In August 2004, Jason Crigler, one of New York City’s most sought-after guitarists, suffered a brain hemorrhage during a concert in Manhattan. That night at the hospital, the doctors told Jason’s family—if he makes it through the night, there won’t be much left of him. Jason’s wife, Monica, pregnant at the time, froze. “Everything completely stopped. I forgot all about the pregnancy. I think I left my body. I remember thinking, ‘This cannot be true. I cannot go on without Jason.’” Days passed, and Jason’s family was forced to accept the new dark reality at hand. But they refused to accept the dark future described by doubtful doctors. So in the face of wrenching despair and horrifying odds, the Criglers made a resolution—Jason will make a full recovery. And thus began the long, grueling, implausible and mystifying journey chronicled in Life. Support. Music. Independent Film Festival of Boston 2008 Audience Choice Award ***Click on EXTRAS TAB below for Trailer!***

Like modern-day explorers, the two academics featured in The Linguists travel to forgotten places around the globe to unearth rare treasures—in this case, endangered languages. On a shoestring budget, professors David Harrison and Gregory Anderson navigate difficult terrain, searching for speakers of these forgotten and mostly hidden languages. While more than 7,000 different languages are currently spoken around the world, many are rapidly disappearing. Language diversity is shrinking as colonialism and economic unrest destroy traditional tribal tongues. When young people abandon their ancestral language, the passive suppression of their culture begins, and soon those languages will cease to exist. Joining a traditional ceremony in a remote village in India, observing a Kallawaya healing ritual in Bolivia, and completing an arduous journey into Siberia are all part and parcel of heeding the urgent call. The word connoisseurs are well suited for the monumental task of researching and documenting native tongues; they speak 25 languages between them. These humble ethnographers are in a race against time to preserve the increasingly rare words, which are intricately linked to the vanishing traditions and heritage of Indigenous populations. Well-paced and laced with humor, The Linguists serves as an insightful, contemporary adventure film with a strong emphasis on cultural history. Followed by Q&A with Linguist and Film Star K. David Harrison Maine Premier! ***Click on EXTRAS TAB below for Trailer!***

At the headwaters of the Kvichak and Nushagak Rivers in Bristol Bay, Alaska—the two largest remaining sockeye salmon runs on the planet—mining companies Northern Dynasty and Anglo American have proposed to extract what may prove to be the richest deposit of gold and copper in the world, perhaps worth as much as $600 billion. Talented Telluride filmmakers Ben Knight and Travis Rummel spent more than two months in Bristol Bay, documenting the tension between native fishermen who oppose the dam and mine officials who say they will build a “clean” mine that will leave the salmon’s habitat untouched. CIFF is thrilled to host the East Coast premiere of this exquisite film that goes beyond the conflict, offering a portrait of a unique way of life that wouldn’t exist if the salmon don't return with Bristol Bay's tide. New England Premier Winner 2008 Telluride Mountain Film Festival Audience Award ***Click on EXTRAS TAB below for Trailer!***

Second Skin takes an intimate look at computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by the emerging genre of Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs). World of Warcraft, Second Life, and Everquest allow millions of users to simultaneously interact in virtual worlds. Second Skin introduces us to couples who have fallen in love without meeting, disabled players who have found new purpose, addicts, Chinese gold-farming sweatshop workers, wealthy online entrepreneurs and legendary guild leaders - all living in a world that doesn't quite exist. Screening followed by Q&A Session with Director Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza Maine Premier! ***Click on EXTRAS TAB below for Trailer!***

Since 9/11 we live in a world where the production of secret knowledge dwarfs the production of open knowledge. Secrecy is a feature documentary about the vast, invisible world of government secrecy. By filming people from the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, reporters, and individuals who have been marked by their contact with the national security bureaucracy, the film probes secrecy's relationship to fear and executive power. Depending on whom you ask, government secrecy is either the key to victory in our struggle against terrorism, or our Achilles heel. The movie presents compelling, if frequently unnerving, arguments from both sides. Followed by Q&A with Directors Maine Premier! Special Jury Award for Documentary Features, 2008 Indpendent Film Festival of Boston Winner Best Documentary, 2008 Newport International Film Festival

