PORTLAND, Maine — The Maine Outdoor Film Festival is back for its 12th year, once again delivering what its name suggests — films about the outdoors that are shown in the outdoors.
There are some exceptions, though.
“We’re moving some of our screenings inside,” says MOFF Director Nick Callanan, “And it’s opened up our ability to do a lot of features, which are tougher to program in these two-hour blocks that you have to squeeze in from 8 p.m. to curfew outside.”
Festivals like this one play a crucial role in the cinematic ecosystem. They provide oxygen to young filmmakers who shoot movies on tiny budgets and pour their souls into their work.
At MOFF, the aim is to give audiences stories of adventure, conservation, and connection.
“It’s so important. It’s really significant for us,” says Max Armstrong, a filmmaker who lives in Portland and whose documentary, “Seeds of Change,” will be presented at MOFF. “[Festivals] are really the first place where filmmakers come to exhibit our films and hopefully vie for wider distribution. It’s a great opportunity for us to sit there in the audience with people watching our film, get the response, talk to people afterwards. It’s really a beautiful experience.”
This year’s festival offers about 90 films in all. The screenings are all in Portland and run from July 20 to 30.