July 13-22, Waterville, Maine (RR=Railroad Square Cinema; OH=Waterville Opera House)

MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2012 FILM SCREENINGS

MID-LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER THELMA SCHOONMAKER In a way, Thelma Schoonmakers 7 Academy Award nominations and 3 Oscars speak for themselves. In another, they only tell a fraction of the story of this miraculous film editor. Thelmas work will forever be associated with the dizzying output of one man: Martin Scorsese, every one of whose films since Raging Bull in 1980 she has edited. But theres also another fascinating side to Thelma: she was married, until his death in 1990, to Michael Powell, arguably the greatest director in British film history. What an honor and what a pleasure it is to welcome her to MIFF to receive this years Mid- Life Achievement Award! Presentation of Mid-Life Achievement Award and Goodfellas Winner of Best Film of the Year from the National Society of Film Critics. Arguably Martin Scorseses most amazing filmand even more arguably his most amazingly edited one, thanks to Thelma. Thrilling, hilarious, harrowing, breathtaking and exhilarating, often all at the same time, Goodfellas is the story of a poor Irish-Italian kid growing up in 1950s New York City who rises through the ranks of his Brooklyn neighborhoods organized crime branch. Tuesday, July 17, 6:30 p.m., OH Kundun Stunning, odd, glorious, calm and sensationally absorbing, Scorseses Kundun is a remarkable piece of work with vital colors and a wrenching message. Its the visually detailed biographical story of the 14th Dalai Lama, spiritual and political leader of Tibet, from his childhood to his forced exile in 1959 at age 24. Kundun introduces the Dalai Lama as a toddler and follows his discovery by elders as a reincarnation of the Buddha through his training by monks and enthronement as Tibets leaderS.F. Chronicle Wednesday, July 18, 3:30 p.m., OH The Edge of the World The moving story of a remote island in the Shetlands and its inhabitants, whose traditions and way of life are threatened by a rapidly industrializing world. To settle an argument over whether the islanders should give up their livelihood and move to the mainland, two childhood friends follow an ancient tradition and climb the islands highest cliff face. The outcome shatters the islands peace and splits the two clans apart in this early Michael Powell triumph. Wednesday, July 18, 6:30 p.m., RR1 The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp Maybe the most wonderfully British movie ever made. A tender satire about the changing of the guard, it starts as a parody. But the heartbreaking second half brings it above and beyondsomething like Grand Illusion, as gentlemanly fighting gives way to WWIIs clash for your very existence. Complex, unmissable. Time Out NY. An eye-popping, lavish, Technicolor production from Michael Powell. Tuesday, July 17, 2:45 p.m., OH

SPECIAL GUEST: KAREN BLACK What a jaw-dropping actress Karen Black is, and what a jawdropping career shes had! Unforgettable and absolutely distinctive in films from Five Easy Pieces (Oscar nomination and Best Supporting Actress of the Year from the National Society of Film Critics) to Nashville to horror fave House of a Thousand Corpses, having worked with directors from Alfred Hitchcock to Robert Altman to Dennis Hopper, she sports an amazing filmographyincluding this years Made-in-Maine Opening Night Film, VacationLand. We are truly thrilled and honored to have her with us this year at MIFF. Five Easy Pieces In his first starring role after Easy Rider first drew him widespread recognition, Jack Nicholson plays a concert-level pianist whod rather work on an oil rig and disguise himself as an average Joe living with his working class girlfriend (Karen, in the role that made her a star) than accept his wealthy familys personal and financial legacy. But when Bobby finds out that his fathers dying, he travels back to Washington State to see the old man. Oscar nominee for Karen, Jack, Best Picture of the Year. Sunday, July 15, 6:30 p.m., OH Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean Under the direction of Robert Altman, a virtually all female cast acts the heck out of the story of a reunion of six members of a James Dean fan club in the Woolworths of a small Texas town near where Giant, Deans last film, was shot. Karens character, Jo, serves as a catalyst for the action; the discovery of the changes she has experienced leads Mona (Sandy Dennis) and Sissy (Cher) to reveal the secrets in their own lives. Newly restored 35 mm print! Saturday, July 14, 12:30 p.m., OH Maria My Love When a young and bright but bewildered caf waitress and college dropout whos grieving the recent death of her mother finds a disheveled older woman (Karen) stumbling on the sidewalk, something is awakened in her. An unlikely motherdaughter relationship begins to develop between Ana and her new friend, based on mutual need and the deep-seated urge in each woman to embrace something beyond frightened solitude. Shown with: Help, a short film directed by Karen herself, filmed in one continuous shot aboard a subway. Saturday, July 14, 6:30 p.m., RR1 The Day of the Locust A Golden Globe Best Actress nomination for Karen and an Oscar nomination for Burgess Meredith are among the recognition for The Day of the Locust, from the director of Midnight Cowboy, John Schlesinger. A cynical and gothic look at Hollywood during the late 1930s, based on Nathaniel Wests classic novel. Sunday, July 15, 3:15 p.m., RR2

July 13-22, Waterville, Maine (RR=Railroad Square Cinema; OH=Waterville Opera House)

MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2012 FILM SCREENINGS

MOVIES & LIVE MUSIC

SPECIAL GUEST: JIM STARK Jim Stark is one of the bedrock producers of TRULY independent cinema for the past several decades. From some of the earliest and best work of Jim Jarmusch (Down by Law, Mystery Train) to the biggest international success of Icelandic iconoclast Fridrik Thor Fridriksson (Cold Fever) to his lovely new film, The Pier, the second film from Irish director Gerard Hurley, Jim has steadily backed the visions of innovative new talent, international auteurs and artists committed to movies that are anything but normal. Cold Fever A mystified young Japanese man, seeking to honor his parents who drowned in an Icelandic river years earlier, journeys there in this moving and very funny film about cultural misunderstanding. An odd and beautiful film about a pilgrimage to a desolate land, gripped by winter and inhabited by people whose customs are a mystery not only to the visitor from Japan, but to us. Portrays Iceland as a haunting and beautiful land.Roger Ebert Friday, July 20, 6:30 p.m., OH Sunday, July 22, 12:30 p.m., RR1 In the Soup A scruffy writer (Steve Buscemi), tortured by self-doubt, financial ruin, and unrequited passion for his next door neighbor (Jennifer Beals), places an ad offering his mammoth screenplay to the highest bidder. In steps his guardian angel, a fast-talking shyster (Seymour Cassel) who promises to produce the film but complicates things with his own designs. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival; a droll, self-conscious fable with an unexpected heart of goldN.Y. Times. Sunday, July 22, 3:30 p.m., RR1 Mystery Train 21 years later, Jim Jarmuschs love letter to the seedier side of Memphis feels like a nostalgic postcard from the golden age of independent cinemaEntertainment Weekly. 3 somewhat entwined stories involving foreign tourists in Tennessee. Each story is set in a fleabag Memphis hotel which has been refitted as a tribute to Elvis Presley. Thursday, July 19, 9:30 p.m., RR1 The Pier Schull, a village in West Cork, lies on the impossibly scenic Irish coast. But its soil is black with all the bitter souls inhabiting it. Larry McCarthy is a sour man who pretends hes dying in order to get his son Jack back from America. When Jack arrives, he finds the old coot just wants him to go knocking on the doors of hostile villagers, collecting his debts for him. One ray of sunshine is Grace (Lili Taylor), an American woman looking for her roots. Thursday, July 19, 6:30 p.m., RR1 Friday, July 20, 9:30 p.m., OH

Carl Dimow & the Casco Bay Tummlers in concert! With a screening of Mon-noM The music for Mon-noM was composed by Carl Dimow, and recorded by his Maine-based klezmer band, the Casco Bay Tummlerswho will perform live after the film! Mon-noM is a funny documentary based on the meetings of individuals who bear the exact same name, calling into question the very meaning of the word identity. (Tickets: $12) Sunday, July 15, 6:30 p.m., RR1 Jim White in concert! With a screening of Searching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus Jim White, simply the coolest, most brilliantly original and downright best alt-country singer on the planet, will make his first Maine appearance in a full length concert after a screening of the weird and wonderful film in which he stars. An amazing piece of work. The film essentially follows one man, Jim White, as he deals with both his own and the Souths demonsand in the process we are given a musical tour of another planet. Beautiful, dark and weird stuff.David Byrne. Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus is a captivating and compelling road trip through the creative spirit of the South. (Tickets: $15) Saturday, July 21, 7:30 p.m., OH

OPENING NIGHT FILM VacationLand World Premiere! One of the most delightful opening night films weve ever had at MIFF is also one of the first made right here in the state, with a cast uniting our special guest this year, Oscar nominee Karen Black, with closer-to-home-grown talent and a universal topic. Journeying to the mountains of western Maine for a high summer reunion that no one seems to know about, several membersand one would be memberof a scattered family find beauty, truth and a buried treasure of no particular worth in VacationLand, a very funny, very honest, very observant human comedy. Friday, July 13, 6:30 p.m., OH Saturday, July 14, 3:30 p.m., RR1 CENTERPIECE FILM The Oranges The Ostroffs and the Wallings, neighbors with newly grown kids on a suburban street, have always been close. But when Nina Ostroff (Leighton Meester) comes back for Thanksgiving dinner after 5 years on her own, that closeness and everything else will get called into question when she and patriarch David Walling (Hugh Laurie) find themselves falling in love. An amazing combination of the comic and the serious, a gentle satire and muted celebration of the American family with a great cast also including Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Allison Janney, Boyd Holbrook, Alia Shawkat and Adam Brody. Wednesday, July 18, 6:30 p.m., OH Sunday, July 22, 3:15 p.m., RR2

July 13-22, Waterville, Maine (RR=Railroad Square Cinema; OH=Waterville Opera House)

MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2012 FILM SCREENINGS

CLOSING NIGHT FILM Chicken with Plums The creators of Persepolis follow their terrific debut with an inspired adaptation of another of Marjane Satrapis awardwinning graphic novels. Chicken with Plums, seamlessly mixing brief flights of imaginative animation with live action, spirits us back to 1958 Tehran, where temperamental musician Nasser Ali lives for his music, until his beloved violin is damaged and he falls into his imagination, wending back through his life and magically, into his childrens futures. Sunday, July 22, 7:00 p.m., OH

