEMPESTAD, which made clear that she was a major new talent. The New York Times’ Ken Joworowski called it “artful and lyrical,” and indeed it is. It was the first of Huezo’s two films so far to be chosen as Mexico’s submission to the Oscars for Best Foreign Film. “Twin stories of broken Mexican lives, exquisitely told… this powerful, luminously shot documentary pairs the tales of a woman jailed for years by a criminal cartel, and of another, whose daughter was kidnapped. Tatiana Huezo’s exquisite documentary speaks painful truths but is worth every minute…. Luminous cinematography and a plangent but sparingly used score buttress the powerfully composed storytelling.” Leslie Felperin, The Guardian. Though working in documentary, Huezo pushes the conventions of the form with the haunting beauty soon to come into even fuller flower in narrative film form. —Ken Eisen

Maine International Film Festival 2022 MIFF.ORG

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CLOSING NIGHT Sneak Preview Work-in-Progress Screening

COLD REFUGE

“Near Miss” (photo by Colin Gift)

Sunday, July 17 7:00 P.M. | WOH

USA 2022 - DCP - 80 minutes, in English Director, Print Courtesy: Judy Irving, Pelican Media Director Judy Irving is no stranger to anyone who’s seen her completely delightful surprise smash-hit documentary THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL, or who’ve been MIFF and Railroad Square regulars and have seen her films here before. This year she returns with a special sneak-preview premiere showing of her new film that explores her beloved San Francisco, not from the air space of the parrots but from the water of its fabled Bay. COLD REFUGE is about the philosophical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of full immersion in the natural world, and, specifically, water, touching on how swimming in cold water helps mitigate life’s challenges. The film’s diverse subjects include a wheelchair-bound, paralyzed swimmer who faces fear by diving off a high pier; a Black man who was told by whites when he was 13 that “Black people don’t swim” (it took him until he was 40 to try); a blind man who tethers himself to a sighted swimmer; a lawyer who reduces courtroom stress in the open water; a woman with aggressive breast cancer who “swims to chemo;” and a young woman who communes with her late mother in San Francisco Bay, where they both swam together. Along with swimmers’ stories of adversity and resilience, the film’s marine mammals, birds, artwork, and a variety of open-water locations create a visual meditation on what it means to be fully present in the natural world. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Jennifer Strode

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NEW FEATURES Maine Premiere

A LOVE SONG

Tuesday, July 12 3:30 P.M. | RR1

USA 2022 - DCP - 81 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Max Walker-Silverman Producers: Jesse Hope, Dan Janvey, Max Walker-Silverman Cast: Dale Dickey, Wes Studi, Michelle Wilson Print Courtesy: Bleecker Street Films Sounds the same as NOMADLAND: a woman, a trailer, the American West—but A LOVE SONG is completely different— and, some might find, significantly better than that Best Picture Oscar winner. In a film as superficially sparse yet deeply full as the landscape in which it is set, A LOVE STORY is built on the tremendously affecting performance of its star, Dale Dickey. After unhitching her camper at a lakeside in the mountains, Faye finds her rhythm cooking meals, retrieving crawfish from a trap, and scanning her old box radio for a station. She looks expectantly at the approach of a car or the mailman, explaining to neighboring campers that she’s waiting for a childhood sweetheart, Lito, whom she hasn’t seen in decades. Will he come? And if he does? A LOVE SONG is as simple and as complex as that. —Ken Eisen

Maine Premiere

ALI AND AVA

Saturday, July 9 3:30 P.M. | WOH Thursday, July 14 6:00 P.M. | RR3

United Kingdom 2022 - DCP - 95 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Clio Barnard Producer: Tracy O’Riordan Cast: Adeel Akhtar, Claire Rushbrook Print Courtesy: Greenwich Entertainment Is it a thoroughly unconventional love story? A thoroughly joyful and unusual multicultural story? ALI AND AVA is both of those and more. You’ll not readily forget the film’s two lively title characters, nor the performances of the, yes, unconventional, actors who play them, Adeel Akhtar and Claire Rushbrook. Director Clio Barnard’s miraculous movie is based on real people she met while shooting two previous films in West Yorkshire, England. Both lonely for different reasons, Ali and Ava meet through their shared affection for 6-year-old Sofia, the child of Ali’s Slovakian tenants, whom Ava teaches. Ali finds comfort in Ava’s warmth and kindness and Ava finds Ali’s complexity and humor irresistible. Over a lunar month, sparks fly and a deep connection begins to grow. However, the legacy of Ava’s past relationship and Ali’s emotional turmoil at the breakdown of his marriage threatens to overshadow their newfound passion. Enveloped in music and imbued with humor, ALI AND AVA is as unforgettable as its characters. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Barbara and Ted Alfond

Maine International Film Festival 2022 MIFF.ORG

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NEW FEATURES World Premiere

Tuesday, July 12 9:00 P.M. | RR3 Wednesday, July 13 9:30 P.M. | RR1

A VAST SHADOW HOUSE United Kingdom 2022 - DCP - 60 minutes, in English Director: Seán Martin Print Courtesy: Seán Martin

Frequent filmmaker faves of many MIFFers, Seán Martin (here directing) and Louis Milne (here interviewing) return to Maine from across the Atlantic with the world premiere of a new film. An essay documentary, A VAST SHADOW HOUSE is centered in and around the life and work of Scots-born fantasy writer David Lindsay, author of the cult classic novel A Voyage to Arcturus, written in 1920. This unforgettably strange interplanetary fantasy inspired C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and Phillip Pullman, among others. Lindsay was haunted by visions of a higher world, hidden behind mundane reality. Deeply affected by the losses of WWI, he left a secure career in London’s City to become a writer. In each of his novels, the protagonist finds glimpses of the transcendental in liminal places: the cliffs of the Scottish North Coast, the tors of Dartmoor, a time-window at the top of a haunted house... To illuminate and explore Lindsay’s vision, the film takes us on a cinematic journey through the otherworldly landscapes of his imagination, using spectacular aerial shots, together with archival and super-8 footage. Featuring interviews with Alan Moore (Watchmen, writer, wizard), Douglas A. Anderson (one of America’s leading Tolkien scholars), Harold Bloom (literary critic, gnostic), Gary K. Wolfe (SF critic), and others. —Ken Eisen

Shown With World Premiere

PLACE AND TIME— PORTLAND, MAINE USA 2020 - 10 minutes, in English Directors, Producers: John T. Meader, Shawn E. Burke The title says much. The images and sound say the rest. Ace MIFF photographer John Meader and equally exemplary sound recordist Shawn Burke combine forces on a moment in space and time on November 17, 2019 in Portland. The idea of adding audio to stills is a way to add depth and time to the viewing of still imagery. By focusing on a specific area, in this case greater Portland, they give the viewer a thoughtful way to see and hear the waterfront without the sense of action expected in video or film footage. We see and hear anew. —Ken Eisen

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NEW FEATURES Maine Premiere

ALONERS

Sunday, July 10 9:30 P.M. | RR1 Thursday, July 14 3:00 P.M. | RR3

South Korea 2021 - DCP - 91 minutes, in Korean with English subtitles Director, Screenplay: Hong Seong-eun Producer: Lee Seung-won Cast: Jeong Da-eun, Seo Hyun-woo, Jeong-hak Park, Gong Seung-Yeon Print Courtesy: Film Movement Jina is the top employee at a call center, but despite talking to customers all day, she has shut out the world beyond her headset; she lives alone, eats alone, sleeps alone, and her cell phone is her constant companion. When one day she’s tasked with training a friendly and naive new hire, her icy armor is threatened. At the same time, she must navigate an incessantly ingratiating new neighbor, and increasingly urgent phone calls from her father, leaving Jina teetering on the edge of an existential crisis. —Saidah Russell Sponsored by Shannon Haines

New England Premiere

ARTHUR RAMBO

Tuesday, July 12 6:15 P.M. | RR2 Friday, July 15 3:30 P.M. | WOH

France 2021 - DCP - 87 minutes, in French with English subtitles Director: Laurent Cantet Screenplay: Fanny Burdino, Laurent Cantet, Samuel Doux Producer: Marie-Ange Luciani Cast: Rabah Nait Oufella, Bilel Chegrani, Antoine Reinartz Print Courtesy: Playtime With such triumphs as HEADING SOUTH, THE CLASS and TIME OUT, Laurent Cantet established himself as one of the leading French filmmakers of the 21st century. And with his latest, ARTHUR RAMBO, he dives headfirst but characteristically coolly into some of our current world’s malaise. Young French Arab writer Karim D’s work is a literary sensation, taking the French book, political and cultural worlds by storm. But at the top of the world, he falls when a series of provocative, incendiary tweets written under the pseudonym “Arthur Rambo” are attributed to him.

Karim says he intended them as satire. That does not fly as well as his other writing has. —Ken Eisen

Maine International Film Festival 2022 MIFF.ORG

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NEW FEATURES Maine Premiere

AND SO I STAYED

Saturday, July 16 3:15 P.M. | RR2

USA 2021 - DCP - 91 minutes, in English Directors, Producers: Natalie Pattillo, Daniel A. Nelson Writer: Natalie Pattillo With: Kim Dadou Brown, Nikki Addimando, Tanisha Davis Print Courtesy: Fourth Act Film AND SO I STAYED is an award-winning documentary about survivors of abuse fighting for their lives and spending years behind bars. This is the story of how the legal system gets domestic violence wrong. It is a moving portrait of Kim, Tanisha, and Nikki, three survivors whose strikingly similar stories are separated by over 30 years.

None of them were believed, and each of them was criminalized for fighting back.

Shown With Finding Our Voices Shorts

CHRISTINE: BREAKING THE CYCLE OF DOMESTIC ABUSE USA 2022 - 5 minutes, In English Director: Patrisha McLean Producer: Matt Siegel With: Christine Buckley Christine talks about growing up in domestic violence and vowing to provide a safe, loving home for her own children, only to see history repeating itself.

