After a two-year hiatus, we rebooted our film festival as a Cinematic Celebration in support of our mission to improve and protect the health of Casco Bay. Held on November 12, 2022, the event featured a variety of films curated by our partners at Maine Outdoor Film Festival.
We debuted We Are Water, a Friends of Casco Bay Film at the celebration. We Are Water features a reading by Gulf of Maine Poet Gary Lawless, as he reminds us all of our inextricable ties to water and Casco Bay.
We are grateful to our partners at Maine Outdoor Film Festival and our generous sponsors for supporting the Cinematic Celebration. And of course, we are grateful for all the Friends who volunteered and attended this special event — we are Friends of Casco Bay because of you!
Thank you to our sponsors
Woodin & Company Store Fixtures, Inc. / Edward M. Woodin
Bath Savings Institution
Brunswick Dental Health Associates
David Wood Clothiers
LT’s Inc
Madeleine Point Oyster Farms
Oakhurst Dairy
Wipfli
Bayview Rigging & Sails
Beacon Analytical Systems, Inc
Cabot Creamery Cooperative
Chase Leavitt Co.
Dale Rand Printing
Portland Foreside Development Company
Riverbend Yoga & Meditation Studio
Sevee & Maher Engineers, Inc.
Smithwick & Mariners Insurance, Inc
WHILDE Educational Services
Delta Dental
Maine Conservation Alliance / Maine Conservation Voters
Films
WE ARE WATER: A Friends of Casco Bay Film – 3 minutes
NORTHERN COMFORT – 5 minutes – by Will Ballou Caswell, Sam Ballou Caswell – from Maine – Short synopsis: Northern Comfort is the syrup – but more importantly, it is a slice of beautiful simplicity and connection to the Earth. It reminds us of the sweet gift of presence; of being in the moment; of slowing down and tending to a process of transformation and reciprocity that in our current world requires the utmost intention.
DREAMS INHERITED – 9.2 minutes – by Jessica Wilde – from Florida – Short synopsis: Dreams Inherited is a short documentary about the search for adventure in a life away from the luxuries of land. It is about the realization of dreams that were passed down by family folklore through hard work and small moments of meaning. It features Jessica Wilde, Josh Fody and Ling Ling, their 42-year-old Kelly Peterson sailboat that they spent years renovating and eventually sailing up and down the East Coast from the Florida Keys to Maine.
A PAINTING FROM THE EARTH – 15.8 minutes – by Jeshua Soucy – from Maine – Short synopsis: The story of a young artist who transforms natural material from the earth into a painting of an old log cabin.
ATTACK & RELEASE – 15 minutes – by Tom Attwater – from Montana – Short synopsis: After Ranga Perera’s family moved to the U.S. from Sri Lanka, he tragically lost his father to an unexpected heart attack. While coping with the loss of his father, he found himself in Montana where he was drawn to the magic of fly fishing and the solace of the river. Throughout his journey, he struggles to rediscover his childlike wonder and finds comfort in his time spent on the water. After a confrontation with his own mortality, Ranga learns the importance of mindfulness and living life with an open heart.
THE LAST LAST HIKE – 19.9 minutes – by Céline François – from Washington – Short synopsis: 83-year-old Nimblewill Nomad is about to become the oldest person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. But he didn’t start at Springer Mountain, Georgia – his trek began on Flagg Mountain in Alabama, the true southern terminus of the Appalachian Mountain Range. Throughout his odyssey, he’s meeting hikers along the way and sharing the magic of Flagg Mountain, where he has been the caretaker for the past three years. With more than two decades and 50,000 miles of hiking experience behind him, will this really be his last last hike?
MORNING ZOOM – 5.2 minutes – by Jesse LaFountaine, Mercedes Mehling – from Maine – Short synopsis: It’s Monday morning. Tom is getting ready for his Zoom meeting at 8am. A text from a coworker buzzes on his phone – “Boss just called. The meeting got pushed back until 9.” Tom has an extra hour. And he knows exactly what to do with it.
ABOVE THE LAW – 14 minutes – by Bryony Dunne – from Ireland – Short synopsis: Above the Law links the routes of migratory birds with the journeys of people who traverse the same bodies of land and water. Unfolding atop a pigeon coop in Cairo, across bird watching towers on a Greek island as well as the border in Northern Ireland, these parallel journeys depict the laws of nature vis-à-vis the rule of man, reminding us that geopolitical are irrelevant to some species. The film features a literal bird’s-eye view as eagles, carry cameras on their backs, becoming instruments of surveillance, capturing nature, both human and nonhuman.
KEYSTONE: VOICES FOR THE LITTLE FISH – 11.2 minutes – by Jerry Monkman – from New Hampshire – Short synopsis: The people of Gardiner, Maine work to provide fish passage around three historic dams on Cobbossee Stream for the first time in 270 years. The goal: restore an ecosystem that can support millions of river herring and other wildlife.
MANDATORY GEAR – 15.7 minutes – by Emily Hopcian – from Michigan – Short synopsis: Three women and one man challenge history and stereotypes in adventure racing, competing as a reverse co-ed team in Expedition Oregon, North America’s toughest race.
RIDING THE RAILS – 10.1 minutes – by Evan Kay – from Vermont – Short synopsis: Using a bicycle modified to ride on abandoned train tracks, pro mountain bike rider Alex McAndrew and his wife Ella head out into the unknown in search of remote fishing, camping, biking, and adventure.
WALKING TWO WORLDS – 29 minutes – by Maia Wikler – from British Columbia – Short synopsis: It’s more than just polar bear scenes in the Arctic. With the threat of oil drilling in the Refuge and Yukon Flats along the Yukon River, Indigenous communities face grave threats to their way of life, food security and identity. Fueled by an unwavering love and responsibility for the land, Han Gwich’in 19-year old, Quannah Chasinghorse, and her mother, Jody Potts, are taking a stand to defend their sacred homelands. Protecting the Arctic is often advocated from a polarizing perspective of old school conservationism pitted against economic development. This documentary film instead wields the power of empathy and relationships through the untold perspective of an Indigenous, women-led fight to protect the Arctic and reclaim Indigenous identity.