Le Amiche The international breakthrough of Michelangelo Antonioni (Blow Up) in the 1960s, which made him one of the most recognized filmmakers in the world, also largely overshadowed his earlier films, including this gem, which has rarely been shown in this country. Yet in this tale of desperate upper-class Italian housewives are to be found all of the great artists concerns embodied in his later, better known works. Antonioni explores the inner lives of female characters with a story that centers around Clelia and her friends... Monday, July 16, 9:15 p.m., RR2 Friday, July 20, 3:15 p.m., RR2 The Big Sky Initially dismissed as a lesser Howard Hawks western, this rousing, visually stunning frontier adventure has been reappraised, listed by Jonathan Rosenbaum on his alternate list of the 100 greatest American films. In the early 1830s, two restless Kentucky trailblazers join an expedition traveling some 2,000 miles up the Missouri River to trade goods with the Blackfoot Indians. Standing in their way: the mighty Missouri River Company, which doesnt take kindly to outside competition. Newly restored to its original, full-length glory. Friday, July 20, 3:30 p.m., OH The Breaking Point An adaptation of Ernest Hemingways To Have and Have Notand one thats more faithful to the novel than the classic Bogart and Bacall film that actually bears that nameThe Breaking Point reunites director Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) with star John Garfield, who plays a down-on-his-luck charter boat captain who falls in with a shady lawyer and his disreputable clients. Monday, July 16, 9:30 p.m., OH The Chase A great, archetypalthough little seenfilm noir, based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich. Unemployed World War II vet Chuck Scott comes across a lost wallet, and tracks down its owner, vicious gangster Eddie Roman. Roman hires Scott to be his chauffeur, and soon, Scott starts to fall for Romans suicidal young wife, Lorna. However, when the couple decides to flee together, they discover just how difficult it is to escape Romans web. A nightmarish journey into fear, terror, and paranoiawith a surprising twist. Sunday, July 15, 9:30 p.m., OH Sunday, July 22, 12:30 p.m., OH The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) Viscontis The Leopard is an epic on the grandest scale, recreating, with nostalgia, drama, and opulence, the tumultuous years of Italys Risorgimento when the aristocracy lost its grip and the middle classes rose and formed a democratic Italy. Burt Lancaster stars as the aging prince watching his culture and fortune wane in the face of a new generation, represented by his upstart nephew (Alain Delon) and his beautiful fiance (Claudia Cardinale). Grand Prize Winner at Cannes in 1963. It is magnificentRoger Ebert. Wednesday, July 18, 2:15 p.m., RR1 Thursday, July 19, 2:15 p.m., OH

RE-DISCOVERY FILMS The Long Day Closes Visually gorgeous, associatively structured, The Long Day Closes mines the rich ore of director Terence Davies (Distant Voices, Still Lives) Liverpool childhood. It focuses on his shy, daydreaming alter ego, Bud, growing up poor and Catholic during a time in the mid 50s after the death of his brutal father. Composed of the details and small moments that make up a life, the film is infused with a sense of contentment occasionally darkened by the shadow of sadness. Saturday, July 14, 3:00 p.m., RR3 Saturday, July 21, 9:00 p.m., RR3 Punishment Park 1970. The federal authorities are given the power to detain persons judged to be a risk to internal security. In a desert zone in the southwest, a civilian tribunal passes sentence on groups of dissidents, who are given the choice of fighting for their lives as they are hunted down by the forces of law and order. A documentary? Not really, though its shot in documentary style, but Peter Watkins (Edward Munch) amazing 1970 film looks both terrifyingly realistic and, perhaps, uncannily prophetic. Friday, July 13, 9:15 p.m., RR2 Thursday, July 19, 9:30 p.m., OH TRIBUTE TO THE FILM FOUNDATION The Film Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1990 by Martin Scorsese, dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history. Since its inception, the foundation has helped to save over 545 motion pictures. MIFF has always had a huge interest in bringing the glories of our cinematic past to our audiences, and thus our annual ReDiscovery section. But with this years Film Foundation support, this section is bigger and more dazzling than ever. Two other Film Foundation-restored prints are showing in other sections too: Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean in the Karen Black section, and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp in the Thelma Schoonmaker section. All are once-in-a-lifetime showings of some of the greatest movies ever made.

July 13-22, Waterville, Maine (RR=Railroad Square Cinema; OH=Waterville Opera House)

MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2012 FILM SCREENINGS

Letter from an Unknown Woman The finest American film from Max Ophls, this elegant, complex movie looks increasingly like one of the absolute finest works in filmic historybeautiful, insightful, and arguably feminist before its time. Joan Fontaine plays a young woman who falls in love with a concert pianist and never wavers in her obsession with him over the course of decades, despite his callowness. Set in Vienna at the turn of the century, the story is told in a complex flashback structure. Monday, July 16, 3:30 p.m., OH Once Upon a Time in the West Is this nothing short of the greatest movie ever made?! With every year since its insufficiently appreciated debut in 1968, that notion looks increasingly possible. Sergio Leone reimagines the American Western genre, populating it with invented archetypal characters, a brilliantly mysterious flashback structure, absolutely unique humor, sweeping cinematography, and a brilliant analysis of capitalism to make a movie thats unforgettable, unique and endlessly entertaining as well as transcendent, starring Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Jr. and Claudia Cardinale. Monday, July 16, 6:00 p.m., OH CINEMA OF RESISTANCE: FILMS FROM ISRAEL/PALESTINE In the tumultuous region of Israel and Palestine, there is a powerful new wave of political movies that resist the status quo and form a strong statement against injustice. Join Anthony Kaufman, a film journalist (Variety, Indiewire.com, Utne Reader) and teacher (The New School), for discussions after the afternoon screenings*. 5 Broken Cameras A powerfully intimate documentary, 5 Broken Cameras chronicles the moving story of an amateur Palestinian videographer who becomes the peaceful archivist of an escalating struggle in his hometown as olive trees are bulldozed, lives are lost, and a separation wall is built to segregate burgeoning Israeli settlements. *Wednesday, July 18, 3:15 p.m., RR2 Friday, July 20, 9:30 p.m., RR1 Policeman This artful, thought-provoking political thriller follows two opposing close-knit groups in Tel Aviv, an anti-terrorist police squad and a group of Israeli revolutionaries, who will come together by films end in a tense and revealing climax. Boldly conceived and bracingly toldHollywood Reporter. Tuesday, July 17, 9:15 p.m., RR2 *Sunday, July 22, 12:45 p.m., RR2 The Law in These Parts A commanding and compassionate inquiry into the heart of Israels moral quandary. A maverick nonfiction director effectively puts former Israeli military justices and prosecutors on trial, interrogating them on whether justice truly can be served for Palestinians under Israeli law. Winner of the Sundance World Cinema Grand Jury Prize. Sunday, July 15, 9:30 p.m., RR1 *Thursday, July 19, 3:30 p.m., RR1

