Cannes and Sundance, step aside! The 20th edition of the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) is in the spotlight this month, with screenings of a wide variety of documentary films from around the world at venues in Camden and Rockland, Sept. 12-15 and online Sept. 16-30.

On Friday, Sept. 13, the Camden Conference and CIFF will co-present “Oasis,” a film about a mass social uprising in Chile that brought about a new national constitution. Shot over three years by a filmmaker collective, “Oasis” highlights the difficult process of democratic discourse in a multicultural society, a topic closely related to the upcoming Camden Conference, “Democracy Under Threat: A Global Perspective,” scheduled for Feb. 21-23, 2025 at the Camden Opera House.

“Oasis,” one of seven films in competition for the Harrell Award at this year’s festival, offers a vivid critique of human behavior and the messy practice of self-government. It is one of four films in the 2024 festival that focus on issues relevant to the February, 2025 Camden Conference. Other films include “The Last Republican” focusing on former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger's political isolation after he voted to impeach then President Donald Trump; and “Homegrown,” which chronicles the efforts of three right-wing activists campaigning for Trump, helping to grow a political movement that tests the limits of American democracy.

CIFF is a program of the Points North Institute, "a launching pad for the next generation of non-fiction storytellers." For more information and tickets, visit https://pointsnorthinstitute.org/ciff

The Camden Conference is a nonprofit, non-partisan volunteer-driven citizens forum, whose mission is to foster informed discourse on world issues through year-round public engagement in community events and student education programs, culminating in an annual February weekend conference. For more information, please visit www.camdenconference.org