John and Francis Ford Film Festival (8/18-20)

The sons of Irish immigrant parents, Jack and Frank Feeney, grew up in Portland, Maine. They were shaped by their Irish values and Maine sensibilities, as well as the Portland and Casco Bay vistas that inspired ground-breaking cinematic techniques and award-winning films. Individually, each man significantly influenced the global film industry, although Francis Ford’s impact is vastly underappreciated. He was twelve years older than Jack, who followed him to Hollywood after graduating from Portland High School and started as an assistant to his brother. After a long and remarkable career, John Ford achieved a record that remains unbroken today as the winner of four Best Director Oscars. Top directors that have come after him, like Steven Spielberg, Peter Bogdanovic, and Clint Eastwood, have all credited John Ford as a source of inspiration. Martin Scorsese once said, “Any serious person making films today, whether they know it or not, is affected by Ford.”

 

The John and Francis Ford Film Festival will occur from August 18th to 20th. It's an ambitious project in collaboration with the State Theatre, Portland Museum of Art, the Lincoln Theater in Damariscotta, Portland Downtown, Creative Portland, the Maine Film Association, the Portland Media Center, Peaks Island Historical Society, 5th Maine Peaks Island History Museum and WMPG. We'll need plenty of hands on deck with events popping up everywhere. Please let us know how you'd like to help by choosing shifts. 

 

Volunteer opportunities include assisting at Friday's Opening Night at the State Theatre and the Sunday Matinee at the Lincoln Theater in Damariscotta (welcome mid-coast volunteers!). We'll also need volunteer staff for the Free Outdoor Screening of The Quiet Man at Monument Square and the Film Symposium at the Portland Museum of Art. 

 

If you would like to be part of the planning team during the lead-up to the festival, please email volunteer@fordfilmfestival.com and let us know what you'd like to do. We could use a hand with PR, administration, and coordinating details.