PORTLAND, Maine — The Camden International Film Festival kicks off this evening, featuring about 60 documentaries that will be screened at three venues in the Midcoast.
The festival attracts not just films but filmmakers. They come to Maine from around the world to talk about their work, meet fans, schmooze, and try to get their movies into other festivals and on streaming and cable networks.
For three or four days, says festival executive director Ben Fowlie, Maine turns into “the center of the global documentary community.”
The films cover a wide range of themes and personalities. One profiles an American president who, according to his wife, was overcome by “the black beast of depression.”
Another tells the story of a filmmaker who, as part of an exploration of storytelling and memory, decided to build an ark in his yard in Maine.
Intrigued? Watch our conversation with Fowlie to learn more about this year’s festival.