The Chesapeake Film Festival (CFF) is pleased to announce several new events, films, and additions to their schedule. The festival, which will be held from September 23 – 26 in Easton, Cambridge, Wye Mills, and Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, brings culture, art, and excitement to the community.
“Our downtown community loves being a part of the Chesapeake Film Festival,” says Jim Duffy, executive director of the nonprofit Cambridge Main Street. “Top-notch arts and culture events like this really do have a lasting positive impact, drawing people to the Mid-Shore and providing a great showcase for our small towns and our downtowns.”
Many of the filmmakers will be attending the festival, including Mark Stolaroff, producer of Pig; Suzan Beraza, director of Bag It; Danfung Dennis, director of Hell and Back Again; Richard Chisolm, director of Cafeteria Man; and many more. Kathleen Carroll, three-time chair of NY Film Critics’ Association, will be hosting the screenings of Network, A Woman Under the Influence, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
“The Chesapeake Film Festival is a remarkable organization. The quality and the diversity of their programming rivals anything you could see in a big city festival, but they do it right here on the Eastern Shore,” says Erik Neil, director of the Academy Art Museum in Easton, which will be hosting film screenings this year. “…I also appreciate their efforts to give the filmmakers from our region a serious venue to present their work. This is a serious and valuable cultural institution.”
The festival will feature the world premiere of Kurt Kolaja’s film Band Together, a locally made documentary about the Kent County Community Marching Band. Band Together will premier on September 24 at the Avalon Theatre. It will also play on September 25 at the Academy Art Museum and Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre.
The screening of Bill Durham, which was directed by former Orioles minor league second baseman Ron Shelton, will showcase two guests: Rick Kollinger and baseball figure Frank Cashen. Cashen was the director of Orioles baseball operations in 1965, the year they made remarkable baseball history by trading Oriole Milt Pappas for Frank Robinson. Of the film, Kollinger says, “This movie has sex, baseball, and Bill Haley singing ‘Rock Around the Clock.’ What’s not to like?” Bill Durham will screen on September 24 at the Avalon Theatre in Easton at 6:30 p.m.
Another addition to the slate is Coals to Newcastle, which follows the journey of English funk jazz band The New Mastersounds. The film was co-directed by Anne Arundel County filmmaker Marca Hagenstad and Aaron Dunsay. Coals to Newcastle will screen on September 24 at the Academy Art Museum in Easton at 7:00 p.m.
Just announced, Miss Representation, a film exposing the lack of representation of American women in positions of power and influence, will be included in the Festival. Another documentary, Reagan, directed by Eugene Jarecki, marks Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday. The film will screen on September 25 at the Avalon Theatre at 10:00 a.m.
CFF will hold a raffle for $2,000. Only one thousand tickets are available now at $20 each or $100 for six; they can be purchased from any CFF member, at the box office, and at venues during the Festival. Checks can be sent to 32 South Washington St., Suite 1-A, Easton, MD 21601. The winner will be drawn and announced at the closing party and does not need to be present in order to win. Call the CFF office at 410-822-3500 for more information.
“The Chesapeake Film Festival brings to Easton an entertaining and thought provoking forum for people of all ages, backgrounds and interests,” says Kelley Malone of the Easton Town Council. “I appreciate the wide variety of films, the ability to talk with actors, producers, directors, and writers, and the overall infusion of this art form in our little town of Easton.”
Films will be screened at the Avalon Theatre, the Academy Art Museum, the Talbot County Historical Society auditorium, Easton Premier Cinemas, Gallery 447, the Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre, and the Cadby Theatre at Chesapeake College. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students. For a full schedule and to purchase tickets via PayPal prior to box office opening, 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 Talbot County Arts Council, the Frederick Douglass Honor Society, the Talbot Cinema Society, the Talbot County Office of Tourism, and others. For more information, visit www.chesapeakefilmfestival.com or email info@chesapeakefilmfestival.com.