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MCFF No. 3 presents: NATASHA MAYERS: AN UN-STILL LIFE and THE PRICE OF SAFETY – Sat Jul 30 @ 7pm w/ Filmmaker Talkback

Lincoln Theater is pleased to present a double header – “Natasha Mayers: An Un-still Life” immediately followed by “The Price of Safety.” We invite you to stay following the screenings for a talkback with the filmmakers, as well as guest Natasha Mayers. 

NATASHA MAYERS: AN UN-STILL LIFE

Artist. Trickster. Activist. Now, more than ever, people want to see truthful, creative role models like Natasha Mayers, who is known as the “most committed activist artist” in Maine and who Senator George Mitchell called a “state treasure.” Presenting an artist who has remained true to her passion for over 50 years, the film follows Natasha as she takes on social, economic and environmental justice issues with humor, irreverence and a keen aesthetic that enlightens while it entertains.

Running Time: 38 minutes

 

 

 

 

 

Director ANITA CLEARFIELD (Litchfield, ME), Producer/Director/Artist, has created many award-winning independent films, documentaries and educational programs, including “Olivia Records: More Than Music,” “Vacation Nicaragua,” and “There Ought to Be a Law.” She was a staff producer/director for Maine Public Broadcasting, creating a variety of documentaries and science series. She has worked with Natasha Mayers on the Artists’ Rapid Response Team (ARRT!) and is a founder of LumenARRT!, video projections for social change. She holds an M.F.A. from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and is a practicing painter and video installation artist.

GEOFFREY LEIGHTON, Director/Director of Photography, has over 35 year’s experience in video and multi-media production. In addition to his award-winning documentaries, commercials, and long form programming, Leighton has produced a variety of large-scale multimedia educational projects, including work for Apple, the Lucas Foundation, Center for Collaborative Education, Classroom Connections, the City of Boston, Bates College, and the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, as well as the Tech Goes Home Project in Boston and the Diploma Plus Network of schools. Leighton is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Maine, teaching Special Effects and Animation.

THE PRICE OF SAFETY

NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE!

The Price of Safety explores national conversations of over-policing and racial bias as they unfold in the quaint community of Vergennes, Vermont—far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. While the Black Lives Matter movement is often seen playing out in more urban spaces, this film watches a mostly white community grapple with a startling fact: their police force has some of the worst racial bias in the state and possibly the country.

For years, members of the city leadership discredited findings of racial bias while continuously increasing the police budget. Advocating for raising taxes instead of laying off officers, the Vergennes Police Chief singled out a domestic violence victim in front of a packed hall to instill fear. After the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, discussions of police oversight turned personal, forcing the mayor and three city council members to resign; the city was left with no functioning government.

In the end, The Price of Safety stitches together a discussion about the issues facing Vermont’s smallest city through interviews with residents, scholars of race and policing, and elected officials. As conversations surrounding policing and racism evolve nationally, we watch a community reckon with a vital question: what does it mean to be safe?

Running Time: 55 minutes

Director Biography – Chris Spencer (Vergennes, VT)
Chris Spencer is a filmmaker rooted in New England, currently residing in Vergennes, Vermont. With a strong passion for social documentaries, Chris has spent the last year working on The Price of Safety, his first feature-length film. Chris graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Communication in 2012 and has been a professional filmmaker since. Previously, he was the Senior Digital Media Producer at Middlebury College and a videographer/editor at Vermont PBS. He now works full-time as a freelance filmmaker. When not filming, Chris is out taking landscape and drone photography of breathtaking Vermont.