Founded in 2005 by Ben Fowlie and operated since 2016 by the Points North Institute, the festival highlights craft and innovation within nonfiction storytelling.

[1] In addition, CIFF hosts the annual Points North Forum, a two-day conference that provides documentary filmmakers with opportunities for professional development and creative inspiration.

[7] In addition to the main festival in September, the Points North Institute operates two mini-festivals: CIFF Summer Party and Cabin Fever.

[11] The festival received a second grant from the Academy for the 2015 edition to support Being There, a retrospective program and workshop series focused on the past, present and future of ethnographic documentary film.

The retreat ran annually for six days each summer in Camden and Rockport, Maine, offering five U.S.-based documentary filmmaking teams professional guidance and mentorship.

[22] The Camden Opera House is considered one of the primary venues of the festival, though in recent years much of the programming has moved to the Strand Theatre in Rockland.