In the cold dark days of January, Harbor Theater is planning four Thursday night special evenings to brighten your spirits and keep you entertained. Starting off the series on Thursday, Jan. 4 is “The Sounding,” a made in Maine film written and directed by Catherine Eaton and spectacularly shot on Monhegan.

The winner of the Audience Award for Best Film at the 2017 Maine International Film Festival in Waterville last summer, “The Sounding” will be introduced by members of the festival’s parent non-profit organization, the Maine Film Center. Executive Director Mike Perrault and Ken Eisen, Director of Programming for the Center will be on hand to introduce the film and lead a question and answer session afterwards. Eisen is also an important associate and friend of Harbor Theater as the booking agent for all films shown in this theater.

“The Sounding” tells the haunting story of a woman’s struggle to maintain her independence and find her own voice. On the island of Monhegan, off the coast of Maine, Michael (Teddy Sears), a revolutionary neuropsychiatrist discovers Liv (Catherine Eaton) a woman who, after years of silence, now weaves a language from Shakespeare's words. Brought to the island to protect her, their lives collide as he struggles to define what it is he must protect her from. “The Sounding” is a film that resonates with Maine, with life, and with the beat of a different drum.

Catherine Eaton, writer, director and star of the film, describes “The Sounding” as a film inspired by Oliver Sacks’ humanity and curiosity about the mind, and Shakespeare’s insights into the human condition.

The film plays on Thursday, Jan. 4, 7 p.m., with intro and Q&A. Come at 6:30 for free refreshments before the screening. Matinee on Friday, Jan. 5 at 2 p.m. (all tickets $6).

Second in this series is “A Quiet Passion,” a film centered on the life of the reclusive poet, Emily Dickinson. Manola Dargis, chief film critic for The New York Times, put this one on her list of top 10 films for 2017.

Professor John Ward, retired Chair of the English Department at Kenyon College (Ohio), will give a short introduction to Emily Dickinson before the film, and lead a question and answer session afterwards. Come early for refreshments and a chance to meet Professor Ward before “A Quiet Passion” on Thursday, Jan. 11, 7 p.m. The film repeats on Friday, Jan. 12 at 2 p.m. (all tickets $6).

On Thursday, Jan. 18, 7 p.m., Harbor Theater will honor all volunteer firemen on the peninsula with a special showing of “Only the Brave,” the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group of elite firefighters who risk everything to protect a town from a historic wildfire. With California wildfires much in the news, this will be a topical movie as well as a tribute to our own stalwart firefighters.

Dick Spofford, Boothbay Fire Chief, Nick Upham, Fire Chief of Boothbay Harbor, and Gerry Gamage, Southport’s Fire Chief will all join us before the movie and answer questions afterwards. Come early to meet them and enjoy coffee and cookies.

January is the month that our volunteer firemen spend two weeks training (in the snow and cold) to learn the latest methods for handling any emergency. Come honor our own brave volunteers, and enjoy this film with them.

“Only the Brave” is FREE for all volunteer firemen and their families from Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Southport and Edgecomb. Regular adult tickets $10, members and youth up to 18 are $8. Show repeats on Friday, Jan. 19, 2 p.m. (all tickets $6).

We will celebrate the end of January with a French feast. On Jan. 25, local chefs will provide French desserts, and Harbor Theater will serve free red wine and coffee to go with our feature film, “Paris Can Wait.”

The film is a feast for the eye and the palette. As her movie producer husband (Alex Baldwin) works, Anne (Diane Lane) takes a carefree trip with her husband’s business associate (Arnaud Viard) from Cannes to Paris, driving through picturesque southern France and finding fine wine, food, humor, wisdom and romance along the way. The show starts at 7 p.m., but come early to enjoy desserts and drinks with the chefs. The film will repeat on Friday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. (all seats are $6).

The  Harbor Theater is located at 185 Townsend Ave., Boothbay Harbor. Visit us online at https://boothbaycinema.org