City Theater in Biddeford to host film festival

Biddeford’s City Theater is hosting the Vacationland Film Festival from Aug. 8 -11.

Selected films at the first Vacationland Film Festival will feature the best of Maine’s writers, directors, producers, and actors as well as movies that were filmed in our great state.

The Vacationland Film Festival will highlight all types of film.  Each day of the festival will include meet and greets, question and answer sessions, or other ways to interact with the people behind the films.

While the lineup is still being finalized, the Vacationland Film Festival currently includes films such as:

Nice People (Narrative Feature)

 – Filmed in Portland and written-directed by Maine-based artists Ian Carlsen and Jeff Griecci, Nice People tells the story of when old lovers reunite, a friendship is betrayed, a pet is killed, a runaway discovered, and a co-worker comes back from the dead in these five interconnected tales about suffering from kindness. Shot over five-years-worth of weekends featuring a massive cast and crew, this ambitious, feature-length, no-budget indie shows a side of Maine not seen anywhere else and finds bleak comedy in a backwater state being dragged into a diverse and inclusive 21st century.

Casting Kill (Narrative Short)

 – Biddeford Director and writer Mark J. Parker - During a last minute casting session at a production office after hours, an overworked casting director realizes that an actor he's invited to audition is more interested in killing than acting.

Arc of Oblivion (Documentary Feature)

– Director Ian Cheney - The Arc of Oblivion explores a quirk of humankind: in a universe that erases its tracks, we humans are hellbent on leaving a trace. Set against the backdrop of the filmmaker’s quixotic quest to build an ark in a field in Maine, the film heads far afield – to salt mines in the Alps, fjords in the Arctic, and ancient libraries in the Sahara – to illuminate the strange world of archives, record-keeping, and memory.

Ghost Trap (Narrative Feature)

 - The haunting story of Jamie Eugley, a young lobsterman struggling with the grinding responsibilities of a head-injured fiancé and mounting trap wars in a small Maine lobstering community. Directed by James Khanlarian, written by K. Stephens, and starring Heather Thomas, Xander Berkeley, and Sarah Clarke.

More information on the Vacationland Film Festival and the line-up can be found at https://vacationlandfilmfestival.com/ . Tickets can be purchased at https://citytheater.org/tickets/ .