CAMDEN — Created by Points North Institute, home of the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF), Cabin Fever Film Fest will feature documentary films, a live Q&A with an Oscar-winning director, and a panel discussion with local leaders. All screenings will take place on Saturday, February 24, at the Camden Opera House. 

Developed as an extension of the annual fall festival, Cabin Fever will showcase two pre-release documentary films and a special screening of original short films produced by Points North as part of its ongoing Recovery in Maine program. Highlights include a Q&A with Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney following the screening of his new two-part film, In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon. The Recovery in Maine presentation – which includes free admission – will feature three Points North short films produced in Maine, followed by a community discussion with the films’ subjects and other recovery advocates, and a Narcan training. The final selection is COPA 71, a family friendly film from Executive Producers Serena and Venus Williams. The film tells the story of the first women’s World Cup, which took place in Mexico in 1971.

“Cabin Fever has become one of our favorite annual traditions at Points North,” says Sean Flynn, program director, in a Points North news release. “There’s no better way to spend a winter weekend than gathering together with our neighbors in the cozy Camden Opera House, experiencing films that surprise, entertain and enlighten.” 

The Recovery in Maine shorts screening at Cabin Fever continues Points North’s statewide series, which launched in 2018 and continues in 2024 through a partnership with the Governor’s Office of Opioid Response. Through community screenings and the production of original short films, the series uses documentary storytelling to spark public discussions about substance use disorder, the recovery process, and our collective response to the opioid epidemic.

Cabin Fever tickets are $10 each ($5 for students) and on sale now at pointsnorthinstitute.org. Walk up tickets will be sold as available before each film at the Camden Opera House box office.

Films scheduled to screen include:

IN RESTLESS DREAMS: THE MUSIC OF PAUL SIMON | Feb 24 | 10am and 1pm | Camden Opera House | Pre-release screening.

Directed by Alex Gibney | USA  | 2023 | 209 min

From “The Sounds of Silence” as part of the legendary duo, Simon and Garfunkel, to solo hits, “Mother and Child Reunion” and the Graceland album, Paul Simon’s extraordinary sixty-year career has cemented his status as both one of the greatest songwriters of all time and most celebrated artists of the twentieth century. This definitive portrait by Academy Award-winning director, Alex Gibney, follows Simon inside his studio in Texas hill country as he looks back on his life’s work, battling the loss of hearing in his left ear while creating his new album, Seven Psalms. Live Q & A with Alex Gibney to follow.

Shown in two parts. Purchase a ticket to one part, and you’ll automatically receive a ticket to the other.

RECOVERY IN MAINE | Feb 24 | 4pm | Camden Opera House | Free

The Recovery in Maine program will feature three original short films produced by Points North that spark public discussion about substance use disorder, the recovery process, and our collective response to the opioid epidemic. Films will be followed by a community conversation led by the film participants and a Narcan training.

COPA 71 | Feb 24 | 7:30pm | Camden Opera House | Pre-release screening.

Directors Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine | UK  | 2023 | 91 min

It is August 1971. Soccer teams from England, Argentina, Mexico, France, Denmark, and Italy have gathered at Mexico City’s sun-drenched Azteca Stadium. The scale of the tournament is monumental: lavish sponsorship, extensive TV coverage, merchandise on every street corner, and crowds of over 100,000 roaring fans turn this historic stadium into a cauldron of noise match after match. A fawning media treat the players like rock stars. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the greatest moments in international soccer history. 

But this is a tournament unlike anything that’s happened before. The players on the pitch are all women. And it’s likely you’ve never even heard of it. This is Copa ‘71, the unofficial Women’s World Cup. Dismissed by both the governing body and domestic soccer associations around the world, this event had been sidelined in history. Until now.

About Points North & Camden International Film Festival

Established in 2016, the Points North Institute is the launching pad for the next generation of nonfiction storytellers. Building on the success of the Camden International Film Festival, Points North’s mission is to bring together a unique, interdisciplinary community of filmmakers, artists, journalists, industry leaders, and audiences, forming a creative hub on the coast of Maine where new stories and talent are discovered, collaborations are born, and the future of nonfiction media is shaped. Programs include the annual Camden International Film Festival and Points North Forum, as well as a year-round calendar of artist development initiatives that nurture the careers of diverse nonfiction storytellers and help them develop a stronger artistic voice. 

Founded in 2005 and now recognized as one of the top documentary film festivals in the world, the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) brings the finest nonfiction cinema to the coast of Maine, showcasing documentary films and immersive works from around the globe each fall. The 2024 Camden International Film Festival, the 20th edition, will take place September 12-15.