NHFF to Celebrate New Hampshire Filmmakers

Twelve years ago, the New Hampshire Film Festival was founded as a showcase for New Hampshire filmmakers. Although it has since grown into an international festival that draws submissions and celebrities from around the world, the NHFF still opens with a celebration of its roots.

Thursday Oct. 11 is New Hampshire Day and Night, a time for the best of New Hampshire filmmaking to be celebrated and recognized.

This year, NH Night will be headlined by “Certainty”, a film written and co-produced by NH native and UNH alum Mike O’Malley, of television’s “Glee” and “Yes, Dear”. The film will be showing at the Music Hall’s Francis Ford Coppola Mainstage.

Other highlights from the New Hampshire Day and Night program include the documentaries “Love Free or Die” about Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first openly gay Episcopalian bishop (directed by Macky Allston), and “In Danger of Being Discovered” about the Portsmouth music scene in the 80s and 90s (directed by Marc Dole and Michael Venn).

For the first time ever, New Hampshire Day and Night will be taking place on not one but two screens. The second screening room for NH Day and Night will be the Music Hall Loft, the Music Hall’s second, more intimate venue, located on Congress Street in Portsmouth. 

“The quality of the submissions we received this year was just off the charts,” said Programming Director Nicole Galovski. “Once we realized how many incredible films were coming in, we saw that we were going to have no choice but to open up a second screening room to accommodate them.”

New Hampshire Night will culminate with the NH Night Awards ceremony, honoring NH Film of the Year, Best NH Documentary, and Best NH Performance. Also awarded during NH Night is the Van MacLeod Award, awarded for  extraordinary support and achievement in NH film. The award is named for Van MacLeod, the commissioner of the NH Department of Cultural Resources. For decades, Van has been an unwavering champion of the arts in New Hampshire, and of film in particular. The Film Festival is honored to present his namesake award to an extraordinary artist every year.  

Winners will be selected by the NH Jury, which is made up of Afton Grant, a camera and Steadicam operator who has worked with world-renowned directors, Virginia Prescott, host of NHPR’s “Word of Mouth”, Jay Schadler, an Emmy-winning journalist, photographer and artist, Anthony Tenczar, associate professor of communication arts at UNH Manchester, and Phil Vaughn, NHPTV special projects and documentary producer.

New Hampshire filmmakers will receive some exciting news during New Hampshire Night. A very exciting opportunity for New Hampshire filmmakers created through partnership with the New Hampshire Lottery will be announced during the closing ceremonies of New Hampshire Night. Don’t miss out!

After the awards ceremony, festivalgoers, filmmakers and other guests will celebrate at the NH Film and Television Office after party at Flatbread Co. on Congress Street.

For ticketing info and a full list of films, visit www.nhfilmfestival.com

Submitted by Ellen Stuart, Vital Design, for the New Hampshire Film Festival