Friends of Congress Square Park

Films in the Square: "Black Panther"
2018-08-26 19:30 - 21:45 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Join us every Sunday evening at dusk for Films in the Square co-presented by Portland Summer Films. Bring a lawn chair, sit back and enjoy classic films in an outdoor venue.
This week:

August 26th — Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther”
[7:30 start w/ 2h 15m running time]
After the death of his father, T’Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king — and as Black Panther — gets tested when he’s drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people.

Portland Summer Films will play every Sunday evening at dusk in Congress Square Park from June 3rd through August 26th.

Co-Presented By:

Sponsored by:

Maine Outdoor Film Festival Screening
2018-09-02 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Join MOFF and Sterling Rope Company, Inc. for a 70-minute program of climbing, conservation and other outdoor sports short films at Congress Square Park.
Date: Sunday, September 2, 2018
Time: Films begin 30 minutes after sunset (about 8:00PM)
Cost: Free with donations go toward Teens To Trails.
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes
There will also be a brief intermission with a free door prize raffle.
Location: Congress Square Park – Portland, Maine 04101
Presented in partnership with: Sterling Rope Company, Inc. and Congress Square Arts
FILMS TO BE SCREENED (in no particular order):
Film Name- Director- Running Time
Transfer Station – Stuart Townsend – 3:06
Freedom to Focus – Sterling Rope Company, Inc. – 4:00
Bouldering at the Beast – Patrick R Kennedy – 4:16
One Week At A Time – No Umbrella Media – 11:17
Engaging the Curve – Graham Zimmerman Bedrock Film Works – 11:55
Stumped – Taylor Keating, Cedar Wright – 25:05
*Screening schedule is subject to change*

Presented in partnership with: Sterling Rope Company, Inc. and Congress Square Arts

Documentary Film Night: Step
2018-09-04 19:15 - 21:15 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
STEP is the true-life story of a girls’ high-school step team against the background of the heart of Baltimore. These young women learn to laugh, love and thrive – on and off the stage – even when the world seems to work against them. Empowered by their teachers, teammates, counselors, coaches and families, they chase their ultimate dreams: to win a step championship and to be accepted into college.
This all female school is reshaping the futures of its students’ lives by making it their goal to have every member of their senior class accepted to and graduate from college, many of whom will be the first in their family to do so. Deeply insightful and emotionally inspiring, STEP embodies the true meaning of sisterhood through a story of courageous young women worth cheering for.
Presented by SPACE with Friends of Congress Square Park. Free to the public. Starts at sunset.

The SPACE Documentary Series will be hosted in Congress Square Park 1st Tuesdays from June through September at dusk! Join us for more film evenings in the coming months.

CANCELLED: "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" Film Screening
2019-06-02 20:30 - 22:30 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
***This event has been cancelled due to risk of thunderstorms. Join us next weekend instead for another Portland Summer Film Sunday at dusk!***

Filmmaker Morgan Neville examines the life and legacy of Fred Rogers, the beloved host of the popular children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

"Rebel Without a Cause" Film Screening
2019-06-09 20:30 - 22:30 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark (James Dean) is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. While searching for some stability, Stark forms a bond with a disturbed classmate, Plato (Sal Mineo), and falls for local girl Judy (Natalie Wood). However, Judy is the girlfriend of neighborhood tough, Buzz (Corey Allen). When Buzz violently confronts Jim and challenges him to a drag race, the new kid’s real troubles begin.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

Open City Night feat. Film Screening "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"
2019-06-12 20:45 - 22:45 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
What matters to our community right now? Are we engaged in decision making processes the impact us? Are our needs and hopes being met? Do we know our neighbors? What does it mean to participate in civic life?
Open City nights in Congress Square Park are opportunities for neighbors to gather to ask questions and share information about issues important to our shared community life. Co-presented with local organizations, you can expect these evenings to be artful, participatory, informative and compelling.
All invited, all welcome.

Open City feat. free film screening of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
What is it to be a good neighbor? We’ll start the conversation with a screening of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” in which filmmaker Morgan Neville examines the life and legacy of Fred Rogers, the beloved host of the popular children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
This screening is made possible thanks to Portland Summer Films and Coffee by Design.
Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.

