Movies

Nine Days of Movies at the Maine International Film Festival

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Well, folks, we did it—30 movies in nine days at the Maine International Festival (MIFF). Am I tired? You bet I am, but what a festival it was, with so many good movies that choosing my top three was a real challenge. We’ve been going to the film festival pretty much from when it started in 1998, and I really do think this year was the best. Others apparently thought so, too, as attendance was way up. There was plenty of world cinema, my personal favorite, and I traveled to Japan, Africa, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Iran, and Israel. There were documentaries that stunned me and made me cry. (More about two of those later,) There were movies from our own little state of Maine, and the festival was the perfect combination of local and global.

No doubt the excellent Clive Owen was a draw, and we saw all six of his featured movies, with the outstanding Children of Men (2006) being eerily prescient about the brutal treatment of immigrants.

Here is Clive himself talking about Children of Men, and his experience working on the movie with the great director Alfonso Cuarón.

Owen was charming, relaxed, and down-to-earth—in short, a perfect guest. I didn’t speak to him personally. He had quite the fan club, and at a reception for him at Front and Main in Waterville, I caught sight of him in one of the lounges where he was surrounded by an adoring circle of women. (There might have been a few men in the mix, but it seemed to me there were mostly women.) I concluded that he didn’t need one more woman in the mix.

The next day, we returned to Front and Main for chocolate martinis and their delicious mac and cheese. Also, a tasty dish of mushrooms.

Confession time: We ate out more than we usually do. We had pizza several times. Chinese food. A crunch cannoli. A flaky vegan croissant. And popcorn, lots and lots of popcorn. We were, after all, at the movies.

It never ceases to amaze me that we have the fabulous Paul J. Schupf Art Center in Waterville, Maine, population circa 16,000. Maine Film Center is on the second floor, and that’s where many of the movies were shown. The Opera House, right next door, was also a venue.

Even though I’m tired, I’m sorry that MIFF 2025 is over. Not only did we get a chance to see many movies that we wouldn’t see anywhere else, but we also met old friends and made a few new ones.

We’re already looking forward to MIFF 2026.

My Top 3 Movies of MIFF 2025

My Sunshine

This coming-of-age story, set in Japan, is quiet and poignant but never sentimental. When Takuya, a dreamy young boy, sees the lovely Sakura figure skating, he longs to skate with her. A sympathetic coach takes Takuya under his wing, and with a lot of practice, Takuya becomes good enough to skate with Sakura. Naturally, problems ensue, but they are not the problems that an American audience would expect, leading to a surprising ending.

 

Walk With Me

Walk with Me is a documentary directed by Heidi Levitt, chronicling  life with her husband Charlie Hess and his diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer disease. Filmed over four years, Walk with Me records the challenges that Charlie and Heidi face, but also the love, joy, and support they give and receive. This one moved me to tears. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a trailer for Walk with Me.

 

76 Days Adrift

In 1982, when a whale hit Steven Callahan’s boat and destroyed it, Callahan escaped in an inflatable life raft that had minimal provisions. As the title indicates, Callahan was stranded in that life raft in the Atlantic Ocean for 76 days. This documentary, based on Callahan’s memoir Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea, plunges the viewer into Callahan’s world, using some of the most incredible reenactments I have ever seen. We see a torso, legs, arms, and hands but never a face, and this provides a tense immersive experience, even though we know what the outcome is. Interspersed with the reenactments are clips and old photos as well as Callahan himself narrating his experience, providing details of how he survived.

76 Days Adrift is a must-see documentary. Readers, if it comes to a theater near you, go see it. And if doesn’t, perhaps it will be available through a streaming service. Anyway, look for it.

 

60 thoughts on “Nine Days of Movies at the Maine International Film Festival”

      1. There were a couple – but one starting at 08:15pm on a work night and one only on a Friday morning (and not a film I could not miss to take a morning off work). We have booked one French comedy.

  6. I do not know how to verbalize how happy I am for your experience – and how well I understand it, Way back, my first husband and I did exactly the same as you for over a decade when the Sydney Film Festival first began. It was and has always been somewhat shorter but three films a day was our norm also. That was the place to enjoy films never to come into commercial cinemas. The two documentaries you mention do interest because of content – shall do homework . , thanks!

    1. Oh, wonderful! Another film lover! Yes, a place to films that will never come to commercial cinemas. Those two docs, so different from each other, are both excellent. Hope you can find them.