COURTNEY: I WOULD NEVER STAND FOR THAT USA 2022 - 5 minutes, in English Director: Patrisha McLean Producer: Matt Siegel With: Courtney Billings Courtney, a hairdresser from Midcoast Maine, was swept off her feet by Prince Charming and in two years had been stripped of her self-worth and personality.

Sponsored by

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NEW FEATURES Maine Premiere

BREAKING

Sunday, July 10 6:30 P.M. | WOH

USA 2022 - DCP - 103 minutes, in English Director: Abi Damaris Corbin Screenplay: Abi Damaris Corbin, Kwame Kwei-Armah Producers: Ashley Levinson, Salman Al-Rashid, Sam Frohman, Kevin Turen, Mackenzie Fargo Cast: John Boyega, Michael Kenneth Williams, Nicole Beharie, Connie Britton, Olivia Washington, Selenis Leyva Print Courtesy: Bleecker Street Films A nail-biting thriller that’s simultaneously a magnificently acted questioning of how we treat our veterans and disadvantaged, BREAKING is tense, smart and thoughtprovoking. In Abi Denaris Corbin’s film, John Boyega is unforgettable as Brian Brown-Eastley, a Marine vet with a serious beef against the Veteran’s Administration, who he feels (and we agree!) owe him $892 (in fact, the film’s original title was “892”). To get some attention when the Veterans’ office refuses his attempts to discuss the matter, he walks into a bank and holds it up, devoutly wishing no harm to the two sympathetic hostages he takes, a levelheaded bank manager and her terrified teller, or to anyone else, but at the end of his rope in trying to provide for his adored child— and to restore his own dignity, perhaps. You can see BREAKING as a classic thriller, or as a social protest film…or you can just sit back and watch this fine film. You will not be bored. Or unmoved. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Pat Clark

Maine Premiere

CLAYDREAM

Tuesday, July 12 6:30 P.M. | RR1 Saturday, July 16 9:30 P.M. | RR1

USA 2021 - DCP - 96 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Marq Evans Producers: Marq Evans, Tamir Ardon, Nick Spicer, Kevin Moyer Print Courtesy: Oscilloscope Pictures Known as the “Father of Claymation,” Will Vinton revolutionized the animation business during the 1980s and 90s, making a series of incredibly charming shorts and features entirely of clay characters and ultimately creating such iconic and literal characters as the California Raisins and Domino’s The Noid, who charmed viewers into purchases.

But after thirty years of being the unheralded king of clay, Vinton’s carefully sculpted American dream came crumbling down. Using a treasure trove of clips of their work together, CLAYDREAM charts the rise and fall of the Oscar- and Emmywinning Will Vinton Studios. Documentarian Marq Evans brings to life the battle between art and commerce in this affectionate, insightful portrait of an artist who put so much of himself into his craft. Evans says, “Will Vinton molded and sculpted his life to the best of his ability, but ultimately lost control of the way his legacy would be shaped. With the help of those who knew him best, as well as the man himself, my aim is to craft and shape the final image of Will and his incredibly complicated but wonderful life.” Shape it charmingly and wonderfully Evans does in CLAYDREAM. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Colby Cinema Studies

Maine International Film Festival 2022 MIFF.ORG

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NEW FEATURES World Premiere

Sunday, July 10 12:15 P.M. | RR2 Friday, July 15 6:15 P.M. | RR2

DAD ROCK USA 2022 - DCP - 60 minutes, in English Director, Producer: Eshani Chakrabarti Co-Producers: Thomas Phelps, Luisa Coakley Print Courtesy: Eshani Chakrabarti So many of the historic Boston Rock venues of the ‘60s and ‘70s are gone, and all that’s left are the memories. MIFF staff member and recent Colby grad Eshani Chakrabarti’s fond first feature, DAD ROCK, remembers the unbelievable rock and roll history of Boston and the almost forgotten sound of the city. Vets of the era, centering on longtime present Bostonians who promoted, roadied and otherwise were literally INTO the music and the scene, remember The Boston Tea Party, The Channel, and other clubs and venues where great music and an eager community combined in a magic moment in time, from the internationally famous (the Rolling Stones’ surprise sneak concert) to the purely Beantown-centric (WBCN and Boston airwaves). —Ken Eisen

Shown With

East Coast Premiere

AMERICAN JUSTICE ON TRIAL USA 2022 - DCP - 40 minutes, in English Directors: Andrew Abrahams, Herb Ferrette Producers: Andrew Abrahams, Lise Pearlman Print Courtesy: Andrew Abrahams “Free Huey!” was the chant and the slogan when the Black Panther Party was being cracked down on by Richard Nixon’s Justice Department and others in the ‘60s. Yet it’s taken ‘til now for the story of Huey P. Newton’s incarceration and freeing to be cinematically told, and concisely and powerfully at that, in AMERICAN JUSTICE ON TRIAL, Andrew Abrahams’ (UNDER OUR SKIN) and Herb Ferrette’s riveting new film, which depicts how Huey’s defense team successfully put racism itself on trial. —Ken Eisen

World Premiere

Thursday, July 14 6:30 P.M. | RR1

DEFENDING THE DARK USA 2022 - DCP - 35 minutes, in English Director, Producer, Print Courtesy: Tara Roberts Zabriskie

The skies of Maine, outside the bright lights of its relatively major metropolises, are the most beautiful in the northeast because there’s so little human-made light, and we can see the stars and planets in their full glory. MIFF’s nighttime screening of DEFENDING THE DARK, Tara Roberts Zabriskie’s lovely film that’s both a celebration and a history of and homage to Maine’s beautiful dark skies, will be paired with a star tour in the theater by one of the film’s many learned, enthusiastic, and entertaining interviewees, John Meader, who will treat us to his wondrous planetarium show indoors, and then—if the weather permits—take us out to the great outdoors for a firsthand, guided look up. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Stephen and Cathy Sears

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NEW FEATURES North American Premiere

FAIRWAYS TO HAPPINESS

Saturday, July 9 6:30 P.M. | RR1 Sunday, July 10 12:30 P.M. | WOH

United Arab Emirates 2022 - DCP - 85 minutes, in English and in Arabic with English subtitles Director, Producer: Doug Morrione Print Courtesy: Doug Morrione The United Arab Emirates is the first country in the world to have established a Ministry of Happiness. THERE’S an idea!

In FAIRWAYS TO HAPPINESS, Waterville area native and now Dubai resident Doug Morrione checks in with an amazing group of humans, including a Buddhist monk, a veterinarian, a priest and an educator, about the nature and journey to happiness—complex and/or simple—and juxtaposes those journeys with that of the cheery Eugene, whose quest is to lower his golf score on Dubai’s fairways. Morrione’s journey leads him to Nepal, to Ireland, and to his native Winslow, Maine, as Eugene soldiers on at the links. Happiness may not be a hole-in-one, but can it be found along the way? —Ken Eisen

New England Premiere

FREE CHOL SOO LEE

Wednesday, July 13 6:30 P.M. | WOH Thursday, July 14 9:00 P.M. | RR3

USA 2022 - DCP - 83 minutes, in English Director: Julie Ha, Eugene Yi Producers: Julie Ha, Sona Jo, Su Kim, Jean Tsien, Eugene Yi With: Chol Soo Lee Print Courtesy: MUBI A story unknown to many, a cause célèbre to others, Chol Soo Lee’s case was seen by the latter—and by this extremely stirring, moving film—as a prime example of racism in the United States. Chol Soo Lee was a Korean man in San Francisco in 1973 who was wrongfully convicted of murder, partly because he was mistaken by white tourists for being Chinese. Lee’s case and the subsequent antiracist movement founded in the wake of the efforts to overturn his conviction seem more relevant than ever now.

Yet Lee himself emerges a complex, somewhat humanly contradictory and fully-formed figure in Julie Ha’s and Eugene Yi’s fine documentary. That’s what lingers most: we are amazed at the historical events we are immersed in while watching FREE CHOL SOO LEE. —Ken Eisen

Maine International Film Festival 2022 MIFF.ORG

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NEW FEATURES Saturday, July 9 12:15 P.M. | RR2 Sunday, July 17 3:15 P.M. | RR2

New England Premiere

IL PARADISO DEL PAVONE

(THE PEACOCK’S PARADISE)

Italy, Germany 2021 - DCP - 89 minutes, in Italian with English subtitles Director: Laura Bispuri Screenplay: Laura Bispuri, Silvana Tamma Producers: Marta Donzelli, Gregorio Paonessa Cast: Dominique Sanda, Alba Rohrwacher, Maya Sansa Print Courtesy: The Match Factory MIFF Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Dominique Sanda is the family matriarch in this warm and spirited new Italian film, returning to the cinematic country of some of her greatest triumphs: Italy. On a cold winter day, Nena’s family reunites in their house by the sea to celebrate her birthday. Everybody is there: her husband Umberto, their children Vito and Caterina, cousin Isabella, their daughter-in-law Adelina, Caterina’s ex Manfredi with his new girlfriend Joana, their granddaughters Alma, Lucia the maid and her daughter Grazia. Finally, there is Paco, Alma’s peacock, who surprisingly falls in love with a little painted dove. This is an impossible love that will perhaps force the whole family to reckon with their own feelings. It’s a day to spread her wings for the wise Nena and, eventually, for the beautiful peacock, but not necessarily for the rest of the family in director Laura Bispelli’s absorbing drama. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Judy and John Bielecki

Eastern U.S. Premiere

LA CHICA NUEVA

Wednesday, July 13 6:15 P.M. | RR2 Saturday, July 16 9:00 P.M. | RR3

(THE NEW GIRL)

Argentina 2021 - DCP - 79 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles Director, Screenplay: Micaela Gonzalo Producer: Eva Lauria Cast: Jimena Anganuzzi, Mora Arenillas, Luciano Cazaux Print Courtesy: Meikincine Entertainment In this truly honest and low-key yet acutely telling and loving first film from young Argentine director Micaela Gonzalo, Jimena travels to Río Grande, on one of the islands of Tierra del Fuego, in the extreme south of Argentina, on a quest to join her older half-brother Mariano. She has almost no money for her ticket, but manages to finally arrive, with the hope she can find a job. And so she does, but in a factory, separated most of the time from the exquisite, unique beauty of the literal end of the earth she now inhabits. The wind, the cold and the complex economic crisis of the country and region form the background in which Jimena will develop her empathy and sense of belonging with the people around her. LA CHICA NUEVA is a voyage of discovery in a far distant land for Jimena, and for the audience. —Ken Eisen

Shown With

North American Premiere

BOBBIN

Argentina 2021 - DCP - 26 minutes, in English and in Spanish with English subtitles Director, Screenplay: Virginia Scaro Producers: Ben Becher, Roman Kasseroller, Josefina Scaro, Virginia Scaro Cast: Clark Middleton, Josefina Scaro, Joe Corrao Print Courtesy: Virginia Scaro After her delightful first film, EVERYTHING CALMS DOWN, shown at MIFF in 2019, Argentine director Virginia Scaro returns with the equally playful, original and singular BOBBIN, in which an ensemble of nervous actors worships a mysterious, magical object, “The Bobbin,” to ensure their success of opening night. Sometimes the magic works.

—Ken Eisen

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NEW FEATURES U.S. Premiere

LE BRUIT DES MOTEURS

Saturday, July 9 6:00 P.M. | RR3 Friday, July 15 9:00 P.M. | RR3

(THE NOISE OF ENGINES) Canada 2021 - DCP - 79 minutes, in French with English subtitles Director, Screenplay: Philippe Grégoire Producers: Andrew Przybytkowski, Philippe Grégoire Cast: Robert Naylor, Tanja Björk Print Courtesy: H264

Alexandre is a young firearms instructor at the Canadian customs college in the midst of an internal investigation, led by the director of the institution, which diagnoses him with a sexual addiction. This diagnosis, without scientific basis, leads the director to find him unfit for duty and to place him on compulsory leave for ten days. Alexandre takes the opportunity to make a surprise visit to his mother, owner of a drag strip 45 kilometers from Montreal. He’s has barely arrived at the drag strip when investigators from the Quebec Police inform him of a disturbing situation that involves him. In their eagerness to end the commotion engrossing the town by finding a culprit quickly, Alexandre is their prime suspect.

—Nancy Bixler, Jak Peters, Taylor Peterson, Bria Watson

Maine Premiere

LETTERS2MAYBE

Sunday, July 10 9:00 P.M. | RR3 Wednesday, July 13 6:00 P.M. | RR3

USA 2021 - DCP - 92 minutes, in English Director: Yehuda Sharim Producers: J. Alex Mathews, Yehuda Sharim Cast: Nancy Adossi, Hussein Al-Khudari, Karla De Jesus, Ana María Fabián Lomeli, The Dayan Family Print Courtesy: Sharim Studio LETTERS2MAYBE offers an intimate portrayal of those who refuse to surrender amidst daily devastation and culminating strife, offering a vision for equality and a renewed sense of solidarity in a divisive country.

Offering a fluid and eclectic tapestry of physical and emotional movement of different immigrant communities as they encounter impossible challenges in a country of compounded catastrophes, the film is an unfinished letter, articulating the ever-growing yet unflinching demand for justice and tenderness in our world today.

—Nancy Bixler, Jak Peters, Taylor Peterson, Bria Watson

Maine International Film Festival 2022 MIFF.ORG

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NEW FEATURES Saturday, July 9 9:15 P.M. | RR2 Tuesday, July 12 6:00 P.M. | RR3

Maine Premiere

LITTLE PALESTINE: DIARY OF A SIEGE Lebanon, France, Qatar 2021 - DCP - 89 minutes, in Arabic with English subtitles Director: Abdallah Al Khatib Producers: Mohammad Ali Atassi, Jean-Laurent Csinidis Print Courtesy: Lightdox A tough, yet warm and humanity-loving film in a war zone?

With after-the-fact echoes of Ukraine now echoing in some ways, LITTLE PALESTINE: DIARY OF A SIEGE takes us back just a small way in the world’s troubled history. During the Syrian civil war, Yarmouk, a district of Damascus, where thousands of Palestinians are refugees, was the site of fierce fighting. LITTLE PALESTINE is a filmed diary that follows the fate of civilians during the brutal siege imposed by the Syrian regime following these battles. Yarmoukborn filmmaker Abdallah Al-Khatib composes a love song to a place that, seemingly impossibly, resists the atrocities of war with dignity.

—Ken Eisen Sponsored by Michael Brown

Sunday, July 10 3:15 P.M. | RR2 Thursday, July 14 6:15 P.M. | RR2

Eastern U.S. Premiere

MILLIE LIES LOW New Zealand 2022 - DCP - 100 minutes, in English Director: Michelle Savill Screenplay: Michelle Savill, Eli Kent Producers: Desray Armstrong, Angela Littlejohn Cast: Ana Scotney, Chris Alosio, Alice May Connolly Print Courtesy: Reason8 Films

Nothing and everything happens in MILLIE LIES LOW, New Zealander Michelle Savill’s truly remarkable first feature. Just as her flight to New York is about to leave the gate, Millie insists she be let off the plane. In the moment, she gives no thought to the honor of her having won an internship at a prestigious architecture firm, nor the good friends who saw her off in celebration, nor her new status as a national media figure, stepping out to represent New Zealand on the world stage. Once disembarked, Millie is crestfallen to discover it is no small matter to rebook her flight unless she pays a hefty fee. She leaves the airport determined to find the money, even as she keeps her whereabouts a secret by posting on Instagram a generic image taken in flight above billowy clouds. But on the earth she never left, in a sort of hiding-out of her self-constructed embarrassment, Millie finds the money hard to get and an ever-increasing spiral of stories and images become necessary to invent to cover her tracks. MILLIE LIES LOW is compassionate yet wryly comic, a real discovery. —Ken Eisen

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NEW FEATURES Maine Premiere

MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS

Saturday, July 9 6:30 P.M. | WOH

United Kingdom 2022 - DCP - 115 minutes, in English Director: Anthony Fabian Screenplay: Anthony Fabian, Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson, Olivia Hetreed Producers: Guillaume Benski, Anthony Fabian, Xavier Marchand Cast: Leslie Manville, Lambert Wilson, Isabelle Huppert, Jason Isaacs, Rose Williams, Anna Chancellor Print Courtesy: Focus Features In post-World War II London, Ada Harris (Oscar nominee Lesley Manville) earns a living cleaning houses. She’s led a lonely life since her beloved husband Eddie went missing in action, but she’s not the type to brood over any misfortune or to complain about her circumstances. But when the ever-pragmatic Ada spies an unimaginably lovely Christian Dior gown hanging in the master bedroom of a wealthy client, she’s surprised to feel an overwhelming pang of desire. Owning something so ethereal, so beautiful, a true work of art—why, that could really change things for a person, she instinctively feels. After taking on extra jobs and saving as much as she can—even trying her luck at the race track—Ada finally can afford to pay for a Dior dress. She makes her way to Paris to visit the House of Dior to turn her dream into reality. Yet when she arrives, Ada is met with a series of surprising setbacks, not least of which is Dior’s intimidating Madame Colbert (Academy Award nominee Isabelle Huppert), who bristles at the very notion of a common charlady wearing haute couture. Adapting author Paul Gallico’s 1958 novel Mrs. ’Arris Goes to Paris, for the screen, writer/director Anthony Fabian creates a winning modern-day fairytale in MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS. —Ken Eisen

Maine Premiere

NORTH BY CURRENT

Tuesday, July 12 3:00 P.M. | RR3 Thursday, July 14 9:30 P.M. | RR1

USA 2021 - DCP - 86 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Angelo Madsen Minax Producer: Felix Endara Print Courtesy: Grasshopper Film After the inconclusive death of his young niece, filmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax returns to his rural Michigan hometown, preparing to make a film about a broken criminal justice system. Instead, he pivots to excavate the depths of generational addiction, Christian fervor, and trans embodiment. —Saidah Russell

Maine International Film Festival 2022 MIFF.ORG

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NEW FEATURES Friday, July 15 3:30 P.M. | RR1 Sunday, July 17 3:00 P.M. | RR3

Maine Premiere

PASSION IN A PANDEMIC USA 2022 - DCP - 67 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Nora Jacobson Print Courtesy: Nora Jacobson The “passion” in PASSION IN A PANDEMIC is the passion of the bright high school students and their teachers working on a performance of top-notch opera. Their teachers are a former opera singer and a celebrated Italian conductor. And the pandemic? Yeah, that’s when all this is happening. The young singers open up to the camera about their dreams and challenges. Despite quarantine, stress and heartbreak, their hard work and beautiful singing culminate in a live performance that includes excerpts from four beloved operas. MIFF fave Nora Jacobson returns with a premiere showing of her new film. It beautifully captures the resilience, art and power of two terrific teachers, a class of dazzling young people, and of hope in times of trouble. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Joel and Alice Johnson

Sunday, July 10 6:00 P.M. | RR3 Wednesday, July 13 9:15 P.M. | RR2

New England Premiere

PÉNÉLOPE, MY LOVE France 2021 - DCP - 88 minutes, in French with English subtitles Director, Screenplay: Claire Doyon Producer: Carole Chassaing Print Courtesy: Lightdox There are so many remarkable things about PÉNÉLOPE, MY LOVE, even though it’s the definition of a “small-scale” film. To begin with, it has the honesty of being a documentary shot over the course of almost two decades, because that’s the length of the story it has to tell us. For 18 years, director Claire Doyon has been filming Pénélope, her daughter with autism. Composed of DV tapes, Super 8 reels and HD archives, PÉNELOPÉ MY LOVE traces the relationship between mother and daughter through different stages: the shock of the diagnosis, the fight against it, the resolve, the acceptance and discovery of a different mode of existence. It’s a slo-mo revelation to us, as it is to mother and daughter. A truly moving, truly honest, truly emotional experience. —Ken Eisen

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NEW FEATURES Maine Premiere

QUEEN OF GLORY

Monday, July 11 3:30 P.M. | RR1 Friday, July 15 9:15 P.M. | RR2

USA 2021 - DCP - 76 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Nana Mensah Producers: Jamund Washington, Kelley Robins Hicks, Baff Akoto, Nana Mensah, Anya Migdal Cast: Nana Mensah, Meeko Gattuso, Oberon KA Adjepong, Adam Leon Print Courtesy: Film Movement Sarah, a doctoral student at Columbia University, is weeks away from following her very married boyfriend to Ohio when her mother dies suddenly, leaving Sarah as the owner of a small but beloved Christian bookstore in the Bronx.

