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Best drama
Artifact: Episode 1
By William Fraser
It’s not surprising that Artifact: Episode 1 is the brainchild of self-proclaimed “sci-fi nerd” William Fraser, who took home last year’s Film of the Year honors for Driving Miss Crazy. Episode 1 is the start of an Internet series about a post-apocalyptic world where humans are an endangered species, menaced by Deep Black, a virus of unknown origin. Merryn, played by fellow sci-fi aficionado Nanette Hennig (who, awesomely, looks like she walked off the set of Lost), is tasked with finding and unlocking the secrets to an artifact that could help save the survivors. Fraser’s film, shot in Damariscotta, is edited to show different angles and perspectives on the screen simultaneously, and it’s an effect that heightens the suspense. Episode 2 is currently in production, and we’re on the edge of our seats.
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Best documentary
Smelt Fishing in America
By David Camlin
We challenge you to watch David Camlin’s candid depiction of a late-night/early-morning smelt-fishing adventure and not want to gather your zaniest friends to recreate your own version of the fun. In his Smelt Fishing in America, Eliot native Camlin (who’d never entered a film competition before this one) and another smelt-fishing novice join two more experienced angling friends in a tiny hut above the frozen water. They catch some fish. They drink some beer. They make us laugh. In addition to giving us a glimpse into one of Maine’s favorite pastimes, Smelt Fishing in America is an ode to friends and PBR — worthy subjects if there ever were some.
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Best production
Les Moulins
By Ross Morin
“To me, it is a film about the loss of personal connection to one’s cultural history,” Ross Morin writes in an e-mail about his film, Les Moulins. “My own personal disconnect from my heritage as a French Canadian is represented through the young woman’s travels through the ghost town of the mills.” It’s a family affair for Morin, who cast his grandmother in one of the two roles in Les Moulins (The Mills), and who sent his Uncle Bob to accept the award for him (like last year, when his Suburban Fantasies won the Most Creative award, Morin is in Ohio, studying for his master’s degree at the Ohio University School of Film). But the town of Lewiston just may be the main character in Morin’s film—a character we alternately mourn and honor, and who is shot as lovingly as a celebrity starlet.
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