Martha’s Vineyard Independent Film Festival |
March 16 – 18 at the Chilmark Community Center
While impromptu business deals have been cut on the Chilmark Community Center’s floor, The Martha’s Vineyard Independent Film Festival is not an industry-driven event. The goal of the MVIFF is to show films that spark thought, debate and offer alternative views to the mainstream media. Each year the MVIFF incorporates lengthy intermissions and informed discussions led by filmmakers, the film’s subject and or an expert in the field.
Founded in 2000, the festival began as a one-day winter movie marathon. Seven years later, the festival screens more than fifty films annually. In addition to its annual winter festival, the MVIFF now also hosts a Summer Film Series that includes a double feature every Wednesday night – an international film for children at 5pm and one for adults at 8pm.
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 Films for Film Lovers
If it is powerful, controversial and beautiful, it’s probably on the MVIFF screen. In years past, fishing rights, pornography, Native American land use, euthanasia, global warming, art, contemporary relationships and the war in Iraq have all been considered and explored.
And the MVIFF has a reputation for being ahead of the conversation curve. It screened Born into Brothels seven months before it won an Academy Award, 51 Birch Street four months before The New York Times chief film critic A.O. Scott called it “A work of art…one of the most moving and fascinating documentaries I’ve seen this year.” And the MVIFF audience had the opportunity to meet the cast and crew of Ferry Tales six months before it was nominated for an Academy Award. The MVIFF also screened Kirby Dick’s This Film is Not Yet Rated before its national release date.
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Share the Experience
The Martha’s Vineyard Independent Film Festival is a happening -- in the greatest sense of the word. In the winter, for three days, the Vineyard community and guests from around the world have the opportunity to see films, be challenged, hear music and be inspired all while eating handfuls of popcorn and delicious food from the Scottish Bakehouse. In the summer, you might see Wes Craven, Mike Wallace or Carly Simon hanging out and talking with local children and their families.
Emmy award winning filmmaker Kate Davis describes the scene, “Having traveled with my films from Sundance to Berlin to Havana to Yamagata in Japan, I believe the Martha’s Vineyard Independent Film Festival is like no other…the festival experience is infused with community spirit and intellectual curiosity.”
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Films People are Talking About
Each year, the festival’s screening committee pours over films gathered from national and international markets. They find works that represent the best in independent filmmaking. Their only rule is that they must feel excited by the material and the form. In addition to the narrative features that they program, they also include shorts, documentaries, animation, experimental films and even kid’s movies. MVIFF Director Thomas Bena says, “We want you to discover films and filmmakers who you haven’t heard of yet.”
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Thomas Bena is tight-lipped about this year’s line-up, but looking at the festival’s track record –
Breakfast on Pluto, What the Bleep Do We Know, American Eunuchs, Born Rich, Southern Comfort, Watermarks, and
Mysterious Skin– we know we can depend on an unforgettable program.
Check it out
The 7th Annual Martha’s Vineyard Independent Film Festival will take place March 16 – 18 at the Chilmark Community Center. Spend an evening, or the weekend, and enjoy watching films with family and friends.
Photos by David Welch
