Maine International Film Festival

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The Maine International Film Festival, or MIFF, is a 10-day film festival held annually in Waterville, Maine. The festival usually runs in the third week of July at Railroad Square Cinema and the Waterville Opera House. Founded in 1998, the festival showcases independent and international films, with a special focus on Maine and New England themed productions. [1] [2] [3]

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Description

The MIFF Midlife Achievement Award is given annually to an actor or filmmaker whose contributions to independent cinema merit recognition. Past honorees include directors Jonathan Demme, Terrence Malick, and Walter Hill, and actors Gabriel Byrne, John Turturro, Ed Harris, Peter Fonda, Lili Taylor, Sissy Spacek, Dominique Sanda, and Michael Murphy. Additionally, Oscar-winning film editor Thelma Schoonmaker was honored in 2012. Highlights of the honorees' work are incorporated into the festival programming. In 2017, the festival honored Roger Deakins with the inaugural Karl Struss Legacy Award for Distinguished Achievement in Cinematography, named for and dedicated to the eponymous pioneering Maine-connected Hollywood cinematographer.

The festival does not give awards to individual films and performances, though an audience favorite is determined each year by a balloting process. Past audience favorites include: George Washington (2000), The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2005), The Brand New Testament (2016 [4] ) and The Children Act (2018).

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References

  1. "The Maine International Film Festival Celebrates Its Biggest Premiere Yet". Down East Magazine. 2023-06-16. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  2. Perkins, Dennis (2023-07-03). "Indie Film: At Waterville film festival, sit back and enjoy new seats, centralized location, same high-quality shows". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  3. "Local filmmakers win prizes at Maine International Film Festival". Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. 2022-07-30. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  4. "Festival Archive | Maine International Film Festival | Waterville, Maine". Maine International Film Festival.