The eighth annual Mystic Film Festival opened Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Mystic Luxury Cinemas. The festival screened over 100 films, which were mostly short films but approximately 20 feature-length films were included.
The festival was founded by Shareen Anderson, who also serves as its executive and artistic director. Anderson’s career as a producer, director, and writer in film and television (documentaries, specifically) spans two decades. Her work has appeared on CNN, Netflix, the Food Network, and National Geographic.
While in Johannesburg, South Africa, Anderson founded the Jozi Film Festival in 2011.
Upon moving to Mystic in 2017, Anderson took note of the local tourist industry and established artistic community. She came to believe that Mystic was a perfect opportunity for a local film festival.
“People here like going to the movies,” she said. “I just decided to go for it… and here we are eight years later.”
The filmmakers participating in the festival this year are mostly from the northeast (New England and New York) while others come from California. Anderson is particularly proud to host international filmmakers this year.
She adds that student films are also submitted, and their quality can be indistinguishable from the rest of the submitted work.
Anderson continues to work in film and television while running the festival, which she refers to as her “passion project.” She boasts that everyone involved is a volunteer and that this is a true community effort, with meetings held either weekly or monthly year-round.
She has high hopes for the Mystic Film Festival’s future but notes that planning just a four-day event requires time and work. She emphasized that it ultimately comes down to bigger sponsors.
The Festival concluded Sunday, Oct.5.
For more information about the Festival and how to get involved, visit the Festival website.
About the Author: Having lived in Old Lyme and Lyme since the age of three, Kevin Ganey has always had a passion for movies that is beyond simply watching, but understanding the craft of cinema and and experiencing films as if they were a musical album. Kevin also has his own website devoted to movie analysis, CityOfCinema.com, and also co-hosts a podcast, Moviehouse Mystics, with Koda Uhl (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.)