Waterville, Maine — The Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) announces that Ken Eisen, the festival’s co-founder and longtime programming director, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at a screening of The Long Goodbye (dir. Robert Altman, 1973). Eisen has, for nearly fifty years, championed independent film at all levels, enabled dozens of films to find audiences worldwide, and helped elevate Waterville as a film destination.
In 1978, Eisen co-founded Railroad Square Cinema, which became one of the few venues in the region regularly showing independent, international, and documentary films. In 1984, Eisen co-founded Shadow Distribution, which has released more than 30 films in theaters across the United States. Notable Shadow releases include Sherman’s March (1986), The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2005), and Trouble the Water (2008), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Eisen co-founded the Maine International Film Festival in 1998, which now screens approximately 100 films throughout 10 days each July. The festival features American independent films, international cinema, and highlights made-in-Maine films. Past guests have included Terrence Malick, Sissy Spacek, Jonathan Demme, Peter Fonda, Ed Harris, and Glenn Close, and will honor Clive Owen this year.
The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Eisen during a ceremony at the Waterville Opera House on July 18 at 7:00PM.
About the Maine Film Center
Maine Film Center (MFC) educates, entertains, and builds community through film. Through its legacy as Maine’s first independent art house, Railroad Square Cinema, and the annual Maine International Film Festival, MFC showcases the best of American independent, international, and repertory film, and offers the best popcorn in the known universe. 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. Over 10 days, the Festival showcases 100 films, representing the best of American independent and international cinema, and spotlights Maine and the world’s most exciting and innovative filmmakers.