EveningStar Cinema in Brunswick will celebrate Earth Day with screenings of “A Peace of Forest,” a new nature documentary made by Maine filmmakers about the state’s wildlife.
The movie theater will screen the film in the days following Earth Day, which is on April 22. There will be showings on April 25-27 and May 1.
Husband-and-wife team Lee Ann and Thomas Mark Szelog shot the entire film within 70 acres of forest in Whitefield, where they live.
“‘A Peace of Forest’ is a compelling, feature-length film, celebrating the beauty and intimacy of wildlife in Maine,” according to a theater news release. “This one-of-a-kind cinematic adventure showcases surprising, tender and exquisite interactions of wildlife during peaceful moments in Maine’s natural world.”
The Szelogs are award-winning nature photographers with 60 years of combined experience. They are also the authors of “Our Point of View: Fourteen Years at a Maine Lighthouse” and “By a Maine River: A Year of Looking Closely.”
‘Become reacquainted with nature’s power’
“A Peace of Forest” premiered in summer 2024 at the Lincoln Theater in Damariscotta. The showings at the EveningStar will be the first in Brunswick.
A fawn white-tail deer plays in the shallow waters of Bear Pond in Whitefield, the location where the film “A Peace of Forest” was created. Copyright Lee Ann Szelog and Thomas Mark Szelog. Courtesy of Lee Ann Szelog and Thomas Mark Szelog
The film is “a wonderful opportunity for people to become reacquainted with nature’s power,” filmmaker Lee Ann Szelog said in an interview.
Lee Ann Szelog described the film as “quiet and peaceful.” The filmmaking duo relied on natural sounds with minimal narration in order to transport the viewer to a forest in Maine, she said.
“Our hope was to create a feature-length film that people could view as if they were sitting right next to us,” Lee Ann Szelog said.
The Szelogs achieved this by setting up photography blinds and waiting for wildlife to appear.
The film has been shown at local theaters all over Maine, including during an event last month at the University of Southern Maine’s Hannaford Hall in Portland.
“Working with these local community theaters has been such an honor,” Lee Ann Szelog said.
The EveningStar Cinema in the Tontine Mall has been showing films in Brunswick since 1979. Sean Hoessli and Lindie Kuzmich took over ownership of the theater in October 2024.
Ticket information for “A Peace of Forest” is available online at eveningstarcinema.com.
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