  7. The movies sound well worth a look. Im not great at actually going to the movies…my failing entirely: I cant utterly relax in a room full of other people

  10. This sounds like soooo much fun, but I don’t think I could watch 30 movies. On the other hand you don’t know until you try, right? Once a long time ago, my employer rented an entire movie place, with 12 or 15 screens, and it was just for us for an entire day. Plus there was catered food up front. It was some sort of Christmas party not at Christmas time. It was fun. Husband and I saw 3 movies and that’s about all I could do. I remember it being fun, but I don’t remember what we saw!

    1. Nope, you don’t know until you try. It’s not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. 😉

      That party sounds like so much fun. What a treat!

  13. I have this bad habit of falling asleep in a dark movie theater, so I wouldn’t have made it. But it’s a great annual ritual.

  16. Wow, 30 movies in nine days – excluding watch on television, I don’t think I’ve watched 30 movies in the last nine YEARS! Based on what you’ve written I’m sure I’d enjoy many of the movies you saw, but sadly nothing like the MIFF happens around here. What a great event to have “on your doorstep”, as we say around here!

  18. I read Adrift when it came out, as did many of my friends who sail. We seem to have a taste for such stories, and there are a good number of similar books out there that are cracking good reads. Another is Fastnet: Force Ten. Anyway, I didn’t realize Adrift had been made into a film. That’s the one in the group I could be tempted to watch.

  19. Amazing! What a great, international cultural experience – right there in central Maine. And a major star like Clive Owen too! “My Sunshine” looks good. I love a coming-of-age story. I’ll add it to my list to watch out for. Thx!

  20. I’m so glad you had a great time, Laurie, and it’s interesting to see your top picks. I’m not familiar with any of those films but I’ve made a mental note. Hopefully they’ll crop up at a festival or get a release over here at some point.
    I’m glad you were able to see Clive Owen in conversation, too. I’ve had a a bit of a crush on him for many years, so the fact that he was surrounded by a coterie of female funds, comes as no surprise to me!

    1. Hope you get to see one or two of the movies I suggested.

      I giggled when I read you’ve had a bit of a crush on Clive Owen for many years. Same here! Such a handsome and compelling actor. No surprise at all that he was surrounded by women!

  21. I’m glad you enjoyed the film festival, but there was never any doubt that you would.
    So many movies, so little time! This kind of festival is a great way to see a wide selection of films from all over the world. A far cry from your typical Hollywood releases.

    1. Oh, yes. Most of these films will never come to a cinema near me. While they might come to streaming, I wouldn’t know enough about the movies to look for them. MIFF is such a wonderful event.

  24. I’m late checking in. It sounds like an amazing time. I look forward to finding some of these films. I love little towns with great culture, like our little town of about 23,000, two art centers and two great theaters (at least until the floods, but they’ll build back. Meantime, they’re doing “Return to Margaritaville, the scheduled show, in the parking lot, by donation! The show really must go on!) Film, not so much, just the local 10-screen cineplex with the blockbusters. But there are streaming services now!

    1. Sounds like your town is a gem. So wonderful to have these venues in a smaller towns and cities. They really add a lot to their communities.

  25. Congrats to you, Laurie, first for meeting your goal of seeing 30 movies in nine days, and second, for the thoroughly enjoyable time you had with family and friends! I’m not sure that I wouldn’t be “movied out” by the second day, but it does sound as if you interspersed your viewing with interesting food and chatting. And it must’ve been delightful, or you’d never be planning already for next year’s festival!

  26. OMG, what a fabulous film festival and week!!🙂 How wonderful to have the chance to hang out with Clive Owen and hear about his movie experiences. What a great selection of food, movies and popcorn and I’m looking forward to watching My Sunshine.🙂

  27. All I can say is “Wow!” John and I only made it to three but that is a record for us. I enjoy documentaries. All three fit this bill and were greatly enjoyed.

    Beth

    1. Well, we are movie buffs, that’s for sure. Sorry we didn’t see for the other two. This year, there were lots of good docs at the film festival. As it turned out, my favorite film was a doc—76 Days Adrift.

  28. Thank you for sharing reviews of your top three films from the festival. Like you, I enjoy seeing films from other cultures. San Jose and surrounding areas once had several art house theaters, but those numbers have dwindled. I should make more of an effort when Cinequest is in town.

    What is it about movies and popcorn? The smell alone is intoxicating. It’s nice to hear that you’ve been able to enjoy this festival for so many years.

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