FEATURE FILMS 5 Days in Denver Protesters. Police. Pepper Spray. For 5 days in 2008, a group of protesters calling themselves Re-create 68 took to the streets of Denver to dissent against the American government at the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Defying federal court orders, riot police and bad press, they set out to re-create the spirit of the 60s and exercise their version of democracy, offering a critique of the American political system that rejects both major parties and anticipates the Occupy Movement. Showing with: The Chaos Trade@Occupy Wall Street, Street theater comes to Wall Street in this politically charged short. Sunday, July 15, 9:00 p.m., RR3 Thursday, July 19, 9:15 p.m., RR2 Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry Ai Weiwei is Chinas most famous international artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, bulldozed his studio, and held him in secret detention. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics. Its a truly enthralling film. Saturday, July 21, 12:15 p.m., RR1 Wednesday, July 18, 9:30 p.m., RR1 Boom Varietal Argentine Malbec is currently the fastest growing wine varietal in the United Statesand, at its finest, increasingly recognized as a world class wine, Malbec is booming. U.S. consumers now seem to be enamored with the varietal, but will the boom last? Beautifully shot in the hills of the Andes, Boom Varietal will unlock your understanding of Argentinas great Malbecand make you thirsty for more. And youll be able to satisfy that thirst with our Malbec tasting, after the Sunday, July 15 screening! Sunday, July 15, 3:30 p.m., RR1 Tuesday, July 17, 6:00 p.m., RR3 Breathing Roman is dead to the world. At 18, hes an orphan whos spent his whole life in institutions. So it makes a kind of weird sense that Roman should find life again by working with the dead in director Karl Markovicss controlled, realistic but masterfully shot film from Austria, their entry to this years Oscars. The film suddenly becomes very compelling, as the previously hopeless Roman begins to appreciate life. Breathing works its way under your skin.Georgia Straight Saturday, July 14, 12:00 p.m., RR3 Wednesday, July 18, 3:00 p.m., RR3

July 13-22, Waterville, Maine (RR=Railroad Square Cinema; OH=Waterville Opera House)

MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2012 FILM SCREENINGS

The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best A failing singer-songwriter in a quarter-life crisis decides to hit the road with a self-appointed music revolutionary in Ryan ONans (Eat Pray Love) impressive directorial debut, which he also wrote and stars in. Attesting to the youthful ideology of living for yourself no matter how much the world tells you not to, this poignant dramatic musical comedy will surprise you with its maturity and great Shins meets Sesame Street tunes. Friday, July 13, 9:15 p.m., OH Sunday, July 15, 9:15 p.m., RR2 Tuesday, July 17, 3:30 p.m., RR1 Charlie and Me World Premiere! A somewhat comic tale of Gregg and his 12-year old son Charlie who, separated for the first time while Gregg travels alone in Europe, exchange stories of love and desire via Skype. A beautiful understated film from the director of The Wright Brothers. Wednesday, July 18, 6:15 p.m., RR2 Saturday, July 21, 6:00 p.m., RR3 Consuming Spirits An animated, truly independent American film, not created for kids, made over 15 years of laborious work by, essentially, one artist! Downtrodden and ragtag, yet resilient and animated in more ways than one, the protagonists of Consuming Spirits lead a hard-knock life in an Appalachian town rife with secrets. This labor of love has the same roughedged, cantankerous charms as the characters that populate it...A wonderful achievementJeff Hart, Culture Blues Friday, July 13, 6:30 p.m., RR1 Saturday, July 21, 3:15 p.m., RR2 The Dirty Picture The Dirty Picture features a knock-out performance by Bollywoods hottest new star, Vidya Balan. Based on a true story about the Bollywood film industry itself, it contains several of the spectacular musical production numbers that have made it so famous. The Dirty Picture traces the rise and fall of the notorious real life 1980s Bollywood movie star Silk, going as far as Bollywood conventions will allow in a film thats equal parts biopic, affectionate retro satire and melodrama. Sunday, July 15, 12:00 p.m., OH Monday, July 16, 6:30 p.m., RR1 Sunday, July 22, 12:00 p.m., RR3 Dreamcatcher World Premiere! A fantasy on the art of dreaming as seen through the lens of contemporary dance, Dreamcatcher combines traditional and unusual camera techniques to capture the emotional truth of a highly imaginative dance piece originally conceived and performed at Colby College in 1995; now reworked into a beautiful collage of filmic artistry and live performance by original choreographer Tina Wentzel and John D. Ervin. Tuesday, July 17, 3:00 p.m., RR3 Saturday, July 21, 3:00 p.m., RR3