—Saidah Russell Sponsored by Christina Oddleifson

REVOLUTION FROM AFAR

Sunday, July 10 6:15 P.M. | RR2

USA, Sudan 2020 - DCP - 67 minutes, in English and in Sudanese Arabic with English subtitles Director, Producer: Bentley Brown With: Ramey Dawoud, Khadega Mohammed, Bayadir Mohamed Osman Print Courtesy: Bentley Brown When the internet was shut down in Sudan following the June 3, 2019 massacre, many in the Sudanese diaspora felt a burden to carry the revolutionary spirit online, to inform, and to advocate on behalf of the country’s peaceful transition to a civilian government. Yet this responsibility was also matched by feelings of frustration, fear, and guilt as the prospect of retaliatory violence loomed over their friends and loved ones back in Sudan. The film REVOLUTION FROM AFAR is centered around two gatherings, one in New York and the other in Denver, of Sudanese-American poets and musicians. The filmmakers arranged for video sessions in which participants could speak candidly about their own emotional responses to the events an ocean away and debate their belonging to their parents’ homeland.

Presented in partnership with Black Public Media, Indigo Arts Alliance, and Maine Public

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NEW FEATURES Saturday, July 9 3:30 P.M. | RR1 Friday, July 15 6:00 P.M. | RR3

Maine Premiere

RIVER

Australia 2021 - DCP - 75 minutes, in English Directors: Jennifer Peedom, Joseph Nizeti Producers: Jo-Anne McGowan, Jennifer Peedom, John Smithson Narrator: Willem Dafoe Print Courtesy: Greenwich Entertainment Take the ultimate trip downriver from mountain to sea, as RIVER takes us on a collective, worldwide terrestrial journey through space and time. Spanning six continents, and drawing on extraordinary contemporary cinematography, including satellite filming, the film shows rivers at scales and from perspectives never seen before. Its union of image, music, and sparse, poetic script creates a film that is both dream-like and powerful, honoring the wildness of rivers, yet also recognizing their vulnerability. It’s an orchestral concert film (using the Australian Chamber Orchestra) and an extraordinary cinematic experience, an ode to the natural world and a retelling of the history of both rivers and human civilization. Willem Dafoe graces us with some spare narration, but this is, most of all, an immediate, experiential movie. Your mind and senses will be full, but you will not get wet. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Ross A. Metzman

Sunday, July 10 6:30 P.M. | RR1 Saturday, July 16 6:30 P.M. | WOH

New England Premiere

ANNÉES 20 (ROARING 20s) France 2021 - DCP - 85 minutes, in French with English subtitles Director: Elisabeth Vogler Screenplay: François Mark, Elisabeth Vogler, Noémie Schmidt, Joris Avodo Producer: Laurent Rochette Cast: Vladimir Seguin, Alice de Lencquesaing, Aurore Déon Print Courtesy: Films Boutique

Do you believe in miracles? There are two at work in ROARING 20s, Elisabeth Vogler’s—yeah, miraculous—new film. One is that it’s shot in one continuous, mind and time-and-space-boggling long take—with no cuts or editing— that traverses Paris in all its glory, following its characters through subways, parks and motorcycles, a take that is one of the wonders of contemporary cinema because not only is it an amazing technical feat, it’s one that perfectly fits both the city and the feel the film is aiming for. And that’s the second miracle: the film was shot in Paris the day after hard pandemic restrictions were lifted in May of 2020 in the city of love and light. On one beautiful afternoon, 24 different characters roam the streets of the city with a sense of giddy abandon after a spring of lockdown and confinement. Creatively and meticulously choreographed by director Vogler, and shot through many neighborhoods, ROARING 20s is a SLACKER for our new decade; a series of local vignettes that help bring to full life a dynamic city and its young people who can find joy even in crisis. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Colby Cinema Studies

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NEW FEATURES New England Premiere

STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT

Saturday, July 9 3:15 P.M. | RR2 Tuesday, July 12 9:15 P.M. | RR2

USA 2022 - DCP - 88 minutes, in English Directors, Screenplay: Kristen Abate, Steven Tanenbaum Producers: Kristen Abate, Lindsey Cordero, Armando Croda, Steven Tanenbaum Cast: Kristen Abate, Steven Tanenbaum, Sasha Boykin, AJ Cedeno Print Courtesy: GQue Written, directed, produced by and starring the disabled Kristen Abate and Steve Tanenbaum, STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT is not what you think it is. For one thing, it’s consistently hilariously funny—the humor coming from that rarest of things, total honesty. For another, though very lowkey, this is not just a comedy but a drama as well. Twenty-something Kristen walks dogs for a living but dreams of being a writer, yet battles with a severe form of arthritis and is permanently bent over. Things go sideways when she is evicted from her apartment and her boss sends her to walk a new client’s dog. There she meets Steven, an older man who is also bent over. Confronted with a mirror image of her disability, Kristen is horrified but Steven sees an opportunity. This is a surprising and genuinely delightful film that will set you straight about a lot of things. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Eye Care of Maine

Maine Premiere

SWEET DISASTER

Saturday, July 9 12:00 P.M. | RR3 Monday, July 11 6:00 P.M. | RR3

Germany 2021 - DCP - 90 minutes, in English, Finnish and German with English subtitles Director: Laura Lehmus Screenplay: Ruth Toma Producers: Markus Kaatsch, Nina Poschinski, Michael Grudsky, Christian Becker, Oliver Schwabe, Laura Lehmus, Eva Habermann Cast: Friederike Kempter, Florian Lukas, Lena Urzendowsky, Lasse Myhr, Katharina Behrens SWEET DISASTER tells the story of Frida, a GermanFinnish painting therapist, as two events change the usual course of her life. First, she unexpectedly becomes pregnant and Felix, the father of her child, breaks up with her to reunite with his ex who suddenly moves back. Felix admits that it’s not the best timing, however it doesn’t prevent him from leaving. Despite some serious health problems caused by the pregnancy forcing her to rest, Frida can’t accept his leaving, and with the help of absurd, exaggerated and sometimes absolutely comic actions, she tries to get him back. Director Laura Lehmus “charms the audience with animations and surreal inspiration without slipping into artificial gimmicks. The real-life position of single moms remains constantly present”—Peter Gutting, Programmkino. —Nancy Bixler, Jak Peters, Taylor Peterson, Bria Watson

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NEW FEATURES Tuesday, July 12 9:30 P.M. | RR1 Sunday, July 17 3:30 P.M. | WOH

New England Premiere

THE BIG PAYBACK USA 2022 - DCP - 88 minutes, in English Directors: Erika Alexander, Whitney Dow Producers: Ben Arnon, Xan Parker Print Courtesy: Ben Arnon In Evanston, Illinois, freshly elected city Alderwoman Robin Rue Simmons makes a risky promise to her constituents: that her city will fix the age-old disparities in the community by paying reparations to its Black residents. While Evanston is a somewhat progressive college town, it’s also a city influenced by the infamous redlining practices of nearby Chicago. And even Simmons’ political idol, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, must face down inexorable Congressional obstinance in her push to get a vote on a national reparations bill that has been stuck in committee for decades. But Simmons bravely pushes to earmark the dollars even before the legislation is approved. Still, she isn’t prepared for the siege of attacks from forces resisting the idea of such reparations.

THE BIG PAYBACK follows a courageous and righteous woman with the power to inspire. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Nancy Sanford

Saturday, July 9 6:15 P.M. | RR2 Monday, July 11 3:30 P.M. | WOH

Eastern U.S. Premiere

THE STORY OF MY WIFE Hungary, Germany, France, Italy 2021 - DCP - 169 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Ildikó Enyedi Producers: Mónika Mécs, Ernő Mesterházy, Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski, Flaminio Zadra, Pilar Saavedra Perrotta, Stéphane Parthenay, Robin Boespflug-Vonier, András Muhi Cast: Léa Seydoux, Gijs Naber, Louis Garrel Print Courtesy: Films Boutique

MIFF favorite and guest Ildikó Enyedi’s (MY 20TH CENTURY, ON BODY AND SOUL) latest film is her most ambitious film ever. It’s a complete, delightful, fantastic success, a compound of Enyedi’s terrific filmmaking and star Léa Seydoux’s (the dazzling French actress both of European films such as BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR and international/Hollywood blockbusters such as NO TIME TO DIE) brilliance and charisma, and a terrific premise that resonates in ways large and small and current, though THE STORY OF MY WIFE is set just after World War II, and based on a long-celebrated novel. Jacob Störr, a hardened Dutch sea captain, impulsively and boastfully makes a bet that he will marry the first woman to walk into the café he’s in. That woman turns out to be Izzy and, though as gorgeous as she is smart, she may not be quite what he had in mind. “We made this film about love, passion, adventure, about the thousand colors of light—a shamelessly emotional tale about what it means to be a man, about what it means to be a woman, what it means to be a human,” says Enyedi. —Ken Eisen

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NEW FEATURES Maine Premiere

TOM MEDINA

Sunday, July 10 3:00 P.M. | RR3 Sunday, July 17 12:15 P.M. | RR2

France 2021 - DCP - 100 minutes, in French with English subtitles Director, Screenplay, Producer: Tony Gatlif Cast: David Murgia, Slimane Dazi, Karoline Rose Sun Print Courtesy: Les Films du Losange From the director of the nonpareil music movie LATCHO DROM, Tony Gatlif, our greatest chronicler and capturer of the Rom experience, comes his new film, full of exuberance, honesty and life, TOM MEDINA, a film inspired by his own youth. A juvenile tribunal sends Tom Medina to Camargue, a region in France’s deep south, into the care of Ulysse, a kind-hearted man who lives in harmony with nature. Inhabited by visions, fascinated by bulls and horses, Tom becomes an apprentice guardian, under Ulysse’s guidance. He gives up stealing, is hungry for knowledge, and aspires to change.