When pioneering environmentalist Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, the backlash from her critics thrust her into the center of a political maelstrom. Despite her private persona, her convictions about the risks posed by chemical pesticides forced her into the role of controversial public figure. Using many of Miss Carson's own words, Kaiulani Lee embodies this extraordinary woman in a documentary style film, which depicts Carson in the final year of her life. Struggling with cancer, Carson recounts with both humor and anger the attacks by the chemical industry, the government and the press as she focuses her limited energy to get her message to Congress and the American people. The film is an intimate and poignant reflection of Carson's life and she emerges as America's most successful advocate for the natural world. Beautifully shot in HD by Oscar winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler at Carson's cottage on the coast of Maine. Special Sneak Preview Screening! Sponsored by The First

A dramatic tale of microbes, medicine and money, Under Our Skin plays like a taut thriller-but it is our own lives that may be at stake. This riveting film, a documentary with the propulsion of a narrative, investigates the untold story of Lyme disease, an emerging epidemic larger than AIDS. Each year thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, told that their symptoms are "all in their head." Following the stories of patients and physicians as they battle for their lives and livelihoods, the film brings into focus a haunting picture of our health care system and its ability to cope with a silent and growing terror, and the even more terrifying response the medical status quo has given it. Followed by Q&A with Director Andy Abrahams Wilson Audience Choice Award, 2008 Tribeca Film Festival ***Click on EXTRAS TAB below for Trailer!***

A collection of short films shot in, and about Maine curated by Northeast Historic Film. Followed by Q&A with NHF Director, David Weiss *Screening followed by reception in the Farnsworth Library. Films include: Drawing a Lobster Pot: USA, 1901, 1mins. The oldest surviving film shot in Maine. Cutting Ice: USA, 1943, 5mins. Ice harvesting, before 1900, was one of the top five industries in the state of Maine. This short film provides a detailed look at a large ice harvesting operation on Long Pond in South Portland, ME. Maine Marine Worm Industry: USA, 1941, 18mins. A lyrical portrait of a small business in coastal Maine captured in beautiful color. Screened at the Pickford Theater at the Library of Congress. From Stump to Ship: USA, 1930, 28mins. The most complete look at the long log industry in Maine. Crosscut saws and axes felled the trees in winter when snow allowed teams of horses to twitch logs to frozen river banks, spring runoff created the route used by riverdrivers to move the logs downstream. Steam powered sawmills cut the wood into boards and shingles, and sailing ships were used to deliver the finished products to market. This film named to the National Film Registry in 2002. Launching the Doris Hamlin: USA, 1919, 3mins. Very rare footage of the launching of a four-masted schooner in Harrington, ME. The Closing of SeaPro: USA, 1988, 8mins. Footage documenting the closing of a large fish meal processing plant in Rockland. Interview with a fishing boat captain and aerial shots. The Sailor's Sacrifice: USA, 1909, 13mins. The oldest surviving story film shot in Maine and starring the country’s first animal movie star; Jean the Vitagraph Dog. Jean was from Robbinston, Maine. A sweet story of shipwrecks, poverty, love and a clam digging dog. Northeast Historic Film is a nonprofit moving image archives dedicated to the preservation and access of northern New England’s moving image heritage. We are located in the Alamo Theatre building in Bucksport, ME. www.oldfilm.org Sponsored by Northeast Historic Film and The Farnsworth Art Museum.

SPECIAL WORK-IN-PROGRESS SCREENING!! The Way We Get By is a raw and intimate look into the lives of three senior citizens in Maine, who have greeted troops at the Bangor International Airport, 24 hours a day for the past five years. Facing issues common to the nation's ever-growing population of seniors, Bill Knight, Joan Gaudet, and Jerry Mundy find the strength to overcome their own personal battles and transform their lives. This inspirational story of three troop greeters will shatter the stereotypes of senior citizens today. Growing old will never be the same. Special Work-In-Progress Screening!!! Official Opening Night Film Followed by Q&A with Producer Gita Pullapilly and Director Aron Gaudet Bill Knigh, Joan Gaudet and Jerry Mundy, stars of the film will also be in attendance. WGBH Filmmaker-in-Residence Program for 2008 ***Click on EXTRAS TAB below for Trailer!*** Sponsored by the Maine Film and Video Association