Upcoming Events

4th Annual Silent Film Festival:
Up in Maine

Join us for the Augusta Colonial Theater's 4th annual Silent Movie Festival: Up in Maine, featuring three shot-in-Maine films.
Enjoy three Maine-made silent films, saved from oblivion, the way they were meant to be screened: with LIVE musical accompaniment!! Ed Lorusso has once again scoured the archives, found these gems, and carefully restored them to save these historic pieces of our past. Jeff Rapsis will join us live on the keyboard!

You'll be treated to three saved films, all shot in Maine.

JEAN RESCUES (1911). Vitagraph film shot in Portland area. Jean the Vitagraph Dog helps a woman decide between two men after she rescues one of them from drowning in the ocean. Florence Turner, Leo Delaney, William Humphrey. 10 minutes.* Reconstructed from 35mm non-sequential elements elements from the Library of Congress.

THREE AND A GIRL (1920). Edgar Jones Productions. Filmed in Augusta during the winter of 1919/20. A girl from away comes to a remote lumber camp to work as a secretary and flirts with the three partners. They decide to help her make up her mind which guy she really wants. Edgar Jones, Edna May Sperl, Carlton Brickert, Ben Hendricks, Jr. 20 minutes.*The latest Edgar Jones film found in a private collection at the Library of Congress. This is now the sixth Jones film found.

GOD'S COUNTRY AND THE LAW (1921). Pine Tree Pictures. Filmed in the Sebago Lake area and the Saco River. Plot has happy Canadians living in peace in the wilderness until a crazed criminal who wears a rattlesnake amulet to ward off evil tries to attack the women. What happens after he loses his lucky charm? Gladys Leslie, Fred C. Jones, William Tooker. 60 minutes.*This is the oldest surviving silent feature produced and filmed in Maine. Tinted print assembled from 35mm elements from the Canadian Film Archive in Ottawa and Northeast Historic Film in Bucksport, Maine.

We've listened to your feedback so this year's Silent Film Festival will be presented in a shorter format, perfect for an afternoon outing. Due to ongoing construction, the Colonial is not available this summer. In choosing a venue, we also took past feedback into consideration. You wanted to be here in Augusta, to have comfortable seats and plenty of parking. UMA stepped in and has partnered with us by offering their beautiful Farber Forum at Jewett Hall.

Buy tickets