The Maine Film Association’s mission is to advance the art, craft, and business of filmmaking in Maine. Our vision is to make Maine a great place to live and work as a media-maker.

The Maine Film Association brings together media professionals, students, and production companies working to create better business, educational, and networking opportunities for people working in the film and media industries in Maine.

As our organization grows, our goals are to:

  • Promote and advocate for the Maine film industry, the talented individuals working in it, and mediamaking as a career.

  • Foster connections across the mediamaking community and broader business community in Maine.

  • Provide professional development and skill-building opportunities for Maine mediamakers.

  • Expand MFA membership and establish strong fiscal support for current and future initiatives.

  • Increase organizational capacity for sustainable success.

Join the Maine film and media-making community!

Your membership supports efforts to better connect media professionals in our state, provide engaging and interesting professional development and networking opportunities, and promote the media industry of Maine.

Your membership entitles you to free or reduced admission to MFA events and workshops, special offers from vendors and our business members, and opportunities to showcase your work through MFA channels.

Business packages and student discounts are available.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

After fifteen years of working in Los Angeles, Geoffrey moved Leighton Images, a high-definition digital production facility, to an 1810 farmhouse in Durham. He has produced numerous short documentaries for Apple Computers, and was the cinematographer, editor, and producer of a feature film based on the painter Marsden Hartley’s epic poem “Cleophas and his Own.” He co-produced and edited There Ought to Be a Law, winner of the Maine International Film Festival Activist award. Leighton Images produces documentaries for such clients as the City of Boston, L.L.Bean, Education Connection, Hilton Hotels, and Veterans Administration. Geoffrey also teaches Special Effects and Animation at University of Southern Maine, and has shared his wealth of knowledge and experience by teaching at at MECA and SMCC.

Geoffrey Leighton, Co-President

Louise Rosen serves as an editorial and business consultant, producer, and sales agent. Her projects include Oscar, Emmy, and Sundance award-winning films. Louise began her career in film and television at WGBH-TV as Director of International Sales and Co-productions. She later launched her own distribution company and sales agency. She has raised financing for and distributed landmark projects such as Eyes on the Prize, as well as the Oscar winner Anne Frank Remembered, and Oscar nominee Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern. Louise is a credited producer on films such as The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition, and the feature documentaries Killing for Love, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, Prodigal Sons, and Holy Water-Gate. Louise tutors annually at Germany’s Documentary Campus Master School and has been a speaker and moderator at conferences and film festivals including Sheffield DocFest, DOC NYC, & HotDocs. In other roles, Louise was the Founding Director of the Points North Documentary Forum at the Camden International Film Festival; from March 2022 to March 2023 served as Senior Consultant, Programs & Strategy and then Interim Managing Director for the International Documentary Association (IDA) and was Program Director for the 2023 Progress History Summit.

Louise Rosen, Co-President

Alessandro Chillé

Alessandro Chillé is a filmmaker, actor, and marketing professional. With over 2 billion views online and recognition from festivals such as Dances With Films, The Big Apple Film Festival, and The Phoenix Film Festival, Chillé brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to the board. He was an executive producer on the Cinequest feature film “Continue.” His acting credits include popular shows like “Black Jesus” (Adult Swim) and “Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll” (FX). He has worked with industry leaders such as Amazon Fire TV, Dolby, ATTN: and Shots Studios.

Barbara Cray

Barbara Cray is an attorney practicing in Maine and the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as the owner of Barbara Cray Entertainment which produces diverse film, TV, and media projects. She brings over two decades of legal expertise in the entertainment industry, and is an accomplished litigator with over twenty years of successful first-chair jury trial defense of complex commercial matters. As a passionate Maine filmmaker, she has participated in the Maine Film Association’s Winter Film Challenge for the past three years.

Manette Pottle is an Emmy-nominated documentary film producer whose feature documentaries include The Arc of Oblivion (2023), Picture a Scientist  (2020), and Behold the Earth (2017). She has served as the producer of the Camden International Film Festival and as President of the Board of Directors for the Rock Coast Rollers, Rockland's roller derby league, as well as developing and producing the Future of Science Film Fellowship, a program for emerging filmmakers to develop new documentaries about making science more equitable and inclusive.

Manette Pottle

Dan Stevenson

Daniel Stevenson currently serves as the Economic Development Director for the City of Westbrook, Maine. He has extensive experience in the field, with over 25 years spent working in economic and community initiatives at the state and municipal levels, and a strong passion for seeding community growth through the arts.

Erik Van Wyck

Erik Van Wyck is an actor, writer, and filmmaker. He has appeared in numerous commercials, TV series and films, as well as globe-trotting travel show host. His work has screened at various prestigious festivals, and recently he produced the Maine-set (and filmed!) “Holly Star” (Netflix). He is president and co-founder of Picture Maine, an organization working to promote media making production in the state. 

Jim Boutin, a lifelong Mainer, has been a wildlife photographer for more than 25 years, transitioning to cinematography in 2012. His fieldwork has been included in numerous documentaries. He is currently working with partners on a film exploring the impact of climate change and other factors on the vitality of the New England moose population. He's also part of a citizen science group that is studying the wild canid population in the state of Maine. Jim had a long career in the television industry, working for broadcast stations and production equipment vendors. He has held various management roles in public and commercial television and with equipment vendors Avid Technology and the UK-based Vitec Group. Most recently he was the US General Manager for Litepanels and Anton Bauer cinema camera batteries.  Jim has a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maine. He currently serves on the Maine State Film Commission.  He is an FAA 107 Licensed Remote Pilot.

Jim Boutin, Treasurer

Kendall Harnett

Kendall Harnett is a professor of New Media at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland, as well as a Marketing Director for Brickyard Hollow Brewing Company. With over 30 years experience in media production, ranging from television and commercial development to extensive photography and post production, Kendall's primary passion is passing that knowledge onto his students. Hailing from the midwest, Kendall earned his MFA from Columbia College in Chicago and subsequently started his teaching career at DePaul University. In his free time Kendall loves to swim, watch soccer and play board games. Kendall is especially thrilled to be part of the Maine Film Association. 

As a producer and director of photography, Matt Siegel has extensive experience in the motion picture industry. Working globally on feature films, episodic television, documentary films, commercials, and brand content, Matt’s feature credits include Master and Commander, Spiderman 2, The Matrix Reloaded and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. His TV credits include the NBC series Heroes, CBS series The Mentalist, and the Hulu series Castle Rock, which shot in and around Boston. Matt’s work has been recognized with multiple awards including an International Emmy and Clio. Matt is a professor at the University of New England in Biddeford Maine, designing and creating a new program in Communications and Media Arts. He is a former professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he was the head of cinematography and a founder of the Tisch School of the Arts in Singapore. As Creative Lead and Senior Technologist for Google in Mountain View, CA, Matt worked in marketing, communications, engineering education, and new technology development. Matt is a member of The International Cinematographer’s Guild, IATSE Local 600. He has served on the organization’s National Executive Board and Western Regional Council, and as the national program director for Local 600’s technology and production training. Through Local 600, Matt has advised state and federal officials on the design and implementation of motion picture tax incentives and rebates.

Matthew Siegel