The 17th annual Chesapeake Film Festival continues in Easton at the historic Ebenezer Theater September 27-29 with a celebration of the very best in independent filmmaking with almost 40 films and panel discussions from filmmakers throughout the world.

Friday, September 27, 2024

Schedule:

12 Noon - 1:45PM

Opening Day Film - Call Me Dancer
Sponsored by Maryland State Arts Council.

Cid Collins Walker, Executive Director: Welcome and Introduction to Guests & Films

Call Me Dancer - Documentary Feature, TRT: 84 min
USA - directed by Leslie Shampaine and Pip Gilmour - Manish, a young and talented street dancer from the City of Dreams, Mumbai. He struggles against his parents’ insistence that he follow a traditional path because they depend on their son’s support. When he accidentally walks into an inner-city dance school and encounters a curmudgeonly 70-year old Israeli ballet master, a hunger develops within him. Ambitious and passionate, Manish is now determined to make it as a professional dancer, but the odds are stacked against him.

2:00 PM - 4:15 pm

Cid Collins Walker - 15:00 of Q & A with director Leslie Shampaine, 2024 Women of Impact Award

Short Film Block - “A Tapestry of Vignettes”

Ted Adams: Welcome and Introduction to Guests & Films

Dear Josephine - Documentary Short - Maryland Premiere or Spotlight on Maryland - TRT: 10 min - USA directed by Amber Monet - Josephine Baker was a global icon known for her iconic banana dance, but what many may not have know is how much Ms. Baker contributed to what we know today as classical ballet. The film is executive produced by Terra Renee, produced by Chef Ashbell and Terence Gordon.

Interception: Jayne Kennedy, American Sportscaster - Documentary Short - TRT: 15 min - USA directed by Safiya Songhai. When a bronze-skin bombshell rocks the world of Sunday Morning Football, millions tune in...but few know the tumultuous story of Jayne Kennedy, the first Black woman to boldly run interception on the racial lines of American sportscasting.

Noisy - Narrative Short - TRT: 10:04 - USA directed by Cedric Hill. Sam gets on the subway to get home. He catches the eye of April. The two of them discover
they have way more in common than where they’re heading. Sometimes you need a noisy place to have a quiet conversation.

Superman Doesn’t Steal - Narrative Short - TRT: 19:00 - USA directed by Tamika Lamison. Based on true events this is a coming of age story, set during the 1970’s as seen through the eyes of 9 year old Harriet & her brother, who are fascinated with superheroes. However, when they experience a troubling series of events, the impact on their family leaves emotional scars and causes them both to grow up as they redefine their understanding of heroes, villains and Superman.

Every Monday Night - Documentary Short - TRT: 10:36 min - USA Directed by Nate Houghteling - In Berkeley, California, a group of men in their 70s and 80s work out some of life’s biggest questions on the basketball court.

Losing Blue, TRT: 15:34 min - Canada - directed by Leanne Allison - explores the profound concept of losing a color, particularly focusing on the disappearance of the unique blues found in glacier-fed alpine lakes. These mesmerizing hues, shaped by geological processes over millions of years, are now under threat due to
climate change. Through stunning cinematography, the film serves as a metaphor for the broader impacts of environmental degradation.

Special Screening- MPT - TRT: 26:46 min - Racing Rivals -- Elegant and agile, propelled by outsized sails offset by nimble crew serving as human ballast, the iconic racing fleet of Chesapeake Bay log canoes embodies tradition, speed and grace. On breezy summer weekends, those that restore, race, and revere them are out to win, but not at the expense of these unique vessels. Racing Rivals: Log Canoes of Chesapeake Bay introduces us to this uniquely Chesapeake sport and the passionate sailors vying for coveted trophies.

Ted Adams: Filmmaker Q & A - Sarah Sampson, Senior Producer, MPT, Amber Monet, Cedric Hill, Safiya Songhai

5:30 - 7:00PM - VIP Reception and All Live Screenings

7:30 - 9:30 PM

Environmental Films Opening Night - Sponsored by The Nature Conservancy - “A Lens on Nature”

Martin Zell Welcome and Introduction to Guests & Films

Chesapeake Rhythms - Environmental Short - World Premiere TRT: 8 min USA - directed by Dave Harp and written by Tom Horton. A magnificent celebration of the native trumpet swans who migrate to the marshes of the Eastern Shore.