The Eighteenth Hour World Premiere! World premiere from young Waterville filmmaker Damian Veilleux. Carl Hersch has a front row seat to the end of all things as he recalls the events that unfold in The Eighteenth Hour. Carls recollections follow Dominic through a harrowing ordeal where this enigmatic teen comes to realize that the harsh reality hes sought to escape through his imagination is a reality doomed by malevolent forces bent on merging their world with ours. Wednesday, July 18, 9:30 p.m., OH A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle for a Living Planet The first cinematic history of the environmental movement and its a great and thoroughly engrossing one. Director Mark Kitchell (Berkeley in the Sixties) has created a must-see film that documents crucial moments in the history of environmental activism. Ardently passionate and naturally provocative, the eco-chronicle A Fierce Green Fire has the informality of an Occupy encampment, the militancy of antiwhaler Paul Watson and a genuine sense of historyJohn Anderson, Variety. Saturday, July 14, 3:15 p.m., RR2 Sunday, July 15, 12:30 p.m., RR1 Flat Daddy Its often the families of those in the military who have borne the disproportionate burden of more than a decade at war. Many have turned to Flat Daddies: life-sized cardboard cutouts of their husbands, wives, parents and children serving overseas, to ease the pain of repeated deployments. Flat Daddy follows four such families, including one from Maine!as they unfold over the course of a year. Sunday, July 15, 3:00 p.m., RR3 Friday, July 20, 3:00 p.m., RR3 Folie a Deux World Premiere! A man and a woman meet in a rundown English seaside town, after initially making contact online. They spend the afternoon together, encountering several oddball characters (a priest whos lost his faith, a travelling salesman, a Shakespearequoting drunk); eventually they reach a hotel. It is only here that the true reason for their liaison starts to become apparent... Sunday, July 15, 6:15 p.m., RR2 Saturday, July 21, 6:15 p.m., RR2 For The Love of the Music: The Club 47 Folk Revival This toe-tapping history of Club 47 in Cambridge in the 1960s, which birthed a folk music renaissance and singer/songwriter revolution, explores the history of this amazing spot with performances by and interviews with Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Maria Muldaur, Taj Mahal, Jim Kweskin, Tom Rush and others. Newly filmed performances are included, featuring the stars from Club 47, along with todays emerging folk performers... Monday, July 16, 6:15 p.m., RR2 Tuesday, July 17, 9:30 p.m., RR1 Saturday, July 21, 3:30 p.m., OH

July 13-22, Waterville, Maine (RR=Railroad Square Cinema; OH=Waterville Opera House)

MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2012 FILM SCREENINGS

Freedom and Unity: The Vermont Movie Work in Progress Screening Although Vermont and Maine are quite different, they arguably have more in common than with any other states. A group of more than two dozen critically acclaimed Vermont filmmakers (among them former MIFF Audience Award winner Nora Jacobson) and historians set out to explore the states legacy of freedom and tolerance: where it came from, when it has triumphed and when it has fallen short, how it shapes the present, and how it lays the groundwork for the future of the state, the nation, and the world. Thursday, July 19, 6:15 p.m., RR2 Saturday, July 21, 12:00 p.m., RR3 Girl Model From acclaimed Maine-based documentary filmmakers David Redmon and Ashley Sabin (Downeast) comes Girl Model, following two women involved in the Siberian-Japanese modeling industry. Ashley is a deeply ambivalent model scout who scours the Siberian countryside looking for fresh faces to send to the Japanese market; one of her discoveries is Nadya, a thirteen year-old plucked from the Siberian countryside and dropped into the center of Tokyo with promises of a profitable career. Saturday, July 14, 12:15 p.m., RR2 Thursday, July 19, 9:00 p.m., RR3 Friday, July 20, 6:00 p.m., RR3 Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai From visionary auteur Takashi Miike comes the story of a mysterious samurai who arrives at the doorstep of his feudal lord, requesting an honorable death by ritual suicide in his courtyard. The lord threatens him with the brutal tale of a desperate young ronin who made a similar request with ulterior motives, only to meet a grisly end. Undaunted, the samurai begins to tell a story of his own, with an ending no one could see coming. Very much in the tradition and quality of the great samurai films of the past! Saturday, July 14, 3:30 p.m., OH Monday, July 16, 9:00 p.m., RR3 Tuesday, July 17, 6:15 p.m., RR2 Hardwater World Premiere! The world premiere of a new film from local filmmakers Ryan Brod and Daniel Sites about a VERY local subjectice fishing! Hardwater introduces 77-year-old Mainer Bob Foster, following him hundreds of miles north to Long Lake, near the very top of Maine, where he targets big landlocked salmona fish that he used to catch decades ago just minutes from his central Maine home. Hardwater is a film about Maine tradition, and a shared passion for storytelling and fishing. Saturday, July 21, 6:30 p.m., RR1 Sunday, July 22, 3:30 p.m., OH

