Loving Vincent, a Maryland Premiere directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman is a Polish–UK production that brings the paintings and life of Vincent van Gogh to the screen through oil-painted animation comprising 65,000 frames created by 125 artists. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature and won Best Animated Feature at the 30th European Film Awards in Berlin.

A post-screening Q&A will feature Anke Van Wagenberg, PhD (American Federation of the Arts), Rebekah Louisa Smith, PhD (The Film Festival Doctor), and Gail Patterson (Spiralis Gallery), moderated by Cid Collins Walker, CFF Executive Director.

Chesapeake Film Festival’s official 2025 environmental screenings begin after the reception, with “An Evening in Focus: Where Nature Speaks”, hosted by Irene Magafan, CFF President and documentary filmmaker. The special evening of environmental films is generously sponsored by Shared Earth Foundation and The Nature Conservancy. The program features three acclaimed environmental films:

• The Maryland premiere of Women of Impact – Kenya, produced by the World Wildlife Fund. This inspiring short film spotlights four Kenyan women leading community-based conservation projects.
• As wild salmon populations in Idaho approach extinction, The Grand Salmon documents the 1,000 mile kayak expedition by three women to conquer four dams, trace the salmon migration and explore solutions to restoring the dwindling population.
• Directed by CFF’s president Irene Magafan and narrated by Ashley Judd, The Bonobo Connection explores bonobo apes’ peaceful matriarchal societies and the urgent need for conservation in the Congo.

Harp’s film Chesapeake Rhythms joins a series of additional environmental films that are featured throughout the festival, including:

Saturday, October 11

• Ebenezer Theater – 10AM – From Mountains to Shorelines featuring the US film On Water’s Edge and Look Down Not Up from Nepal. Q&A with filmmakers Yehuda Goldman and Richard Silber follows the screenings.
• Talbot County Free Library – 2PM – Water, Wildlife, and the Will to Act featuring US films One Bad Crab, Upstream, Downriver and Chesapeake Rhythms. Irene Magafan, CFF President will moderate as Maggie Stogner and David Harp will team up again to host a follow up Q&A.

Also screening at the Academy Art Museum at 3:30PM on October 11 are 100 Foot Photo, directed by Matt Kresling — a documentary about Robert Rauschenberg’s creation of the world’s longest photograph with help from two Eastern Shore residents — and Lives Beyond Motion, directed by Keith Glassman — a celebration of men in modern dance and their fight for artistic expression, featuring Bill T. Jones and Kyle Abraham with a Q & A to follow the screening with Kimberly Skyrme.

Sunday, October 12

• Breaking Boundaries: Revealing Truths featuring the Canadian film, The Rewilders.

“Environmental films are always a key pillar of the Chesapeake Film Festival. Year after year, it’s an honor to not only spotlight the content of these inspiring films, but to showcase our amazing local filmmakers, in addition to passionate filmmakers from around the world. Their creativity and vision as environmental documentarians are a compelling call to action”, remarked Cid Collins Walker, festival executive director.

• September 13th: Free Community Preview Event: WYETH — 2PM — Talbot County Free Library
• October 10th, 12 Noon — Opening Film — Loving Vincent — Ebenezer Theater
• October 10th, 5:30 pm — VIP Reception 
• October 10th, 7:30pm — Environmental Night, Ebenezer Theater

CFF programming is brought to you by our generous sponsors Bluepoint Hospitality, the Shared Earth Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Maryland State Arts Council, Talbot Arts, Maryland Humanities Council, Maryland Film Office, Mid-Shore Community Foundation/The Artistic Insights Fund, Shore United Bank, Maxine Millar, Harley Gates, Philip and Karen Morrison, Richard and Beverly Tilghman, Al and Eleanor Smith, Thomas and Bill Lucks, Talbot County Free Library, Laser Letters, Red Zeppelin Productions, Martin Zell, Gayle Matthei and by generous patrons like you. 2025 CFF Sponsoring hotels include The Tidewater Inn, Inn at Perry Cabin, Sandaway Suites & Beach, Robert Morris Inn and Fairfield Inn & Suites Marriott.