The Monadnock International Film Festival will hold its 10th annual festival Sept. 23 to Oct. 6.
This year’s event follows a hybrid format. Audiences can attend in-person screenings at the Showroom, a Colonial Performing Arts Center venue at 20 Commercial St. in Keene Sept. 23 to 25. Starting Tuesday, Sept. 27, filmgoers can also attend virtual in-home screenings via the festival’s streaming platform.
“We are very excited that many filmmakers will attend MONIFF this year,” stated Deirdre Fitzgerald, chair of the MONIFF board of directors. “It’s a great way to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Local stories will be a major highlight of the festival, and filmgoers will delight in the eight post-screening discussions/Q-and-As taking place at the Showroom. Back this year is our Saturday night after-party hosted by Fireworks Restaurant. Plus, we’re offering a free, open-to-the-public hour-long family friendly shorts block for ages 7 and up on Sunday morning starting at 11 a.m.. Curated by the New York International Children’s Film Festival, it’s sure to engage and delight everyone.”
This year’s program includes more than 35 feature films and 30 shorts and showcases cinema from countries including France, Denmark, Taiwan, United Kingdom, India, Ukraine, Senegal, United States and Ireland. The Showroom in Keene will host 13 titles and three shorts blocks, with several films featuring New Hampshire and regional filmmakers.
Opening night brings “Murina” to the Showroom. Winner of the Camérad’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and lensed by award-winning cinematographer HélèneLouvart (“The Lost Daughter,” “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”), “Murina” follows 17-year-old Julija, who spends her days diving for eel with her domineering father and dreaming of an escape from her provincial life.
Saturday night, Sept. 24, features a 60-minute screening of the series “Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness,” a Ken Burns production. The documentary presents a look at both the obstacles faced by those who live with mental disorders and the hope that many have found after that storm. MONIFF will honor directors Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers with the Jonathan Daniels Award, sponsored this year by Silver Direct.
Festival passes and individual tickets can be purchased at moniff.org/virtual-passes.