Summer Film Festivals

June 26, 2017

Is there any place more wonderful than New England in the summer? Rhetorical question, of course. And we’re sure that summer is pretty darn amazing in many parts of the country, but we have a soft spot for New England at its most quintessentially summery!

Think lobsters and Red Sox and roof top dining and lakeside bonfires and outdoor concerts…and film festivals! Summertime in New England offers up several established and notable film festivals, all worth the drive and each with its own unique character!

This past weekend, June 21-June 26, saw the conclusion of the Nantucket Film Festival. Check out some of the documentary films that were featured in this year’s program and look for them at other festivals or in screenings near you!

July 14 brings the opening of the Maine International Film Festival  in Waterville. Founded in 1998, the Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) is a project of the Maine Film Center. The 10-day festival presents nearly 100 films, representing the best of American independent and international cinema.

The festival also spotlights some of Maine and New England’s most exciting and innovative filmmakers. Audiences have opportunities to meet and talk with some of the people behind the movies – directors, producers, writers, musicians. Every year the Maine International Film Festival honor members of the independent film industry whose contributions to cinema deserve recognition.

Coming on the heels of the Maine International Film Festival is the Woods Hole Film Festival in Woods Hole, MA. This year’s festival runs July 29 through August 5. The Woods Hole Film Festival is an eight day showcase of independent film featuring daily screenings, workshops, panel discussions, staged readings, special events, parties, awards ceremony and more.  This New England mainstay on the film festival circuit is held annually from the last Saturday of July through the first Saturday of August and is the oldest independent film festival on Cape Cod and the Islands. Yankee Magazine designated the Woods Hole Film Festival as one of the Top 10 Events in Massachusetts for Summer 2017.

Just 3 days later, the Rhode Island Film Festival kicks off.  The festival takes place in the historic city of Providence as well as satellite locations throughout the state, including Bristol, Narragansett, Jamestown, Woonsocket, Barrington, East Providence, Tiverton, Cranston and Westerly. RIIFF provides programming to children’s hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and community youth organizations. Now in its 21stth year, the RIIFF will run from August 8 to August 13 and has grown to become a leading juried competition showcase for international independent filmmakers and their work. In 2017, the Festival will feature an expanded focus with a curated musical competition, expanded walks and tours, a film scavenger hunt, dinner and a movie options, outdoor screenings, history and much much more.

In 2016, the RIIFF screened 273 cinematic works in six days to large and appreciative crowds. The films screened came from 66 countries, and 34 US states.

Rounding out this season of cinematic offerings is the Camden International Film Festival running  September 14 to September 17. Founded in 2005, and recognized as one of the top 12 documentary film festivals in the world, the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) brings the finest non-fiction cinema to the rugged coast of Maine, showcasing over 80 documentary feature and short films from around the globe each Fall.

The 13th annual Camden International Film Festival will take place in Camden, Rockport and Rockland, Maine. The weekend will feature screenings of nearly 80 documentary films from both emerging and established filmmakers, most of whom attend the festival for post-screening discussions. The 2017 CIFF program will be announced in mid-August.