The Fifth Annual Camden International Film Festival

CIFF Founder makes Thom Powers' 20 Under 40: Film Industry Talent to Watch List

Ben Fowlie was recently recognized by Thom Powers of the Toronto International Film Festival and Stranger Than Fiction Film Series in his list of 20 documentary industry leaders under the age of 40 to keep an eye on. Powers noted that Ben and CIFF have "put a small town on the map of a crowded festival calendar. In order for film culture to flourish, we could use an organizer like Ben in every small town." Representatives from IFP, Maysles Films, Cinetic Media, Carnivalesque Films, Sheffield Doc Fest, Hot Docs and Cinereach to name a few were also recognized. For the complete list visit the STF blog.

Posted Jan 26, 2010

CIFF Continues Its World Domination!

The Camden International Film Festival was honored to host a reception for all the filmmakers nominated for a 2010 Cinema Eye Honors. The event was held the night before the awards and included an all star cast from the documentary film community. Several familiar faces from previous CIFF's filled the room and several were even attending as Cinema Eye nominees! Thanks to our sponsors Thomspon's Hotel LES, Maker's Mark and our partner, the Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking. Make sure to check out photos from the event from CIFF photographer, Bryan Bruchman on our Facebook or Flickr profiles.

Posted Jan 25, 2010

CIFF Recognized As One Of The Top International Documentary Film Festivals

The 2nd edition of the Top Twenty Five Film Festivals for Documentaries recently came out and CIFF managed to claim the #19 spot, sandwiched between the extremely poplar Sarasota and Thessaloniki FF. The list is the brainchild of filmmaker / blogger AJ Schnack who recently visited Camden for his 2009 New England Premiere screening of his latest film Convention, and has become a major resource for the international documentary filmmaking community. Created by a select number of filmmakers and industry representatives who have traveled the international festival circuit extensively, CIFF is by far the youngest festival mentioned and we're honored to have been recognized in such a big way. The reason?

"If a festival can be cozy and stimulating at the same time, then Camden is creating an exciting event to kick off the insanity that is the fall festival tour and is poised to become the top US doc showcase in the fall." - AJ Schnack

Posted Jan 24, 2010

Thank You!

Thanks to all our sponsors for making our 5th Anniversary Festival so memorable. We are proud be home in a community that supports the arts in such a big way.

Posted Oct 15, 2009

And The Winners Are...

The results are in and the juries have made their decisions. Thanks to our wonderful juries and congratulations to the 2009 Camden International Film Festival Winners!

Harrell Award for Best Documentary: Because We Were Born, Directed by Jean Pierre Duret (US Premiere)

"The jury gives Jean-Pierre Duret and Andrea Santana's Because We Were Born the Harrell Award for Best Documentary Feature for its excellence in cinematic craft and for its rigorously pure vérité aesthetic. The filmmakers have created a work that challenges the viewer on many levels. Told with a quiet intensity and deep love and respect for their subjects, in our opinion, this piece represents the best of what nonfiction cinema has to offer."

CIFF Award for Emerging Cinematic Vision: Philosopher Kings, Directed by Patrick Shen

"The jury is thrilled to present the CIFF Award to Patrick "Die Hard" Shen for his remarkable achievement, Philosopher Kings. The film took a sensitive and humanistic approach to its material, allowing its unconventional yet universal subjects to speak for themselves. Though they all had experiences that bordered on the extreme - from losing an arm in an accident to being traumatized by war - the subjects were individuals with wisdom and emotion before being victims of any tragedy. Shen, through his subjects, managed to touch on larger social issues through the eyes of several disparate, and remarkable, characters. So, for an amazing combination of casting, crafting, editing, and thinking outside the box about what makes a compelling film, we are proud to honor Patrick Shen.

Posted Oct 8, 2009