The Films

• Year 2023
• Country United States
• Runtime 8 min
• Director Drew Mason, Nick Nerbonne

Subject in Attendance, Family Friendly, Filmmaker in Attendance

Bugsy Sailor has watched every consecutive sunrise for nearly five years. What started as a project to find purpose and presence in life has now evolved into something with a whole new meaning. In “A Thousand Sunrises”, Bugsy shares the joys, challenges and the lessons he’s learned from watching sunrise every single day.

• Year 2020
• Country United States
• Runtime 3 min
• Director Jason Whalen

Filmmaker in Attendance

The magic that exists within the world of the vernal pool is temporary. Each spring, the forests of Michigan become home to seasonal pools of water that are often overlooked and under-appreciated. But without them, some species of frogs, salamanders and fairy shrimp could not survive.

• Year 2023
• Country USA
• Runtime 29 min
• Director Ben Crosbie, Tessa Moran

Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere

On 4,000 acres in Illinois, first worn out by farms, roads and parking lots, Americans try to rebuild – with fire, beast and seed – what is lost elsewhere. On this restored prairie habitat they seek and still find a connection to the land.

• Year 2023
• Country USA
• Runtime 11 min
• Director Peter Goetz

Family Friendly, Staff Pick, Michigan Premiere, Representative in Attendance

At age seven, Cash “The Conservation Kid” Daniels began leading cleanups along the Tennessee River in his hometown, Chattanooga. Six years later, Cash continues to make a significant impact on the river’s health by strategically collecting fishing waste and inspiring his peers across the world to protect the environment and all the wildlife he holds dear.