The 28th annual Maine International Film Festival is happening from July 11-20 in Waterville, providing film lovers its traditionally dazzling array of features, shorts, experimental films, restored classics, international spotlights (Nigerian and Cambodian cinema this time around), and acclaimed guests. This year’s “Mid-Life Achievement Award” will be presented to actor Clive Owen, along with screenings of some of his best films, including “Children of Men” and “Closer.”

As ever, there’s far too much to cram into one article, so here are my (highly subjective) picks for 10 can’t-miss films of MIFF 28.

“Coexistence, My Ass!” (2025)

Director: Amber Fares

Sometimes all you can do is laugh, right? For Israeli comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi, the trick is getting her fellow country people to laugh at her one-woman show about the ongoing massacre of the Palestinian people by their own government. The definition of a tough room, this documentary watches Shuster-Eliassi’s act evolve as the conflict grows more and more bloody and her anger at the Netanyahu regime puts her more and more in the crosshairs of an increasingly repressive government. Sometimes, making the wrong people laugh is dangerous — and revolutionary.

“Cutting Through Rocks” (2025)

Directors: Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni

Another timely pick, this Iranian documentary follows Sara Shahverdi, the first woman elected to her village council as she advocates for women’s rights, fights entrenched patriarchal attitudes, and faces personal and political backlash, all with steadfast dedication and bravery. As world leaders lob missiles and denigrate entire cultures, here’s to MIFF for providing the clarity that human beings everywhere are living remarkable lives.

“InhuMaine” (2025)

Directors: Ryan Kapp, Rogan O’Donnell

Sometimes a movie’s name is so clever it hurts. This Maine-made documentary examines the homelessness crisis in Bangor with a humanist eye and an open mind. Interviewing state legislators, Bangor residents, activists and, most importantly, Bangor’s homeless population themselves, this is the sort of homegrown movie MIFF was made for — uncomfortable, enlightening, and necessary viewing.

“The Librarians” (2025)

Director: Kim A. Snyder

Remember when the position of town librarian seemed dull? Well current-day American librarians are under constant attack from groups seeking to censor and ban books (invariably ones featuring LGBTQ+ people and Black history, go figure), turning those humble shushers into frontline guardians of free speech. This documentary profiles the courage of local librarians facing threats, lawsuits, vandalism and other thuggish bigotry, and serves as MIFF’s opening night film.

“The Long Goodbye” (1973)

Director: Robert Altman

One of MIFF’s greatest acts of public service is to screen classic films the way they were meant to be seen. Altman’s update of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe transplants the post-WWII private dick in woozy, sunny 1970s Los Angeles, star Elliott Gould’s rumpled, jazzy take on the iconic character a man out of time and, it seems, out of his depth. Until he’s not. One of Altman’s finest — and the 70s’ — “The Long Goodbye” showcases masterful improvisational sleight-of-hand and remains an all-time classic.

“Make It Look Real” (2024)

Director: Kate Blackmore

“Every actor I work with has some kind of story, from uncomfortable to downright assault.” That’s from movie intimacy coordinator Claire Warden as she prepares actors for sexually charged scenes in this fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary. The #MeToo era has uncovered many shocking Hollywood secrets and the fact that intimacy experts like the no-nonsense Warden have only just come into play on sets is testament to just how vulnerable our favorite performers make themselves for our entertainment.

“Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” (2025)

Director: Shoshannah Stern

I fell in love with actress Marlee Matlin in her film debut, “Children of a Lesser God,” and while her subsequent career sidelining (she was amazing on “The West Wing”) wasn’t surprising in an ableist Hollywood/world, this documentary, largely presented in American Sign Language, about the deaf Oscar winner’s personal and professional struggles, emerges as a reminder of her magnetic presence and boundary-smashing life and work. Here’s hoping the world has wised up in time for a comeback.

“Memories of a Burning Body” (2024)

Director: Antonella Sudasassi

MIFF loves to mix it up, with this thrilling mixture of documentary and fiction providing an insightful, ultimately heartening portrait of women, sexuality and liberation. Inspired by the real-life stories of three unseen older women in Costa Rica, we watch a fictional older woman’s journey to navigate sexism, anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry and societal repression as she discovers that it’s never too late to become your true self.

“The Negotiator” (2025)

Director: Trevor Birney

Maine has a rich tradition of political courage. (See our current governor for one example, our GOP senator for the opposite.) Northern Irish director Birney knows that all too well, as his documentary traces the groundbreaking efforts of former Maine Sen. George Mitchell, as special envoy to Ireland, to broker a seemingly impossible peace. As timely as it gets, this story of a courageous, canny peacemaker from Maine willing to speak truth to power should serve as inspiration to all Mainers — and ideally to our current representatives.

“Sight Unseen” (2025)

Director: Stephen Parkhurst

Another Maine-made feature, as a trio of adult siblings must face up to a troubling inheritance. Their late father’s rural cabin (the director touts the choice of an isolated filming location near Stephen King’s backyard) appears to be inhabited by… something. Ghosts? Spirits? Something worse? As ever, your author is always on the lookout for a good old Maine horror flick, and the MIFF imprimatur all but guarantees a great, spooky time.

That’s just the tip of a fascinating, jam-packed Maine International Film Festival. For more information on all this year’s many amazing offerings, head to miff.org and book your tickets.

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