Festival Celebrates two Oscar Nominees from 2025 Season

Film Submissions Open for the 19th Annual Chesapeake Film Festival October 8–10 in Historic Downtown Easton

The Chesapeake Film Festival (CFF) is now accepting film submissions for its 19th Annual Festival, taking place October 8–10 in historic downtown Easton, Maryland.

Each year, this highly anticipated regional event draws cinema lovers from across the Eastern Shore and beyond for three inspiring days of exceptional filmmaking. The Festival showcases a wide range of films — from student and animated works to environmental films, documentaries, narrative features, and compelling short films from around the world.

Submissions for the 2026 Festival are now OPEN. Filmmakers are invited to review guidelines and submit their work via FilmFreeway at:
https://filmfreeway.com/chesapeakefilmfestival

Early submissions are strongly encouraged, as they allow for an extended review period by CFF’s programming committee.

Last year’s call for entries attracted hundreds of submissions from emerging and established filmmakers regionally, nationally, and internationally — including entries from as far away as Italy. From this impressive pool, CFF curated a vibrant program of more than 55 feature-length and short films, welcoming over 1,000 attendees to screenings throughout the weekend.

This fall, audiences can once again enjoy screenings at Easton’s premier cultural venues: the Ebenezer Theater, the Academy Art Museum, and the Talbot County Free Library.

A cornerstone of the Chesapeake Film Festival’s mission is to serve as both a forum and a platform for extraordinary international filmmaking talent. The Festival is especially proud to celebrate two films featured in its 2025 program that have advanced to the Academy Awards® Oscar Shortlist:

• Holding Liat, shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature, from the producing/directing team of Lance and Brandon Kramer
• The Pearl Comb, shortlisted for Best Live Action Short Film

CFF extends its warmest congratulations to these remarkable filmmakers and looks forward to continuing to spotlight work that resonates far beyond the Eastern Shore.

CFF programming is brought to you by our generous sponsors Bluepoint Hospitality, the Shared Earth Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Maryland State Arts Council, Talbot Arts, The Artistic Insights Fund, Talbot County Free Library, Maxine Millar, Philip and Karen Morrison, Richard and Beverly Tilghman, Al and Eleanor Smith, Thomas and Bill Lucks,  Laser Letters, Black Opal Productions, Red Zeppelin Productions, Martin Zell, Gayle Matthei and by generous patrons like you.  For further information about becoming a sponsor for the 2026 Chesapeake Film Festival or to become a Volunteer, please email: [email protected]

For film submission details and festival updates or to submit your work visit Chesapeake Film Festival at www.chesapeakefilmfestival.com

Chesapeake Music proudly presents the passionate artistry of the Abeo Quartet on its return to The Ebenezer Theater in Easton, Maryland, March 1 at 2 p.m. As a bonus, one of the most sought-after violists of her generation, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, will accompany the Quartet in a performance of Brahms’ exuberant second viola quintet. Whether you’re a classical music enthusiast or simply curious about the engaging world of chamber music, the technical brilliance and heart-felt performances of these musicians guarantee that this will be a thrilling concert not to be missed.

Founded in 2018 at the Juilliard School of Music by violinist Njioma Grevious and violist James Kang, the Abeo Quartet is completed by violinist Rebecca Benjamin and cellist Macintyre Taback. The Quartet’s name, Abeo, means “bringing joy” in a Nigerian dialect and was chosen by the founders as a reflection of their love of playing chamber music and sharing its beauty and power with others.

At the March 1st concert, the Quartet will channel its considerable energies into performing two late quartets – a dramatic Shostakovich and an exuberant Brahms – as well as a provocative piece by prominent American Black composer Adolphus Hailstork. The concert begins with Hailstork’s 2012 String Quartet No. 2 “Variations on ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,’” a piece that employs Hailstork’s unique sound world to embody the hope for freedom expressed in the spiritual. The work creatively transforms the spiritual in unfolding variations, including simple melody, complex counterpoint and syncopated jazz rhythms and blues riffs. Hailstork has written that the spiritual theme is “interrupted by abrupt dissonant chords that serve as ‘fate motifs’ to remind the listener that the ‘carry me home’ in the spiritual text is an end-of-life request.” These dissonant chords notwithstanding, the quartet eventually eases into a peaceful tranquility with the cello bringing the piece to a serene close.

