PORTLAND — It’s no secret in the film industry that Maine has some of the most beautiful locations in the United States, but for various reasons — largely economic — there are very few motion pictures and TV shows shot in this state. The Maine Film Initiative, a new project from Allen Baldwin, a Maine filmmaker from Portland, aims to change that by offering indie screenwriters a chance at winning the opportunity to have their film financed and shot in Maine.

“The big issue we face in the Maine film community is we’re missing out on a lot of screenplays that can be shot in Maine and the resources to make it happen,” said Baldwin. “We have sort of cannibalized our independent film audience and we need to get outside resources into Maine in the form of scripts and finances. We need to break out of our bubble here.”

The competition, which intends to fund the winning film from the entry fees, is open worldwide to film and TV writers, not just Maine filmmakers. Baldwin just wants to highlight Maine as the ideal place for for a low-budget film making destination.

“The story doesn’t have to take place in Maine,” stressed Baldwin. “It could take place in a small town in the Northwest, or any number of places, but it just has to be something we can shoot here. For example, we can do a small town atmosphere in Lewiston to a larger city in Portland.”

Allen, a co-producer of DamnationLand, an annual film showcase featuring classic thriller and horror Maine films, will have a team of readers checking out the scripts and teleplays as they flow in. Given Baldwin’s proclivity toward material that’s left of center, the criteria for the winning film (and runner ups) skew toward films and pilots that are bold and original, slightly weird and strong in character and diversity. Cash prizes will be given in a number of categories, including “Best Feature About Funny Stuff” and “What Did I Just Read? (Genre Defiers and Weird Stuff).”

“That’s kind of my own flavor; I’m mostly interested in those kinds of films,” said Baldwin. “What I’m not interested in is reading something that is that terrifically derivative of stuff we’ve already seen. Also, we are limited a bit by resources. We don’t have the kind of high-end effects, color or post-production facilities you will find in a bigger market.  We won’t be able to do big crowd scenes and high-end effects. So, there has to be a simplicity to the production.” 

Baldwin said filmmakers should be thinking broader than “pine cones and lobsters and lighthouses” in terms of locations, although he would still be interested in a script that showed the diversity of the populations in this state. Offering some examples, he said, “It would be great to see something about Maine’s immigrant population or even a close look at a couple from out of state in some high-end lakefront home. The most important thing when we finish a script is if we say to ourselves, ‘Wow, I’ve never read anything like that before.’ That will likely get you in the finalist category.”

Currently, there is no dollar value affixed to the final winning script, because scripts and teleplays are just starting to roll in and the final production budget will rely on the final number of entries. The final production might be a $500 short or a production budget in the $200,000 range. Either way, contestants are assured that aside from the fees associated with running and producing the contest, all funds will go into the production of one of the winning pieces and MFI will collaborate directly with the winning writer, inviting them to participate in every step of the process.

The entry deadline is set for Tuesday, Feb. 28, with Thursday, April 30, set as the extended deadline.

To learn more about Maine Film Initiative and the categories visit: mainefilminitiative.com

Note: if you are a Maine filmmaker who submits a script or pilot to this competition, feel free to drop us a line at kaystephenspilot@gmail.com.

 Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com