A scene from “The Boat Inspector,” by Madison Morin. Courtesy of Vacationland Film Festival

There’s a new film festival in town. The town: Biddeford. The event: Vacationland Film Festival. The time: Now (as in Thursday through Sunday). Me: Excited.

Film festivals in Maine have come and gone since I started writing about Maine film some 15 years ago. Apart from the biggies like the Maine International Film Festival, the Maine Outdoor Film Festival and the Camden International Film Festival (or MIFF, MOFF and CIFF), smaller indie festivals spring up, do exceptional work spotlighting the wide, weird, wonderful world of Maine moviemaking, and then, more often than not, collapse under the weight of a fickle public, waning enthusiasm and the ever-present need for money.

But I’ve got a great feeling about the Vacationland Film Festival. It’s got a great venue, a dedicated and experienced team at the helm, a unique hook and, most important of all, a receptive and enthusiastic Maine film community already going all-in. In short, this is exactly the sort of scrappy, inventive, decidedly Maine-centric festival I’ve been looking for.

Vacationland Film Festival’s team knows their stuff.

I spoke with Vacationland’s programmer Elizabeth Gummere, who knows better than most just how much work a startup film festival takes. “I’ve been involved in about 15 film festivals in the past,” said Gummere, “and in 2021, I organized the Santa Cruz Film Festival before I moved here. In speaking to Steve Ellis, who runs Biddeford’s City Theater, he said they’d always thought of having a film festival there, but (didn’t) know how to organize it.” Well, Gummere does, and the duo, alongside a team of like-minded civic boosters and film buffs, were off and running.

Biddeford City Theater will be the site of the new Vacationland Film Festival, happening this week. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Press Herald

A revitalized Biddeford-Saco is the perfect place for a southern Maine film festival.

“We’ve been thrilled with the reaction,” Gummere said happily. “There have been zero naysayers.” Noting that acclaimed and genuinely beautiful stage venue City Theater goes dark every August when its artistic director takes a well-deserved vacation, Gummere says that that fallow period fit the new film festival’s plans like a relaxed-fit pair of summer jeans.

“Downtown Biddeford has undergone major urban renewal, and it’s just a cool place to hang out now,” Gummere said. “It shares a main street with Saco, adding stores and businesses and shops – you can take the train up from Boston or wherever, get off at the station, walk around (and see some movies), then take the train home all in a day.”

Gummere also notes how the similarly refurbished Lincoln Hotel is right across the street from City Theater, providing a convenient and comfy spot for the post-screening parties and to house the festival’s from-away filmmakers and guests. “The Lincoln Hotel is so perfect for us,” said Gummere. “It’s a beautiful boutique hotel, an old mill fixed up, and we’re hosting parties and putting up a few filmmakers from out of town.”

Screening times incorporate some very Maine-savvy scheduling.

“When we were planning the schedule, we thought, ‘Well, we essentially own the theater for the month of August, so we can have any times we want,’” said Gummere, revealing the festival’s genuinely inventive marketing plan. “Afternoon high tides at our beaches mean that the beach becomes about 5 feet wide, so we thought we’d schedule films during that period.”

Further noting how the Vacationland venue offers air-conditioning, concessions and even a bar, Gummere sees the festival’s utility as an afternoon and night’s entertainment for vacationers and locals looking for “an alternative experience” to Maine’s often unpredictable August. “In August, it’s either raining or super hot,” said the new Mainer.

Aidan Smart and Brent Askari in “Nice People.” Photos courtesy of Mint Films

OK, but what about the movies?

A festival can have all the bells, whistles and cool, mosquito-free indoor comforts, but it’s the films that make or break the experience. Thankfully, Vacationland has that all-important aspect covered with the same thoughtful, inventive, Maine-focused planning. “We were putting out feelers, and the first person who came back to us was Jeff Greicci, who said, ‘I’m from Biddeford,’ and we said, ‘Great!’ Jeff brought his film, ‘Nice People,’ and we paired it with another short film (the Biddeford-filmed horror comedy ‘Casting Kill’) from another area filmmaker (Kittery’s Mark J. Parker), and we were like, ‘We have our Saturday night!’”

For Gummere, Vacationland Film Festival represents another chance for Maine movies to shine, even after the expiration date for their festival runs has passed. “It’s so great how this worked out,” said Gummere. “Films came to us. We didn’t have to work hard in finding them. Filmmakers would ask, ‘This is two years old now, is that too late?,’ and we’d tell them, ‘Of course not.’ The post-festival circuit is always a letdown, and we’re delighted to give another life to some of these films that are still great and ought to be seen some more.”

Werner Herzog in “The Arc of Oblivion.”

In all, there are over 30 such Maine movie gems making up this inaugural festival. There are features like James Khanlarian’s fisherman drama “The Ghost Trap,” and closing night’s fascinating documentary “The Arc of Oblivion,” from director Ian Cheney. There are shorts from all around the state on subjects as far-reaching as alien abduction (“Earthling,” from Salt grads Keith Lane and Molly Graham), Madison Morin’s “The Boat Inspector,” about a young North Pond summer hire facing the future, sisters reconnecting over an ugly heirloom (Hannah Perry Shepherd’s “The Antique”), a searing tale of child exploitation (Mariah Larocque’s “Good Morning Sunshine”), a portrait of Maine’s diverse French speakers (“The Intersection” from Jessamine Irwin and Daniel Quintalilla) and another chance to see this year’s Maine Mayhem shorts from SMCC student filmmakers. Heck, there’s even a Nicolas Cage movie (2022 historical adventure “Butcher’s Crossing,” co-starring proud Maine resident Xander Berkeley.)

Vacationland Film Festival fills a glaring gap in southern Maine’s movie scene.

“There just aren’t that many film festivals in this area,” said Gummere, noting the long drives to Maine festival hotspots MIFF and CIFF. “We’re hoping to provide a great experience for people looking for something to do. We really think Vacationland has a little something for everyone.”

So do I. For the full schedule of films and to purchase your tickets (as ever, the bulk rate festival pass is the smart moviegoer’s move), and to support a fledgeling film festival that’s as exciting and promising as any I’ve seen in years, check out vacationlandfilmfestival.com.

Dennis Perkins is a freelance writer who lives in Auburn with his wife and cat.