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Camden IFF Supports Cinema Eye Honors

Last week the doc community gathered in NYC for the annual Cinema Eye Honors to recognize yet another great year in documentary film.  The Camden International Film Festival was there as a proud sponsor of the Awards show for the 2nd straight  year.  The Cinema Eye Honors have quickly become an extremely important event that recognizes craft in the art of documentary filmmaking, (It’s the only awards show to recognize cinematography and score in documentary film) and this year marked an expansion to highlight international works that are still quite unknown to the general American audiences (as programmers, we are always hoping and looking to find ways to change that!).  2010 has been coined as one of the best years for documentary film and it’s events like this that prove that that statement is actually quite true.  Dozens of films were nominated by a panel of international documentary programmers from various festivals and voted on by a large pool of filmmakers and industry.

Congrats to all the films and filmmakers nominated, and congrats to the winners! It’s important to note that several films that took home awards were overlooked by the Academy, including THE OATH (Best Direction), LAST TRAIN HOME (Best Cinematography, Best Production) LA DANSE and ARMADILLO.  One of our favorite films from 2010, MARWENCOL (which decided to forgo an Oscar run) was also nominated, and Director Jeff Malmberg took home an award for Best Debut Feature.  It’s also important to note that EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP took home the top prize (Best Feature) at Cinema Eye…and with Oscar nominations being announced today, does it stand a chance to win the big one in February?  Time will tell.

Below are some photos of the CIFF sponsored Nominees Reception at the luxurious Hudson Bar in Manhattan.  We’d like to thank Vistas for coming all the way from Maine to play and our co-sponsors for the event, Maine Distilleries (Cold River Gin and Vodka) and our supportive media sponsor, maine. magazine.  It’s always nice to be able to bring a little bit of the motherland to the big apple!

Festival Programmer on Uniondocs Panel in NYC

Festival founder and programmer Ben Fowlie will be in NYC on a panel organized by Union Docs with fellow documentary programmers from Silverdocs, Sundance and RIDM in Montreal.  The panel, “Why festivals? Doc film fest programmers discuss” will take place on Sunday, January 16th at the Union Docs head quarters in Brooklyn.  The organization presents a broad range of innovative and thought-provoking non-fiction projects to the general public, while also cultivating specialized opportunities for learning, critical discourse, and creative collaboration for emerging media-makers, theorists, and curators.

The event falls two nights before the annual Cinema Eye Honors, this year held January 18th at the Museum of Moving Images.

For more information on the panel visit the Union Docs website.

Points North Pitch at this years Camden IFF

Are you a filmmaker working in New England?  Got a documentary in develop?  Looking for feedback?  CIFF has got an outlet for you.  This year the Points North Forum, a 2 day networking event running concurrently with CIFF, will introduce the inaugural Points North Pitch.  6 projects from New England will have the opportunity to share work in front of a number of esteemed industry leaders.  This is a very unique opportunity for the regional filmmaking community.  Don’t miss your chance to get critical feedback on your film.  For more information on Points North and the pitch, check out the Points North page on our site.  Submissions will be accepted through early September so don’t delay…

Frederick Wiseman at the DocYard

On Monday, July 19th legendary documentary film director Frederick Wiseman delighted a packed house, answering questions after a screening of one of his classics, HOSPITAL.  The film was part of the bi-weekly screening series called The DocYard which takes place at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA.  The series is sponsored in part by the Camden International Film Festival and features a few hits from the 2009 event, as well as other festival favorites and classics.  For more information visit The DocYard’s site. Below are a few photos from the evening.

CIFF Collaborates on ALLELUIA JUNCTION Screening

The Camden International Film Festival is proud to be teaming up with local filmmaker, Dana Rae Warren to premiere her latest work ALLELUIA JUNCTION at the Strand Theatre on July 3rd, 2010. The film follows 80 people ages 10 to 85 sing their way across 15 time zones in 2 weeks. By the time they arrive in the Russian Far East on the 4th of July,
they have a new understanding of what it means to be a citizen of the world.

Reflecting the choir’s magical experience on the Trans-Siberian Railway (portrayed in the film), the day begins with a vintage train ride from Brunswick to Rockland, Maine.
Maine Eastern Railroad will sponsor the romantic Parlor Car, which will serve as an event car for a “sing-along” with choir members. Upon arriving at the train station restaurant, riders will be treated to historical archival train footage provided by Maine-based Northeast Historic Film.

A free reception will follow at the gallery of North Haven artist Eric Hopkins. The film’s musicians will perform four pieces.

This is a free screening! For more information visit The Strand Theatre’s website.

Check out the trailer here.