The board of directors who organized the Emerge Film Festival has announced that the Festival will return for a second year. Building upon a successful inaugural event held in June, the board is planning a follow-up event that will expand to four days in 2015.

Scheduled to run Thursday through Sunday, April 9 through 12, the Festival will showcase a diverse selection of documentary, short and feature-length films made in Maine, across the U.S. and the world. The event will kick off with a tenth anniversary screening of 217 Films’ “Cleophas and His Own,” an adaptation of the autobiographical narrative poem by American painter and poet Marsden Hartley, who was born in Lewiston. It will wrap up with a screening of the Festival’s award winners.

“We got such a great response to our inaugural event from our local community, sponsors, film enthusiasts and – most importantly – filmmakers that we are thrilled to continue to build upon the success of our first festival,” said Emerge board president Laura Davis.

Emerge also aims to promote an appreciation of the motion picture arts by fostering an interest in filmmaking among the state’s youth. A Student Films category will be an important element of the festival again this year, and the board has tapped Edward Little High School teacher Shawn Rice, who has organized student film competitions in the past, to serve as an advisory member and coordinate student participation. As in 2014, all Maine high school and college students will receive free admission to the Festival with a student ID.

Film submissions are currently being accepted for consideration. For more information on how to submit, see emergefilmfestival.org/submissions. Also, festival volunteers are now being sought to fill various roles. For more information about volunteering, email info@emergefilmfestival.org.

Led by a board of directors comprised of dedicated and passionate film-enthusiasts and business leaders from the L/A community, the Emerge Film Festival was incorporated as a non-profit in 2014. For more information, find them on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube or see www.emergefilmfestival.org.