Welcome to the 2015 Emerge Film Festival (EFF)! We are so proud to present the second annual festival with over forty films from Maine, the United States and all over the world.

The Emerge Film Festival emerged just last year through the dedication and passion of a group of community leaders who were determined to keep film alive here in L/A. We have accomplished a lot in the past 10 months including developing our mission and successfully gaining our 501(c)(3) status. Our vision is clear – to bring intriguing, entertaining film that will spark and stimulate deep conversations among our audiences and inspire students in the art of film.

On April 9th, we will launch our second annual Emerge Film Festival. And this time it’s better than before! The 2015 Festival is set to kick off with a filmmakers’ welcome reception sponsored by Davinci’s Eatery and Stella Artois at the Woman’s Literary Union in Auburn. Our first film begins at 6:30 p.m. when 217 Films presents a 10th-anniversary screening of Marsden Hartley’s “Cleophas and His Own,” an adaptation of the autobiographical narrative poem of the same title by American painter and poet Marsden Hartley, who was born in Lewiston.

Also on Thursday evening will be a night dedicated to stand-up comedy. K-von Moezzi, the star of MTV’s hit show “Disaster Date” and a comedian who has been featured on SHOWTIME, CNN’s “HLN,” Good Morning America, BBC and NPR will present his documentary film “NOWRUZ: Lost & Found … a comedic Journey into the Persian New Year.” In this 90-minute documentary film, Moezzi hilariously invites viewers along to retrace the roots he never knew and discover the dancing, food, clothing and traditions involved in the Persian New Year. Prior to the screening, Moezzi and local comedian, Mark Turcotte, will warm up the audience with stand-up comedy. Following the film and a Q&A session, film-goers will be invited to an after-party to keep the energy going into the night.

At 3 p.m. Friday, April 10, we will present our Emerging Filmmakers films, a collection of shorts made by students in enrolled in post-secondary institutions around the world.

On Friday evening, we are proud to present the world premiere screening of “Child of Grace,” a full-length feature mystery shot on location in Millinocket, Maine in 2013. The film, directed by Ian McCrudden and produced by Thomas Hildreth (Sternman Productions in association with Epiphany Pictures), is based on the novel “June Bug” by Chris Fabry and features an all-star cast including Thomas Hildreth (“Islander,” “Mr. Smith Gets A Hustler”), Emma Myles (“Orange Is The New Black,” “Please Give,” “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”) and Maggie Elizabeth Jones (“We Bought A Zoo,” “Identity Thief”). The film also stars Ted Levine whose film credits include “The Hills Have Eyes,” “American Gangster,” “Shutter Island,” and “Silence of the Lambs” in which he famously played serial killer Jame Gumb.

The world premiere of “Child of Grace” will be presented at 7 p.m. at the Franco Center. A Q&A session with the director, Ian McCrudden; producer and star, Thomas Hildreth; and star, Emma Myles, will be held after the film. Immediately following the Q&A session, EFF will host the Maine’s Emerging Flavors Reception for the filmmakers, cast, crew and VIP All-Access ticket holders featuring Maine-made specialty foods and sponsored by Stella Artois and The Maine Office of Tourism.

Saturday, April 11, will bring a broad array of films to the Emerge audience. The day will start with a Student Film Festival celebrating the works of local students. Included in the mix of films throughout Saturday will be the world premieres of “Guys and Girls Can’t Be Friends,” “Everything All at Once” and “Southern-Fried Fencing,” among others. Saturday afternoon will include a community discussion around the films “12 O’Clock Boys,” directed by Lotfy Nathan and “American Cheerleader” directed by James Pellerito.

At 3 p.m. on Saturday, don’t miss a special work-in-progress screening of the highly anticipated feature-length mystery-drama written and directed by Derek Kimball and produced by Allen Baldwin. The film, which cast all Maine actors including 16-year old Jane Ackermann and Tony Reilly, tells a haunting story of an orphan girl raised in a church on a small island off the coast of Maine, affected by a classmate’s sudden disappearance, who falls into an obsessive mania on her way to discovering herself. The film was shot across the midcoast including Kennebunkport, Phippsburg, Cushing, Rockland and Cape Elizabeth by Maine cinematographers, Dean Merrill and Jay Lobozzo. The cast and crew of the movie are expected to be in attendance and will participate in a Q&A session immediately following the screening.

In keeping with tradition of highlighting a film with Maine ties, Saturday evening’s event will be a screening of the film, “Bluebird.” Written and directed by Maine native Lance Edmands, produced by Kyle Martin and starring Amy Morton (“Up in the Air,” “8mm,” “Rookie of the Year”) and John Slattery (“Mad Men,” “Iron Man 2”), the film tells a story of a local school bus driver in the northern reaches of Maine who becomes distracted during her end-of-day inspection, and fails to notice a sleeping boy in the back of the bus. What happens next shatters the tranquility of her small logging town, proving that even the slightest actions have enormous consequences. A Q&A session with those close to the film will follow the screening.

The evening’s festivities will also include the EFFy awards gala hosted by Michael Miclon and including the Early Evening Show Band. Film lovers will have the opportunity to celebrate with filmmakers as we present awards in nearly a dozen categories. Following the awards show, we’ll celebrate once more with the Red Carpet After Party.

Closing out the festival on Sunday, April 12, will be a screening of the film “Honor Flight,” directed by Dan Hayes. “Honor Flight” is a heartwarming documentary about volunteers racing against the clock to fly thousands of WWII veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the memorial constructed for them. Veterans will receive free admission to this film and ceremony surrounding the event, which will include a panel discussion with Hayes, as well as Honor Flight Network founder, Earl Morse and local WWII Veteran, Irving Grant who attend Maine’s inaugural Honor Flight this past August.

In all over 40 films will be shared as part of the second annual Emerge Film Festival. As I think about the filmmakers and their crews journeying to L/A, all I really want to do for each of them is to deliver an audience. This is where you come in. Our 2015 line up includes drama, comedy, thrillers, documentaries, horror and romance, each spinning a tale in moving pictures designed to move you as an audience member. There is certainly something for everyone!

We invite you to participate in the Emerge Film Festival, as film lovers, arts patrons, community members and folks who like to see a great story.

We’ll see you at the movies!

Laura Davis, President,

Board of Directors Emerge Film Festival