When it was founded in 2005, the Camden International Film Festival was one of the world’s only small town film festivals focused exclusively on documentary film. With a deep commitment to supporting artists and building community, we allocated nearly 100% of the money we raised in the early years to filmmaker travel and accommodations.

We assumed that our location on the coast of Maine — far from major film capitals like New York and Los Angeles — would be our biggest challenge. We quickly discovered that these picturesque small towns could foster an intimate, focused environment in which filmmakers and audiences alike could find inspiration. We aspired to elevate a weekend full of documentary screenings into a rich experience – one that is just as unique and engrossing as the films themselves.

During those first five years, we steadily built a crew of committed staff and volunteers, a loyal audience base, a small group of engaged donors who recognized our long-term potential, and a network of filmmakers who helped spread the word throughout the documentary community. CIFF was described as being “among the elite of documentary fests” and named one of the top 12 documentary festivals in the world.

We have always championed filmmakers who push the creative boundaries of the documentary form and we are proud to have played our part in what is now considered a documentary “golden age.” Documentary filmmakers are increasingly recognized as artists, telling stories that break free from old conventions while reaching new global audiences and becoming a bigger part of mainstream culture.

In 2009, we took the second big step for our organization by launching the Points North Forum. What began as an afternoon of panel discussions has since grown into one of the largest gatherings of documentary filmmakers and industry professionals in the United States, with more than 50 funders, broadcasters, distributors and producers participating annually.

The core element of the Points North Forum has been our growing investments in the development of the next generation of nonfiction storytellers. The Points North Fellowship has become widely recognized as a vital launching pad for feature-length documentaries in development, helping early career filmmakers develop their artistic voices and connect with industry leaders through the Points North Pitch.

In 2015, we forged a new partnership with Tribeca Film Institute to launch the Camden/TFI Retreat, a week-long educational program dedicated to discovering and nurturing a new generation of U.S.-based filmmakers focused on creative, cinematic, character-driven documentary. In 2016, we officially launched the Points North Institute, creating an umbrella organization for CIFF, all our Artist Programs, monthly CIFF Selects screenings, and the Points North Impact community screening series. Since then, our Artist Programs have expanded to include the the North Shorts Grant & Residency (formerly the Shortform Editing Residency), the North Star Fellowship, Points North 1:1 Meetings, the LEF/CIFF Fellowship, and the 4th World Indigenous Media Lab, in addition to the Camden/TFI Retreat and the Points North Fellowship.

With the advent of the pandemic in 2020, we moved a number of programs to online platforms, including our monthly CIFF Selects screenings accompanied by Q&As with filmmakers. We built our own drive-in cinema in Rockport and named it the Shotwell Drive-In, in memory of our late friend and mentor Bob Shotwell, who always urged us to execute our biggest, boldest visions. Generous supporters stepped up with donations of money, time spent building and painting the screen, and advice. We even received a donation of a 4k DCP laser projector. In just three weeks, we were up and running, showing movies twice a week to give our community a chance to be together safely.

In addition to screening films at the Shotwell and running Artist Programs online, we produced a Virtual Festival for the 2020 CIFF so never missed a beat. Remaining true to our mission to support filmmakers, we launched the Filmmaker Solidarity Fund. In 2021 and 2022, we fully returned to in-person festival activities, keeping the Virtual Festival. Artist Programs once again had residency components. In late 2021, we were approached by friends, colleagues, and family of the late, great producer Diane Weyermann to establish a program in her memory, and we launched the Diane Weyermann Fellowship in early 2023, more than doubling the amount of funding we were providing directly to filmmakers.