Revolted by the unwavering hostility he faces; Tom continues to battle his seeming destiny. Then he crosses paths with Suzanne....

TOM MEDINA is, like its subject, a bit wild and a lot charming. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Mid-Maine Global Forum

Eastern U.S. Premiere

TOO PUNK TO DIE

Saturday, July 9 9:30 P.M. | RR1 Saturday, July 16 6:00 P.M. | RR3

France 2021 - DCP - 56 minutes, in French with English subtitles Director, Screenplay: Eugénie Grandval Print Courtesy: Eugénie Grandval In 1980, Gilles Bertin founded the punk band “Camera Silens” in France. Years of music, heroin addiction in squats, anarchy and robberies followed. He was one of the brains behind the legendary French Brinks robbery in 1988.

Disguised as gendarmes, an improbable team of robbers— punks, anarchists and drug addicts—pulled off a storybook heist, getting away with 1.7 million francs with not a shot fired. Most of the them were arrested and convicted, but Bertin escaped and assumed a very different identity. 30 years later, long after everyone thought he was dead, he reappeared in Toulouse, turning himself in to start another new life (or a second old one). TOO PUNK TO DIE is the story of an extraordinary trajectory within the “No Future” generation. In telling Bertin’s amazing story, director Eugénie Grandval takes us to the 80’s, when rock and punk bands were screaming their disillusioned rage and revolution was frustrated but still faintly in the air, like smoke after a lingering cigarette.

—Ken Eisen

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NEW FEATURES Monday, July 11 9:00 P.M. | RR3 Friday, July 15 3:00 P.M. | RR3

International Premiere

TROPIC OF VIOLENCE France 2022 - DCP - 92 minutes, in French with English subtitles Director: Manuel Schapira Screenplay: Manuel Schapira, Delphine de Vigan Producer: Carole Lambert Cast: Gilles-Alane Ngalamou Hippocrate, Céline Sallette, Dali Benssalah Print Courtesy: Memento Films International

Moses was just an infant when he arrived illegally at Mayotte, a little-known and truly poor French overseas island near Madagascar, recognized as one of the 18 French “departments” or regions, yet much more closely influenced by the culture of the nearby Comoros Islands. Raised by a French nurse, he is now a 13-year-old boy, feared by some locals because he has different colored eyes, which they call the “eyes of the devil.” Upon his mother’s sudden death and fearing deportation, he is left to only the island’s slums, where dozens of kids live on their own, completely abandoned by society. Following Bruce, the tyrannical leader of the gang, Moses must adopt their codes in order to survive. TROPIC OF VIOLENCE, Manuel Schapira’s stunning first film, is powerful, moving and memorable. —Ken Eisen

Monday, July 11 9:15 P.M. | RR2 Saturday, July 16 12:30 P.M. | WOH

New England Premiere

UTAMA

Bolivia, Uruguay, France 2022 - DCP - 87 minutes, in Spanish and in Quechua with English subtitles Director: Alejandro Loayza Grisi Screenplay: Alejandro Loayza Grisi Producers: Marcos Loayza, Federico Moreira Cast: José Calcina, Luisa Quispe, Candelaria Quispe Print Courtesy: Kino Lorber In the Bolivian highlands, an elderly Quechua couple has been living the same daily routine for years. When an uncommonly long drought threatens their entire way of life, Virginio and Sisa face the dilemma of resisting or being defeated by the passage of time.

—Saidah Russell Sponsored by Mid-Maine Global Forum

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NEW FEATURES World Premiere

Wednesday, July 13 3:00 P.M. | RR3 Sunday, July 17 12:00 P.M. | RR3

WHEN YOU GET TO THE FOREST USA 2022 - DCP - 73 minutes, in English Director, Animator: Eric Power Screenplay: Andreas Petersen Producers: Mark Wheeler, Fred Malmberg Cast: Alicia Power, Marcella Campos Print Courtesy: Eric Power

Animated completely independently in the medium of paper stop-motion, an overwhelmed Dana takes to the road, leaving her past in the rearview mirror. Seeking solace, she visits a hiking trail from her youth. A few wrong turns and a nasty fall later, she awakens alone in a strange forest, save for one new companion: a talking cat. Dana explores the forest seeking a way out, back to the life she was running from. A delightful adventure for audiences young and young at heart.

—Nancy Bixler, Jak Peters, Taylor Peterson, Bria Watson

Maine Premiere

Shown With

SPROUT USA 2022 - DCP - 3 minutes, in English Director, Producer: Matt LaJoie Print Courtesy: Matt LaJoie A transcendental view of the momentum found in recognizing oneself as the bridge between history (the seed) and future (the tree); the future as present, active manifestation through inspired, creative action. —Nancy Bixler, Jak Peters, Taylor Peterson, Bria Watson Sponsored by Gifford’s Ice Cream

New England Premiere

YUNI

Saturday, July 9 3:00 P.M. | RR3 Saturday, July 16 9:15 P.M. | RR2

Indonesia, Singapore, France, Australia 2021 - DCP - 95 minutes, in Indonesian with English subtitles Director: Kamila Andini Screenplay: Kamila Andini, Prima Rusdi Producer: Chand Parwez Servia Cast: Arawinda Kirana, Asmara Abigail, Sekar Sari Print Courtesy: Cercamon Yuni is a teenage girl—smart, with big dreams of attending university.

When two men she barely knows ask to marry her, she rejects their proposals, sparking gossip about a myth that a woman who rejects three proposals will never marry. The pressure is building when a third man asks for her hand, and Yuni must choose between a final chance at marriage, or her dream of future happiness. —Saidah Russell Sponsored by Charles and Joy Intriago

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MAINE FEATURES TOURMALINE PRIZES The Festival champions Maine-made films through the inaugural Tourmaline Prizes. The Tourmaline Prizes, named for Maine’s state gem, are juried awards recognizing the best Maine-made films of the festival. At the closing night of MIFF, a $5,000 prize will be awarded to the best feature film, and a $2,500 prize, sponsored by the Sterrs Family will be awarded to the best short film.

THE JURY Ian Cheney: Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker of ten feature documentaries including KING CORN (2007), awarded a George Foster Peabody Award, THE SEARCH FOR GENERAL TSO (2014), and THE LONG COAST (2020) about the lives and livelihoods of Maine’s coastal communities.

Seth Kim: Assistant Professor of Cinema Studies, Colby College Jonna McKone: Photographer, producer and filmmaker. Her film ALL LIGHT, EVERYWHERE received a Special Jury Award at the 2021 Sundance U.S. Documentary competition.

Dennis Perkins: Freelance film writer, “Indie Film” columnist for the Portland Press Herald Laura Schenck: Filmmaker and Director of Visual Productions, Executive Producer for TV and Special Projects at Maine Public and Maine Community Films

Monday, July 11 9:30 P.M. | RR1 Saturday, July 16 12:15 P.M. | RR2

SUNNER USA 2022 - DCP - 59 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay, Producer: Henry Spritz Cast: Wylie Soltes, Matice Maino Print Courtesy: Henry Spritz

Two young artists attempt to create a memorial for their hometown and their generation’s experience there before there’s no one left who remembers.

“SUNNER is the film that I always dreamed about making... [one] that captured the beauty of growing up in Maine while also addressing the opioid epidemic and the difficulties that face our state, which we have to accept as we leave childhood” - Director Henry Spritz. Filmed in Belfast, Sanford, Portland, and Westbrook with a cast of childhood friends and local talent, Spritz began this project with no professional experience, no money, and no idea how to make a feature length film. But together as a cast and crew, the filmmakers learned to be vulnerable and creative together by producing something solely for the love of filmmaking and storytelling.

—Nancy Bixler, Jak Peters, Taylor Peterson, Bria Watson

Shown With

STATELINES

USA 2022 - DCP - 13 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay, Producer: Henry Spritz Cast: Finn Scott A young man contemplates a violent act.

—Nancy Bixler, Jak Peters, Taylor Peterson, Bria Watson

Sponsored by Peter and Joan Beckerman

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MAINE FEATURES ELIZABETH BISHOP AND THE ART OF LOSING

Sunday, July 10 3:30 P.M. | WOH Saturday, July 16 12:00 P.M. | RR3

Canada, USA 2021 - DCP - 84 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: John Douglas Scott Producers: Walter Forsyth, Karen Lynn Rodriguez With: Susannah Berryman, Harley Spencer-Lowe Print Courtesy: John Douglas Scott So often throughout her life, Pulitzer Prize winning poet Elizabeth Bishop’s trajectory was tragically disrupted by a profound personal loss that pushed her into her worst selfdestructive habits. Yet, in her sixties, while grief-stricken, she courageously faced up to her most tragic heartbreak, wrote her greatest work, became her truest self, learned to master “the art of losing” and earned her place as one of America’s greatest poets. —Nancy Bixler, Jak Peters, Taylor Peterson, Bria Watson Sponsored by Lisa Tarzia

HOPEFUL: THE STORY OF MAINEWORKS

Saturday, July 16 6:15 P.M. | RR2 Sunday, July 17 12:30 P.M. | RR1

USA 2022 - DCP - 73 minutes, in English Director: Ian McCrudden Producer: Thomas Hildreth With: Margo Walsh Print Courtesy: Thomas Hildreth HOPEFUL: THE STORY OF MAINEWORKS is indeed, as its title implies, the story of Margo Walsh, who literally built a business from her kitchen table, as a single mother of two.

