You send it. We will show it! All types of film and video welcome as
long as they are short. No more than 10 minutes in length. After that
it’s up to you. Be creative, funny, cutting edge, angry, sexy,
poignant, didactic, political, imaginative, scary, animated,
informative, surreal, unreal, really real but just be willing to apply.
No porn. For more information call 284-2686, email
cookiesinthemill@yahoo.com or visit www.northdammill.com.




Twin Cities Creative Council and North Dam Mill adopts Cookies in the Mill, a local short film and video festival. The festival had been a
part of the Media Services department at the University of New England
(UNE) since 2004. With restructuring changes at the school the Media
Services department was eliminated and Cookies was in search of a new
home.

    With the plight of Cookies uncertain Nancy Kureth,
manager of Twin Cities Creative Council and Doug Sanford, a past
sponsor, stepped in to rescue the festival. Kureth has been a mainstay
of the arts and cultural renaissance that is happening in
Biddeford.  Her only reason for adding more to her full schedule
is that she “supports the unique mission of the festival”. Cookies
mission is to provide a venue for all filmmakers – professionals and
amateurs alike. Unlike traditional festivals Cookies accepts all
entries that are ten minutes or less. Kureth, who is also an artist,
said “I like the idea of making a place for all filmmakers. Everyone
needs an audience.”

    Kari Wagner-Peck, a former employee of UNE and a
founding director of Cookies, stated, “Without Kureth’s intervention
the festival would have disappeared”. Wagner-Peck adds, “we needed
someone who believed in our philosophy enough to offer not just a
location but was willing to do the hard work of running a festival and
Nancy Kureth took about two seconds to offer both. She really saved
Cookies.”

    Cookies has always relied on passionate volunteers
at UNE and in the community who believe in Cookies mission of
supporting all artists. Since 2004 Cookies has screened over 200 films
from around Maine, the country, and the world to more than 400 people.
Filmmakers who have participated in the festival are often
professionals who have been successful in more traditional festivals.
Wagner-Peck said, “Even artists who make their living making film and
have won awards like Cookies because acceptance is something people who
create don’t take for granted.”

    One of the highlights of this year’s festival
includes a retrospective of the Best of Cookies. These are a group of
films that were shown at prior festivals and are audience and festival
crew favs.

    This year’s festival directors are Nancy Kureth,
Kari Wagner-Peck, who also directs the Maine Jewish Film Festival, and
Patrick Hayes, a filmmaker and an English senior at UNE.