Thursday, August 21, 7:00 pm
To Be Determined
Friday, August 22, at 3:00 pm
TO BE YOUNG AND IN LOVE
Two short stories feature the challenges of love and dating.
Expectations of Naïve Lovers, Dir. Chad Ackerson Young lovers date, break up, make up, and make plans. (2023)
Run time: 16 minutes
Suitcases, Dir. Cody Alexander Curtis
A young couple grapples with their relationship dynamic as college friends pull on their allegiances. (2024) Run time: 25 minutes
Ǫ&A Follows.
Friday, August 22, 5:00 pm
IN DANGER OF BEING DISCOVERED
If you were around for the 90’s Portsmouth music scene, or even if you weren’t, this delightful documentary will introduce you to some of the hottest bands from the area who had a brush with fame, and in the end, realized that maybe the real gift was playing music and being together in such a magical place and time. (2013)
Run time: 59 minutes
Followed by Q&A with band members and director and merrymaking at The Lincoln.
Friday, August 22, 6:30 pm
FRIDAY NIGHT FRIGHT
Warning: these films contain blood and violent scenes.
Red, a short film by Writer/Director Meredith Tokac, centers around a group of friends meeting for dinner until things go horribly wrong. (2024)
Run time: 11 minutes.
The Stranger in the Snow, (2025) Directed by VFF1 Audience Award-winning Director Mark J. Parker, a couple on their third date look forward to a quiet night at home, until….. Filmed in Bangor.
Run time: 12 Minutes.
Duplicitous, Directed and Produced by Ǫuinn Wheatley, and several years in the making, this feature length film has horror, suspense, and the Maine woods. (2025)
Run time: 95 Minutes
Total Film Run time: 128 minutes, Followed by Ǫ&A
Saturday, August 23, 11:00 am
YOUTH FILMS (18+UNDER)
April In Maine, Directed by Willem Holden Watkinson Willem was a 19-year-old Maine filmmaker and multi-media artist who died in late 2024. His mother submitted his film and let us know that his intention was to participate in film festivals.
Run time: 2 Minutes
Family and friends will be in attendance.
Stolen Springs, Directed by Brooklyn high school student, Maine camp attendee, and now rising NYU student Houston Diaz, is a documentary about Poland Springs and the free rider problem—how companies exploit public resources for profit, while leaving society to deal with the consequences.
The director is starting school in New York today and will be missed. Good luck, Houston!
Run time: 35 minutes
Saturday, August 23, 1:00 pm
GRIEF TAKES MANY FORMS
In this series of four short films, our filmmakers look at the challenges surrounding illness, loss, and regret.
Lament, Directed by Robbie Moore
In this gripping short, a man faces regrets for decisions he has made in his life. Will he have a second chance? (2024)
Run time: 15 minutes
Invisible, Directed by Ryan Nunes
As she deals with the crushing weight of living with her chronic illness, Riley begins to reach her breaking point. (2024)
For more resources on Chronic Illness and other invisible diseases please check out the Center For Chronic Illness: https://www.thecenterforchronicillness.org/
Run time: 10 minutes
Cascades, Directed by Brian Russell
A couple walks towards a crossroads on the day of their 30th wedding anniversary. Marcus and Denise have been happily married for 30 years. Well, almost happily married. Can they overcome the one thing that just might tear them apart?
(2024) Run time: 14 minutes
Sentinels, Written and Directed by Matthew Luhrman
When dad (played by Ian Carlsen) gets sick, the kids have a plan.
Made in Maine, Sentinels features performances from over a dozen local child actors and celebrates the power of imagination. (2023)
Run time: 15 minutes
Total Program Run Time: 54 minutes
Saturday, August 23, 3:00 pm
WHERE DO WE FIT IN?
This series of short films examines the Immigrant experience, from refugee to homesickness to acceptance and community.
This Half Light, Produced, Directed, and Animated by Irene Kim-Ahiska and written by Maine resident Kerem Durdag. It was based on a dream that had its roots in his experience as an immigrant. It’s a manifestation of what matters: love, grace and desire to engage in beauty in the midst of life’s challenges. (2024) Run time: 7 minutes
Kitchen Tales, Director Jane Moriarty
New Indian immigrants to the UK navigate 40 years of marriage through the food they make and the meals they share as their family grows and their love struggles to survive. (2021)
Run time: 22 Minutes
Courts of Belonging, Dir. Santiago Tijerina
A diverse group of soccer players from around the world meet up at Kennedy Park in Portland for soccer and friendship. (2025)
Run time: 24 minutes
Total Program Run Time: 53 minutes
Saturday, August 23, 5:00 pm
COMMUNITY THROUGH MEDIA
Final First Edition, Directed by Wes Sterrs.
Rich Horn has spent his entire life collecting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic books and meticulously archiving them in his Littleton, Colorado basement. When he uncovers a once-in-a-lifetime piece of memorabilia, it ignites a cross-country mission: Reprint the very first edition TMNT comic in Maine using the exact same techniques and materials it was printed on in 1984. With a style that playfully references the cinematic turns of 1970s conspiracy dramas and political thrillers, Final First Edition documents Rich’s quest to make his name in the beloved history of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (2025)
Run time: 10 minutes
An Extraordinary Place, by Director Tom Bell, takes a look at WPMG community radio in Portland, which has been “free since 1973.”
