A film made in Maine, about a father raising his son in Maine, will be screened Sept. 29, at 6 p.m., at the Colonial Theatre, in Belfast. The evening features a live musical performance by Maine singer-songwriter Louisa Stancioff, "whose poetic indie-folk captures the spirit of rural resilience and grounds the film's global message in the lived reality of local community and place," according to a news release from the filmmakers.

The event is a fundraiser benefiting the Mabel Wadsworth Center, organized in partnership with the Colonial Theatre.

The screening of Saving Walden's World follows the film's acceptance for national distribution on PBS via NETA, marking a significant milestone for the Belfast-based production, the release said.

The film follows Jim Merkel, a former military engineer turned sustainability activist, as he raises his son, Walden, on an off-grid homestead in Maine and travels to Kerala (India), Cuba, and Slovenia to document women-led solutions that have bypassed the growth trap of the West.

"By prioritizing literacy, healthcare, and reproductive freedom, these societies have built stability and equity without sacrificing quality of life, a counterpoint to the high-consumption model that is pushing the planet toward collapse," the release said.

Part of the documentary was produced and filmed in Belfast and across Maine, making this screening a homecoming for the local community. 

"Belfast is home," said Merkel, in the release. "This film is partly a love letter to Maine, to the idea that a life of radical simplicity and genuine sustainability is possible here, not just in Kerala or Slovenia. Bringing it to the Colonial, which has kept independent cinema alive in this town for over a century, feels exactly right."

"To me, Walden's World is an exploration of returning to the roots of being human on this planet," said Stancioff. "I feel like there is nothing more human than playing music. Music has sustained and nourished small communities from its beginnings. I especially love playing shows here in Maine, where these gatherings bring people even closer together. I believe small communities are key to moving forward sustainably in a rapidly changing world." 

"At the Colonial, we think of the theatre as a community gathering space," said Cam Howard of the Colonial Theatre, in the release. "A film like Saving Walden's World, that is both made locally and about the environment, which our community is so invested in, represents the synthesis of our values at the theatre." 

As a vibrant, century-old independent cinema and arts venue, the Colonial Theatre is dedicated to bringing diverse, high-quality film, performing arts, and community conversations to the heart of downtown Belfast.

This screening will be a fundraiser for the Mabel Wadsworth Center, a Belfast-area organization whose mission aligns with the film's central themes of women's health, empowerment, and community resilience. 

"Climate justice is an essential facet of fighting for reproductive justice, a framework that encompasses the full span of reproductive autonomy," said Aspen Ruhlin of Mabel Wadsworth Center. "Clean air, clean water, and livable places are essential for bodily autonomy and for people to parent the children they have in safe and sustainable communities. Just as all oppression is connected, so is all justice."

This screening is one stop on the North America Screening Tour, part of the 100 Rooms. 1 Story. campaign bringing Saving Walden's World to communities across North America with the goal of hosting 100 screenings over the next twelve months.

A Q&A session with director Jim Merkel will follow the screening, offering the audience a direct conversation with the filmmaker about the film's vision of planetary healing, local sovereignty, and the practical alternatives being built right now by communities around the world.

Following this Belfast homecoming event, two additional benefit screenings for the Mabel Wadsworth Center will take place in November at Black Bear Cinemas in Orono.