Diary of an Elephant Orphan - Documentary Feature - TRT: 105 min -- South Africa - directed by Hermien Roelvert-Van Gils - Over the past decade, Southern Africa has witnessed a surge in orphaned and displaced elephant calves due to increased poaching and human encroachment on their traditional habitats. This crisis prompted the establishment of an orphanage with an adoptive family structure crucial for the well-being of these vulnerable elephants. Baby Khanyisa, a three-month-old albino calf rescued from a wire snare, becomes a focal point for hope as Adine and her team endeavor to save her life and integrate her into the Jabulani herd, which uniquely comprises mostly former orphans, offering a promising solution to the challenges of elephant rehabilitation in South Africa.

Every Acre Counts - Documentary Short - TRT: 24:35 - USA directed by Andrea Campbell - Farmers in the Chesapeake watershed are a critical part of the Bay’s restoration and its future. In Every Acre Counts, four farmers from Maryland and Pennsylvania explain why farming is so important to them and how they’re utilizing new technology and techniques to better care for the land.

Saturday, September 28 2024

Schedule:

12 Noon - 3:15 PM

Martin Zell, President - Q&A with Film Distributor, Rebekah Louisa Smith and representative from The Nature Conservancy

Narrative & Documentary Features -- “Recollections & Realizing Dreams”

Monda Raquel Webb Welcome and Introduction to Guests & Films

12PM - 1:30 PM - Documentary Feature

A Photographic Memory - Documentary Feature - TRT: 87 min USA - directed by Rachel Elizabeth Seed. A Photographic Memory is an intimate, genre-bending portrait of a daughter’s attempt to piece together a portrait of her mother, anavant-garde journalist and a woman she never knew.

1:45 - 3:15pm - Narrative Feature

ImPossible - Narrative Feature - TRT: 84 min - USA directed by Seckeita Lewis -- When a man with big dreams is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, he forms an unbreakable bond with a widowed fast food worker to do the impossible; transform his life and pursue his passion of becoming a police officer.

Monda Raquel Webb leads Q&A with film director, Seckeita Lewis

3:30 - 5:00 PM “Fashion Forward” - The Genius of Gianni Versace Alive -

Film Director, Vincent De Paul Introduces his film Documentary Feature - TRT: 64 min - USA directed by Salvatore V. Zannino about the great contributions of the fashion designer Gianni Versace to the film and fashion industry.

Film Director, Vincent De Paul Q&A with Cid Collins Walker

7:00 - 9:00 PM "Saturday Night & the Arts”

Cid Collins Walker welcome and introduction

Chinese Painted Paper Cutting Folklife Apprenticeship - Documentary Short - TRT: 7:16 min - USA Master artist Shanye Huang taught Chinese painted paper cutting to apprentice artist Etian Huang in a documentary by Wide Angle Youth Media for the Maryland State Arts Council. Funded by Maryland Traditions, Folklife Apprenticeships support the transmission of cultural traditions, enabling master and apprentice artists to collaborate for up to one year. Wide Angle Youth Media, a Baltimore-based production company, amplifies the voices of youth and equips them with media arts skills to document stories across social divides.

Jamie Wyeth and the Unflinching Eye - Documentary Feature - TRT: 83:15 min

USA directed by Glenn Holsten. Part of a three-generation dynasty of painters, Jamie Wyeth has carved out a singular path in the art world. His subjects include John F. Kennedy, Andy Warhol, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rudolf Nureyev, animals on his farm and on islands of Maine, all through his unique, and sometimes unsettling, lens. Jamie Wyeth and the Unflinching Eye is the first feature length documentary that embraces the full scope of the American artist’s life and work.

Sunday, September 29 2024

Schedule:

10:30 AM - 11:45 AM

Cid Collins Walker leads Q & A with Director, Glenn Holsten

Special Event

“The Art of Storytelling” Panel and Workshop at the Talbot County Free Library - Immerse yourself in the world of creating a strategy for your film as professional filmmakers and authors share their stories on the making of their films. Join Glenn Holsten, director of 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, 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.

12 Noon - 2:30 pm

Documentary Features, “Imagination & Truth”

Ted Adams: welcome and introduction

12 Noon - 1:00 PM Imaginarius - International Documentary Feature - TRT: 62 min - Chile directed by Juan Ignacio Bello - Florencia, Amanda, Matias and Agustin, fantasize about the Total Solar Eclipse that will arrive at their quiet hometown, 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.

Ted Adams, Q & A with Director Juan Ignacio Bello, Ted Adams to introduce Truth Teller

1:25pm - 2:30 pm Truth Tellers  - Documentary Feature -- TRT: 57:54 min - USA directed by Richard Kane -- Truth Tellers is a film about political artist Robert Shetterly’s “Americans Who Tell the Truth”, a project that explores our country’s ongoing struggle to live up to our democratic ideals with those who are
not afraid to speak the truth nor challenge the status quo.