Her company, MaineWorks, exclusively employs ex-cons and people in recovery. We meet many of her employees and hear their stories of hope. We hear from Governor Janet Mills, and Senator Angus King, who point out how Margo’s model is ripe for both state and nationwide rollouts. MaineWorks is already operational throughout Maine and expanding into five other states. Margo was part of the discussion for staffing for the future, as the Infrastructure bill worked its way through Congress; hopeful itself, though at this point with less seeming hope than her company gives to its employees. This is an uplifting portrait of an American entrepreneur with a social conscience. Margot and her work give people a second chance to rebuild their lives, and a pathway back to the community and redemption. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Front & Main

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MAINE NARRATIVE SHORTS Saturday, July 9 12:30 P.M. | RR1 Saturday, July 16 3:30 P.M. | RR1

THE BLOODY ROOM USA 2022 - 35 minutes, in English Director: Nancy Andrews, Jodi Baker Screenplay: Nancy Andrews, Jodi Baker A girl punk band on tour. A creepy Airbnb with a room full of nightmares. Strong, gritty women who subvert social conventions.

TWO WEEKS AFTER USA 2019 - 2 minutes, in English Director: Joshua Lee Lennon Producers: Joshua Lee Lennon, Alexa Rhynd Cast: Joshua Lee Lennon, Alexa Rhynd, Isaac Vaccaro A summer vignette depicting the brief encounter between two young strangers.

A CHANGE OF SONG USA 2022 - 6 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay, Animation: Gordon David LePage A resourceful raccoon helps a fellow creature out of a bad groove.

DESIDERIUM USA 2022 - 5 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Elena Mozzhelina Producers: Alex Burnett, David Martinez Cast: Brianna Carleton, Madison Shmalo Time slows down when you feel that special connection, you don’t want the moment to end...yet, sometimes it follows by the feeling of loss, desiderium…

HUG LOTTERY USA 2021 - 14 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Cass Buggé Producers: Cass Buggé, Molly Schiot Cast: Cass Buggé, Zoë Chao, Rosemary Harris, Tony Cavalero, Mary Sohn, Liz Jenkins, Chris Grace, Lauren Blumenfeld, Jack Mikesell Katherine’s first chance at human contact in a seemingly never-ending life in Covid-23 isolation that’s lasted over 1,825 days.

TWO WONGS USA 2021 - 5 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay, Producer: Frank Harts Cast: Johnny M Wu, Celester Rich Two brothers from Queens, NY drive to Maine to avenge the murder of their mother.

WOLF TONE USA 2021 - 16 minutes, in English Director: Lauren Cook, Nathan Pancione Screenplay, Producer: Lauren Cook Cast: T L Thompson, Jami Tenille, Sonya Joyner Lisa reaches out to Jae hoping to get it right this time.

Jae doesn’t want to just forgive and forget. Now that Lisa has recently become more accepting of Jae’s gender identity, is there an opening? Should there be?

Programmed by Nancy Bixler, Jak Peters, Taylor Peterson, Bria Watson

Sponsored by Charles and Lore Ferguson

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MAINE DOCUMENTARY SHORTS Sunday, July 10 12:30 P.M. | RR1 Saturday, July 16 12:30 P.M. | RR1

LE CARREFOUR (THE INTERSECTION) USA 2021 - 30 minutes, in English and in French with English subtitles Directors: Daniel Quintanilla, Jessamine Irwin Producers: Julia Schulz, Daniel Quintanilla, Jessamine Irwin Cast: Cecile Thornton, Trésor Mukendi The moving story of the friendship between Cecile, a French-Canadian and Trésor, a Franco-African immigrant who seeks asylum in Lewiston, Maine. Their interwoven stories reflect the repeating history of French-speaking Mainers and the discrimination and oppression they have faced.

THE DIVER AMERICAN ALTARS USA 2021 - 22 minutes, in English Director: Dana K Fadel A tender portrait of palpable ephemera that we chose to live with, and a reminder of the human connection that the whole family must see.

BAR STORIES FROM QUEER MAINE USA 2022 - 16 minutes, in English Directors, Producers: Betsy Carson, Wendy Chapkis Editor, Cinematographer: Betsy Carson Humorous and often poignant accounts of gay bars as important venues for community, organizing, sex, and safety. This film reveals the threat to queer culture of our disappearing social spaces.

KAZKAR USA 2022 - 11 minutes, in English and in Ukrainian with English subtitles Director: Maddie King A storyteller becomes the subject of a new fairytale by uncovering the source of her power and pain.

USA 2022 - 10 minutes, in English Director: Mailee Osten-Tan A young woman comes to terms with her past by redefining the marks on her skin.

THE KEEPING OF THE BEES - A SHORT INFORMATIVE DANCE FILM USA 2021 - 4 minutes, in English Director, Producer, Choreographer: Christina Belinsky Cast: Christina Belinsky, Nathan Duszny A short informative dance film that brings light to one of the many effects human behavior and climate change has had on a very important species: bees.

WHAT I’VE DONE SO FAR USA 2021 - 7 minutes, in English Director: Xufeng Sun A short experimental self-documentary of a student sharing his experience as a foreigner from China in a small town in central Maine.

Programmed by Nancy Bixler, Jak Peters, Taylor Peterson, Bria Watson

Sponsored by Maine Grains

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SHORTS FROM AWAY Monday, July 11 3:00 P.M. | RR3 Friday, July 15 6:30 P.M. | RR1

A PLACE IN BLUE South Korea 2021 - 9 minutes, in Korean with English subtitles Director, Screenplay: Seung eon Yi Animators: Seung eon Yi, Eujin Kim Voice Actors: Seoin Shin, Seung eon Yi A girl is searching for her mother in a grocery store and in a forest. At the end of the forest, she encounters passages from her mother’s life.

HOME FOR US Belize, USA 2022 - 5 minutes, in English Director: Madison Hoffman Terry Garbutt, a cruise tour guide in the Monkey River, must now contend with international cruise lines coming into his waters and reckon with how this will change their livelihoods once again.

LYDIA EMILY’S LAST MURAL USA 2021 - 21 minutes, in English Director: Christoph Green Lydia Emily, a mural artist who is living with progressive Multiple Sclerosis, paints her last mural in downtown LA.

MELLOW Australia 2021 - 3 minutes, in English Director, Producer: John Tsiavis Some people choose to be an activist, for others, it’s an ongoing fight for survival. This is a ‘moving portrait’ of Mellow, a trans, non-binary activist in Los Angeles. The story of moving out of darkness into the light, turning hardship into positivity.

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SHORTS FROM AWAY

MOVER

THE STENCH.

USA 2021 - 10 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Jackson Eagan Producer: Nabil Elbehri Cast: Tilly Evans-Krueger Exploring heartbreak and healing through dance, over the course of a dreamlike apartment move.

South Korea 2021 - 20 minutes, in Korean with English subtitles Director, Screenplay: Won Jang Producer: Yeonghwan Jeong Cast: Seokyeon Hong, Young Jeon, Yeong-gu Kang, Jangyong Park, Youngsun Na, Hanseul Yang, Jihye Han, Kiyong Nam, Youngeun Choi, Jeongsuk Park, Jueon Park, Jeongmin Lee, Youngae Jang, Myeongsun Kim An old man is devastated when he finds he has lost a large sum of money. His neighbors begin to suspect each other.

Where does immorality lie?

PRESENCE Iran 2021 - 19 minutes, in Persian with English subtitles Director, Screenplay, Producer: Ehsan Mokhtari Cast: Pooyan Mokri, Anahita Eghbal Nejad Saman is a recently unemployed architect looking after his ailing mother. When he is accepted to a post doctorate scholarship in Italy, he must reckon with his relationship with his mother as her condition worsens.

SINKING SUN USA 2021 - 12 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Kayo Gorden Producer: Isabella Jackson Cast: Brianna Liu, Josh Nobida, Kazumi Aihara Tamiko returns home to the family farm to deal with the death of her mother and the ghosts of the past.

THE WATCHERS USA 2021 - 17 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Colin Mader Producer: Colin Mader, Shuhan Yu Cast: Marc Allinds, David Amaya, Nia Perez-Herrera, Renako Harmon, Christopher Lyon Haunted by the death of his cousin, a rap superstar navigates the emotional complexities of fame and trauma.

Programmed by Nancy Bixler, Jak Peters, Taylor Peterson, Bria Watson

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REDISCOVERY Saturday, July 9 9:00 P.M. | RR3 Thursday, July 14 8:30 P.M. SKOWHEGAN DRIVE-IN THEATER

LOST HIGHWAY

USA 1997 - DCP - 134 minutes, in English Director: David Lynch Screenplay: David Lynch, Barry Gifford Producers: Deepak Nayar, Tom Sternberg, Mary Sweeney Cast: Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, John Roselius Print Courtesy: Janus Films “Lynchian” instantly conjured David Lynch’s brand of cinematic vision as soon as people had seen his earliest features, ERASERHEAD, ELEPHANT MAN and BLUE VELVET. LOST HIGHWAY, his seventh (1997) feature, travels down a twisting road of perverse menace as a jazz saxophonist (Bill Pullman) and his wife (Patricia Arquette) begin receiving disturbing VHS tapes—leading to jealousy, murder, and a startling mid-act transformation that radically changes everything that came before it. Berserk violence, scrambled identities, Angelo Badalamenti’s thunderous industrial soundtrack, and one of cinema’s most memorable mystery men: Lynch swirls it all into a screeching psychological manifestation of guilt, trauma, and denial that ranks among his most potent cinematic nightmares. This is a new 4K digital restoration. —Ken Eisen