The concert continues with Dmitri Shostakovich’s deeply personal 1966 String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122. A seven-movement work played without pause, this late quartet contrasts poignant lyricism with harsh dissonance and counterbalances outright whimsy with a melancholic sense of profound loss, specifically the death of the dedicatee, Shostakovich’s close friend, violinist Vasily Shirinsky. In the short first movement, two themes are introduced that will be developed throughout the piece: a beautiful theme given to the first violin and a solemn theme introduced by the cello. The quartet ends with the first violin holding a high C for almost 30 seconds, seemingly a final scream of anguish that then dissolves, resolving both the quartet’s bitterness and melancholy and Shostakovich’s sorrow over Shirinsky’s death.

Joined by Pajaro-van de Stadt, the Abeo Quartet concludes its program with Johannes Brahms’ 1890 extroverted and highly melodic String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 111, a piece full of buoyant high spirits. Brahms declared that the G-major Quintet would be the final composition of his career – fortunately a declaration he soon abandoned. The Quintet is an extraordinary work, often cited as being one of the finest of Brahms’ compositions and, therefore, of all of chamber music. It is unmistakably Brahmsian in its exuberance, elegance, and above all the Hungarian flavor of the fourth movement.

Chesapeake Music offers a limited number of free tickets for students, educators, and Talbot County First Responders, as well as a “buy-one-get-one” option for first-time patrons of Chesapeake Music. General admission tickets are $50, and two-concert packages are $75. Visit ChesapeakeMusic.org for tickets and more information.

Based in Easton, Maryland, Chesapeake Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings renowned musicians to delight, engage, and surprise today’s audiences, and educate, inspire, and develop tomorrow’s.

 During Black History Month amid the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is pleased to share that its latest exhibition, Bear Me Into Freedom: The Talbot County of Frederick Douglass, will open to guests on Friday, Feb. 27.

Located on the second floor of the Changing Exhibitions Building, Bear Me Into Freedom explores Douglass’ early life right here in Maryland’s Talbot County and how those experiences shaped his journey to become a prominent abolitionist, writer, and orator. Guests will trace key moments and locations in Douglass’ life—from his birth and formative years as an enslaved person to his escape to freedom and later returns as a free man—and discover how the Eastern Shore landscape influenced an American icon.

Bear Me Into Freedom will feature mural-style prints of black-and-white photographs from local photographer and historian Jeff McGuiness’ book of the same name as well as historical documents and images, and hands-on activities, plus a closed-loop artificial intelligence interactive, to create an immersive and educational experience.

Bear Me Into Freedom is included with general admission, which is always free for CBMM members. CBMM will host an exclusive opening event for its members on Friday, March 6, to share the exhibition and its impactful storytelling. Learn more and plan your visit at cbmm.org/BearMeIntoFreedom.

“Not far from CBMM, you can see the places and landscapes where Frederick Douglass rose from the depths of enslavement and became determined to seek freedom,” Director of Curatorial Affairs & Exhibitions Jen Dolde said. “Bear Me Into Freedom traces his steps and seeks to connect guests with Douglass’s formative experiences and his humanity. We invite them to gaze at a mural portraying the dark, open waters of the Chesapeake Bay, read Douglass’ words, and ask themselves if they see a barrier or a path to freedom.”

Entering Bear Me Into Freedom, guests will be greeted by a historic map of Talbot County that outlines the places, routes, and timeline of Douglass’ life in the area, while a graphic timeline connects these waypoints and fills in events beyond his time in Maryland.

The exhibition shares a series of stories that are augmented by experiential objects and hands-on activities. These include a haul seine net and net-making activity that represents Douglass’ grandmother’s work and the landscape of Tuckahoe Creek, a caulking interactive that connects guests to his escape out of Baltimore disguised as a free sailor, and a pulpit where guests can deliver a speech as Douglass did during his 1878 return to Talbot County as a celebrated figure.

