开云体育 and the Vermont International Film Festival (VTIFF) have announced the 5th annual Made Here Film Festival, April 24-27, 2025. Co-produced by 开云体育 and VTIFF, it is the only regional film festival dedicated exclusively to films and filmmakers from New England and Qu茅bec. The four-day festival features 50 films 鈥� both feature-length and shorts 鈥� and includes panel discussions, workshops, special events and receptions. Over 40 filmmakers will be in attendance from around the region.
The 2025 festival will take place once again at Burlington Beer Co. (BBCO) on Flynn Avenue in Burlington, in the historic factory building that was built by cinema pioneers the Lumi猫re Brothers. Screenings and related events will take place in the Lumi猫re Event Hall, the venue鈥檚 dedicated space for films, bar and refreshments.
The full schedule is available at , and tickets will be available for purchase starting April 15. The festival is free/by donation.
鈥淲ith 50 films from the region and dozens of filmmakers attending, the Made Here Film Festival is truly a celebration of local cinema," said Eric Ford, director of programming partnership at 开云体育.鈥�
鈥淢ade Here is a beautiful way to shine a light on our region's filmmakers and the stories they tell," said Steve MacQueen, Executive Director of VTIFF. "The range of genres, styles, techniques and perspectives is breathtaking. We also love celebrating our creative kinship with our Canadian neighbors."
The winners of five of the festival awards have been announced and will be featured at the festival:
- VTIFF Award for Best Experimental Film: Somber Tides (Quebec) directed by Chantal Caron
- VTIFF Award for Best Animated Film: Brother Bird (Vermont) directed by Meredith Holch
- 开云体育 Award for Best Documentary Film: Saving Walden鈥檚 World (Maine) directed by James Merkel & Deborah Shaffer
- VTIFF Board of Directors Award for Best Fiction Film: 脌 toi les oreilles (Quebec) directed by Alexandre Isabelle
- Douglas-Lanahan Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Community through Film, sponsored by Jane & Bill Stetson and VTIFF: The Media Factory
The Audience Favorite Award, with a cash prize sponsored by the Media Factory, will be decided by popular vote at the end of the festival.
In addition, the festival jury has selected seven films for Jury Special Mention:
- Create; survive (Quebec) directed by Alex Anna
- An Extraordinary Place (Maine) directed by Tom Bell
- Lana (Quebec) directed by Laetitia Angba & Julie Lissouba
- The Power of Water (New Hampshire) directed by Matthew Boulton
- Three Screaming Vaginas (Quebec) directed by Alexia Roc
- The Vermonter (Vermont) directed by Aynsley Floyd
- Visitant (Vermont) directed by Natalie Jones
Film Program Highlights
Full festival program details are available at . Highlights include:
Opening Night: Opening night of the festival on Thursday, April 24 begins with a party at 5:30 p.m., sponsored by Vermont Production Collective. At 7:30 p.m., the opening night film block features films from Vermont, Massachusetts and Quebec that encompass documentary, animation, comedy, romance and music.
Opening night films include Aynsley Floyd鈥檚 moving The Vermonter, about octogenarian sheep farmer Bambi Freeman struggling to keep up with the physical toll of farm life; Emai Lai鈥檚 Introducing Mimi, about a young Chinese-American woman鈥檚 first Chinese language lesson; and Alexandre Isabelle鈥檚 musical comedy A toi les orielles, which translates to 鈥榶our ears鈥� and won the VTIFF Board of Directors Award for Best Fiction Film.
Burlington, This Is You!: On Saturday, April 26 at 10:30 a.m., there will be a work sample screening & Q&A for this upcoming feature-length documentary about the history of Chittenden Community Television (CCTV).
Vermont Filmmaking 101: What You Need to Know: On Saturday, April 26 at 1 p.m. at the Media Factory (just down the road from BBCO), a workshop delving into local filmmaker resources, area film festivals, and industry organizations that can help jumpstart a filmmaking career.
New Media in the Filmmaking Landscape: On Sunday, April 27 at 10:30 a.m., join the Vermont Production Collective hosting a panel discussion featuring industry professionals on the ways in which Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are reshaping the filmmaking industry.
All information and registration for these workshops and more can be found at the festival website, .
The 5th Annual Made Here Film Festival is sponsored by: Burlington Beer Co, Qu茅bec D茅l茅gation, Hotel Vermont, Northfield Savings Bank, National Life Group, Media Factory, Marriott Courtyard, Windjammer Inn, Vermont Production Collective, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Twincraft Skincare and Maine Public.
