FESTIVAL FILMS: Shown in order of appearance

Haven’s Peak: Anna VanDam
Youth 
Narrative
Maine Filmmaker, EdGE
Filmmaker attending
Running Time: 4 Minutes
Synopsis: A girl takes her best friend on a journey to help her understand self worth.
Films from the EdGE are made possible by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission

Wings of the Heart: Kyle Leakfeldt
Youth
Narrative
Maine Filmmaker, EdGE
Filmmaker attending
Running Time: 6 Minutes
Synopsis: In a world where every person chooses to live in alignment with dark or light, a boy must chose which is right for him.
Films from the EdGE are made possible by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission

Only In Madagascar: Grace Pease
Youth
Documentary
Maine Filmmaker
Running Time: 17 Minutes
Synopsis: This inspiring documentary explores first hand all that is extraordinary about the island nation of Madagascar.

Face: Kari Jo Skoquist
http://thekjas.info 
Youth
Experimental
Running Time: 5 Minutes
Synopsis: A multimedia stop-motion animation, using clay, live action, and hand edited digital effects. The story and symbolism reflect journeys of self.

Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic: Habit Sharif, University of Maine Muslim Student Association
Youth
Documentary
Maine Film
Running Time: 20 Minutes
Synopsis: Using interviews with fellow students and skits, this funny, important film tries to break the stereotypes of what it means to be Muslim.

Forward To Yesterday: Melanie Samuelst & Katie Barker
Youth
Narrative
Filmmaker Melanie Samuels attending
Running Time:  4 Minutes
Synopsis: Best friends are put to the test as one of them makes bad choices.

Discord Daydream: Nia Freshman
Youth
Narrative/Experimental
Running Time:  9 Minutes
Synopsis: In this animation using a narrative structure, mundane chores cause a young girl's imagination to run wild, and she finds herself in a surreal wonderland inspired by Lewis Carroll.

Closer to the Ink: A Work in Progress by Nhi Nguyen
Youth
Documentary in progress, followed by a talk about process
Running Time:  9 Minutes
Maine Filmmaker
Filmmaker attending
Synopsis: This documentary delves into the relationship between a young Vietnamese woman and her family as they struggle to assimilate to American culture while maintaining their cultural identity. The filmmaker will share a rough edit and discuss her process.
Closer to the Ink is made possible by a grant from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health.

There Ought To Be A Law: Anita Clearfield, Shoshona Hoose, and Geoffrey Leighton
http://www.thereought2bealaw.com/
Documentary
Running Time:  56 Minutes
Maine Filmmakers
Filmmakers attending
Synopsis: On May 21, 2004, Cathy Crowley’s 18-year-old son Larry bought a shotgun at his local Wal-Mart. Later that weekend, the Lewiston youth killed himself. In her grief, Crowley went to the store manager seeking answers about why her son could so easily obtain a weapon. He said selling her son a gun was legal and if she didn’t like it, she should try to change the law. So Crowley did just that. This is her story.

High Plains Winter: Cindy Stillwell
http://www.hybridmediafilms.com/highplains.htm
Documentary/ Experimental
Running Time:  5 Minutes
Synopsis: High Plains Winter is a short experimental documentary film that looks at the winter season in relation to human experience.

Far From Home: Rachel Tsutsumi
http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c683.shtml
Documentary
Running Time: 40 Minutes
Filmmaker attending
Synopsis: Far From Home spotlights Kandice, an insightful, precocious African-American teenager participating in METCO, a voluntary Boston school integration program. Since kindergarten, she has risen before dawn each day to be bused to Weston, an affluent, predominantly white suburb. Now in her last two years of high school, she takes us inside her personal triumphs and daily negotiations: serving as the first black class president, playing the college admissions game, defying stereotypes she feels from white society, living up to her family’s tradition of activism. Kandice’s grandfather, a civil rights activist murdered in 1968, helped found the busing program and her mother was among the first black students bused to the suburbs in the late 1960s. Through cinema verité and interviews, the film weaves together Kandice’s current school life with a family history that has been profoundly shaped by racially integrated educational experiences.

Wet: Hannah Beth King
http://www.hbkfilm.com/
Narrative
Running Time: 15:40 
Synopsis: On the eve of her baptism, 12-year-old Jane makes a poolside discovery of sexuality with the help of her best friend, Sandy. When Jane’s grandmother catches her exploring the jets late at night, a playful step towards adolescence very quickly becomes a troublesome rite of passage for the girl.

The Breast Cancer Diaries: Linda Pattillo, Ann Murray Paige, and Kate Nelligan
http://www.thebreastcancerdiaries.com
Documentary
Running Time: 77 Minutes
Filmmakers attending
Synopsis: A story of love, liberation, and laughter. Diagnosed with breast cancer at age 38, young mother and television journalist Ann Murray Paige turned the camera on herself, setting up a video diary camera in her bedroom. Ann’s unvarnished account is punctuated with poignancy, romance & humor. This inspiring film will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers.