The world unites, cinematically 6th Maine International Film Festival begins its run today

WATERVILLE – Ten days. Sixty feature films. More than 40 short films. Twenty-five different foreign countries represented. And Peter Fonda.

As a cultural epicenter, it’s tough to beat the city of Waterville this time of year. Indeed, starting today and running through July 20 at the Railroad Square Cinema and the Waterville Opera House, the Maine International Film Festival begins its much-anticipated run, offering film buffs and casual moviegoers an opportunity to see movies that otherwise never would have found an audience in Maine.

Now in its sixth season, the festival has grown from a grassroots effort to become one of Waterville’s – and Maine’s – shining stars, drawing people from around the state and worldwide.

“Waterville’s mayor, Nelson Madore, recently decided that Waterville is ‘the festival city,’ and we’ve had maybe a bit to do with that,” says festival programmer Ken Eisen. “It’s very exciting for this town to suddenly become the hub of excitement and cultural adventure that it becomes every summer, and there’s no question that the festival is a major boon economically to the area.”

Eisen attributes the festival’s rapid growth and success to the reputation it has earned for the quality and diversity of its program, and for the way in which it brings filmmakers and audiences together informally. “It seems that everyone who comes to the festival just has a great time, and leaves with their cinematic and world horizons broadened, which is a great feeling – for them and for us,” he said.

This year, dozens of independent and foreign films will be featured, movies from Maine and elsewhere in the United States, as well as films from Hungary, Germany, India, China, Canada, France, Japan, Argentina, Spain and Africa – to name a few.

The criteria for choosing the films is simple: They must be good.

“That’s the basis,” says Eisen, who selects the films with co-programmer Alan Sanborn. “But if a film has a Maine connection, we view it differently than if it doesn’t, because part of our purpose is to showcase Maine films.”

As such, the festival will show a number of films set and shot entirely in Maine, including Henry Leroy Finch’s “Wake,” a drama starring Academy-Award-winner Martin Landau that was filmed in Bath in a two-century-old house overlooking the Kennebec River. Written and produced by Landau’s daughter and Finch’s wife, Susan Landau Finch, the film also features Maine comedian Bob Marley and Maine-based actor, John Philbrick.

Also from Maine are three short films by Portland’s Bob Barancik; Penobscot Nation chief Barry Dana in “Troubled Waters”; and Ben Levine’s “Reveil: Waking up French,” a documentary shot mostly in Waterville about the repression and renaissance of the French of northern New England.

With so many films competing for inclusion at the increasing number of film festivals popping up across the country – being seen and well-received by a festival audience significantly increases the chances of winning a distribution deal – festivals such as Waterville’s are crucial for those filmmakers still fighting to make it in Hollywood. Not surprisingly, Eisen and Sanborn find no shortage of films from which to choose.

“The films come to us from many sources,” says Eisen. “Some come through our associations and contacts with filmmakers, distributors and exhibitors around the nation and the world. Many come to us through past festivals and our distribution company, Shadow Distribution. Some come as submissions to the festival. And some, indeed, come from films that we’ve seen advance screenings of elsewhere.”

Other film highlights include “American Splendor,” which recently won the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Nick Nolte, James Woods and Daryl Hannah in “Northfork;” Campbell Scott and Hope Davis in “The Secret Lives of Dentists;” the wordless “Hukkle,” which recently won the European Film Award for Best First Film; “Waiting for Happiness,” a film festival promoters describe as the finest film to come out of Africa; and “The Weather Underground,” a movie about a group of outraged students who tried to overthrow the U.S. government during the 1970s.

Receiving the festival’s special Mid-Life Achievement Award is actor Peter Fonda, who will be at the event to receive the award and also to view a special screening of his films, including “Easy Rider,” “The Limey,” “Ulee’s Gold,” “Lilith” and “The Hired Hand.” The latter film is a 1971 feminist western co-starring Warren Oates and Verna Bloom, who will also be on hand with her husband, Academy-Award-nominated screenwriter Jay Cocks (“The Age of Innocence,” “Gangs of New York”), which has since been fully restored and was directed by Fonda.

Why Fonda for the award?

“Last year we screened the restored version of ‘The Hired Hand’,” Eisen said. “It’s a magnificent masterpiece that he both directed and starred in that was neglected at the time it was made. The thrill of its rediscovery made us realize in a way we really hadn’t previously what an immense talent he is, and how worthy of the honor he was. We began thinking then of having him be our honoree this year, and we’re very, very thrilled that he’s been kind enough to accept.”

Previous winners of the award include actress Sissy Spacek and director Jonathan Demme.

Opening festivities begin tonight at 7 p.m. at the Opera House with a screening of “Seraphin: Heart of Stone.” Released this winter, the film has quickly become the most successful Quebecois film ever made on its home ground. Think of it as “Gone with the Wind” set in 19th century Quebec.

What’s great about the Maine International Film Festival is that in spite of featuring a wealth of more serious-minded films, it isn’t without a sense of humor. Indeed, this year’s festival will feature “Horror of Party Beach,” a beach part-monster movie from the ’60s that festival promoters proudly consider one of the 10 worst films ever made, and also “This is Nowhere,” a hilarious movie about the 3 million Americans who live full-time in recreational vehicles – and who spend their evenings in Wal-Mart parking lots.

A complete listing of films, film times and other information, including directions, can be found at the festival’s Web site: www.miff.org. Tickets for the event are $125 for a full festival pass, $75 for a partial pass (10 films), and $8 for individual screenings. Opening and closing night events are $10 each.

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, Thursdays on WLBZ 2 and WCSH 6, and are archived on RottenTomatoes.com. He can be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.