WATERVILLE — The 19th annual Maine International Film Festival is off to a good start, having had well-attended film screenings over the weekend and into early this week, according to organizers.

“Everyone was really excited about the films,” said festival program director Ken Eisen. “I heard nothing but, really, happiness and pleasure. It was a terrific turnout for just about everything. It was very gratifying.”

With six more days of films, workshops, celebrations and receptions on tap, the 10-day festival is just heating up.

Wednesday promises to include a spectacular evening as the festival’s Centerpiece event is the world premiere showing at the Waterville Opera House of a new, 35-mm restored version of the 1957 film “Peyton Place.” The film screens at 6 p.m.

Shot in Camden in the 1950s, the film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Directed by Mark Robson, the film stars Lana Turner, Lee Phillips, Lloyd Nolan, Arthur Kennedy, Russ Tamblyn and Terry Moore.

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After the film’s screening Wednesday, a question-and-answer session will be held with Schawn Belston, executive vice president for media and library services at Fox Filmed Entertainment, and Michael Pogorzelski, director of the Academy Film Archive at Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Showing with “Peyton Place” Wednesday will be “On Location in Peyton Place,” a short, 7-minute film directed by Willard Carroll that returns to the present-day locations used in the original film.

At 9:30 p.m., the Centerpiece Gala Party for “Peyton Place” will be held at 18 Below at 18 Silver St.

At 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, before the showing of “Peyton Place,” the film “Incident Light” will be shown at the Opera House.

The 2015 Argentinian film starring Erica Rivas and directed by Ariel Rotter portrays a mother grieving the loss of her husband and brother in a car crash while raising her twins on her own.

Rivas was in Waterville for a Monday night screening of the film at Railroad Square Cinema. She also will be on hand at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Opera House for a showing of “Wild Tales,” an Oscar-nominated Best Foreign Language Film directed by Damian Szifron.

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In the final section of the farcical film, Rivas plays a bride at her wedding party dealing with a cheating groom.

Rivas won Best Actress awards from the Argentinian Academy and Film Critics for her performance in “It’s Your Fault.” She also won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress from the Academy with “Wild Tales” and “Fresh Air.”

Thursday night brings the world premiere of “Everything in the Song is True,” a film written and directed by Winslow native Doug Morrione. The film is showing at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and 3:30 p.m. at the Opera House. The feature-length documentary about four iconic characters who define the American West is not to be missed, according to Eisen, the festival’s program director.

“It’s a pretty terrific film that we’re really excited about,” he said.

On Friday, actor Gabriel Byrne will receive the festival’s prestigious Mid-Life Achievement Award following a 6:30 p.m. showing of his 1995 film “The Usual Suspects” at the Opera House. At 9:30 p.m., his 1990 film “Miller’s Crossing” will be shown at Railroad Square Cinema.

On Thursday, Byrne’s 2006 film “Jindabyne” will be shown at Railroad Square. His latest film, “Louder than Bombs,” will be shown at 6:30 p.m. at Railroad Square.

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A party for Byrne will be held at 9 p.m. Friday at Amici’s Cucina at 137 Main St. downtown.

Amy Calder — 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @AmyCalder17


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