NewEnglandFilm.com

Happenings

Celebrate the Maine Jewish Film Festival March 17-24. This year’s event includes the Women Filmmakers Forum, LGBT Film Forum, Director’s Reception, and opening/closing night parties. Learn more at http://www.mjff.org/.

Brattleboro, Vermont hosts the Women’s Film Festival March 9-18 to benefit the Women’s Freedom Center. Screenings include Tomboy, Sex Crimes Unit, and Raising Renee. Passes are available. Check out the festival website for the full schedule.

A History of Viggo: The Coolidge Corner Theatre has named Viggo Mortensen as this year’s Coolidge Award winner. Mortensen will accept his award on March 5th at 8 pm; he will also be in attendance for a Q&A following a 12 pm screening of Eastern Promises earlier in the day. The Coolidge is currently hosting repertory screenings of Mortensen’s work. Click here to learn more.

The Green Mountain Film Festival runs March 16-25 in Montpelier, Vermont, followed by three additional days in St. Johnsbury March 30th to April 1st. Films screen at several different venues. Check http://www.greenmountainfilmfestival.org/ for updates.

The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film hosts their annual awards ceremony on March 18th at 5 pm at the Brattle Theatre. Director Atom Egoyan will appear to accept the Hall of Fame Award. Click here for more information.

The Lewiston Auburn Film Festival invites the public to a sneak preview fundraising event on March 2nd. The event, including refreshments and a silent auction, will take place from 5 to 8 pm at the Royal Oak Room (Lewiston, Maine). Visit http://www.lafilmfestival.org/ for more information.

The DocYard presents two screenings this month at Cambridge’s Brattle Theatre. Bombay Beach screens March 5th at 8 pm, followed by a Q&A with director Alma Har’el. On March 19th at 8 pm, filmmakers Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley will be in attendance to present their film Battle for Brooklyn. For more details, visit the DocYard website.

Check out the Salem Film Fest March 1-8 in Salem, Massachusetts. The event celebrates documentaries and will include awards for the Five Minute Student Film Festival. Festival passes are available. Visit http://salemfilmfest.com/ for more details.

The WAM!Boston Film Festival takes place March 24th at the Brattle Theatre. The festival celebrates films by and about women; screenings will include filmmaker Q&As. Click here for the full schedule.

Rockland, Maine’s Strand Theatre hosts CIFF Selects as part of the Camden International Film Festival. The series begins with a screening of If a Tree Falls on March 15th at 7 pm. Learn more at the Strand website.

The Boston Jewish Film Festival presents two screenings this month. The first three episodes of the Israeli series Srugim will play March 19th at 7 pm at the West Newton Cinema (West Newton, Massachusetts), with an appearance from actor Amos Tamam. On March 26th, Cambridge’s Brattle Theatre hosts a screening of the documentary Dolphin Boy at 6:30 pm. Visit http://www.bjff.org/ to learn more.

Boston’s Museum of Science presents Free Film Fridays this month at the Mugar Omni Theater. Tickets are free and first come, first served. Check the Museum’s daily schedule for showtimes and read more about Free Film Fridays here.

Out! For Reel LGBT Film Series presents the East Coast premiere of Cloudburst on March 3rd at 7 pm. The feature film, starring Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker, will screen at the Academy of Music Theatre (Northampton, Massachusetts), followed by an after-party at Hotel Northampton. Learn more at http://www.OutForReel.org/.

Industry Buzz

ABC Entertainment will shoot the pilot for the new series Gilded Lillys in Massachusetts this month. The period drama will film in Boston. Read more from the
Massachusetts Film Office.

Peter D. Spameni is the winner of the first Rhode Island Screenplay Competition. His script, The Ashes of Albion, is set in Rhode Island following the Civil War. As winner, he received five free studio pitches and Final Draft 8 screenwriting software. Read more from Providence Business News.

Consider New Hampshire the Chosen One: the independent film In Your Eyes, written by Joss Whedon, will soon begin shooting in the state. Filming locations will include Claremont. Read more from the New Hampshire Film & Television Office.

Opportunities

Women in Film & Video/New England is currently accepting submissions for its 10th Annual Screenwriting Competition. Applicants are encouraged to submit screenplays written or co-written by a woman and/or featuring prominent female roles. Early bird deadline is March 15th; regular deadline is May 1st; late is May 8th; extended May 15th. For fees and guidelines, click here.

The New Hampshire Short Film Festival is accepting submissions through March 31st. For guidelines and information on how to apply, check out http://www.nh.gov/film/hsfest/.

Granite SoFFA, the New Hampshire Society of Female Film Artists, welcomes registration for its upcoming weekend retreat March 24-25. The event, which includes workshops and meals, will be held at Olde Orchard Inn in Moultonborough, New Hampshire. Visit Granite SoFFA’s blog to register.

It’s your last chance to submit a film to Connecticut’s Westport Youth Film Festival. Student filmmakers are encouraged to apply; late deadline is March 10th with a $25 submission fee. Learn more at http://www.westportyouthfilmfest.org/.

The Flaherty Film Seminar encourages New England filmmakers to apply for the LEF New England fellowship. Four fellowships will be awarded and will cover the entire seminar registration fee. This year’s seminar is “Open Wounds” and will take place June 16-22 at New York’s Colgate University. The LEF New England fellowship application deadline is March 1st. Learn more here.

The Berkshire International Film Festival is accepting submissions through March 1st. Visit http://www.biffma.com/ for more details and to download a submission form.

Talamas Broadcast Equipment is offering a free Sound Devices PIX 220 / 240 event on March 8 at 6 pm (with food and drinks at 5 pm). Sound Devices PIX 220 and PIX 240 video recorders add Quicktime recording using Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD to any HDMI-or HD-SDI equipped high-definition video camera. The portable PIX 220 (HDMI-only) and its sibling the PIX 240 (HDMI and HD-SDI) record Quicktime files to CompactFlash cards or removable 2.5-inch solid-state hard drives. This clinic will delve beyond the typical feature lists and user guides to explore best practices and principles behind the products. Sound Devices’ Matt Mayer, Applications Engineer, will be the presenter. Other Sound Devices representatives will be on hand to answer questions. Register for the free event at www.talamas.com/page/TB/PROD/sound-devices-event

The Boston LGBT Film Festival is accepting submissions for this year’s event. Without a Box Extended Deadline is March 9th. For submission guidelines, visit http://bostonlgbtfilmfest.org/.

Submit your project now to the Nantucket Film Festival. Late deadline is March 12th, with a $60 fee for features, $50 for shorts. Visit http://www.nantucketfilmfestival.org/ to learn more.