Maine-made productions take center stage at MIFF29
WATERVILLE, Maine—The Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) returns to Waterville, Maine, for its 29th annual edition July 10–19, 2026. This year presents the most diverse MIFF program to date, with 44 countries represented in the 112-film lineup. Guests from across the globe will make their way to Waterville and—amid this international program—enjoy the very best the Maine film industry has to offer with around two dozen in-state productions, including 19 in competition.
Supporting and advancing the independent film industry in the state remains a key value of festival organizers, which is why on the closing night of MIFF, the juried Tourmaline Prizes will recognize the best made-in-Maine feature and short films. Three films compete in this year’s feature category for a $5,000 grand prize, and 16 titles contest the $2,500 shorts prize.
This year’s jury consists of Julie Bradet, executive and artistic director of Québec’s Festival du Film de Knowlton; Julia Dunlavey, founder and publisher of The Maine Playweek; and Trésor Senga, founder and CEO of the Mashariki African Film Festival in Kigali, Rwanda.
The 2026 Tourmaline Prizes are sponsored by the Maine Film Office and Larry and Kim Sterrs.
Competing in this year's feature film category are dramas In Transit and Mallory’s Ghost, and documentary Downeast Hardcore: Stories from The Kave.
Showing for the first time in Maine on July 16, In Transit stars Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice, Possession, A Quiet Passion), Alex Sarrigeorgiou (who also wrote the script), and François Arnaud (Heated Rivalry, I Killed My Mother). Directed by Jaclyn Bethany, In Transit follows a complacent young bartender living in small-town Maine who agrees to model for an existentially floundering painter on an artist's retreat. In the ensuing drama, both women must confront their preconceptions of what makes a good life.
“One of the themes that interests me most as a filmmaker is intimacy between women. It is quite simply something we do not see enough on screen,” Bethany said. “The film focuses on the subtle yet complex experience of both women, set against a bleak New England winter.”
Mallory’s Ghost, directed by Arabella Oz, will enjoy its New England premiere on July 17 at the Waterville Opera House. In the film, a young couple, Mallory and Sam, on a writers' retreat on the coast of Maine, must contend with jealousy and obsession when Sam's past—in the form of his beautiful ex-girlfriend, Louise—comes back to haunt them. Mallory’s Ghost was filmed in and around Portland, Maine with the scenic intensity of Casco Bay as a backdrop.
"I’ve always been fascinated by the parts of ourselves we try to hide—the messy, jealous, insecure impulses that can quietly govern our lives” Oz said. “With Mallory’s Ghost, I wanted to explore jealousy not as petty drama, but as a shadow that points us back to what we’ve neglected in ourselves.”
Downeast Hardcore will make its world premiere at the Maine Film Center on July 18. In a quiet coastal Maine town, Kathy Findlay transformed an old barn into The Kave, an unlikely hub for the region’s hardcore music scene from 2001 to 2016. Through loud shows, raw emotion, and a sense of unconditional acceptance, The Kave grew into a community where young people find connection and identity.
Featuring members of bands including Agnostic Front, Colin of Arabia, Full Blown Chaos, Slapshot, Cruel Hand, Outbreak, Risk, and 100 Demons, Downeast Hardcore: Stories from The Kave is a portrait of an underground scene and the lasting impact of a place that gave people somewhere to belong.
Sixteen films compete in this year's shorts competition:
Maine Narrative Shorts
• Swine
• A Game of Chance
• Beachside Motel
• She Had Some Work Done
• Cloudbound Eagle
• The Voyagers
• Abandoned Buildings
Maine Documentary Shorts
• On the Sea
• They Called Me a Rabble-Rouser
• Second Responders
• Home for Now
• May the Water Not Freeze
• Samland
• Tides
The Tourmaline-eligible short documentary North of Ordinary will screen before Downeast Hardcore, and the narrative short Something Greater Than You will show with Mallory’s Ghost.
In addition to these films, Katie Aselton and Mark Duplass’ Their Town, filmed entirely in Bangor, will make its Maine premiere outside of competition as the opening night marquee screening.
To learn more about the made-in-Maine films and the dozens of others screening at MIFF this year, visit MIFF.org. Passes and tickets are available now.
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About MIFF
Founded in 1998, the Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) is a project of the Maine Film Center. The 10 days of the festival showcase nearly 100 films, representing the best of American independent and international cinema, and spotlight some of Maine and New England’s most exciting and innovative filmmakers.
About the Maine Film Center
The Maine Film Center (MFC) brings world-class independent film and filmmakers to Maine through year-round independent film screenings, the annual Maine International Film Festival, and by delivering impactful, accessible exhibitions and education programs. Founded in 1978 as Railroad Square Cinema, MFC is now a division of Waterville Creates and a member of the Art House Convergence and Film Festival Alliance. For more information visit MaineFilmCenter.org.