Open City is a series hosted in Congress Square Park every Wednesday at 6:8pm from June through August. We’ll explore topics related to community life presented in artful ways that spark dialogue.

"Best in Show" Film Screening
2019-06-16 20:45 - 22:45 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
The tension is palpable, the excitement is mounting and the heady scent of competition is in the air as hundreds of eager contestants from across America prepare to take part in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest events of their lives — the Mayflower Dog Show. The canine contestants and their owners are as wondrously diverse as the great country that has bred them.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

"Back to the Future" Film Screening
2019-06-23 20:45 - 22:45 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
In this 1980s sci-fi classic, small-town California teen Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is thrown back into the ’50s when an experiment by his eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) goes awry. Traveling through time in a modified DeLorean car, Marty encounters young versions of his parents (Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson), and must make sure that they fall in love or he’ll cease to exist. Even more dauntingly, Marty has to return to his own time and save the life of Doc Brown.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Film Screening
2019-06-30 20:45 - 22:45 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Science fiction adventure about a group of people who attempt to contact alien intelligence. Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) witnesses an unidentified flying object, and even has a “sunburn” from its bright lights to prove it. Roy refuses to accept an explanation for what he saw and is prepared to give up his life to pursue the truth about UFOs.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

"Fried Green Tomatoes" Film Screening
2019-07-07 20:30 - 22:30 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
On one of trapped housewife Evelyn Couch’s (Kathy Bates) Wednesday nursing home visits, she encounters Ninny Threadgoode (Jessica Tandy), a colorful old woman who brightens Evelyn’s outlook by sharing tales from her past. As Ninny recounts the exploits of her free-spirited sister-in-law Idgie (Mary Stuart Masterson), owner of a small Alabama café in the 1920s, and the bond Idgie shared with her friend Ruth (Mary-Louise Parker), Evelyn gains the confidence to change her own life for the better.
Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

"Vertigo" Film Screening
2019-07-14 20:30 - 22:30 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
An ex-police officer who suffers from an intense fear of heights is hired to prevent an old friend’s wife from committing suicide, but all is not as it seems. Hitchcock’s haunting, compelling masterpiece is uniquely revelatory about the director’s own predilections and hang-ups and is widely considered to be one of his masterworks.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

"Pinocchio" Film Screening
2019-07-21 20:30 - 22:30 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
When the woodworker Geppetto (Christian Rub) sees a falling star, he wishes that the puppet he just finished, Pinocchio (Dickie Jones), could become a real boy. In the night, the Blue Fairy (Evelyn Venable) grants Geppetto’s wish and asks Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards) to serve as the wooden boy’s conscience. But the naive and trusting Pinocchio falls into the clutches of the wicked Honest John (Walter Catlett), who leads him astray to the sinful Pleasure Island.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

Wazo Fest "Black Panther" Film Screening
2019-07-27 21:00 - 23:00 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Wazo Fest is a three day festival hosted in Portland, Maine by Kesho Wazo, a youth art collective. Join them for a screening of “Black Panther” in Congress Square Park at dusk!
“Black Panther” is a 2018 superhero film, based on the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name. After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challareturns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two foes conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must team up with CIA agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakandan special forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war
Kesho Wazo, or “tomorrow’s ideas” in Swahili, is an up and coming youth art collective. The group was created as an outlet for young people to express themselves through art, music, fashion, and social advocacy. It is composed of 15 energetic members, who share high ambitions to break boundaries and positively impact history.

"The Ghost & Mr. Chicken" Film Screening
2019-07-28 20:15 - 22:30 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Looking to score a break as a newspaper reporter and impress beautiful Alma Parker (Joan Staley), milquetoast typesetter Luther Heggs (Don Knotts) pitches a story about his small town’s haunted house. When his editor (Dick Sargent) insists Luther spend a night alone in the spooky mansion, where a grisly murder-suicide had taken place decades earlier, the timid reporter learns that the house contains a supernatural resident who doesn’t like visitors.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