Blending history with technology, CBMM partnered with interpretive experience design firm TimeLooper to create the Douglass AI interactive. The experience invites guests to ask questions by voice or tablet and receive thoughtfully curated responses delivered in the authentic voice of a digital representation of Douglass. The automated replies draw from an extensive body of primary and secondary sources written by and about Douglass.

CBMM’s Bear Me Into Freedom is inspired by McGuinness’ photography project, which pairs Douglass’ own writing with present-day imagery highlighting the unique Eastern Shore landscape that helped shape him. The book, published in 2022, is available in CBMM’s Museum Store.

The exhibition also serves as a strong companion for McGuiness’ interactive film project “Bear Me Into Freedom: Frederick Douglass and the Struggle for America’s Promise,” which is slated to launch locally later this year.

“The story of Frederick Douglass is inextricably linked with Talbot County, and as we celebrate America250, this is the perfect time to explore those connections through this exhibition,” McGuiness said. “I am grateful to CBMM and its curatorial team for their support, passion, and care in helping amplify this project and share these vital stories about Douglass’ life in such an impactful way.”

Set to run through the end of 2027, Bear Me Into Freedom expands CBMM’s storytelling surrounding freedom seekers in the Chesapeake. Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad continues to run on the first floor of the Changing Exhibitions Building.

Just across the courtyard on Fogg’s Landing is Mitchell House, the historic home of Douglass’ sister Eliza Bailey Mitchell and her family. In CBMM’s Welcome Center, the Water Lines exhibition highlights its small craft collection, featuring the story of Joseph Keene’s journey to freedom in a log canoe.

These stops are featured as part of CBMM’s Seeking Freedom public guided tour, which is available on select weekends and holidays throughout the year.

The Seeking Freedom tour is also available for adult and school groups. Next month, all Talbot County eighth graders will experience the tour as part of an inclusive history grant through the Maryland 250 Commission.

Stay tuned for more planned programming around Bear Me Into Freedom during its run, including a visit later this spring from Dr. Timothy Walker, a historian who edited the “Sailing to Freedom” book that informed that exhibition, to share a snapshot of Douglass’ life in New Bedford, Mass.

Bear Me Into Freedom is funded, in part, through CBMM’s Regional Folklife Center under the Maryland Traditions program of the Maryland State Arts Council and the generosity of Marla & Harold Baines and Charles & Ann Harvey Yonkers. To support this exhibition as a sponsor, please contact CBMM’s Chief Historian Pete Lesher at [email protected].

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a non-profit educational organization that preserves and explores the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and makes this resource accessible to all.

Every aspect of fulfilling this mission is driven by CBMM’s values of relevance, authenticity, and stewardship, along with a commitment to providing engaging guest experiences and transformative educational programming, all while serving as a vital community partner. Learn more at cbmm.org.

Enticing in their intricacy and variety, the lichens in Symbiosis, an exhibition of small paintings by artists Marilyn Banner and Mary McCoy, are like miniature landscapes full of color and textures.

Accompanied by McCoy’s poems about lichens, the show is on view in the (Left) Snow Lichen by Marilyn Banner, encaustic on wood. (Right) Tree Hugger (Cedar, Indiantown Landing, Chester River) by Mary McCoy, acrylic and photo transfer on wood. Arboretum’s Visitor’s Center Art Gallery from January 6 through February 27. There will be a public reception on Saturday, January 10 from 2 to 4 p.m., to meet the artists.

Friends and colleagues for over 40 years, the two artists have exhibited their work together in galleries across the Mid-Atlantic region. Banner, who lives in Takoma Park, is an encaustic artist, while McCoy, an artist, writer and longtime volunteer on the Arboretum’s art committee, is from Centreville. During an email conversation in 2020, they were surprised to learn that each of them was making small paintings of lichens. Both had been taking closeup photographs of lichens for many years, at home and while traveling, and had independently begun using them as source materials.

Composite organisms formed by a symbiotic relationship of fungi and algae or cyanobacteria, lichens grow on outdoor surfaces on every continent. The first colonizers of naked rock, they begin the process of breaking stone down into soil allowing moss and small plants to begin to grow, ultimately creating an ecosystem where plants and animals can flourish.