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REDISCOVERY ADOPTION

Wednesday, July 13 3:15 P.M. | RR2 Saturday, July 16 3:00 P.M. | RR3

Hungary 1975 - DCP - 86 minutes, in Hungarian with English subtitles Director: Márta Mészáros Screenplay: Márta Mészáros, Gyula Hernádi, Ferenc Grunwalsky Producer: Miklós Köllő Cast: Katalin Berek, Gyöngyvér Vigh, Péter Fried Print Courtesy: Janus Films What discoveries—or, for those too few who had the immense pleasure of seeing them when the director originally made them from 1968-1990, what rediscoveries—the films of trailblazing auteur Márta Mészáros (the first Hungarian woman to direct a feature film) are! And ADOPTION may very well be her best. Giving aching expression to the experiences of women in 1970s Hungary in this sensitive and absorbing slice-of-life drama, ADOPTION became the first film directed by a woman to win the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Through intensely intimate camerawork, stunningly shot in black-and-white, Mészáros immerses the viewer in the worlds of two women, each searching for fulfillment: Kata, a middle-aged factory worker who wishes to have a child with her married lover, and Anna, a teenage ward of the state determined to emancipate herself in order to marry her boyfriend. The bond that forms between the two speaks quietly but powerfully to the social and political forces that shape women’s lives as each navigates the realities of love, marriage, and motherhood in her quest for self-determination. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Karen Kusiak

Shown in 35mm

THE CONVERSATION

Wednesday, July 13 3:30 P.M. | WOH Thursday, July 14 3:30 P.M. | WOH

USA 1974 - 35mm - 113 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay, Producer: Francis Ford Coppola Cast: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams, Michael Higgins, Elizabeth MacRae, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford Print Courtesy: Rialto Pictures What a streak—both artistically AND commercially—Francis Ford Coppola was on in the ‘70s! He made four films, three of which need no introduction today, and which were blockbusters and awards magnets: THE GODFATHER, THE GODFATHER: PART II and APOCALYPSE NOW. The fourth was emphatically NOT a blockbuster, and certainly more modest in scope and focus—and arguably, as great or maybe even better than the others, garnering three Oscar nominations including Best Picture, and a Cannes Film Festival Grand Prize. That’s THE CONVERSATION, and this newly restored, newly struck 35mm print is a revelation, both speaking to the specifics of its time period and anticipating the electronic future we now live in. Harry Caul (incarnated by Gene Hackman in a deliberately muted but unforgettable performance) is a crackerjack surveillance expert who fades into the woodwork the better to cover his privacy-invading purposes as he wiretaps his subjects’ conversations…until the day he begins to suspect that the couple he’s been hired to spy on may be about to be murdered by his employees. Both a devastating thriller and a brilliant character study, this is one of the truly great American films that defined the era as the apex of American moviemaking. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by PRO Moving Service

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REDISCOVERY Wednesday, July 13 9:00 P.M. | RR3 Thursday, July 14 9:15 P.M. | RR2

DEAD RINGER USA 2022 - DCP - 102 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Allan Nicholls Producers: Peter Bray, Randy Ostrow, Ned Dowd, Chrisann Verges Cast: Marvin Lee Aday, Meat Loaf, Josh Mostel, Leah Ayers, Macintyre Dixon, Alan Braunstein Print Courtesy: Allan Nicholls

Allan Nicholls, an honored guest at several previous MIFFs, returns with one of the rarest screenings of a movie we’ve ever had. DEAD RINGER has only been shown once or twice in the almost 40 years since Nicholls and his crew finished it, despite its undeniable quality and the interest it would have garnered because it centers on Meat Loaf, who had just seen his “Bat Out of Hell” album become a monster zillion-selling phenomenon. DEAD RINGER, the film, is a comical look at the life of a rock star in the ‘80s as he prepares for a world tour in support of his newest album. The star is Meat Loaf. The album is the follow up to “Bat Out of Hell,” itself titled “Dead Ringer.” Why has it gone virtually unseen? Arcane corporate legal issues between Meat Loaf, his record company, and songwriter Jim Steinman, have prevented the film from reaching its audience in the form in which it was made and intended to be seen—except for a couple of screenings of Nicholls’ personal print—until now, when MIFF will be premiering a newly digitized version of the film, supervised by its original editor, Norm Smith. Be there or forever miss paradise by DEAD RINGER’s dashboard light. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Jim LaLiberty

Saturday, July 9 12:30 P.M. | WOH Sunday, July 17 12:30 P.M. | WOH

Shown in 35mm

DIVA

France 1981 - 35mm - 117 minutes, in French with English subtitles Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix Screenplay: Jean-Jacques Beineix, Jean Van Hamme Producer: Irène Silberman Cast: Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez, Frédéric Andrei, Richard Bohringer, Thuy An Luu Print Courtesy: Rialto Pictures “It’s about the joy of making movies. Every shot seems designed to delight the audience,” Pauline Kael, the tops in American film reviewing, wrote that about DIVA when it first came out in 1981, and it’s the same 40 years later—maybe truer than ever in this starvedfor-joy era, and in this new 35mm restoration print. What else is DIVA about? Well…young mail carrier, Jules, becomes enraptured with the voice of American diva Cynthia Hawkins (Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez). She doesn’t believe in being recorded, but Jules secretly tapes her singing on a cassette. His recording gets mixed up with another tape that incriminates a police chief, who turns out to be working with the mob. Jules quickly becomes the target of gangsters, and must find a way to get himself out of the situation alive. “You have only to watch 10 minutes of Diva and you know you are in the hands of a man born to make movies. Sensual, funny, outlandish, this is a movie devoted to strictly to the pleasure principle.”— David Ansen, Newsweek. —Ken Eisen Sponsored by Kathryn Slott

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Maine International Film Festival 2022 MIFF.ORG

REDISCOVERY Two New Restorations of Films by Jacques Rivette

SECRET DEFENSE

Monday, July 11 6:15 P.M. | RR2 Wednesday, July 13 3:30 P.M. | RR1

France 1998 - DCP - 170 minutes, in French with English subtitles Director: Jacques Rivette Screenplay: Pascal Bonitzer, Emmanuelle Cuau, Jacques Rivette Producers: Christian Lambert, Martine Marignac Cast: Sandrine Bonnaire, Jerzy Radziwilowicz, Grégoire Colin Print Courtesy: Cohen Film Collection “A chess puzzle devised by a grand master” (Jonathan Rosenbaum, Village Voice), SECRET DEFENSE is built on the twin pillars of Rivette’s unique filmmaking and Sandrine Bonnaire’s immense performance. When a brilliant scientist discovers that her father did not die accidentally but was murdered by a family friend, she swears vengeance and tries to protect her brother. Instead, she soon finds herself deeply embroiled in a mystery of lust and intrigue. And when she discovers the truth about her father, it threatens to shake her very foundations. Rivette’s unconventional (of course!) late thriller builds its own world as Bonnaire’s Sylvie fathoms its depths. “A thriller of the mind, beautifully made, emotionally powerful”—The Daily Telegraph. New 4K restoration. —Ken Eisen

THE GANG OF FOUR

Thursday, July 14 3:30 P.M. | RR1 Friday, July 15 3:15 P.M. | RR2

France 1989 - DCP - 160 minutes, in French with English subtitles Director: Jacques Rivette Screenplay: Pascal Bonitzer, Christine Laurent, Jacques Rivette Producer: Martine Marignac Cast: Bulle Ogier, Benoît Régent, Fejria Deliba, Laurence Côte Print Courtesy: Cohen Film Collection The gang of four is not a gang but a household of young female acting students. Their teacher (played by icon of French and Rivetteian cinema Bulle Ogier) is a stern and quixotic taskmistress, directing an all-female cast in a production of a play by the celebrated 18th century French playwright Pierre Marivaux. The world here is one of shadowy and shifting conspiracies, perhaps imagined and perhaps real, a world populated by but one visible man, but many phantom ones.

As in almost all Rivette, the mystery and portent are counterbalanced by delight and simple joys of appreciation of human beings, but in visualizing the world of THE GANG OF FOUR, Rivette and his gang of female collaborators, both behind and in front of the camera, make their own rules—and break them. New 4K restoration. —Ken Eisen

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REDISCOVERY Monday, July 11 6:30 P.M. | WOH Friday, July 15 9:30 P.M. | RR1

THE HEROIC TRIO China 1993 - DCP - 88 minutes, in Cantonese with English subtitles Director: Johnnie To Screenplay: Sandy Shaw Producers: Ching Siu Tung, Johnnie To Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung Print Courtesy: Janus Films

The supernova star power of Hong Kong cinema icons Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh (newly resurgent after knocking everyone out, literally and otherwise, in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE), and Anita Mui propels this gloriously unrestrained action extravaganza from genre maestro Johnnie To, who injects its 1993 martial-arts mayhem with a blast of comic-book lunacy.

THE HEROIC TRIO are the knife-throwing, shotgun-toting, kungfu-fighting super-heroines who must overcome their dark pasts in order to defeat an evil, baby-snatching eunuch who is terrorizing Hong Kong. Eye-popping motorcycle stunts, brain-exploding skeletons, infant cannibals, and kinetically choreographed wire work are all part of the delirium in this unstoppably entertaining cult favorite, a kick-butt showcase for three of the coolest women warriors to ever hit the screen. —Ken Eisen

Sunday, July 10 3:30 P.M. | RR1 Thursday, July 14 3:15 P.M. | RR2

VENGEANCE IS MINE USA 1984 - DCP - 118 minutes, in English Director, Screenplay: Michael Roemer Cast: Brooke Adams, Trish Van Devere, Jon DeVries, Ari Meyers Print Courtesy: The Film Desk

Never heard of Michael Roemer’s 1984 VENGEANCE IS MINE, starring Brooke Adams (DAYS OF HEAVEN, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, CUBA)? “Never got a proper theatrical release; never got the rapturous—or even fair or serious—reviews it deserved; never, therefore, experienced the paying art-house audiences that would have clogged a theater lobby arguing about what the hell they just saw. This is a masterpiece of direction”— Wesley Morris, New York Times. Here’s your chance to at last see it, in this premiere of a new 2K restoration, a New England-set story that follows Adams’ Jo as she meets some neighbors from her family’s Block Island home, and winds up traveling back with them, perhaps hoping to somehow heal long-festering childhood wounds.

