A film festival of short horror films that will send your popcorn to the roof and back. Local and beyond, these films are fear on film.
Click on the the image or click right here to get your tickets now.
https://portlandmedia.org/events/
I try not to repeat myself, but these are repetitive times. Change is constant. Turning this institution into a real modern media center takes heavy lifting, and it takes many hands, many minds, all pulling in the same direction.
That’s the mission. Make this space a community space. Share our stories and our skills with the people who call this place home.
At this time, so much of that community is aching. There’s real fear moving through it, fear that’s being inflicted, not imagined. And in times like these, coming together matters more, not less. We open our doors as a safe space and a communal one, a place to hold and share the stories of who we are.
Portland Media Center keeps changing and evolving as the community around it also changes and evolves. We tell stories on broadcast, on podcast, in video, in spoken word, in improv.
However you tell yours, there’s a place for it here.
Come in. Join us. Share your story.
July brought some visitors in.
Story Corps
was here at Portland Media Center for the last week, conducting interviews for the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress about what it was like to live through the COVID-19 pandemic. This brought in so many from the community to share their stories. These will be available for generations to come to hear the experiences of those who lived through the pandemic.
Charlie Hewitt the creative genius behind the sculpture across the street and the ‘Hopeful’ sign was here and he gave us the sign you can now see in our front window. Such a great message to display to Portland.
NEW YOUTH TIMES 2.0
For the second year in a row we have offered a cohort of students an opportunity to engage with Portland Media Center, Portland at large and the tools of the trade of media storytelling with the New Youth Times Initiative. They are working very hard on creating their project.
Watch The New Youth Times at work.
It is exhilarating watching them work together and learn the basics of our profession. Young media makers are our future.
ONE MORE THING! OUR ANNUAL MEETING!
We are planning our annual meeting for September 24. Please hold the date so we can discuss the past year and what the future holds. There are big ideas brewing. We’re looking forward to seeing you then.
Here we are entering summer, and we’re running steady. Our newly minted show, Rule of Law is forming into the episodic explanation of how the system works, which is exactly what we had wanted. Each episode takes you on a journey into the system of laws that our government is built on. Our host, Roger Katz, talks with guests that are masters in their domain. But the conversation is made for those of us that didn’t go to law school, those that might need an easier explanation of Habeas Corpus. The experts deliver. This episode brought some Maine media titans to the table to discuss the Second Amendment and the freedom of the press. We’ve produced six episodes to date, the latest premieres July 6 at 7pm.
This show is starting to take off. We’re really proud of it.
Harold Pachios continues to bring savvy politicos to the table on Pachios on the News. This month’s episode features the late Barney Frank, recorded shortly before his passing in May at his home in Ogunquit. Few people shaped national policy quite like he did, from the Dodd-Frank financial reforms to decades of fearless advocacy in Congress. We’re honored to share one of his last conversations with you.
Our New Youth Times Initiative, the youth-led summer intensive that kicked off last year, just released a behind-the-scenes look at youth-led Blunt Youth Radio from WMPG. The collaboration keeps growing, and we aired that docu-short as part of the screening of the full documentary An Extraordinary Place, directed by Tom Bell and produced by Annella Linton. It’s a love letter to community radio and the people who keep it humming. Watching young minds bend radio waves in the Blunt Youth Documentary is another thrill to behold.
Speaking of the New Youth Times Initiative, we’re hosting another cohort of students this summer, continuing the program in partnership with The Opportunity Alliance and Maine Youth Action Network. The goal is to build this into a continuing endeavor and empower the future media makers. Our own Douglas Symington, who came up through the intensive last year and stuck around as staff, is stepping into the Team Leader role this time. He’s got a sharp crew with him, and they’re out to make something new and put a real message into the community.
We keep moving forward, building on what we started and hopefully turning a few more heads along the way. Our aim is to be the belle of the ball, but you can’t have a ball without all of you.
Thanks for tuning in.
Spring in Maine does what spring in Maine does. The leaves are green, the lawns are green, the pine pollen relentless. I sneeze my way into June every year and at this point I consider it a ritual. An itchy, miserable ritual. But the sun is out, the harbor is gorgeous, and weโve got a lot to catch you up on.
May was a busy one at Portland Media Center.
We were proud to host the Bates Film Festival this year, opening our doors to student films and documentaries that reminded everyone in the room why this work matters. A full day of screenings on May 16th, and a genuinely great crowd and some great movies.
The good folks at Maine Lawyers for the Rule of Law flexed their considerable connections and brought in two former Superior Court Justices to talk about life from the bench. If you ever wanted to know what judges actually think about the law, this was your window. There were also not one but two recordings of the Rule of Law TV show this month, with a cast of heavy-hitters from the Maine legal community including Kate Knox, Roger Katz, Alexis Chardon, and Scott Anderson for the upcoming episode. Itโs a good conversation.
Harold Pachios brought his signature style to another great conversation, this time with former Executive Director of the Maine GOP, Tony Payne. If you enjoy watching smart people disagree with each other respectfully, Haroldโs table is the place to be.
Rundlett and Baldacci are making waves again. Their latest features a producer who relocated to Maine six years ago and has quietly kept making films youโve almost certainly seen. Weโre not giving it away. Tune into Channel 5 or PMC Watch and find out for yourself.
June promises more of the same good trouble. With more from Rescuing the Rule of Law, Pachios on the News and Rundlett & Baldacci along with some shows that have been on rest for a bit. We are also bringing more of the classic movies to the weekend night line up. So join us and watch what happens.