How to Survive a Plague Combating institutional indifference, sluggishness and outright hostility, AIDS activists from the late 80s onward forced attention to be paid, eventually drastically reducing U.S. fatalities in what had been a virtual death sentence epidemic. Hindsight allows How to Survive a Plague a concise overviews clarity and an epic narrative shape, with a happy ending to boot... Truly stirring! Dennis Harvey, Variety Saturday, July 14, 9:15 p.m., RR2 Monday, July 16, 6:00 p.m., RR3 Like the Water World Premiere! Using the ripe Maine summer landscape with a beauty and tenderness thats infectious, Like the Water follows Charlie, a young journalist, as she returns to her hometown, Camden, to write the eulogy for her best friend, Katherine, unearthing feelings of guilt and resentment toward Katherines girlfriend. Co-written by one of its lead actresses, Camden native Caitlin FitzGerald (Its Complicated, Newlyweds.) Saturday, July 14, 6:30 p.m., OH Monday, July 16, 9:30 p.m., RR1 Wednesday, July 18, 9:00 p.m., RR3 Noreaster World Premiere! World premiere of a powerful new dramatic feature set and shot on Vinalhaven! A young priest, the sole Catholic authority on a small island off the coast of Maine, is visited by the mother of a child who has been missing for 5 years and now wishes to hold a symbolic funeral in an effort to move on. Yet when the familys decision becomes public, the child shockingly reappears Thursday, July 19, 6:30 p.m., OH Friday, July 20, 9:00 p.m., RR3 Saturday, July 21, 9:30 p.m., RR1 The Painting (Le Tableau) This French Cesar (Oscar equivalent) nominee for Best Animated Feature is as inventive and charming a film as youre likely to see all year. In this wryly imaginative parable, a kingdom is divided into three castes: the impeccably painted Alldunns who reside in a majestic palace; the Halfies who the Painter has left incomplete; and the untouchable Sketchies, simple charcoal outlines who are banished to the cursed forest. Shown with: Youd Think Wed Never Stop Dancing, a Maine-made animated short. Saturday, July 14, 6:00 p.m., RR3 Tuesday, July 17, 9:00 p.m., RR3 Friday, July 20, 6:15 p.m., RR2 Planet of Snail Cinematic love stories dont come more convincing or singular than thisVillage Voice. Young-Chan has been deaf and blind since childhood and has no idea how to participate in the worlduntil he meets Soon-Ho, who is also physically handicapped. He marries her and begins to learn to communicate through her. Sunday, July 15, 12:00 p.m., RR3 Monday, July 16, 3:00 p.m., RR3

July 13-22, Waterville, Maine (RR=Railroad Square Cinema; OH=Waterville Opera House)

MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2012 FILM SCREENINGS

A Real Life (Au Voleur) One of Guillaume Dpardieus final screen appearances: a playful, New Wave-inflected road movie with a killer soundtrack. Reacting impulsively to an inappropriate crush, Florent Loiret Cailles respectable young teacher lays her safety on the line for Dpardieus grubby petty thief. Before she knows it, shes on the runBonnie to his Clyde. Wayward, warm and genuinely unpredictable, this is a beautifully directed film. Friday, July 13, 9:30 p.m., RR1 Tuesday, July 17, 3:15 p.m., RR2 Thursday, July 19, 3:00 p.m., RR3 Sal Showcasing all of its creators gifts, not only as the great actor were familiar with (127 Hours, Howl, Milk, Spider Man) but as a director of great integrity and originality, James Francos Sal presents us with a lucidly rendered, minimalist take on the last day in the tragically shortened life of actor Sal Mineo (played by a truly brilliant Val Lauren), one-time teen idol, and star of the blockbuster films Exodus and Rebel Without a Cause. Tuesday, July 17, 9:30 p.m., OH Saturday, July 21, 9:15 p.m., RR2 Sunday, July 22, 3:00 p.m., RR3 Samsara Shot in 70mm and shown at MIFF in a stunning new 35mm print, Samsara, the new film from the makers of Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka, explores the wonders of our world, from the mundane to the miraculous, looking into the unfathomable reaches of mans spirituality and the human experience, and illuminating the links between humanity and the rest of nature in a wordless visual trip. Prepare yourself for an experience. Friday, July 20, 6:30 p.m., RR1 A Sisters Call Call and Rebecca Richmond were born into Atlantas high society in the postwar years. To their neighbors, they and their parents and brother were the perfect family. Nothing was further from the truth, and Call becomes a homeless schizophrenic, his sister never giving up the hope of his returnwhich happens, finally. A Sisters Call chronicles Rebeccas mission to bring her brother back, all while seeking a way to heal herself from the past. Monday, July 16, 3:15 p.m., RR2 Wednesday, July 18, 6:00 p.m., RR3 Sleeping Dogs Beautifully shot in haunting black and white, Sleeping Dogs is a strong independent film from Germany. Jim is haunted by visions of his own violent death and is convinced he doesnt have long to live. He sets out to find and reconcile with Tom, his estranged son. At first Tom rejects his father but soon they grow closer. When past events re-emerge in the form of an old friend with an ax to grind, Jims visions become more and more menacing. Friday, July 13, 6:00 p.m., RR3 Saturday, July 21, 12:15 p.m., RR2

The Student (El Estudiante) What an original, riveting and exciting film The Student is, acclaimed at the Toronto and NY Film Fests. Its a dynamic piece of filmmaking. The film follows the adventures of Roque, who arrives in Buenos Aires from the provinces to study at the university. But his classes bore him. Hes more interested in piling up a series of sexual conquests and in entering the fraught world of university politics. It quickly becomes clear that the director is using the conflicts of a campus election to create a metaphor for political manipulations in the larger society...Hollywood Reporter Saturday, July 14, 6:15 p.m., RR2 Wednesday, July 18, 9:15 p.m., RR2 Tokyo Waka: A City Poem Tokyo is a digital metropolis and wellspring of spectacular pop culture, its commercial crossroads carpeted with people day and night. Above them, watching from perches on buildings and power lines, are more than 20,000 crows. An episodic and discursive filmic poem about the life and culture of Tokyo, one of the great cities of the world. Tokyo Waka is a real discovery! Saturday, July 14, 9:00 p.m., RR3 Sunday, July 15, 12:15 p.m., RR2 True Wolf What does it mean to be wild? True Wolf, the latest release from Watervilles own Shadow Distribution, is the story of a wolf called Koani, who, with the help of her human companions, became an ambassador for her species, traveling the country to help raise awareness about wolves and help sway public support for their reintroduction to the wilds of the Northwest. True Wolf is about Koanis life and journey; it is the tale of a wolf and the way she changed lives, most of all those of Pat Tucker and Bruce Weide, her humans. Saturday, July 14, 9:30 p.m., OH Sunday, July 15, 6:00 p.m., RR3 Friday, July 20, 3:30 p.m., RR1 The Well-Diggers Daughter A beautifully old fashioned yet completely sincere and shockingly fresh adaptation of Marcel Pagnol. Pascal (Director/star Daniel Auteuil), a hard-scrabble well-digger, holds a special place in his heart for his oldest child, Patricia. She has also attracted the attention of Jacques, who soon goes off to fight in the Great Warleaving Patricia behind to deal with the consequences of their brief moment of passion. Shot in the beautiful landscapes of the Vauclose, The Well-Diggers Daughter beautifully captures the humanist spirit of Pagnol. Saturday, July 14, 12:00 p.m., RR1 Sunday, July 15, 3:00 p.m., OH Tuesday, July 17, 6:00 p.m., RR1