That’s not so easily done…but she has now also entered the troubled life of the neighbors. “Roemer is known for only two films, both masterpieces: NOTHING BUT A MAN (1964) and THE PLOT AGAINST HARRY (1971). The rediscovery of a third Roemer (final) feature as good as the others is a cause for celebration, and something of a miracle.”– A.S. Hamrah, Screen Slate. —Ken Eisen

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Maine International Film Festival 2022 MIFF.ORG

SPECIAL EVENTS All Special Events are Free and Open to the Public Opening Night Party | Waterville Rocks START MAKING SENSE

Friday, July 8 If David Byrne is one of the geniuses of modern times, 8:30 P.M. then Start Making Sense is a tribute to genius. The HEAD OF FALLS musicians in this 7-10 piece Talking Heads Tribute take pride WATERVILLE in faithfully recreating the music of Talking Heads entire career. Together they bring much of the Heads unique live show to the stage, with front man Jon Braun as a spot-on David Byrne, giving you a “once in a lifetime” experience. Prepare yourself for a rockin’, funkin’, danceable celebration of the new-wave art punk you loved from the 80’s!!!

Rain Venue: Waterville Opera House Take 4 Ensemble

Through a combination of live music and synchronous Monday, July 11 film, this program reflects on our community’s dependence 7:00 P.M. on water as a resource, commodity, and defining feature GREENE BLOCK + STUDIOS of Maine’s landscape and culture. The program considers 18 MAIN ST the strength, vulnerability, and transience of our water WATERVILLE systems while celebrating the beauty and importance of Maine’s water landscapes in all seasons. The performance will explore the natural and human impacts that transform the Kennebec River and inform our understanding of water. The film component of the program was collected and designed

by Luke Fatora to pair with selected musical pieces on the program. The performance will include Take 4’s original arrangements of music ranging from traditional Scottish and Irish tunes to Argentinean tango, Spanish lullabies, and Italian motets.

Art in the Park

FUN WITH FLIP BOOKS

Thursday, July 14

Explore animation with Waterville Creates and discover 3:00 P.M. the magic of flip books! In celebration of the Maine HEAD OF FALLS International Film Festival, learn the classic technique of WATERVILLE creating a flip book—combining hand-drawn art and the science of optical illusion. This delightful activity is fun for all ages. The book “Lights! Camera! Alice” by Mara Rockliff will be read aloud to participants as they build and create. Presented in partnership with the Waterville Public Library and the Colby College Museum of Art.

Retrospective—25 Years of MIFF Photography CURATED BY JOHN T. MEADER

Retrospective—25 Years of MIFF Photography explores the history of the Maine International Film Festival, providing a glimpse into the breadth and character of the event as seen through the eyes of festival photographers. The photographs were selected from more than 40,000 images taken over the past 25 years. There are filmmakers, movie stars, MIFF staff, volunteers, festival attendees, and special events. Photographic prints will be exhibited in the lobby of Railroad Square Cinema, and a digital display will run at the Waterville Opera throughout the festival featuring 25 new images each day. We hope the exhibition informs, inspires, and stirs memories through a quarter century of creative photography.

Featured photographers: Martin Aucoin, Holden Cookson, Patrick Groleau, Deanne “Dede” Herman, Niko Hample, John Meader, Lucas Pelotte, and Charles “Chuck” Robinson.

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MAKE ART! TELL YOUR STORY!

JULY 7 3-5PM

JULY 14 6-8PM

JULY 21 6-8PM

JULY 30 12–4PM

7/13, 7/15, 7/20, 7/22, 7/27 + 7/29, 12-5PM

Maybe Something Beautiful

Sharing Your Story with Handbound Books

Picturing Us

A Place for All of Us

Making Space for WE

Waterville Farmers’ Market Head of Falls Create hand-printed flags, prints, and story totems with stamping, relief printing and collage. Led by artists Elizabeth Jabar and Colleen Kinsella of Future Mothers. In case of extreme weather this event will be hosted at Greene Block + Studios, 18 Main Street.

Greene Block + Studios

18 Main Street Learn how to make softcover books with artist Evelyn Wong.

Tell your story through writing, stamping, and stitching.

Greene Block + Studios 18 Main Street Have your portrait captured by artist photographer Séan Alonzo Harris and printed for a collective community portrait.

WATERVILLECREATES.ORG

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and realized in partnership with the Colby College Museum of Art and its Lunder Institute for American Art.

Community Day Colby College Museum of Art

Tell your community story using screen printing posters, bookmaking, and stamping.

Future Mothers Tent Greene Block + Studios 18 Main Street Drop in to contribute to ongoing print and book projects for a culminating exhibition at the Ticonic Gallery in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center.

UPCOMING 2022 PERFORMANCES

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Unity Foundation salutes the dedicated staff and volunteers of the Maine International Film Festival!

Our mission is to support mission-driven nonprofits in Maine through capacity-building initiatives, organizational assessment, programmatic grantmaking and nonprofit management education. Our goal is to promote strong, sustainable nonprofits that reliably serve Maine communities.

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INDEX 32 Sounds

13

Mellow

40

A Change of Song

38

Mike's Murder

10

A Dangerous Woman

10

Millie Lies Low

26

A Love Song

17

Mover

41

A Place in Blue

40

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

27

A Vast Shadow House

18

Noche de Fuego

15

Absences

14

North by Current

27

Adoption

43

Passion in a Pandemic

28

Ali and Ava

17

Pénélope, My Love

28

Aloners

19

Place and Time—Portland Maine

18

American Altars

39

Presence

41

American Justice on Trial

22

Queen of Glory

29

And So I Stayed

20

Revolution from Afar

29

Années 20 (Roaring 20s)

30

River

30

Arthur Rambo

19

Secret Defense

45

Bar Stories from Queer Maine

39

Sinking Sun

41

Bobbin

24

Sprout

35

Breaking

21

Statelines

36

Casablanca Beats

13

Straighten Up and Fly Right

31

Chinatown

12

Sunner

36

Clay Dream

21

Sweet Disaster

31

Cold Refuge

16

Tempestad

15

Dad Rock

22

The Big Payback

32

Dead Ringer

44

The Bloody Room

38

Defending the Dark

22

The Conversation

43

Desiderium

38

The Diver

39

Diva

44

The Gang of Four

45

El Lugar Más Pequeño (The Tiniest Place)

14

The Heroic Trio

46

Elizabeth Bishop and the Art of Losing

37

The Keeping of the Bees - A Short Informative Dance Film

39

Fairways to Happiness

23

The Lovers

11

Finding Our Voices - Christine

20

The Sheltering Sky

11

Finding Our Voices - Courtney

20

The Stench.

41

Free Chol Soo Lee

23

The Story of My Wife

32

Home For Us

40

The Watchers

41

Hopeful: The Story of MaineWorks

37

Tom Medina

33

Hug Lottery

38

Too Punk To Die

33

Il Paradiso del Pavone (The Peacock's Paradise)

24

Tropic of Violence

34

Kazkar

39

Two Weeks After

38

La Chica Nueva (The New Girl)

24

Two Wongs

38

Le Bruit des Moteurs (The Noise of Engines)

25

Utama

34

Le Carrefour (The Intersection)

39

What I've Done So Far

39

Letters2Maybe

25

When You Get to the Forest

35

Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege

26

Wolf Tone

38

Lost Highway

42

Yuni

35

Lydia Emily's Last Mural

40

Vengeance is Mine

46

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Staff

Board of Directors

Shannon Haines President + CEO

Jak Peters Patron Services Assistant

James LaLiberty, Chair Jabar, LaLiberty, and Dubord

Patricia King Vice President

Alan Sanborn Theater Manager Railroad Square Cinema

Elizabeth Finch, Vice Chair Colby College Museum of Art

Mike Perreault Executive Director Maine Film Center Michelle Sweet Executive Director Waterville Opera House

Phoebe Sanborn Administrative Coordinator Serena Sanborn Education + Outreach Manager

Nancy Bixler Patron Services Assistant

Liz Shapiro Production Manager Waterville Opera House

Yvonne Brown Clay Studio Coordinator

Sara Stewart Event + Volunteer Coordinator

Jordyn Chelf Marketing + Development Coordinator

Marie Sugden Exhibitions Coordinator

Desi DuBois Education + Outreach Coordinator

Greta Thiele Patron Services Assistant

Julia Dunlavey Assistant Executive Director Maine Film Center

Erik Thomas Assistant Executive Director Waterville Opera House

Mary Ellms Marketing Associate

Zachary-Allen Wallace Patron Services Assistant

Jill Lawrence Patron Services Assistant

Lily Webb Patron Services Assistant

Deni Merrill Patron Services Assistant

Kayla Wesley Patron Services Assistant

Emilienne Ouellette Box Office Manager

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Lori Roming, Secretary Unity Foundation Kelly Huggins, Treasurer One River, CPAs Brian Clark Colby College Amanda Cooley Kennebec Savings Bank Don Cragen Thomas College John Dalton Retired from Northern Light Inland Hospital Shannon Haines Waterville Creates Tammy Rabideau Waterville Public Library Debra Susi Maine Central Institute

EXPERIENCE the Ar ts and Humanities 2022-23 THEME

Food for Thought PUBLIC EVENTS | COMMUNIT Y PARTNERSHIPS | INTERNSHIPS AT AREA ORGANIZATIONS

Over the course of the year, “Food for Thought,” the annual Center for the Arts and Humanities theme, will celebrate and challenge our relationships and histories with food through public lecture series, community events, internships with area organizations, and more.

cah.colby.edu /cahcolby /colbycenterfortheartsandhumanities

Through August 14, 2022

Act of Sight: The Tsiaras Family Photography Collection Through October 16, 2022

Andrew Wyeth: Life and Death Through December 11, 2022

Sarah Cain: hand in hand free and open to all www.museum.colby.edu

Above: Ralph Eugene Meatyard (American, 1925–1972), Untitled Untitled,, ca. 1959. Gelatin silver print, 9 ¾ × 10 in. Gift of Dr. William and Nancy Tsiaras. 158.2020; Installation view of Sarah Cain: hand in hand; hand; Andrew Wyeth, John Olson’s Funeral, Funeral, 1945. Watercolor on paper. © 2021 Andrew Wyeth/Artists Rights Society (ARS).

New Britain Museum of American Art, Charles F. Smith Fund, 1945.26.