Technically, the Internet reaches a worldwide audience, but for us at NewEnglandFilm.com, we try to think a bit more locally. The initial idea for the Online New England Film Festival came from our goal to promote local filmmaking to our local community.
NewEnglandFilm.com has provided casting/crew listings, a production directory, and an online magazine since 1996, so the online festival, which launched in 2009, is a newer part of our site. Rather than promoting a call for entries, the Online New England Film Festival’s lineup is curated by New England’s festival directors, who each pick two to four films to include in our annual lineup.
This year for the 6th Annual Online New England Film Festival, we have assembled 42 films from 17 film festivals from every state in New England—Provincetown International Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Woods Hole Film Festival, Maine International Film Festival, Green Mountain Film Festival, New Hampshire Film Festival, and others. The festival runs officially every year from September 1 through October 15. However, many filmmakers opt to keep their films online year-round, and those can be found anytime via the Watch Online Now link at http://newenglandfilm.com/festival/watchnow.
The trailer for the festival can be viewed here.
The 2014 Festival selection of films varies from a hilarious short film about the misguided attempts to flirt over text to a gripping drama about the last resort of two on-the-run criminals, to a moving portrait based on a poem about child abuse. But what ties this unique collection of films together is their local connection: they all screened at local film festivals, and they all have local ties in their cast, crew and production (often, all of the above).
For example, Love in the Time of Texting was made as part of the Providence 48 Hour Film Project; New England Blood shows the dedication of New Hampshire surfers; and both the filmmaker Matt Day and the musician who is the subject of the documentary Shape of Things to Come live in Vermont. Some filmmakers are veterans of the industry, and others showcase here their first film.
Here are a few highlights from the festival to get you started:
Attic
A gripping and quiet drama about a criminal couple’s last resort. Image courtesty of director Michael Fisher
http://newenglandfilm.com/festival/2014/attic
Love in the Time of Texting
A hilarious short about the misguided attempts to flirt over text. Image courtesty of director Kyp Pilalas.
http://newenglandfilm.com/festival/2014/loveinthetimeoftexting
Flesh Eaters
This black comedy portrays one boy’s ‘terrifying’ act of First Communion. Image courtesy of director Matt Hollis-Lima.
http://www.newenglandfilm.com/festival/2014/flesheaters
Mulligan’s Island
A carnivalesque music video that incorporates the imagination of children. Image courtesy of director JB Palmer.
http://newenglandfilm.com/festival/2014/mulligansisland
The Perfect Buddy
A lonely scientist decides to create his own perfect buddy in this charming short. Image courtesy of director Michael Parks Randa.
http://www.newenglandfilm.com/festiva/2014/theperfectbuddy
Scared is scared
An experimental film that emerges out of a question posed to a six-year-old: what should my movie be about? Image courtesy of director Bianca Giaver
http://newenglandfilm.com/festival/2014/scared
Shape Of Things To Come
A glimpse into the life and music of Nick Zammuto. Image courtesy of director Matt Day.
http://newenglandfilm.com/festival/2014/shapeofthingstocome
The Theft
A drama about the induction into the ideology of India’s caste system. Image courtesy of director Gauri Adelkar.
http://www.newenglandfilm.com/festival/2014/thetheft
The Watershed
A documentary that exposes the dirty secret lurking behind Cape Cod’s supposedly pristine nature. Image courtesy of director Elise Hugus.
http://www.newenglandfilm.com/festival/2014/thewatershed
Also see the full line-up at http://newenglandfilm.com/festival/2014 and the 2014 Audience and Jury Award winners at http://newenglandfilm.com/festival/2014/awards
You can also read interviews with many of the filmmakers at http://www.newenglandfilm.com/magazine
