OURTOWN
PRODUCER: WENDY HEBB
DIRECTOR: MICHAEL RICHARD           
EDITOR: DOREEN CONBOY

One small town.

One proposed Wal-Mart SuperCenter.

Would a mega-retailer benefit the town?

                                         Or forever alter the small town way of life?

OURTOWN follows the story that unfolded in the fall of 2005 when Wal-Mart announced plans to build a SuperCenter in a small coastal Maine town.  The range of citizen responses soon created a fissure that divided the community.  On one side were those who wanted convenience, jobs, increased tax revenues, and rolled back prices.  Opposing them were those who sought to protect the local landscape and economy from out-of-scale and out-of-town corporate colonization. 

For many of the individuals who participated in the debate, and for the two young mothers who decided that somebody had to do something - and maybe it would have to be them - the experience ignited democratic ideals considered beyond reach of the common citizen. Ourtown follows the struggle of small-town activists challenged by the largest corporation in the world. Ultimately, the film asks the questions: what kind of town do you want to live in?  What is at stake?  Who gets to decide?  

"It made me proud to watch your film and see that people can still make the key difference in preserving the qualities of life that have become, all too often, both elusive and fleeting".  Geoff Walker, attorney

"I loved the film and was quite overcome by it.  It was a powerful documentary; as good as any I've seen".  Pat Baybutt, Portsmouth, NH

See the trailer at the OURTOWN website, www.ourtownmaine.com.

Buy the DVD, Amazon.com.

Closing the Circle
PRODUCER: WENDY HEBB
DIRECTOR: MICHAEL RICHARD           
EDITOR: DOREEN CONBOY

Closing the Circle is a documentary film from Red Door Media. As anyone who has visited mid-coast Maine in May and June knows, the annual alewife run up a two hundred year old fish ladder is a spectacular sight. More than a hundred thousand fish swim up the Damariscotta River, wedge their silvery bodies into the narrow confines of the rock fishway, and leap from pool to pool to reach the Damariscotta Lake, accompanied by the noisy and raucous attentions of cormorants, gulls, loons, osprey and eagles. Closing the Circle, a winner in the Maine Documentary Competition, follows the amazing migration of these small fish from deep salt water to the fresh water of their birth. Their annual migration weaves into the survival and culture of the village astride the Damariscotta lake, and is a bridge connecting the interdependent biospheres of the land, ocean and freshwater streams and lakes.  Proceeds from the sale of the film benefit the Alewife Initiative and can be purchased from the Damariscotta River Association (www.draclt.org).

June - 2005  Red Door Media documentary film Closing the Circle is award winner

Maine Documentary Film Competition winners announced 6/27/05
The winners of the 2005 Maine Documentary Film Competition were announced this week by the Maine Film Office. Those films, chosen from more than 40 works, include documentaries on everything from the secrets of the Vietnam War to the invention of artificial testicles for dogs. Although the films were shot around the world, the artists involved were all Mainer's. "Maine has a very strong community of documentary filmmakers," said Greg Gadberry, assistant director of the Maine Film Office. "And this year's entries into the documentary film competition demonstrate the depth of talent here. Our jury saw a number of good films from students, amateurs and professionals."

Closing the Circle was shown at the Maine International Film Festival in the Summer of 2005 as a documentary entry. It is being shown throughout the state by the Maine State Film Office. Closing the Circle was also shown in the Fall of 2005 at the Camden International Film Festival.

Hybrid cars are a smart choice for Maine people. Learn about the hybrid car experience by viewing the video interviews provided here – which address issues such as fuel economy, performance, safety, reliability, and comfort. A hybrid car is a great choice. For our environment. For your wallet. For you. We urge you to consider buying a hybrid car as your next vehicle. Red Door Media filmed these interviews in the fall of 2005 for NRCM. View them here.





View Hybrid Video rendered using Flash codec. This codec renders a larger frame than the one we used for NRCM and shows the capabilities that exist for video delivered over the web with a broadband connection. See Hybrid Interview HERE.