Founded in 2005 and recognized as one of the top documentary film festivals in the world, the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) brings the finest non-fiction cinema to the rugged coast of Maine, showcasing over 80 documentary feature and short films from around the globe each fall.
CIFF is an experience just as unique as the films we exhibit. Nearly all films are followed by Q&A sessions with filmmakers and the festival boasts a number of musical performances, interactive installations, networking sessions and special events that enrich participant experiences. At CIFF, the emphasis is on building relationships between fellow filmmakers and industry. Each year our audiences grow, but our commitment to our mission remains the same. We love a good story, and we love to share them with our audiences.
CIFF's Points North Forum provides emerging documentarians with opportunities for professional development and creative inspiration.
The 2020 Camden International Film Festival and Points North Documentary Forum will take place October 1-12 in Camden, Rockport and Rockland, Maine.
If you have a documentary feature or short in development, consider applying for the Points North Fellowship, North Star Fellowship, or North Shorts Fellowship: https://pointsnorthinstitute.org/artist-programs/
***2020 UPDATE***
Points North Institute, the organizers of the Camden International Film Festival, have announced updated plans for the 2020 festival with a singular goal in mind: to directly support independent filmmakers and collaboratively create spaces for community-building, organizing and collective imagination. In response to the ongoing worldwide health crisis, this year's CIFF and Points North Forum will be the most global, accessible edition of the festival to date, and will include a 12-day creative virtual experience with dozens of livestream events, alongside the launch of the festival’s very own drive-in movie theatre, and screenings at a small number of reduced-capacity theatres in Maine. The sixteenth edition of the Camden International Film Festival will take place from October 1-12, 2020 and will culminate with a special program to honor Indigenous People's Day in partnership with Nia Tero and Big Sky Documentary Festival.
THE FILMMAKER SOLIDARITY FUND
During this year of unprecedented uncertainty and change, we are committed to examining how power and resources are distributed in the documentary film world and how festivals like CIFF can stand in solidarity with filmmakers to create more equitable, sustainable conditions for independent filmmaking — particularly for filmmakers that have been marginalized or excluded by the industry.
This year, 50% of net proceeds from our virtual festival box office will be added to our Filmmaker Solidarity Fund, a funding pool that will be divided evenly into honoraria for every participating filmmaker (or filmmaking team) in our 2020 program. If you’re able to consider a Patron or Producer pass, your purchase includes a tax deductible contribution and will help us direct even more resources to filmmakers, building more equitable and sustainable documentary field.
To read the full announcement: https://pointsnorthinstitute.org/fall-announcement/
Features (this category is a competition):
Harrell Award for Best Documentary Feature
Best Documentary Feature, awarded by a Jury
Cash and in-kind components
Sponsor: Harrell Foundation
Cash Award Value: $1,000USD
Emerging Cinematic Vision Award
Searching for new voices in non-fiction storytelling, awarded by a jury.
Prize consists of both cash and in-kind services / donation.
Cash Award Value: $1,000USD
John Marshall Award for Contemporary Ethnographic Media
Award for one film that recognizes excellence in ethnographic media.
The award is named after John Marshall, a pioneer in ethnographic filmmaking.
Sponsor: Documentary Educational Resources
Cash Award Value: $1,000USD
Audience Choice Award
Voted by the CIFF Audience
Cash and in-kind components
Cash Award Value: TBD
Shorts:
1st Place
Best Short Documentary
Sponsor: NonFiction Cartel
Cash Award Value: $500USD