2:45PM - 4:15PM CFF 2024 Student Awards Showcase - Sponsored in part by Harley Gates

Tim Smith, Development Project Leader welcomes and introduces the films.

Missing Figure - Student Short - directed by Jeremiah Battle - TRT: 6:04 min A young man makes a call to his father who is no longer in his life before his upcoming wrestling match.

For the Love of the Game, Student Short - directed by Ollie Killip - TRT: 15:27 min USA Towson University’s Women’s Basketball Team fight through their turbulent first season under their new management team. Experience the season as they do, with a look into the lives of the players, coaches and staff that make the team tick, and be ready to fall in love with the sport all over again.

Dance Party, Student Short - Directed by Lucy Saper - TRT: 1:43 min USA - Layers of colorful screen-printed and airbrushed collaged dancers come to life in this vibrant animation.

Things I Wish I’d Said - Student Short - directed by Riley Frutiger - TRT: 5:21 min - Unable to sleep, a girl writes a letter trying to articulate the complex emotional turmoil towards her dead brother that’s keeping her awake. Monarchs in Motion - Student Environmental Short TRT: 13:14 min directed by Mason Mirabile.

Monarchs in Motion is a documentary featuring footage from the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserves in Michocan, Mexico. The film tells the story of the migratory Monarch and challenges across its migration from Canada to Mexico. The film features experts from WWF, Monarch Watch and Natural Habitat Adventures.

Beauty - Animation TRT: 1:41 min USA Student film directed by Carley Dernetz - In a visually engaging stop motion, a powerful slam poem delves into the weight of beauty standards and body image, as words cut out of paper are intertwined with images from Towson’s literary magazine, revealing the struggle for self-acceptance in a world obsessed with appearance.

Amathus - Animation TRT: 3:34 min USA Student film directed by Lydia Mastrangelo. Amathus is a retelling of the birth of Aphrodite that explores modern storytelling and femininity.

Portrait Day - Animation TRT: 2:53 min USA Student film directed by Romina Melissa Nunez -- When a cat and dog are paired to draw each other for a class portrait assignment, total chaos ensues.

Mary Through the Glass - Animation TRT: 7:02 min USA Student film directed by Wyatt Cooper Carson -- Busy cars, dotted distant windows and aimless lights make up a city through the whimsical perspective of an indoor cat. “Mary” tells the story of a curious cat who finds the company of an imaginary friend more intriguing than the neighborhood cats, leading her to a new world.

Q & A following the screenings with Lucy Saper, Jeremiah Battle, Mason Mirabile and Lydia Mastrangelo.

Tim Smith takes Q & A with student filmmakers

4:30 PM - 6:15PM - “Spotlight on Maryland”

Heritage Award: Waterfowl Festival Environmental Short - TRT: 3:37 min In 2022, the Waterfowl Festival (Talbot County) received a Heritage Award in the category of Tradition. The Festival is an annual cultural event in Easton that celebrates and educates the public about waterfowling culture and conservation traditions on the Eastern Shore. Founded in 1971, the Festival is among the oldest and largest continuous events of its type, featuring decoy carving, sporting art, and the World Waterfowl Calling Contest.

The Last Epic Ride - Narrative Short - Spotlight on Maryland - TRT: 10:57 min - directed by Rick Kain. The Last Epic Ride is the story of a terminally ill man that, aided by his friends, goes for one last motorcycle ride along a familiar route.

Get on the Bus - Documentary Feature - TRT: 68:26 min directed by Justinian Dispenza. A journey involving over 50 individuals from Chestertown, MD, traveled to the Legacy Museum in Montgomery on August 25. Along the way, stops at significant civil rights locations in Birmingham, Selma, Montgomery, and Atlanta offered profound insights into often overlooked aspects of Black history and the contemporary African American experience. These experiences are captured in the documentary Get on the Bus!, which chronicles the transformative journey.

Kimberly Skyrme: Q & A with Rick Kain, Vickie Wareheim, Justinian Dispenza and possible Waterfowl Festival person

6:30PM - 8PM Closing Night Film

In the Whale - Documentary Feature

Sandy Cannon Brown introduces film

TRT: 81:14 min USA directed by David Abel. An award-winning feature-length film. Arguably the greatest fish story ever told, though this one is true. It’s the account of a man who survived to tell the tale of being swallowed by a whale, and what happened after he escaped. In the shark-filled waters off Cape Cod,xxxx Michael Packard has long tempted fate.

Sandy Cannon Brown provides Closing Remarks

Date: September 27 - 29, 2024

Location: Talbot County Library
100 W. Dover St., Easton, MD 21601

Location: Ebenezer Theater
17 S. Washington Street, Easton, MD 21601

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