By Alexis González, Bates Class of 2026 The moment a film reaches the screen is never where its story begins.  By the time a film makes its way to the Bates Film Festival, it has already moved through different audiences, different spaces, and more conversations than most people ever get to see. Some films arrive…

By Parker Huynh Benningfield, Bates Class of 2026 The hay is in the barn. The films have been chosen; the lineup is set, and the vision is clear. Now comes the equally important work: spreading the word. With our mission statement as our compass and the festival poster as our calling card, promotion feels less…

By Noah Katz, Bates Class of 2027 The last week of class was bittersweet. Wednesday was the Board of Directors’ final in-person meeting, which means the next steps for our Festival will be handled by the Festival Production Team. As the short-term quickly approaches, they will take the reins and head into the home stretch.…

By Maverick Selementi, Bates College Class of 2026 The planning, organization, and execution of a film festival is something most people never get to see up close. From the outside, it might feel like films simply appear on a schedule, neatly organized and ready to be enjoyed. But behind the scenes of the Bates Film…

By Aoi Ozone, Kazushige Hirasawa Scholarship Student, 2025-2026 The 2026 winter term is coming to an end. This week, we are preparing for the Mount David Summit on April 10. The Mount David Summit is Bates’ annual campus-wide celebration of student academic achievement, and our class is scheduled to give a presentation about the Bates…

By Ava Elghanayan, Bates College Class of 2026 The FIAPF accreditation is a certification granted by the International Federation of Film Producers Association. The FIAPF claims to guarantee that their accredited festivals meet high standards for film promotion, curation, and security. Accredited festivals must follow specific regulations that protect producers and creators. The FIAPF represents…

By Claire Orfield, Bates College Class of 2026 This week, the Board of Directors had quite a daunting decision to make for the festival – selecting the final list of films to screen. Months ago, we split ourselves into two teams to make the film-watching process more digestible: documentary and fiction. It was time to…

By Isabella Sandoz, Bates College Class of 2026 Over the course of the semester, our class has watched several different films in our respective groups of fiction and documentary film viewing. This week, after several discussions, we choose which films, out of the ones that we watched within our groups, that we feel would be…

By Kira Yanagi, Bates College Class of 2027 Half of the semester has passed by with the welcoming of brief sunlight and a hint of spring. Although they often fade away ephemerally underneath the silent snow, resembling the ebb and flow of a tide, the notice of their presence is just enough for us to…

By Nate Shore, Bates College Class of 2027 When we think of watching movies, most of us are used to selecting our chosen film from a seemingly endless collection and pressing play, or on special occasions, going to the movie theater. However, when choosing films for a festival like the Bates Film Festival, we are…