Belfast Maine, the documentary film by Frederick Wiseman, sent shock waves through Belfast when it was released in 1999. Directed by one of the world’s preeminent cinema verité documentary filmmaker, Wiseman was also a summer resident in the Belfast area for many decades, and he was intimate with Belfast in many ways.

Filmed in 1996, Wiseman chronicled a time when MBNA was just arriving in Belfast, when workers still streamed to the sardine plant and potato factory.

"Fred caught us as we turned the corner from one world to the next where Embee Cleaners, Weaver’s Bakery, Penobscot Frozen Foods, and Stinson Sardines have left us behind," said Michael Hurley, of Belfast. "Opinions remain divided on the film and its portrayal of Belfast."

On May 26, there will be a panel discussion about the film Belfast Maine, and offer a moment to honor Wiseman.

The event will take place Tuesday evening at the Belfast Free Library from 6 to 8 p.m. Panelists will include journalist Jay Davis and Tim Hughes historians and  co-authors of A History of Belfast in the 20th Century; AO Scott, critic at large for the New York Times; documentary film aficionado and Belfast resident Alex Giblin; and moderator Michael Hurley. 

"While the panel will discuss Belfast Maine and its place in Fred’s filmography, we’ll also celebrate Frederick Wiseman who we were lucky enough to have in our community and who captured an iconic and timeless Belfast as part of his extraordinary and lengthy artistic career," said Hurley, in a news release. "Fred passed away this year and the world who knew him, his work and his work ethic, mourn his passing."

Here’s what Fred had to say about cinema verité: ”What I try to do is edit the films so that they will have a dramatic structure. That is why I object to some extent to the term 'observational cinema' or cinéma vérité, because observational cinema, to me at least, connotes just hanging around with one thing being as valuable as another, and that is not true. At least, that is not true for me, and cinema vérité is just a pompous French term that has absolutely no meaning as far as I'm concerned.” 

Fred had opinions and he shared them generously.