I really thought my interview with legendary producer Christine Vachon would take longer.

Going into it, I was nervous— Vachon is the most famous (or fame-adjacent) person The Maine Playweek has interviewed, with the possible exception of Alex Ross Perry. I listened to her old interviews, rewatched her films (Safe, Far From Heaven, Past Lives), and crafted what I thought were a handful of in-depth, open-ended, thought-provoking questions— the kind that would take anyone a while to chew on.

But the whole thing was about 15 minutes.

Granted, my nerves probably made it harder to come up with follow-ups, but the brevity really came down from Vachon’s ability to speak with incredible concision and clarity about a career spanning decades and dozens of directors. Each answer was a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Nothing more, nothing less.

Afterwards, once my nerves came down, I realized that Christine was doing what any good producer does: she clarifies, she edits, she turns things over, she gets in, and gets out. She is there not for herself but in service of the story, the vision, and the convoluted uphill battle that is independent film production. Just like her all-black uniform, her whole manner leaves the spotlight for someone else— a Celine Song, a Todd Haynes, or a John Cameron Mitchell, while she handles the far-from-glamourous work of reworking budgets and sweet-talking investors.

But anyone who has perused her IMDB page knows that Christine Vachon is a force. Over the last 35 years she has championed some of the best independent films this country has produced— Poison, I Shot Andy Warhol, Happiness, Boys Don’t Cry, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Carol— usually well before anyone else was willing to touch them. That she can sum it all up in 15 minutes might be the most producer-esque thing about her.

If you’ve got 15 minutes, take a listen. Just enough time to decide which of her films to rewatch tonight.

More movies: themaineplayweek.com

Last month we interviewed filmmakers whose films were showing at the 29th Maine International Film Festival. We’ve got a handful to share over the next week or so, and this episode we’ve got two great interviews:

* Ricky Leighton, director of Downeast Hardcore: Stories from the Kave

* Matty Wishnow, director of The Last Critic

Learn more about Downeast Hardcore: thekavefilm.com

Get tickets to the film screening and after party at Geno’s on August 8!

Learn more about The Last Critic: thelastcriticfilm.com

Check out themaineplayweek.com/showtimes and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to follow us @themaineplayweek on Instagram!

MIFF and MOFF are behind us and CIFF is looming—in the meantime, is there even anything to talk about? Any major cinematic blockbusters been making headlines lately? Let’s think……This week, we’re talking about:

* pets

* science

* birds

* Pedantry 101

* some guy from Greece

And so much more. As always, check out showtimes.themaineplayweek.com and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to follow us @themaineplayweek on Instagram!

HAPPY FESTIVAL SEASON! There’s tons to cover in the world of Maine film right now, but this week, we’re talking about:

* Tourmaline Prize winners

* Maine’s summer film festival landscape

* time loops

* bespoke merch and self promotion

* the cinematic equivalent of leaping from an airplane

* the movie viewer’s imax forgiveness PSA

As always, check out showtimes.themaineplayweek.com and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to follow us @themaineplayweek on Instagram!

Check out The Maine Pod Week’s interview with Nick Callanan, director of the Maine Outdoor Film Festival!

The Maine Outdoor Film Festival (MOFF) is an international film festival featuring outdoor adventure and environmental documentary films about the beauty, vastness, interactivity and volatility of our planet; and how its power influences human experience.

Connect with the Maine Outdoor Film Festivalmoff.film / maineoutdoorfilmfestival.comInstagram: @maineoutdoorfilmfestivalFacebook: The Maine Outdoor Film FestivalLinkedIn: Maine Outdoor Film Festival

Check out The Maine Playweek!Email newsletter: themaineplayweek.substack.comShowtimes: themaineplayweek.com/showtimesInstagram: @themaineplayweekFacebook: The Maine Playweek

Nate came back from China and Julia went to Boston—what are these crazy kids gonna do next?? probably, talk about:

* petty school rivalries

* movies for mom and movies for dad

* upcoming festival and drive-in plans (and the Maine Playweek publications in which you can find them :))

* canine critics

to name but a few things—enjoy! check out showtimes.themaineplayweek.com and let us know what you think! and as always, follow us @themaineplayweek on Instagram!

Join Charlie and Julia for a recap conversation about the Bates Film Festival in Lewiston and Portland this past week.

Stay tuned for the next festival at batesfilmfestival.com.

Follow all our Maine film festival coverage this summer at themaineplayweek.com. Find movie showtimes at themaineplayweek.com/showtimes.

If you like our work, consider making a one-time contribution or becoming a paid subscriber!

Questions? Comments? Upcoming screenings? Popcorn opinions? Email us at [email protected].

Instagram: @themaineplayweek

Facebook: facebook.com/themaineplayweek

Bluesky: @themaineplayweek.bsky.social

See you at the movies!

Nate interviewed his fellow Batesies about their film fest! Tune in for a great conversation about:

- How film can inspire social change

- Special guests with Maine connections

- All-time favorites that kick-started the students’ passion for film

Every two years Jon Cavallero and a group of students organize this film festival not just for the Bates community, but for everyone. All the events are free and open to the public, so just show up and grab a seat!

The Maine Playweek is proud to be a media sponsor of the 2026 Bates Film Festival!

The festival returns for its fifth edition this May 12-17 on campus in Lewiston and at various venues around Portland. See the full schedule at batesfilmfestival.com.

Find The Maine Playweek:

Instagram: @themaineplayweekFacebook: The Maine PlayweekSubstack: themaineplayweek.substack.com

Try out our new showtimes website!

We got to go to the movies together!!! Much to discuss about people making movies in Maine this time!!! not only that, but we also get to talk about:

* Julia Dunlavey, Journalist Extraordinaire (Julia’s interviews with Sam Dunning can be found here and here)

* the trouble with kayaks

* Julia Dunlavey, Cultural Weathervane

* our brand new showtimes page!!!!

* Julia Dunlavey, Time Optimizer

Enjoy! check out showtimes.themaineplayweek.com and let us know what you think! and as always, follow us @themaineplayweek on Instagram!

hi again :) enjoying our new regular output? you BETTER be!!! it’s good to talk to your friends about the stuff you see in movies that activates your lizard brain. it’s not ACTUALLY a scary episode, we had a lot of fun talking about:

* new offerings!

* fun shirts

* Nate’s theater major (he only gets to use it so often, okay??)

* scary technology

* scary vacuums

* the canine-cinematic conundrum

enjoy! check out showtimes.themaineplayweek.com and let us know what you think! and as always, follow us @themaineplayweek on Instagram!