“Lichens are ancient,” Banner said. “They model symbiosis, the mutual energy exchange that sustains life and growth.” McCoy said, “I’ve been taking photos of lichens on stones, trees, even on my kayaks for years, but it was when I was in Iceland for a conference that I was amazed by the lichens growing on bare volcanic rock. Somehow, they were managing to live out there in this incredibly bleak, cold, windswept environment.”

Black and white lichens growing on an alley wall in Barcelona first sparked Banner’s interest. Struck by the animated patterns of their spreading growth, she began to find lichens everywhere, especially on her walks during the pandemic, and soon was painting them with encaustics, an art medium dating back 2,500 years in which mixture of pigment, beeswax, and damar resin is painted on in many layers creating a lush, translucent effect.

“Encaustic is for me the perfect medium for painting lichen,” Banner said. “I respond strongly to texture, especially in nature. Encaustic is made of ‘nature,’ i.e. beeswax and damar. It has a ‘feel’ to it, a kind of magic for me. I can push, pull, touch, scrape, dig, carve, melt, reshape—all the physical ‘hand’ stuff I like to do.”

The artist’s hand is also highly evident in McCoy’s works, in which she used gestural strokes of acrylic medium to paint directly into photo transfers of her lichen shots. “I wanted to work with my photos of lichens in ways that would highlight their complexity and fragility and how they seem animated, full of energy, even though they grow very, very slowly,” she explained.

Several of McCoy’s poems about lichens are interspersed with the paintings. Curious about the qualities and characteristics of lichens and how they benefit life on earth, she began reading about them and took a workshop on lichens at the Arboretum.

“The more I learned about them, the more I was impressed at how primary they are to life on earth,” she said. “I think initially both Marilyn and I were just kind of enchanted by their beauty and intricacy, but it turns out they also play an essential role in soil formation, carbon sequestration and oxygen production, as well as being early indicators of air pollution.”

In choosing the title Symbiosis for their show, the two artists hope to convey the most important lesson they’ve gleaned from their focus on lichens—that these organisms survive and thrive through cooperation, embodying our growing realization that the driving force of life on earth is not competition but interdependence.

A 400-acre native garden and preserve, Adkins Arboretum provides exceptional experiences in nature to promote environmental stewardship.

Chesapeake Music is delighted to host two exciting Winter Interlude Concerts on back-to-back weekends: an evening of jazz with the Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra on Saturday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m. and an afternoon of chamber music featuring the Abeo Quartet with violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 1. While individual concert tickets are available for purchase, Chesapeake Music has also put together a special 2026 Winter Interlude two-concert package at a discounted rate. Both concerts will be performed at The Ebenezer Theater at Prager Family Center for the Arts for the Eastern Shore community.

On Saturday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m., the 17-piece Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra will be one of the largest ensembles to ever take the stage at the historic Ebenezer Theater, promising an unmatched, explosive energy that will need to be witnessed (and felt) to be believed! The ensemble will play a mixture of music from their recent album release (“Multiversal”) alongside select works from their first release in 2022 (“Smash!”). Both albums contain entirely original compositions by Stephen Philip Harvey, inspired by comic books and superheroes. The concert will be a pseudo-cinematic experience that will bring the audience into an action-packed setlist of ethereal melodies, hard-hitting counterpoint, and heroic themes.

On Sunday, March 1 at 2 p.m., experience the electric artistry of the Abeo Quartet as they make their return to Easton. Chesapeake Music fans may remember them from their Silver Prize win at the 10th Biennial Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition in 2022. This time around, they will be joined by the luminous violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, founding violist of the twice-Grammy-nominated Dover Quartet and recognized as one of the most sought-after chamber musicians of her generation. Together, these musicians will bring depth, passion, precision, and profound musical dialogue to a thrilling program.

Chesapeake Music offers a limited number of free tickets for students, educators, and Talbot County First Responders, as well as a “buy-one-get-one” option for first-time patrons of Chesapeake Music. General admission tickets are $50, and two-concert packages are $75. Visit ChesapeakeMusic.org for tickets and more information.

Based in Easton, Maryland, Chesapeake Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings renowned musicians to delight, engage, and surprise today’s audiences, and educate, inspire, and develop tomorrow’s.