Maine Girls
ABOUT
A film about immigrant and U.S.-born teen girls in Maine who find common ground and acceptance. The film's 14 teen protagonists-from Somalia, the Congo, Vietnam, Jamaica, and southern Maine-are enrolled in a hip hop, health and culture program during the most anti-immigrant period in recent U.S. history. Viewers will watch as the girls relate to one another's hopes and fears, and manage to build trust as the charged events unfold around them.
Yael's first feature, A Slim Peace, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007 and broadcast on the Sundance Channel and worldwide. Yael’s recent projects include directing Guest House (2020) about the only all-women recovery house in N. Virginia and the award-winning documentary Maine Girls, which premiered at the 2017 Camden International Film Festival, and producing the feature Journey From Evil: Boko Haram for Voice of America broadcast in 2017. During her first job after film school, Yael was fortunate to work as Oscar-nominated acclaimed director Mike Leigh's researcher on his production of "Two-thousand Years," a play at London's National Theatre. Her first couple of short films have been widely distributed, among them Hans Rausing and Yitzhak Rabin: 1922-1995, a New Regency production. Yael is passionate about producing programs and digital content that capture stories which highlight the humanity of her protagonists while raising awareness for pressing social issues.
Abigail Tannebaum Sharon is a native Washingtonian and discovered her love for cinema at the age of two during a drive-in movie. She has been telling a wide variety of stories ever since from maximum security inmates to young political masterminds. Abigail has produced and directed three independent documentary films. Her first film Rudy and Neal Go Fishing began airing on PBS nationwide on Veterans Day 2017. Abigail also Co-Directed MAINE GIRLS with Yael Luttwak, which premiered at the prestigious Camden International Film Festival September 2017. Her work over the past two decades includes Amazon’s Regular Heroes-- spotlighting remarkable work of frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic-- an Emmy-award winning program, and clients ranging from National Geographic Channel, Upworthy, PBS, Discovery Channel, and VOA. Abigail graduated from McGill University in Quebec, Canada, and received McGill’s Scarlet Key Award celebrating excellence in leadership.
CREDITS
Abigail Tannebaum Sharon
Abigail Tannebaum Sharon
Sonnie Dockser
Susan Barocas Sheila Kinkade