Ben Levine: A Fertile Moment in Time | Screening and Q+A at the Strand Theatre

December 11 | 7pm

In conjunction with the Center for Maine Contemporary Art's 2025 Biennial, CMCA and the Strand Theatre proudly present Ben Levine’s documentary A Fertile Moment in Time. Levine’s film combines footage from video art and activism’s early days in New York City, documentation of intimate moments of daily life and theatrical scenes of celebration and protest in Maine’s “back-to-the-land” movement, and concert footage of the Central Maine Power Music Company. Bringing community self-documentation back home to Maine, Levine traces a video frontier from its origins to developments merging experimentation, activism, performance, and culture building. A Fertile Moment in Time conveys the excitement, hopefulness, mind-clearing, and broadened sense of union of key moments and movements in Maine’s creative life.

CMCA Curator Grant Wahlquist will provide a brief introduction to Levine and the film, which will be followed by open conversation facilitated by Levine touching on the film’s themes and concerns.

CMCA’s 2025 Biennial is supported by the Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, CMCA’s Suzette McAvoy Exhibition Fund, the Roxanne Quimby Foundation, and Andrea and Tyler Curtis-Southard / Edward Jones.

Documentary | United States | 2025 | 54m

Directed by Ben Levine

Note: A Fertile Moment in Time is unrated and contains brief scenes of nudity and childbirth.