• By Mabel Pais

Screening SHORTS

NEHAL VYAS’S Amma Ki Katha

ROOPA GOGINENI’S Suddenly TV

And many more

The Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) happens in person with the slate of feature and short films for its 19th edition, taking place September 14-17 at venues in Camden and Rockland, Maine, and online from September 18-25 for audiences across the US. YETI®, MSNBC Films, and RandomGood Foundation returning as Headlining Sponsors, and joined this year by deNovo Initiative and longtime sponsor National Geographic Documentary Films.

“As the development and distribution of independent documentary films become increasingly more difficult, we believe this program is a reminder of the incredible value of documentary film as a singularly powerful art form and its extraordinary ability to resonate with audiences,” says Ben Fowlie, Executive and Artistic Director of the Points North Institute, and Founder of the Camden International Film Festival. “Through 60 different film experiences, we explore the beautiful relationship between content and form, examining the power of the image, engaging with the potential of the archive, and immersing ourselves in the personal stories that help us to reflect, reimagine, and relate to one another. Cinema is a beacon, and we are grateful to the filmmakers who have made these works and shared these stories.”

2023 CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL LIST FEATURES

APOLONIA, APOLONIA

Lea Glob | Denmark

THE ARC OF OBLIVION

Ian Cheney | USA

BETWEEN REVOLUTIONS

Vlad Petri | Romania, Croatia, Qatar Iran | US Premiere

BEYOND UTOPIA

Madeleine Gavin | USA, Korea, Laos, Thailand

EL CASTILLO

Martin Benchimol | Argentina, France | US Premiere

THE CONTESTANT

Clair Titley | UK | US Premiere 

DEFIANT

Karim Amer | Ukraine, UK, USA | US Premiere

EASTERN FRONT

Vitaly Mansky, Yevhen Titarenko | Latvia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, USA | US 

FAUNA

Pau Faus | Spain | US Premiere

A GOLDEN LIFE

Boubacar Sangare | Burkina Faso, Benin, France | North American Premiere 

GRASSHOPPER REPUBLIC

Daniel Mccabe | USA | US Premiere 

A HAWK AS BIG AS A HORSE

Sasha Kulak | France | North American Premiere 

IN RESTLESS DREAMS: THE MUSIC OF PAUL SIMON

Alex Gibney | USA | US Premiere 

IN THE SHADOW OF LIGHT

Ignacia Merino Bustos, Isabel Reyes Bustos | Chile | North American Premiere 

JOONAM

Sierra Urich | USA

KNIT’S ISLAND

Ekiem Barbier, Guilhem Causse, Quentin L’helgoualc’h | France | North American Premiere

 THE LADY BIRD DIARIES

Dawn Porter | USA 

THE LAST YEAR OF DARKNESS

Ben Mullinkosson | China, USA 

MACHTAT

Sonia Ben Slama | Tunisia, Lebanon, France, Qatar | US Premiere 

MANIFESTO

Angie Vinchito | Russia | North American Premiere 

MILISUTHANDO

Milisuthando Bongela | South Africa, Colombia

THE MISSION

Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine | USA 

NON-ALIGNED: SCENES FROM THE LABUDOVIĆ REELS

Mila Turajlić | Serbia, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Qatar | US Premiere

ONE WITH THE WHALE

Peter Chelkowski, Jim Wickens | Sivuqaq (St Lawrence Island), USA, UK, Portugal | World Premiere 

ORLANDO: MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY

Paul B. Preciado | France 

PIGEON TUNNEL

Errol Morris | UK 

Q

Jude Chehab | USA, Lebanon

QUEENDOM

Agniia Galdanova | France, USA 

REJEITO (TAILINGS)

Pedro de Filippis | Brazil, USA | US Premiere 

SILVER DOLLAR ROAD

Raoul Peck | USA | US Premiere 

A STORM FORETOLD

Christoffer Guldbrandsen | Denmark | US Premiere 

THREE PROMISES

Yousef Srouji | Palestine, Lebanon, United States | US Premiere 

TIME BOMB Y2K

Brian Becker, Marley McDonald | USA

SHORTS

PARALLEL

Lawrence Abu Hamdan | UK | 2022

A ROBUST HEART

Martin Benchimol | Argentina, USA, UK | 2023 | US Premiere

ALL THAT IS SACRED

Scott Ballew | USA | 2023

ALPHA KINGS

Enrique Pedráza-Botero, Faye Tsakas | USA | 2023

AMMA KI KATHA

Nehal Vyas | India, USA | 2023 | World Premiere

ANTI-COSMOS

Takashi Makino | Japan | 2022

BAY OF HERONS

Jared Lank | USA | 2023 | US Premiere

BEHIND THE SUN

Bentley Brown | USA, Saudi Arabia | 2023 | US Premiere

BLOOM

Helena Girón, Samuel M. Delgado | Spain | 2023 | US Premiere

CAMP COURAGE

Max Lowe | USA | 2023 | World Premiere

CLOSURE

Abigail Jakub | USA | 2022

DARKROOM

Asli Baykal | Turkey, USA | 2023

EAT FLOWERS

River Finlay | USA | 2023

ELEPHANT

Wes Sterrs | USA | 2023 | World Premiere

EVER SINCE, I HAVE BEEN FLYING

Aylin Gökmen | Switzerland | 2023 | US Premiere

FALLING

Anna Gyimesi | Hungary, Belgium, Portugal | 2023 | North American Premiere

INCIDENT

Bill Morrison | USA | 2023

LET’S GO TO THE MINES

Advik Beni | South Africa, USA | 2022 | World Premiere

LITTLE BOY LOON

Kevin Bay, Julia Thompson | USA | 2023 | World Premiere

MAS Y MAS Y MAS FLORES

César Martínez Barba | Mexico, USA | 2023 | World Premiere

MAST-DEL

Maryam Tafakory | UK, Iran | 2023 | US Premiere

SO THAT TONIGHT WE MIGHT SEE

Bea Hesselbart | USA | 2023 | World Premiere

SUDDENLY TV

Roopa Gogineni | Sudan, Qatar | 2022

TITO

Kervens Jimenez | Haiti | 2023 | North American Premiere

WAKING UP IN SILENCE

Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi | Germany, Ukraine | 2023

WELCOME TO KING FRIDAY’S DUNGEON

Destiny Arturet | USA | 2022 | World Premiere

WHAT THE HANDS DO

Bing Liu | USA | 2023 | World Premiere

For updates and more information, visit pointsnorthinstitute.org/ciff.

TICKETS

For Tickets and Pass options to the Festival, visit pointsnorthinstitute.org/ciff.

 Points North

Established in 2016, the Points North Institute is the launching pad for the next generation of nonfiction storytellers. Building on the success of the Camden International Film Festival, the Points North Institute’s mission is to bring together a unique, interdisciplinary community of filmmakers, artists, journalists, industry leaders, and audiences, forming a creative hub on the coast of Maine where new stories and talent are discovered, collaborations are born, and the future of nonfiction media is shaped. Programs include the annual Camden International Film Festival and Points North Forum, as well as a year-round calendar of artist development initiatives that nurture the careers of diverse nonfiction storytellers and help them develop a stronger artistic voice.

Founded in 2005 and recognized as one of the top documentary film festivals in the world, the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) brings innovative nonfiction cinema to the coast of Maine, showcasing 50+ documentary films and immersive works from around the globe each fall.

The 2023 Camden International Film Festival will take place September 14-17, with the virtual festival extending through September 25.

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, Education, Cuisine, Health & Wellness, and Business)