WATERVILLE, Maine—The 28th Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) is fast approaching, and this year brings with it a special opportunity for Maine students to showcase their film projects before an international audience with professional filmmakers from around the world. The Maine Student Film + Video Festival (MSFVF) will be held Saturday, July 19, during the final weekend of MIFF28.
Maine-based students in grades K–12 are eligible to submit their short films to the festival program by June 15. Selected shorts will be shown on the big screen at the Maine Film Center (MFC) during MIFF, providing the next generation of Maine moviemakers the rare opportunity to see their work presented in the highest quality audiovisual projection in the state. Participating students have the chance to win professional filmmaking gear or a $500 grand prize sponsored by Maine Public.
Students can visit mainestudentfilm.org for more information and to submit their projects by June 15.
“It’s an incredible opportunity for students and young filmmakers to screen their works as part of an international film festival,” said Mike Perreault, executive director of the Maine Film Center and MIFF. “They’re able to make connections with filmmakers from Maine and around the world and gain, perhaps, their first experience exhibiting their work to a general audience. With free admission for the public and several prizes in store at each edition of MSFVF, we’re proud to celebrate the best young filmmakers in Maine in this way.”
In the past year, MFC has gained momentum with new filmmaking workshops and camps for youth, led by MFC Operations Coordinator Raynor Ahlstrin-Muniec and Waterville Creates’ Education Manager Lisa Wheeler.
“It’s very important to provide Maine children with as many opportunities as possible to explore their passions and create art that matters to them,” Ahlstrin-Muniec said. “Between MSFVF and our youth film classes throughout the year, MFC’s goal is to help foster the next generation of Maine filmmakers and encourage them to proudly express their creativity and feel comfortable experimenting with film and other media.”
MIFF, the largest film festival in Northern New England, offers audiences a unique experience, showcasing the latest international cinema from around the world while simultaneously foregrounding Maine-made projects. Last year’s full 100-film program featured 40 countries, but also 22 films that were produced right here in Maine. By sustaining a year-round emphasis on young talent, with MSFVF as the centerpiece, MFC hopes to encourage further development of the state’s film industry.
“Championing the young filmmakers of Maine and encouraging them to continue creating will result in a stronger film industry, both in Maine and worldwide, and hopefully demonstrate to would-be directors and filmmakers that making your first film is much easier than expected,” Ahlstrin-Muniec added. “Plus, it’s not every day that you get to see your short film screened in the cinema in front of a packed audience!”
A project of the Maine Film Center, MIFF showcases 100 films during the 10 days of the festival, highlighting the best of American independent, international, and repertory cinema, including the very finest Maine-made productions, celebrated each year with the Tourmaline Prizes. During MIFF, thousands of cinemagoers from near and far will visit the Maine Film Center’s three-screen cinema in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, and enjoy screenings in the 123-year-old Waterville Opera House. The festival’s diverse audience includes Waterville locals who have attended the festival for nearly three decades and first-time visitors to Maine from all over the world.
In addition to MSFVF, the Maine Film Center will be announcing more filmmaking workshops and camps for youth this summer.
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About the Maine Film Center
The Maine Film Center (MFC) brings world-class independent film to Maine through the only Sundance Art House Project cinema in the state; the annual Maine International Film Festival, a 10- day celebration that attracts filmmakers and film lovers from around the world; and by delivering impactful, accessible exhibitions and education programs. MFC is a division of Waterville Creates. For more information visit MaineFilmCenter.org.
About MIFF
Founded in 1998, the Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) is a project of the Maine Film Center. The 10 days of the festival showcase around 100 films, representing the best of American independent and international cinema, and spotlight some of Maine and New England’s most exciting and innovative filmmakers.