In The News

The Points North Institute has set their dates for the 18th edition of the Camden International Film Festival, which will run from September 15-18, 2022 in Camden, Rockport, and Rockland. The festival will be held in-person once again, while also streaming their program online through its virtual festival.

Points North has been approved to receive an American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help the arts and cultural sector recover from the pandemic. Points North is recommended to receive $150,000 and may use this funding to save jobs and to fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance and participation. In total, the NEA will award grants totaling $57,750,000 to just 567 arts organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, DC.

Points North is one of seven organizations in Maine to receive funding this round, and will use the grant to add three, new, year-round positions to its core team in order to amplify its work and build its sustainability as an organization: Marketing Coordinator, Program Coordinator, and Production Manager. The safety of festival-goers, filmmakers and Artist Programs Fellows will again be prioritized in 2022, and communications with audiences will be paramount at the 18th edition of CIFF. The core team will work together to deliver an impactful, robust, engaging in-person festival.

Hollywood’s Covid safety protocols have been extended to February 13. In the meantime, with the surge of the Omicron variant, the industry’s unions have asked the studios to increase testing and upgrade personal protection equipment, and most of the companies have been doing that until new guidelines can be adopted.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director, told members that “the joint unions are set to negotiate changes to the RTW (return-to-work) with producers in early February. However, in light of the ongoing Omicron surge, we have been working with producers to recommend additional protective measures to make productions safer for our members, right now.

Executive Director, Maine Jewish Film Festival

Founded in 1998, the Maine Jewish Film Festival is a nonprofit 501c3 organization located in Portland, Maine.  Our mission is to enrich, educate and entertain a diverse audience by presenting cultural programs based on the global Jewish experience. We seek a confident, collaborative and visionary leader who is passionate about our mission and can build on our success over the past 20+ years. A Full-Time position, the Executive Director (ED) is responsible for the overall financial and operational health of the organization, and ensures the Film Festival activities and year-round programs are aligned with our mission by working collaboratively with the Board and Staff.

Production Manager, CIFF / Points North

The Points North Institute is seeking candidates for a full-time Production Manager. The Production Manager is a new year-round position that is responsible for executing all logistics and project management for the ongoing programs of the Points North Institute, including the annual Camden International Film Festival and Points North Forum, Points North Artist Programs, the Shotwell Drive-In Summer Series, Summer Preview Party, and other programs as-needed throughout the calendar year. The Production Manager will oversee and manage the work of the CIFF Production Team, including seasonal contractors and volunteers. The position reports to the Operations Manager and is a key member of the Points North team.

Funding from the Governor’s Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan is available to help businesses expand apprenticeship programs, train workers, and strengthen Maine’s economy.

Backed by $11 million in Federal funding from the Governor’s Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan and additional funding from U.S. Department of Labor’s State Apprenticeship Expansion, Equity, and Innovation (SAEEI) Grant, these new grants can be used by businesses, labor unions, community-based organizations or industry associations to partner with Maine Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Program to develop new apprenticeship programs and pre-apprenticeship programs or expand existing apprenticeship programs.

Registered apprenticeship is a proven approach that connects workers to high-quality career pathways and meets employers’ talent needs by preparing and developing their current and future workforce. Apprenticeship programs help employers by upskilling and retaining workers and leads to wage growth for workers—both imperatives for Maine’s economic recovery.