Points North Institute and the Camden Opera House screen Award-winning SHERPA as part of CIFF Selects

Camden, Maine – The Points North Institute and the Camden Opera House will continue their monthly CIFF Selects with the award-winning documentary, SHERPA, on Wednesday, March 22nd at 7 PM at the Camden Opera House. Nominated for a British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) Award for Best Documentary Feature, SHERPA has received international critical acclaim, and is the latest from award-winning Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom.

Synopsis: A fight on Everest? It seemed incredible. But in 2013 news channels around the world reported an ugly brawl at 21,000ft as European climbers fled a mob of angry Sherpas.

In 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay had reached the summit in a spirit of co-operation and brave optimism. Now climbers and Sherpas were trading insults – even blows. What had happened to the happy, smiling Sherpas and their dedication in getting foreigners to the top of the mountain they hold so sacred?

Determined to explore what was going on, the filmmakers set out to make a film of the 2014 Everest climbing season, from the Sherpas’ point of view. Instead, they captured a tragedy that would change Everest forever. At 6.45am on 18th April, 2014, a 14 million ton block of ice crashed down onto the climbing route through the Khumbu Icefall, killing 16 Sherpas. It was the worst tragedy in the history of Everest.

The disaster provoked a drastic reappraisal about the role of the Sherpas in the Everest industry. SHERPA, tells the story of how, in the face of fierce opposition, the Sherpas united in grief and anger to reclaim the mountain they call Chomolungma.

“We’re thrilled to continue our increasingly popular CIFF Selects series with a film that has been hailed as “absorbing,” “beautiful, captivating,” and “jaw-droppingly spectacular,” said Ben Fowlie, Executive Director of the Points North Institute. “There are films that must be seen on the big screen to truly experience the work, SHERPA is one of those films.”

SHERPA is being co-presented by Maine Sport Outfitters.

Additional CIFF Selects titles will be announced in the coming months. Screenings are held on the third Wednesday of each month, except for October. Upcoming screenings dates include April 19, May 17, June 21, July 19, August 16, September 20, October 11 and November 15. Q&As with filmmakers, either in person or via skype, will follow select screenings. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased on the day of show at the Camden Opera House box office. More information here: http://www.camdenoperahouse.com/

About the Points North Institute:

Established in 2016, the Points North Institute is a launching pad for the next generation of nonfiction storytellers. Building on the success of the Camden International Film Festival, which is now entering its 13th season, the Points North Institute’s mission is to bring together a unique, interdisciplinary community of filmmakers, artists, journalists, industry leaders and local audiences, forming a creative hub on the coast of Maine where new stories and talent are discovered, collaborations are born, and the future of nonfiction media is shaped. Programs include the annual Camden International Film Festival and Points North Forum, as well as a year-round calendar of artist development initiatives that nurture the careers of diverse nonfiction storytellers and help them develop a stronger artistic voice.


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 coast of Maine, showcasing nearly 80 documentary films from around the globe each fall. Running concurrently with CIFF, the Points North Forum provides filmmakers and media artists with opportunities for professional development and creative inspiration. Past industry participants include representatives from HBO, A&E, BBC,CNN, Discovery, PBS, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Tribeca Film Institute, Sundance Institute, Vimeo and Kickstarter.


The 2017 Camden International Film Festival and Points North Forum will take place September 14 - 17 in Camden, Rockport and Rockland, Maine. Major support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Maine Office of Tourism. For more information please visit our website at http://www.pointsnorthinstitute.org.

Points North Institute, Camden Opera House screen Academy nominated I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO as part of CIFF Selects

Camden, Maine – The Points North Institute and the Camden Opera House will continue their monthly CIFF Selects with the award-winning documentary, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO, on Wednesday, February 15th at 7 PM at the Camden Opera House. Recently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and winner of over 11 international film and critic awards, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO is the latest work by master filmmaker Raoul Peck.

