CIFF Selects at SPACE GALLERY

So if you don’t know already, we’re BIG fans of the Space Gallery in Portland, ME. Like us, they’re determined to provide local Maine audiences with fresh, cutting-edge documentary films that might otherwise be inaccessible to the public, or at least in the way films SHOULD be seen….on the big screen. Spearheaded by co-founder Jon Courtney, SPACE programs at least a few films each month, sprinkled in between some pretty amazing bands. And if you read this blog you’ll note that we just got back from T/F with the Maine entourage, several of whom have connections with SPACE. OK, getting to the point of the post. We are very excited to announce that we’ll be co-presenting a screening of one of the most acclaimed documentaries of 2009, OCTOBER COUNTRY on April 8th, 2010. This was one of our spotlighted films from last years CIFF and hosting filmmakers Mike Palmieri and Donal Mosher was a major highlight!

If you missed the films New England premiere in Camden, do yourself a favor and get to Portland’s Space Gallery for this screening. Since screening in Camden last fall the film has gone on to be nominated for a Gotham Award, Independent Spirit Award and several Cinema Eye Nominations. It also took home the BEST DEBUT FEATURE at the Cinema Eye’s this year and has been playing to overwhelming audiences all over the world!

AO Scott from the NYTimes says,

“fascinating… like a Joyce Carol Oates novel rendered as a documentary… at once personal and objective… the filmmakers are as sensitive to visual nuances as they are to details of behavior>”

Below is the trailer. Here are the event details.

Red Gold NYC Premier

’09 is going to be a good year for independent documentary film. Travis Rummel and Ben Knight from Felt Soul Media started it off with a bang last night with the New York premiere of their film, Red Gold at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center presented by Green Screens and Independents Night.

About 200 movie-goers braved the january “wintry-mix” and came out to see the film which presents a  captivating portrait of the sustenance, commercial and sport fisherman in Bristol Bay, Alaska – a region about the size of Ohio that is also home to arguably the world’s largest copper and gold deposit.  

A panel about the film, updates on the status of the fight to keep mining out of Bristol Bay, and a look at what’s going on locally in NY State followed the screening and it seemed like the audience could have kept the conversation going for hours. Conversation continued at a reception afterwards with Bristol Bay Salmon prepared by chef Peter Hoffman (Savoy/Back Forty).

Red Gold won CIFF 08’s Cinematic Vision award and is exactly the type of work we hope to see more of on the independent doc circuit.