Celebrating international film for 10 years on Martha’s Vineyard – the big picture from the small island.
Even though the Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival (MVIFF) will celebrate 10 years when the lights go down for the opening night screening on September 8, festival founder Richard Paradise insists that this year is just like any other. “We don’t have a specific theme this year or any other year,” says Paradise, who started showing the occasional movie on Martha’s Vineyard in the late 1990s as a hobby and, in 2006, began an official festival. “We just try to find the best possible international films that we can. We try to bring people and experiences from across the world to this island so that we can increase exposure.”
That means that audiences — made up of island locals, visiting filmmakers, seasonal residents, and tourists alike — can expect a truly global lineup this year, with films from Norway, Sweden, France, Israel, Australia, the UK, Italy, China, Mexico, and even the Caribbean. “Ninety to 95 percent of the films we show have been made outside of America,” Paradise says.
Volunteers at the MVIFF opening night festival: (L to R) Patricia Hand, Cheryl Doble, Carol Anderson | Photo by Elizabeth Norcross
On the bill are features such as the Norwegian Sundance-winning drama Blind, about a blind woman who lets her fantasy world become her reality, and a Swedish comedy about a 100-year-old man who climbs out of a window and dares to start his life over from the beginning. Documentaries range from Meru, an exhilarating and award-winning look at high-stakes mountain climbing, to the haunting Amy, which explores the late pop musician Amy Winehouse’s career and early death. Many screenings include talkbacks with filmmakers.
Richard Paradise, MVIFF founder and director | Photo by Elizabeth Norcross
Cambridge-based lawyer and MV season resident Alan Dershowitz and wife Carolyn Cohen capture a rainbow outside the MVIFF opening night festival tent. | Photo by Elizabeth Norcross
Also on the program are shorts — a juried competition of international options and an animation showcase curated by Academy Award nominee and MVIFF film festival staple Bill Plympton.
The festival will feature parties (and after-parties) aplenty, with opportunities to mingle with friends, strangers, moviemakers, and musicians, starting with an opening night bash overlooking the water.
And if the movies aren’t enough, there’s always the Vineyard’s natural beauty, which some say reaches its peak in early September. “It’s the best month of the year on the island,” Paradise says. “The weather is still warm, but the nights are cool. The water is perfect. I deliberately don’t schedule movies in the mornings. I want people to go to the beach.”
The festival wraps September 13 with a party at the La Soffitta Italian Restaurant. “It’s six days of looking differently at the world,” Paradise says. “It’s the big picture from a small island.”