Now 50+ years strong, WPMG hosts a variety of programs with something for everyone.
This delightful documentary introduces us to the faces and voices that make WPMG happen. (2024)
WMPG is a Non-Commercial Educational FCC FCC-licensed radio station owned by the University of Maine System, and is the premier community radio station of southern Maine. Located on the campus of the University of Southern Maine (USM) in Portland, Maine (22 Bedford St), WMPG broadcasts locally on 20.2FM. It also streams on wmpg.org, and on the WMPG app which you can download on to your mobile device.
Run time: 35 minutes
Saturday, August 23, 7:00 pm
ARTFULLY UNITED
WORLD PREMIERE (2025) Run Time: 95 Minutes
Directed by Chris Walters and Produced by Phiphen (Producer’s Award VFF1)
This documentary introduces us to Michael Norice, artist, community builder, son, father, husband, brother, and role model.
Surrounded by a loving family and community, Norice paints murals that cover up grafiti and bring hope to broken communities.
Norice was born in Watts. During the early to late 80s, Michael and his family endured poverty and homelessness while being surrounded by drugs and gang violence.
Although difficult, Michael used those troubling times as a springboard for what he would accomplish and who he would become.
Michael has now been creating art for over thirty years. Although naturally gifted in drawing and painting, his drive for excellence led him to seek extensive professional training in graphic design as well as painting techniques including realism and oils.
Michael began speaking at schools in inner city communities about the importance of education and career building. He has received numerous awards for his art from the City of Los Angeles and is the first African-American to paint a mural in the city of Carson.
Multiple Mike Norice murals can be found throughout the City of Los Angeles and surrounding communities. In addition to commissioned installations, Michael started the non-profit Artfully United in 2017, offering murals in otherwise disadvantaged areas to initiate a positive vibe.
Artfully United Uniting Our Communities Through Art. Our mission is to uplift the psyche of people in our cities and communities that suffer from high rates of poverty and violence. Through painting murals with positive messages in these high risk areas, we aim to lower gang violence, graffiti, drug abuse and crime. By involving community members in the construction of these murals, this activity will not only provide an outlet through art, but also restore pride, unite communities and positively impact the psychological well-being of the people
Followed by a party at the Lincoln for Festival passholders and evening program ticket holders.
Sunday, August 24, 11:00 am
Maine Mayhem
Sunday starts at 11:00am with an Encore Presentation of the 15th Annual Southern Maine Community College Maine Mayhem, showcasing the excellent training that film students are receiving in SMCCs two-year Communications and New Media Studies Program. Various Directors.
More details at https://www.smccme.edu/maine-mayhem/
Run time: 144 minutes
Ǫ&A Follows.
Sunday, August 24, 2:00 pm
This series of four short documentaries takes a look at the people and the places that make Maine so special.
The Timber Frame Directed by Jeshua Soucy
This short documentary introduces us to the folks at Kennebec Framing, who use traditional building methods to create beautiful, strong, enduring structures. (2025)
Run Time: 9 Minutes
Broken: A LifeFlight Story Directed by Mark Fleming
After a devastating accident in February 2023, Roger Ǫuehl’s life was upended in an instant. This 9-minute documentary follows his journey from trauma to recovery, capturing the quiet strength and resilience that carried him forward. Set against the backdrop of rural emergency care, Roger’s story offers an intimate look at the human cost of crisis—and the extraordinary efforts that often unfold behind the scenes. It’s a portrait of vulnerability, survival, and the enduring impact of one life touched by swift, decisive action. Run time: 9 minutes
Whisper – A Sailing Adventure, Directed by Carl Smith
Whisper is a three-part short story following the adventures aboard a sailboat in Downeast Maine.
“It ties together the past and present, my lifelong adventure of sailing the coast of Maine aboard Whisper, our family’s Allied Seabreeze 35, while also showcasing Maine in a way that many people do not see.” Carl Smith
This film is a beautiful tribute to Coastal Maine. (2025) Run time: 14 minutes
Tending the Tides: Maine’s Aquaculture Apprenticeships
By Maine Mountain Media
Maine is home to the nation’s first-ever registered Aquaculture Apprenticeship, a one-of-a-kind program that has attracted applicants locally and nationally.
The apprenticeship blends 2,000 hours of practical on-the-water experience and 144 hours of technical training, creating opportunities for young people to establish fulfilling careers in aquaculture while supporting Maine’s working waterfronts. “Tending the Tides: Maine’s Aquaculture Apprenticeship” is a short documentary about the apprentices taking part in this program, many of whom relocated to Maine from as far away as California to begin the program. Others were born in Maine and spent their whole lives here, some coming from the commercial fisheries and wanting to diversify their careers and income. (2025)
Run Time: 28 Minutes Followed by Ǫ&A
Total Program Run Time: 60 minutes
Sunday, August 24, 4:00 pm
To Be Determined
Sunday, August 24, 7:00 pm
To Be Determined
Contact the Vacationland Film Festival directly by emailing [email protected]
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