“It’s hard to lose a darling.” So says Points North Institute co-founder and executive and artistic director Ben Fowlie. As someone who – along with his dedicated staff and partners at the Camden-based film institution – watches a truly impressive number of nonfiction films in order to assemble each year’s Camden International Film Festival, Fowlie knows what he’s talking about. For every fascinating, controversial and/or groundbreaking documentary Fowlie and company snatch up for each festival (look for the 2020 event in October), the vicissitudes of scheduling, releasing and deal-making mean that, every year, a few films the organizers would love to offer up to hungry Maine film fans don’t make it to the big show.

Enter Cabin Fever, Points North’s second annual midwinter great film annex, a seven-movie mini-CIFF consisting of a heaping handful of great, challenging nonfiction features that otherwise would have slipped off into oblivion (or streaming, which is sort of the same thing). Cabin Fever, taking place Friday through Sunday at the ever-glorious movie palace of the Camden Opera House is Point North’s gift to us film fans, right when we need it most. 

“At Points North and CIFF, we’re always looking for ways to bring more films to Maine, to create more of a civic experience throughout the year,” said Fowlie. “We’re always looking for ways to do something with the community, to engage and collaborate, and to talk about the issues that our films inevitably bring up. Plus, everyone could use a good movie at this time of year.”

To that end, Cabin Fever is made up of seven eclectic nonfiction films that, for various reasons, weren’t destined to show at Camden International, last year or this. But, as Fowlie explains, that’s not because these fascinating films somehow missed the mark when it comes to quality or entertainment value. 

For some of the Cabin Fever films, this late winter showcase marks the continuation of Points North’s ongoing mission to discover, nurture and develop the most promising documentary films and filmmakers. “Since we established Points North Institute in 2016, our mission has been to prioritize the number of artist programs and initiatives in and around the festival,” said Fowlie. “Often that means making a space to creative problem-solve, which is valuable for filmmakers, but not a process open to the public. Cabin Fever is our way to swing the pendulum back and ask, ‘What are we doing for our core community of Mainers?’” 

For Fowlie and his team, that means setting up camp in the cold Maine winter to shine a light on seven films whose availability for October’s festival just wasn’t right. Luckily, that timing’s just right for Maine filmgoers looking to see some of the documentaries everyone’s likely to be talking about during next year’s Oscar buzz. For example, Fowlie’s especially excited to present “Crip Camp,” the second nonfiction offering from Higher Ground, the filmmaking concern founded by former first couple the Obamas. (Their first production, “American Factory,” recently won the Oscar for best documentary.)

A documentary about a Woodstock-adjacent retreat for young people with disabilities, the film is already garnering praise, not least from Fowlie, who calls the movie “an incredibly powerful, moving film.” Said Fowlie: “Films like this are few and far between these days, movies that show so much emotion and grab you, that leave you tearing up, but with tears of joy. It’s so positive and uplifting.” Fowlie also notes the film’s many Maine connections among the crew, and that the film is being presented as part of Points North’s association with Disability Rights Maine.

Also touting its connections to Points North and Maine, Fowlie is equally effusive about the documentary “Mucho Mucho Amor,” an entertaining portrait of astrologer Walter Mercado, the non-gender-conforming, cape-wearing self-professed psychic whose televised horoscopes became legendary – and whose disappearance shocked many. “It’s very much an ode to a very flamboyant, complex, beautiful person,” Fowlie said of the film. “We’re really excited to bring a bit of levity come February or March.” Fowlie also noted that the film’s directors, Cristina Constantini and Kareem Tabsch, were involved in Points North’s annual Camden-hosted TFI retreat (a partnership with Tribeca Film Institute and CNN Films), explaining proudly, “We’re always tracking projects that go through our artist programs.” 

So if you’re suffering from your own bout of snowed-in cabin fever, Cabin Fever has just the cure. In addition to “Crip Camp” and “Mucho Mucho Amor,” the festival includes Maine filmmaker Ian Cheney and Martha Shane’s cheeky and thought-provoking examination of our changing, emoji-infiltrated language, “Picture Character,” the emotionally gripping saga of one Iranian family’s quest to find a safe place in a world that seemingly doesn’t want them, “Love Child,” which Fowlie calls “one of the most powerful films I’ve ever seen,” and more. For fans of the superlative concert film “The Last Waltz,” I’d highly recommend heading to Camden specifically to see “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band,” a rollicking and illuminating portrait of the seminal rock band The Band, which, as Fowlie puts it, “features every major musician in the past 60 years.”

For Fowlie, bringing the world’s best nonfiction films to Maine is truly a full-time job, with Cabin Fever just the latest addition to his and his partners’ happy workload. “I’d say we made the right decision in choosing the films for last year’s CIFF, but it’s a tall order to bear witness to all these films,” he said. “These are just profound across the board and it’s nice to provide a smaller event for Maine audiences to get excited about the documentary form, all in one place.”

The seven-film Cabin Fever festival runs Friday through Sunday at the Camden Opera House. For more info, tickets and full festival passes, head to cabinfever2020.eventive.org.

Dennis Perkins is a freelance writer who lives in Auburn with his wife and cat. 

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