What do spelling bees, trains, and video games have in common? Each is featured in a free family movie at Harbor Theater during the month of May! The Free Family Films are sponsored by the towns of Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor and Southport.

Join us at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 3 to celebrate all our students’ achievements as the school year winds down. Free and open to all.

On May 3 the film is “Akeelah and the Bee” (2006, PG, 1 hour, 52 minutes). Roger Ebert, Roger Ebert.com: "Akeelah Anderson can spell. She can spell better than anyone in her school in South Central Los Angeles, and she might have a chance at the nationals. The story of Akeelah’s ascent to the finals of the National Spelling Bee makes an uncommonly good movie, entertaining and actually inspirational, and with a few tears along the way.

"In our winning-obsessed culture, it is inspiring to see a young woman like Akeelah Anderson instinctively understand, with empathy and generosity, that doing the right thing involves more than winning. That’s what makes the film particularly valuable for young audiences. I don’t care if they leave the theater wanting to spell better, but if they have learned from Akeelah, they will want to live better.” 

On Friday, May 9 at noon, pre-K through 1st grade students are invited to help Harbor Theater and Boothbay Railway Village celebrate National Train Day with a free screening of “Thomas and the Magic Railroad” (2000, G, 1 hour, 29 minutes). Amtrak is providing train stickers and activity books for the kids attending the movie. Thomas the Tank Engine emerged as the most popular character from The Railway Series by British author Wilbert Awdry first published 80 years ago. Although Thomas has appeared in many television episodes, this is his only feature film, a whimsical and nostalgic mix of live-action and stop-motion animation in which he teams with a young girl (Mara Wilson) and mysterious Mr. Conductor (Alec Baldwin) to find the lost source of the railway’s magic and save the island of Sodor from the sinister locomotive, Diesel 10.

As a lifelong railroad enthusiast, author Wilbert Awdry based most of "The Railway Series" stories on actual events: the engine characters reflected real classes of locomotives and some of the railways were based on real British lines. Additionally, Bob Staake - who designed the Maine Train Festival poster - has illustrated 75 kids’ books; more than a dozen involve cars, trucks, other vehicles, robots, and toys.

For more information about Full Speed Ahead, Maine’s statewide festival of train movies and events, May 6 – 11, visit www.mainetrainfest.com.

Then, on Friday, May 16 game time arrives when “A Minecraft Movie” (2025, PG, 1 hour, 41 minutes) opens at 7 p.m. with our monthly Family Free Pass deal! Only on opening night, a family can receive 1 free adult pass and 1 free child’s pass by reserving online here. “A Minecraft Movie” continues through May 22nd at regular showtimes and ticket prices.

In the world of Minecraft, creativity doesn't just help you craft, it's essential to one's survival! Four misfits – Garrett "The Garbage Man" Garrison (Jason Momoa), Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen), Natalie (Emma Myers) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks) – find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they'll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Jack Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative... the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.

“Mr. Hess and his five screenwriters have mined childhood to craft something that’s alive with imagination. It’s not the most polished movie you’ll see this year, but it’s as cheerfully mad as a little kid’s birthday party. We could use more of that.” Kyle Smith, Wall Street Journal

Come take advantage of all the free family movie fun available at Harbor Theater during the month of May!

The Harbor Theater is at 185 Townsend Ave. in Boothbay Harbor. For more information, visit https://boothbaycinema.org/