July 13-22, Waterville, Maine (RR=Railroad Square Cinema; OH=Waterville Opera House)

MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2012 FILM SCREENINGS

SHORT FILMS Kyrgyzstan New Wave Three fascinating, inventive and delightful films from Kyrgyzstan, introduced by Bowdoin professor emeritus Jane Knox-Voina: Water, in which a Central Asian community must find solutions to their regions lack of water; I, Chin Su, as a young Kyrgyz lad still living at home with his ethnically mixed family, loves math, physics, astronomy, entomology, but needs communal help to overcome his autism; and A Pencil Against Ants, set in a mountain village where a strange young man oversees a line drawn on a wall, a pencil against ants. Friday, July 13, 9:00 p.m., RR3 Thursday, July 19, 6:00 p.m., RR3 Shorts from New Young Filmmakers A carefully-culled selection of spectacular, fully realized and emotionally satisfying fiction films from filmmakers in their 20s who have a great deal to say and a great talent for saying it right nowand who promise great work for the future. Includes Child of the Desert, The Fort, Nani, and Temma (featuring MIFF actress fave Karen Young). Thursday, July 19, 3:15 p.m., RR2 Friday, July 20, 9:15 p.m., RR2 Maine Shorts A literally wide-ranging collection from our state and our states filmmakers, young and old, including both live action and animated work: Baby Blue, Buoy, David Driskell: In Search of the Creative Truth, From the Quotidian to the Universal, The Horror from the Tumultuous Swamp of Creation, Kids of the World, The Heartless Girl (La Fille Sans Coeur), Now You Know, Ouija, The Search for Norumbega and Stranded. Friday, July 13, 6:15 p.m., RR2 Saturday, July 21, 3:30 p.m., RR1 World Shorts This selection of shorts spans amazing ranges of landscape, culture and ideas, from South Africa to Ecuador to Lebanon, Kenya, Poland and the U.S.: Sea Pavilion, Fanuzzis Gold, P.S. Beirut, Carbon for Water, The Couple, and Written in Ink. Saturday, July 14, 9:30 p.m., RR1 Monday, July 16, 3:30 p.m., RR1 Alex Katz Films Join the Colby College Museum of Art at the new Common Street Arts venue for a special program of short films that feature the life and work of artist Alex Katz; held in conjunction with the museums summer exhibition, Alex Katz: Maine/New York, July 14 December 30, 2012. This specially curated selection of films includes Rudy Burckhardts Alex Katz Painting (1978), Vivien Bittencourt and Vincent Katzs Alex Katz: Five Hours (1996), and Heinz Peter Schwerfels Alex Katz: What about Style (2003). Sunday, July 15, 7:00 p.m., Free Admission Common Street Arts, 16 Common St.

Maine Student Film & Video Festival Come see what Maines youngest filmmakers have created! Open to Maine residents 19 years of age and younger, MSFVFs public screening includes the presentation of awards for the top student films in the following categories: Pre-Teen Division, grades K6; Junior Division, grades 78; and Senior Division, grades 912. All film genres, including animation, documentary and narrative, are included and are judged on the basis of originality, content, style, and technique. A Grand Prize winner is selected each year and receives a $2,500 scholarship to the Young Filmmakers Program, donated by The Maine Media Workshops, Rockport, ME. Saturday, July 21, 12:30 p.m., OH Admission is FREE; Student Filmmakers Reception to follow

July 13-22, Waterville, Maine (RR=Railroad Square Cinema; OH=Waterville Opera House)

MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2012 FILM SCREENINGS

Date Friday, July 13 Saturday, July 14

Opera House 6:30 p.m. VacationLand 9:30 p.m. The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best 12:30 p.m. Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean 3:30p.m. Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai 6:30 p.m. Like the Water 9:30 p.m. True Wolf 12:00 p.m. The Dirty Picture 3:00 p.m. The Well Digger's Daughter 6:30 p.m. Five Easy Pieces 9:30 p.m. The Chase

RR1 6:30 p.m. Consuming Spirits 9:30 p.m. A Real Life 12:00 p.m. The Well-Digger's Daughter 3:30 p.m. VacationLand 6:30 p.m. Maria My Love 9:30 p.m. World Shorts

RR2 6:15 p.m. Maine Short Films 9:15 p.m. Punishment Park 12:15 p.m. Girl Model 3:15 p.m. A Fierce Green Fire 6:15 p.m. The Student 9:15 p.m. How to Survive a Plague