"Poltergeist" Film Screening
2019-08-04 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Strange and creepy happenings beset an average California family, the Freelings — Steve (Craig T. Nelson), Diane (JoBeth Williams), teenaged Dana (Dominique Dunne), eight-year-old Robbie (Oliver Robins), and five-year-old Carol Ann (Heather O’Rourke) — when ghosts commune with them through the television set. Initially friendly and playful, the spirits turn unexpectedly menacing, and, when Carol Ann goes missing, Steve and Diane turn to a parapsychologist and eventually an exorcist for help.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

"The Goonies" Film Screening
2019-08-11 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
A group of teenagers finds a map leading to a hidden treasure. They must overcome booby traps, natural obstructions, and a gang of desperate thieves in their race for the loot.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

"Saving Mr. Banks" Film Screening
2019-08-18 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Spurred on by a promise he made to his daughters, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) embarks on what would become a 20-year quest to obtain the movie rights to “Mary Poppins.” The author, P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), proves to be an uncompromising curmudgeon who has no intention of letting her beloved characters become mangled in the Hollywood machine. However, when the books stop selling and she finds herself in need of money, Travers reluctantly agrees to consider Disney’s proposition.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

"Mary Poppins Returns" Film Screening
2019-08-25 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Decades after her original visit, the magical nanny, Mary Poppins, returns to help the Banks siblings and Michael’s children through a difficult time in their lives.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

"SAMSARA" Film Screening with PMA Films
2019-09-14 19:00 - 21:30 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders. Samsara is a 2011 American non-narrative documentary film, directed by Ron Fricke and produced by Mark Magidson, who also collaborated on Baraka (1992), a film of a similar vein.
This film is made possible due to a collaboration with The Portland Museum of Art and PMA Films.

Film Screening: Sisters with Transistors
2021-06-06 20:30 - 22:00 (America/New_York)
Presented by SPACE Gallery, Sisters With Transistors showcases the music of and rare interviews with female electronic pioneers. ⁠Narrated by legendary multimedia artist Laurie Anderson, Lisa Rovner’s superb Sisters with Transistors showcases the work of female electronic pioneers Clara Rockmore, Delia Derbyshire, Daphne Oram, Éliane Radigue, Maryanne Amacher, Bebe Barron, Suzanne Ciani, Pauline Oliveros, Laurie Spiegel, and Wendy Carlos.⁠

PMA Films Presents: Sign o' the Times
2021-06-25 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Free film screening! Presented by PMA Films.
Sign o’ the Times is a 1987 American concert film written and directed by Prince.

PMA Films Presents: Sigur Ros: Inni
2021-07-10 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
SIGUR RÓS: INNÍ
75 min. Not Rated. Directed by Vincent Morrisset

Inní is Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós’ second live film following 2007’s tour documentary Heima. Whereas that film positioned the group in the context of their Icelandic homeland, Inní focuses purely on the band’s performance. Filmed in a manner that invites both intimacy and claustrophobia, Inní cocoons the viewer in a one-on-one relationship with the band, eschewing the audience for closeness, depicting how it feels for both band and fan to experience Sigur Rós live.

The film’s atmosphere is enhanced by filmmaker Vincent Morisset’s re-filming of the original digital footage on 16mm, which was then re-filmed again, sometimes through prisms and other found objects with the help of godspeed you! black emperor visual collaborator Karl Lemieux, allowing Inní to look and feel like something recovered from the past.

Double Creature Feature: Snapper & World Premiere of Eyes from the Pines
2021-07-16 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Does Bigfoot live in Maine? A brand-new documentary seeks to answer that question. Check out the premiere! The evening will be a double creature feature with Snapper showing first.

SPACE Presents: Dope is Death
2021-07-18 19:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
“Dope is Death” is the story of how Dr. Mutulu Shakur, stepfather of Tupac Shakur, along with fellow Black Panthers and the Young Lords, combined community health with radical politics to create the first acupuncture detoxification program in America in 1973 — a visionary project eventually deemed too dangerous to exist in America.
The film will be preceded by a panel discussion with local harm reduction, recovery, and community advocates and organizers, co-presented by the Church of Safe Injection.

