Camden International Film Festival’s 2014 Engagement Summit

Nonprofit leaders and filmmakers met during CIFF’s Engagement Summit to discuss and plan the use of documentary film as a resource for public dialogue and engagement around Maine’s aging demographic

Camden, Maine - The Camden International Film Festival just completed its second annual Engagement Summit, part of a two-year thematic program called Aging in Maine. Through the summit and a statewide screening tour, the program connects nonprofit leaders, healthcare professionals and community leaders from across the state to harness the power of documentary film to spark a public, intergenerational dialogue around the challenges and opportunities of Maine’s aging demographics.

During the festival, just over 20 Maine-based nonprofit leaders and healthcare professionals converged in Camden for a daylong strategic summit meeting at the Camden Opera House. Designed and facilitated by Working Films, a national organization that specializes in connecting storytelling with community engagement and action, participants in the program included representatives from AARP, Alzheimer's Association - Maine Chapter, Aroostook Area on Agency, The Bingham Program, Camden National Bank, The Charlotte White Center, MaineHealth, Making Community Happen, Maine Medical Center, Pen Bay Healthcare Foundation, Somerset Public Health, Southern Maine Agency on Aging, Spectrum Generations, University of Maine’s Center on Aging and filmmaker Banker White.

The summit allowed participants to identify a wide range of needs facing aging communities and the
organizations that support them, including opening public dialogue about end-of-life planning, redesigning communities, raising awareness about Maine’s demographic shift, and convincing policymakers to place attention on the needs of an aging population. "CIFF’s Aging in Maine program is a one of a kind initiative connecting dozens of leaders and resourcing them with excellent films that enhance their individual and shared efforts. We're thrilled to be a part of this innovative model for professional and community engagement through documentary," says Molly Murphy of Working Films.

The 2015 Aging in Maine screening tour schedule sponsored by Camden National Bank and in partnership with Working Films will be announced in early 2015. The tour screens several documentary films from CIFF”s program, selected for their connection to the themes presented in the Engagement Summit, throughout communities across the state. CIFF, Working Films and the organizations that participated in the 2014 Engagement Summit will work to implement strategies developed at the summit and use the screening tour to engage with their communities, further their specific goals and inform the public of resources available to them within the aging network. In advance of the 2015 tour, Center Theatre in Dover-Foxcroft held two free screenings with CIFF’s popular series GOLDEN SHORTS, a collection of fun, upbeat and poignant short documentaries earlier this week. “We couldn’t be happier to have the opportunity to conitinue this unique and important program,” said Ben Fowlie, Founder and Executive Director of the Camden International Film Festival. “This program is truly one of a kind, putting documentary films’ powerful social impact into direct action within communities across Maine.”

The 2013-2014 Aging in Maine screening tour generated an overwhelmingly positive response, ultimately reaching over 20 communities and more than 2,500 people across Maine, including a full-house screening and panel discussion at the Portland Museum of Art in collaboration with MaineHealth and the state’s leading advocates at Maine Medical Center’s Annual Geriatrics Day Conference. Many of the screenings were free and open to the public thanks to support from Camden National Bank. This week’s Center Theatre’s screenings are another example of how crucial this dialogue is to Maine audiences.

Support for this series comes from the Fledgling Fund, Camden National Bank, the Maine Arts Commission, the Pen Bay Healthcare Foundation and the Bingham Program. “Camden National is proud to once again support the Camden International Film Festival’s Engagement Summit and the Aging in Maine Initiative. It was a pleasure to collaborate on this year’s inaugural screening tour, and we look forward to lending a helping hand for a second year,” said Joanne Campbell, executive vice president, risk management, Camden National Bank. “We are also honored to be part of the ongoing dialogue around the challenges and opportunities of Maine’s aging demographics and the work that is needed to raise awareness and address these important needs within our communities.”

About the Camden International Film Festival:

The Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) is considered among the top 12 documentary festivals in the world and one of New England's most respected film festivals. Established in 2005, each year CIFF highlights work that shows a dedication and commitment to the craft behind nonfiction storytelling, showcasing over 80 films from around the globe. CIFF is one of only 14 qualifying festivals for the annual Cinema Eye Honors for Non-Fiction Filmmaking and also hosts the Points North Documentary Forum, a career-making platform dedicated to providing emerging and established documentarians with opportunities for professional development and inspiration. Participants in this forum have included HBO, BBC, Participant Media, PBS, The Tribeca Film Institute and the Sundance Institute among others.

The 10th Camden International Film Festival took place September 25 - 28, 2014 in Camden, Rockport and Rockland, Maine. The Camden International Film Festival is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Fledgling Fund, the Unity Foundation, and Vimeo. For more information, or to purchase passes, visit www.camdenfilmfest.org.