RR3 6:00 p.m. Sleeping Dogs 9:00 p.m. Kyrgyzstan New Wave 12:00 p.m. Breathing 3:00 p.m. The Long Day Closes 6:00 p.m. The Painting 9:00 p.m. Tokyo Waka: A City Poem 12:00 p.m. Planet of Snail 3:00 p.m Flat Daddy 6:00 p.m. True Wolf 9:00 p.m. 5 Days in Denver

Special Events 9:00 p.m. Opening Night Party, Amici's Cucina, 137 Main Street 8:30 p.m. Filmmakers' Reception, Selah Tea Caf, 177 Main Street

Sunday, July 15

12:30 p.m. A Fierce Green Fire 3:30 p.m. Boom Varietal* 6:30 p.m. Mon-noM with Carl Dimow & the Casco Bay Tummlers Live in Concert 9:30 p.m. The Law in These Parts

12:15 p.m.Tokyo Waka: A City Poem 3:15 p.m. The Day of the Locust 6:15 p.m. Folie a Deux 9:15 p.m. The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best

5:00 p.m. *Malbec wine tasting, Riverside Farm Market, Oakland 7:00 p.m. Alex Katz Film Screenings, Common Street Arts 8:30 p.m. Party for Karen Black, Mainely Brews Restaurant & Brewhouse

Monday, July 16

3:30 p.m. Letter from an Unknown Woman 6:00 p.m. Once Upon a Time in the West 9:30 p.m. The Breaking Point 2:45 p.m. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp 6:30 p.m. Goodfellas & MidLife Achievement Award Presentation 9:30 p.m. Sal

3:30 p.m. World Shorts 6:30 p.m. The Dirty Picture 9:30 p.m. Like the Water

3:15 p.m. A Sister's Call 6:15 p.m. For the Love of Music 9:15 p.m. Le Amiche

3:00 p.m. Planet of Snail 6:00 p.m. How to Survive a Plague 9:00 p.m. Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai 3:00 p.m. Dreamcatcher 6:00 p.m. Boom Varietal 9:00 p.m. The Painting 9:00 p.m. Reception for Thelma Schoonmaker, 18 Below Raw Bar Grill Lounge, 18 Silver Street

Tuesday, July 17

3:30 p.m. The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best 6:00 p.m. The Well Digger's Daughter 9:30 p.m. For the Love of Music

3:15 p.m. A Real Life 6:15 p.m. Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai 9:15 p.m. Policeman

July 13-22, Waterville, Maine (RR=Railroad Square Cinema; OH=Waterville Opera House)

MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2012 FILM SCREENINGS

RR1 2:15 p.m. The Leopard 6:30 p.m. The Edge of the World 9:30 p.m. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry 3:30 p.m. The Law in These Parts 6:30 p.m. The Pier 9:30 p.m. Mystery Train RR2 3:15 p.m. 5 Broken Cameras 6:15 p.m. Charlie and Me 9:15 p.m. The Student RR3

Date Wednesday, July 18

Opera House 3:30 p.m. Kundun 6:30 p.m. The Oranges 9:30 p.m. The Eighteenth Hour 2:15 p.m. The Leopard 6:30 p.m. Nor'easter 9:30 p.m. Punishment Park

Special Events

3:00 p.m. Breathing 6:00 p.m. A Sister's Call 9:00 p.m. Like the Water

Thursday, July 19

3:15 p.m. Shorts from New Young Filmmakers 6:15 p.m. Freedom and Unity: The Vermont Movie 9:15 p.m. 5 Days in Denver 3:15 p.m. Le Amiche 6:15 p.m. The Painting 9:15 p.m. Shorts from New Young Filmmakers 12:15 p.m. Sleeping Dogs 3:15 p.m. Consuming Spirits 6:15 p.m. Folie a Deux 9:15 p.m. Sal

3:00 p.m. A Real Life 6:00 p.m. Kyrgyzstan New Wave 9:00 p.m. Girl Model

Friday, July 20

3:30 p.m. The Big Sky 6:30 p.m. Cold Fever 9:30 p.m. The Pier

3:30 p.m. True Wolf 6:30 p.m. Samsara 9:30 p.m. 5 Broken Cameras

3:00 p.m. Flat Daddy 6:00 p.m. Girl Model 9:00 p.m. Nor'easter

7:20 p.m. PechaKucha Night Waterville, Hathaway Creative Center, 10 Water Street, $5 admission 2:30 p.m. Student Filmmaker Reception, Jorgensen's Caf, 103 Main Street 5:00 p.m. Making it in Maine Reception, Common Street Arts, 16 Common Street

Saturday, July 21

12:30 p.m. Maine Student Film & Video Festival 3:30 p.m. For the Love of Music 7:30 p.m. Searching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus with Jim white Live in Concert 12:30 p.m. The Chase 3:30 p.m. Hardwater 7:00 p.m. Chicken with Plums

12:30 p.m. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry 3:30 p.m. Maine Short Films 6:30 p.m. Hardwater 9:30 p.m. Nor'easter

12:00 p.m. Freedom and Unity: The Vermont Movie 3:00 p.m. Dreamcatcher 6:00 p.m. Charlie and Me 9:00 p.m. The Long Day Closes

Sunday, July 22

12:30 p.m. Cold Fever 3:30 p.m. In the Soup

12:45 p.m. Policeman 3:15 p.m. The Oranges

12:00 p.m. The Dirty Picture 3:00 p.m. Sal

9:30 p.m. Closing Night Party, Mainely Brews Restaurant & Brewhouse, 1 Post Office Square