SPACE Presents: Popeye
2021-08-11 19:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Film preceded by a special performance by Jimmy Dority and Friends playing the music of Harry Nilsson, Van Dyke Parks, and more.
Come to Congress Sq. Park for a special 40th Anniversary Restoration screening of Robert Altman’s one-of-a-kind big budget musical oddity. This is Robin Williams’ big screen debut. Shelley Duvall starred in Popeye after completing production of The Shining, and yes the films came out the same year as each other, in 1980. The production is famous for going wildly over-budget as the Popeye team built a town in Malta from scratch to create the set for Sweethaven- the set still stands and has become a tourist attraction. Of the film’s many strange rewards, perhaps most enduring are the songs constructed by Harry Nilsson and Van Dyke Parks. Robert Altman struggled to find funding for his work throughout the 1980’s as a result of Popeye’s mixed reception, but the film has endured and deservedly become somewhat of a cult-classic. If nothing else Popeye is an unforgettable time-stamp and convergence of talents, with elaborate set pieces, scene-chewing performances and an oddly gentle touch from one of cinema’s great directors. The Old Port wishes it was Sweethaven. Film starts at 8pm.
Popeye (free screening in Congress Sq Park) with Jimmy Dority and Friends

PMA Films Presents: STOP MAKING SENSE
2021-08-13 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Join us for a free screening of The Talking Heads’ STOP MAKING SENSE!

SPACE Presents: Disney's Robin Hood
2021-08-18 20:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
SPACE is happy to be presenting the 1973, mammal-forward Disney animated classic Robin Hood. You get swept away with its earthy color palate, the infectious folk songs by Roger Miller, the cuteness of the animals, and its clear eyed take on universal emotionality- love is love, sad is sad, greed is bad. There’s something undeniably comforting about its lack of pretension, deep romanticism and resounding celebration of community. Foxy and kid friendly, join us in Sherwood Forrest… or Congress Sq Park. Some people’s favorite Disney movie for sure.
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follow link below for more information!
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https://bit.ly/robinHoodCongressSq

Film Screening: Maine Street USA
2021-09-05 19:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
A two-night showcase of short films from right here in Maine! These documentary shorts will showcase slices of life across Maine during COVID’s cold winter months. Free and open to the public. Bring a camping chair!

PMA Films Presents: "Time"
2021-09-22 18:15 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Join us for a free outdoor screening of Garrett Bradley’s Oscar-nominated documentary Time, presented in Congress Square Park Wednesday, September 15 at 7 p.m. An introduction and reflections on the film presented by Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition begins at 6:30 p.m.
Fox Rich is a fighter. The entrepreneur, abolitionist and mother of six boys has spent the last two decades campaigning for the release of her husband, Rob G. Rich, who is serving a 60-year sentence for a robbery they both committed in the early 90s in a moment of desperation. Combining the video diaries Fox has recorded for Rob over the years with intimate glimpses of her present-day life, director Garrett Bradley paints a mesmerizing portrait of the resilience and radical love necessary to prevail over the endless separations of the country’s prison-industrial complex.

National Silent Movie Day: City Lights
2021-09-29 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Celebrating National Silent Movie Day, a free 16mm screening of Charlie Chaplin’s CITY LIGHTS, presented in Congress Square Park with Portland Museum of Art, projecting a 16mm print of the film. Wednesday, September 29th at 6:30pm.

Charles Chaplin was deep into production of his silent CITY LIGHTS when Hollywood was overwhelmed by the talkie revolution. After months of anguished contemplation, Chaplin decided to finish the film as it began–in silence, save for a musical score and an occasional sound effect. Once again cast as the Little Tramp, Chaplin makes the acquaintance of a blind flower girl, who through a series of coincidences has gotten the impression that the shabby tramp is a millionaire. A second storyline begins when the tramp rescues a genuine millionaire from committing suicide. When drunk, the millionaire expansively treats the tramp as a friend and equal; when sober, he doesn’t even recognize him. The two plots come together when the tramp attempts to raise enough money for the blind girl to have an eye operation. Highlights include an extended boxing sequence pitting scrawny Chaplin against muscle-bound Hank Mann, and the poignant final scene in which the now-sighted flower girl sees her impoverished benefactor for the first time. Chaplin’s decision to release the silent CITY LIGHTS three years into the talkie era was partially vindicated when more than one critic singled out this “comedy in pantomime” as the best picture of 1931.
