The Chesapeake Film Festival (CFF), now in its fourth year, announces its lineup of independent films to be screened this year at venues in Chesapeake College Wye Mills, Easton, Cambridge and Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
The Festival will run from September 23-26 and will showcase a variety of films, several of which have local connections. Many of the filmmakers will be in attendance and available to interact with audience members.
The CFF will open with The Last Rites of Joe May, written and directed by Joe Maggio, whose film Bitter Feast also showed at CFF in 2010. The drama, starring Dennis Farina, is about an aging hustler who aspires for greatness but is set back by his luck. Farina is one of the most recognized character actors of our time and is noted for his roles in Saving Private Ryan, What Happens in Vegas, Out of Sight, Get Shorty, Snatch and NBC’s Law and Order. Farina is expected to attend opening night.
Also appearing in the opening night film are The Notebook actress Jamie Anne Allman, Pineapple Express actor Gary Cole, and Ian Barford.
Maggio has written and directed several other films, a number of which have won awards. The New York Times has described The Last Rites of Joe May as “riveting.”
“I’m thrilled and honored to be returning to the Chesapeake Film Festival with the opening night film,” says Maggio. “In my opinion, CFF’s got it all. Great town, great venues, and some of the smartest programming of any festival in North America.” Maggio will attend the festival.
Other featured films include The Lie, which follows the self-discovery journey of an average man who wants to be a musician, and The Green Wave, a film with a political message about Iran’s presidential elections.
Hell and Back Again, an emotional war story, is the winner of the World Cinema Jury Prize and the World Cinema Cinematography Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. It reveals the double life of a Marine—life at war and life at home.
Meek’s Cutoff, set in 1845, follows a group of Oregon Trailer explorers who cross paths with a Native American and, in a state of lost desperation, face a political dilemma. Also to be screened is Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, which pays tribute to the hard work of 1970s band Fishbone.
Several of the films have local ties. Cafeteria Man, a true story about a “rebel chef” with a dream to change the food system in Baltimore’s public schools, has a strong political message. The filmmaker as well as a panel of local experts will be invited to the Festival.
Additionally, the world premiere of Band Together is included in the schedule. Kurt Kolaja directed Band Together, which is a documentary about the Kent County Community Marching Band.
Also on the slate is a variety of other films, including shorts, comedies, and a children’s program.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students. For a full schedule and venue locations, please visit www.chesapeakefilmfestival.com.
About the Chesapeake Film Festival
The Chesapeake Film Festival (CFF) has been showcasing a wide variety of films for four years. The Festival features both local independent films and award-winning films previously screened at Sundance, Cannes, Galway, Dublin, Slamdance, and other festivals. Its mission is “to entertain, enrich and inspire by bringing the finest in narrative, documentary and short film to the Chesapeake Bay community.” Partners of CFF include Easton Premier Cinemas, Plein Air, The Frederick Douglass Honor Society, the Talbot Cinema Society, the Talbot Office of Tourism, Town Creek Foundation and others. For more information, visit www.chesapeakefilmfestival.com or email info@chesapeakefilmfestival.com.