Plan Your Visit Today; LIVE FESTIVAL Sept. 27 - Sept. 29, 2024
After over 16 years, what makes the upcoming Chesapeake Film Festival in historic downtown Easton so unique? We asked Cid Collins Walker, the Festival’s Executive and Artistic Director to share some insider highlights:
“Every year we task our Programming Committee with reviewing and rating hundreds of film submissions – this year over 200 films from 15 states and five countries. Our goal is to curate a fresh, compelling and diverse program that spans features, environmental films, documentaries, shorts, animation and student films,” states Walker. “And we showcase a whole spectrum of talented directors, writers and producers – from students and amateurs to established filmmakers. Our goal is not only to offer variety of content, but inspiration to aspiring creatives and film buffs alike.”
This year, the Festival is offering an extraordinary FREE resource and learning event on Sunday, September 29 - “The Art of Storytelling” Meet the Filmmakers, hosted at Talbot County Library, 100 W. Dover St. Easton. The program will run from - 10:30 AM to 11:45 AM. The panel and workshop will immerse attendees in the world of creating a film project strategy, as professional filmmakers and authors share their stories about the making of their films. Join Glenn Holsten, director of both Wyeth and Jamie Wyeth and the Unflinching Eye, Leslie Shampaine, director of Call Me Dancer, Vincent de Paul, director of The Genius of Gianni Versace, Rebekah Louisa Smith, of the Film Festival Doctor who will share strategies for distribution, Monda Raquel Webb, CFF Board Member and director of Mother Knows Best and Zoo will share details about what it takes to publish, and Theodore Adams, III, CFF Board Member and director of Tri, Tyndall Typewriter and other films will talk about his screenwriting experiences with new films Shine Box and Breathe.
Walker’s second tip is to take advantage of the expert panels and Q&As that are included in the themed film blocks, offering a rare peek into the creative process. For example, Sunday’s documentary film block – “Imagination and Truth” -- from 12 noon to 2:30 pm on September 29, includes a Q&A with Juan Ignacio Bello, visiting Chilean director of the selected international documentary feature Imaginarius. The film explores how a total solar eclipse sparks the imagination of children in their quiet hometown in The Elqui Valley, an astronomic hotspot near the Atacama Desert. Amid the unusual frenzy that surrounds their town, the kids dream about a more sustainable and brighter future.
CFF’s Executive and Artistic Director is also a huge fan of the Festival’s Student Awards Showcase, also featured on Sunday, September 29 from 2:45 pm to 4:15 pm. There is a huge variety of student films to enjoy, from live action to animation, from drama to comedy. “We’ve been fortunate to see how this student talent emerges and then grows from year to year. It’s a huge privilege to be a part of their creative journey,” Walker continues. She encourages everyone to explore the films and then participate in the following Q&A with the young filmmakers.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the Chesapeake Film Festival without a spotlight on Maryland and the Eastern Shore. This year’s films from local artists cover the community’s heritage as home to watermen and sustaining our oyster harvesting as well as the traditions captured and celebrated in Easton’s annual Waterfowl Festival.
This year, the Chesapeake Film Festival has a special environmental preview event in Chestertown, in conjunction with ShoreRivers. The one-day Chestertown Festival includes two programming blocks, 4-6 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., in the historic Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theater. Each block includes three short films and discussions with the filmmakers and environmentalists. Acclaimed Chesapeake Photographer Dave Harp, who directed four of the films, will be among the speakers. Annie Richards, the Chester Riverkeeper for ShoreRivers, will introduce the evening program and talk about what ShoreRivers is doing to protect and restore the rivers of the Eastern Shore. https://www.garfieldcenter.org/gcaevent/chesapeake-film-festival-presents-fragile-rivers-fertile-lands/
CFF’s Cid Collins Walker concludes, “There is literally something for everyone at this year’s Chesapeake Film Festival. We look forward to celebrating cinema with our entire community in September. Please explore our program and plan your visit today at chesapeakefilmfestival.com.”
Tickets are now available online at www.chesapeakefilmfestival.com,. VIP tickets include an invitation to the Opening Night VIP Event with visiting producers and filmmakers, in addition to unlimited access to all films and events.
FESTIVAL KEY DATES
- September 12 –Environmental films from 4 to 6PM and 7 to 9PM at the Garfield Center in Chestertown -- Tickets may be purchased at the Garfield Center or online at https://www.garfieldcenter.org/gcaevent/chesapeake-film-festival-presents-fragile-rivers-fertile-lands/
- September 27, Opening Day Film – Call Me Dancer at 12 Noon with films to 5PM -- 5:30PM – VIP Reception, Ebenezer Theater, Easton, catered by Bluepoint Hospitality – 7:45pm Environmental Films – Tickets and information visit chesapeakefilmfestival.com
- September 28 & 29 – Full days/nights of more than 30 carefully curated independent films beginning at 12 Noon at the Ebenezer Theater – Tickets and information for all films visit chesapeakefilmfestival.com
- September 29, The Art of Storytelling Panel & Workshop -- Talbot County Free Library at 10:30AM – Free Event
Don’t miss out on film festival news! Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Join us as we prepare to celebrate the magic of storytelling and the power of independent cinema in Easton and Chestertown.
The Chesapeake Film Festival is generously supported by the Mr. and Mrs. Paul Prager on behalf of Bluepoint Hospitality, The Nature Conservancy, Shared Earth Foundation, Maryland Humanities, Maryland State Arts Council, Mid-Shore Community Foundation & Artistic Insight’s Fund, ShoreRivers, Talbot Arts, the Maryland Film Office, Shore United Bank, Choptank Electric Trust, Richard and Beverly Tilghman, Talbot County Department of Tourism, U.S. Small Business Administration and Easton Utilities.
The MD Humanities Grant has been financed in part with State Funds from the Maryland Historical Trust, an agency of the Maryland Department of Planning which is part of the State of Maryland.
