November 4, 2023, 2-6 p.m.
University of Southern Maine’s Abromson Auditorium, Portland
We hope to see you at our Film Fest for Casco Bay, an afternoon of movies curated by Maine Outdoor Film Festival. The event will feature a twelve environmental and adventure films curated just for us. You won’t want to miss it!
We will be screening a variety of great environmental films that inspire wonder, make us laugh, and instill hope for the future. All films are suitable for ages ten and above.
New this year:
- filmmaker Maximilian Armstrong join us as our special guest at the event. Max created Seeds of Change, a film about an organic farmer in Maine who sets out to transform the prison food system. Max will share more about the film at Film Fest for Casco Bay.
- Oysters! Our friends at Freeport Oyster Bar will be shucking Casco Bay oysters
- Casco Bay Seaweed Dip from Alga Maine The Seaweed Dip is a delicious, fresh seaweed product created especially for this event by Tollef Olson, a long-time Friends of Casco Bay supporter.
You’ll also get to enjoy Oakhurst drinks, Cabot cheese, crackers, Hansel’s Orchard Apples, and the popcorn we have always offered for free as part of the event.
We will also host a raffle for prizes such as local hand crafted goods, gift cards to local shops and eateries, art, Friends of Casco Bay hats and jackets, and even private boat cruises on Casco Bay!
What: Film Fest for Casco Bay
Advance ticket sales for the in-person event will close on Friday 11/3 at 10 a.m. We will have tickets available for sale at the door the day of the event for $35.
When: Saturday, November 4, 3-6:10 p.m. (doors open at 2 p.m.)
Where: University of Southern Maine’s Abromson Center, 88 Bedford Street, Portland
This year’s event will feature these twelve films:
THE FEEDING FRENZY – 7 minutes – by Roger Scott McCord – from Maine – Short synopsis: A brood of five Phoebe hatchlings is obsessed from nest to first flight.
BOTTOM TURN – 8 minutes – by Luis Bauer – from Germany – Short synopsis: Bottom Turn is a short surf film shot on location in Bali and Lombok, Indonesia between August and September 2022. Jake illiterates how his life has looked with, and without, a strong relationship with his passion.
ELEVATED – 15 minutes – by Palmer Morse – from California – Short synopsis: Effective communication is a challenge every climber faces. It’s a sport that requires intense focus, dedication, and overcoming fear. For Deaf climber Sonya Wilson, communication and community is of vital importance. Elevated is a non-verbal film sharing Sonya’s experience as a Deaf woman and outdoor advocate working to bridge the gap between the Deaf community and the outdoor industry, one crag at a time.
THE BEAR COAST – 17 minutes – by Andrew Ackerman – from CO – Short synopsis: Despite the number of protected wildlife areas along Alaska’s Bear Coast, the fractured, disconnected landscape of the national and state park systems exposes brown bears to many threats. This short, informative documentary centers multifocal storytelling with a local, diverse cast of characters to provide a nuanced account of contentious environmental issues that have real, lived impacts for Alaska Peninsula residents and bear populations alike.
SEEDS OF CHANGE – 27 minutes – by Maximilian Armstrong – from Maine – Short synopsis: An organic Farmer in Maine sets out to transform the prison food system. Seeds of Change captures the intersecting stories of life-long farmer, Mark McBrine, and several incarcerated men as they harvest their own meals from a five-acre prison garden unlike any other.
GUIDED BY THE MOON – 3 minutes – by Michael Mitchell – from Massachusetts – Short synopsis: Guided By The Moon is a non-narrative film showcasing the Algonquin-speaking peoples’ various names for full moons through creative transitions, honoring the memory of indigenous communities’ traditions.
FROZEN HARVEST – 3 minutes – by Mark Fleming – from Maine – Short synopsis: For centuries, the people of Maine have upheld the tradition of ice harvesting. Our team had the opportunity to join volunteers at the Thompson Ice House and witness firsthand this once-thriving industry’s remarkable but vulnerable legacy. One of the few remaining ice harvests in the world, the ice house in South Bristol offers a poignant reminder of the profound impact of global warming.
WOOD HOOD – 16 minutes – by Alexander Cullen – from New York – Short synopsis: DeVaughn is a 15-year-old kid from New York City who loves skateboarding and craves a “quiet place” to escape the chaos of his home, the city, and kids that steal from him. The film follows DeVaughn on a weekend-long group camping trip with Camping to Connect, a BIPOC-led mentorship program that teaches leadership, brotherhood, and inclusion in the outdoors, a space that is unfamiliar and historically inaccessible to these kids.
THE RHYTHM OF ONE – 18 minutes – by Laurel Myers – from Colorado – Short synopsis: The world of mountain unicycling is not so different from those of skiing, climbing, or other adventure sports, yet you’ve probably never heard of it. ‘The Rhythm of One’ is a portrait of Canadian rider Ryan Kremsater and the evolution of his riding as he strives to push the envelope of this niche sport.
WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR GOAT – 6 minutes – by Jack Lewis Elder – from Colorado – Short synopsis: Nico is a woman in her late 20s who lives in her sprinter van with 2 goats, 3 chickens and a dog. In this quirky 6 minute film you’ll spend a day with Nico goat-packing a raft up to a high mountain lake. We take a dive into her lifestyle, the goats’ personalities, and Nico’s deeper mission to use her unique lifestyle for sustainability education.
FASCINATING MAINE FUNGI – 13 minutes – by Breanna Penney – from Maine – Short synopsis: North Spore founder Eliah Thanhauser teams up with TikTok influencer, mushroom ASMR enthusiast, and PhD Biochemist and Molecular Biologist Dr. Gordon Walker (aka Fascinated by Fungi) for a visually stunning mushroom foray off the coast of Maine.
CHICAS AL AGUA – 18 minutes – by Liz McGregor – from Maine – Short synopsis: You can count the number of female paddlers in Futaleuf, Chile on one hand… and they want to change that. After many riverside matés and floating conversations, the idea to create a kayak course for local teenage girls was hatched. Thanks to a committed group of women from around the globe, what started as a dream is now an inspirational contribution to the local community.
Thank you to our sponsors
