Great news! 
(Sent by: Lea Girardin at the Maine Film Office)

The amendment to LD 1449,” An Act to Expand Tax Incentives for Visual Media Productions” passed.  The changes to the bill are highlighted below. The effective date for the amendment has not yet been signed into law but we hope it will be will be January 1, 2010. 

Earlier this week on “Maine Watch”, members of the Maine film community spoke with the show’s host, Jennifer Rooks.  In a terrific field piece, Rooks interviewed Louise Rosen, Lea Girardin, Laurie Notch, and Cameron Bonsey.  Footage included shots from MFVA’s most recent meeting, a showcase of Maine’s 48-hr film festival held at the Maine Studios.  A second field segment profiled Michael Maglaras, creator of, “John Marin: Let the Paint be Paint”.  In the studio, Rooks spoke with two young filmmakers, Josephine Cooper (15) and Aleah Graham (13) of Project Aware who directed and starred in the film “Influenced”. 

(see link below)

The hopeful, inspiring message of the program was underscored by MFVA’s Richard Kane, “I think the overriding message was… there is a strong and growing indigenous film community making films of all kinds and employing many of us to make quality projects happen.”

MAINE FILM STUDIO TO LAUNCH AUG. 14TH
Maine Film Co-op Begins Development
by John E. Seymore

Let me start by saying that it is always encouraging to see the posts here. The high level of dedication to a film industry in Maine is without question!
Now, I had want to waited a couple more days to get this information out, but feel it is time to do so TODAY:
Last week Wasted Minds Media Group, Inc reached an agreement with Nappi Distributors to lease the 235 Presumpscot St location (Nappi’s former warehouse). We did so with the intent of creating a film studio. However, we do not want to keep the studio for ourselves. So we decided to make space available to any film related company that would be interested in joining us at The Maine Film Studio.

(Rockland, ME) On Tuesday, July 14th, 5:00 pm at the Strand Theatre in Rockland, the Mulford Gallery and Acadia Moving Pictures will be presenting the Maine Premier of a documentary film by Dale Schierholt entitled Harold Garde: Working Artist.  The film takes you inside the studio and life of Belfast artist Harold Garde. Through interviews with the artist and observations of him at work we get a rare glimpse of the life of an artist. Garde shares with us insights into his influences, the structure of a painting and the conceptual forces behind some of the major themes found in his work. Whether revealing the struggles of the artist’s life or guiding us through his own definitions of success, the charming and engaging Mr. Garde offers viewers an intimate portrait of a true “working artist”.

via MPBN

Filmmaker Finds It Expensive to Film Stephen King Novel in Maine

March 3, 2009 Reported By: Josie Huang

Over the last four decades, dozens of Stephen King stories have been turned into blockbuster movies.  One of the first adaptations was the horror flick Carrie: “If I concentrate hard enough, I can move things!”

FOCUS YOUR LENS ON ANIMAL PROTECTION ISSUES

$25,000 FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILM GRANT

SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO APRIL 17, 2009!!!

CALL FOR ENTRIES!!!

Today’s diverse forms of media can be powerful vehicles for increasing awareness of animal protection issues. The mission of The Humane Society of the United States’ (The HSUS) Animal Content in Entertainment (ACE) program is to encourage content creators to view animal issues as rich source material for socially relevant documentary and entertainment media.

Let the Sales Begin!

January saw the first major North American non-fiction sales events of the year – the History Makers Summit in New York and the RealScreen Summit in Washington, DC. I participated in History Makers - as a moderator, panelist and one of 280 delegates.  It was a terrific conference event – a sophisticated agenda and setting, on an intimate scale.  The sessions were lively and stimulating and the social events relaxed. Highlights included a keynote address delivered by Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., (who shared clips of his Looking for Lincoln PBS special) and a closing reception at the famous showbiz hangout, Sardi’s.

OPEN CALL FOR VIDEO EDITORS, RESEARCHERS, GRANT WRITERS & INTERNS — A feature-length documentary filmed throughout Canada and the U.S. is now entering post production in Maine, with the deadline of late winter for private screenings. Various positions may be paid and/or open for internships. Please send resumes and letters of interest to Paul Tukey, c/o The SafeLawns Foundation by email to or . No phone calls please.