Synopsis: In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends—Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin’s death in 1987, he left behind only thirty completed pages of his manuscript.

I AM NOT YOUR NEGO is about the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical,

Points North Institute and the Camden Opera House announce the expansion of their CIFF Selects series with two titles from the 2017 Oscar Shortlist

Camden, Maine - The Points North Institute and the Camden Opera House are expanding their popular monthly CIFF Selects series in 2017, screening a film on one Wednesday each month starting in January.

The 2017 CIFF Selects series will kick-off on January 18th at 7 PM with the Academy Award short-listed feature documentary, FIRE AT SEA, the first documentary film to win the top award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Situated 150 miles south of Sicily, Lampedusa has hit headlines as the first port of call for hundreds of thousands of African and Middle Eastern refugees hoping to make a new life in Europe. After spending months living on the island and engaging with its inhabitants, acclaimed Italian filmmaker, Gianfranco Rosi accumulated an incredible array of footage, portraying the history, culture and daily lives of the islanders. Focusing on 12-year-old Samuele, as he explores the land and attempts to gain mastery of the sea, the film slowly builds a breathtakingly naturalistic portrait of the Lampedusan people and the events that surround them.

FIRE AT SEA is being co-presented by the Camden Conference in anticipation of the 30th Annual Camden Conference: Refugees and Global Migration, which will be held live at the Camden Opera House February 17-19, 2017.

On February 15, the CIFF Selects series will follow up with another Academy Award short-listed film, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO, by Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck. In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends—Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.  At the time of Baldwin’s death in 1987, he left behind only thirty completed pages of this manuscript.

Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin’s original words and flood of rich archival material. By confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of these three leaders, Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for.

“We’re thrilled to to collaborate with the Camden Opera House and the Town of Camden on expanding our popular CIFF Selects series into a year-round program,” said Ben Fowlie, Executive Director of the Points North Institute. “It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to bring more compelling stories to our community year-round, and beyond exciting to launch the 2017 series with such incredibly powerful, and timely films. Both FIRE AT SEA and I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO represent the highest level of craftsmanship, and are spectacular examples of the power of nonfiction storytelling.”

Additional CIFF Selects titles will be announced in the coming months. The screenings are held on the third Wednesday of each month, except for March and October. Upcoming screenings dates include February 15, March 22, April 10, May 17, June 21, July 19, August 16, September 20, October 11 and November 15. Q&As with filmmakers, either in person or via skype, will follow select screenings. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased on the day of show at the Camden Opera House box office. More information here: http://www.camdenoperahouse.com/

Points North Institute to receive $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Camden, Maine - The Points North Institute has received a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for the 13th edition of the Camden International Film Festival, which will be held September 14 - 17, 2017 in Camden, Rockport and Rockland, Maine. The grant is part of more than $30 million in grants recently approved as part of the NEA’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2017.

The support, which marks the 4th consecutive year of funding for CIFF from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Works program, will be used to support programming for the 2017 Camden International Film Festival and Points North Forum, including the exhibition of over seventy documentary films, and three days of intensive workshops, panels, pitching sessions and mentorship opportunities focused on the art, business and future of nonfiction storytelling.

The Art Works category focuses on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. “The arts are for all of us, and by supporting organizations such as the Points North Institute, the National Endowment for the Arts is providing more opportunities for the public to engage with the arts,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Whether in a theater, a town square, a museum, or a hospital, the arts are everywhere and make our lives richer.”

Supported programs will provide audiences intimate access to filmmakers, and an opportunity to experience the world’s best documentary cinema, while building an extended community and a supportive environment for emerging filmmakers to focus on creative and professional development.


“We are extremely honored to receive recognition from such a prestigious establishment” said Ben Fowlie, Executive Director of the Points North Institute. “Support from the National Endowment for the Arts has been critical to the development of our organizations programs, and we’re looking forward to enhancing and expanding opportunities for the public to engage with nonfiction storytellers, and the important stories they’re telling through their artistic efforts.”

For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.