The Films

• Year 2023
• Country USA / Montenegro
• Runtime 3 min
• Director Grant Piering

Family Friendly, Filmmaker in Attendance

A look back at one month spent in the beautiful country of Montenegro, recorded with a combination of Super 8 Film, Drone hyperlapses, digital timelapses and handheld sound recording.

• Year 2024
• Country USA
• Runtime 17 min
• Director Eric Machiela

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Michigan Premiere, World Premiere

Ghosts towns in the Upper Peninsula aren’t abandoned communities. Some of them are still very much alive. Told from the perspective of the Nahma Inn employees, they recount the spooky and unexplainable happenings that occur on a regular basis.

• Year 2024
• Country USA
• Runtime 10 min
• Director Aaron Peterson

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance

Kiko is the Keweenaw’s favorite Brazilian Yooper. He rides bikes, plays accordion, makes a little trouble and tells truths we all probably need to hear. A collaboration of Aaron Peterson Studios and Points North Podcast.

• Year 2024
• Country USA
• Runtime 17 min
• Director Chris Cresci

Subject in Attendance, Michigan Premiere, Staff Pick

Set against the backdrop of Desolation Canyon, UT, Mikah Meyer, a world-record traveler and LGBTQ+ advocate, reflects with three close friends and his mentor, Larry Edwards, on their stories and the power of mentorship within the queer community. As a child, Mikah believed he could never have a successful life AND be publicly out and gay. When he moved to college and met Larry, his openly gay choir professor, a lifelong mentorship was born. Amidst conversations and joy along the river, we understand the power and importance of their friendship. As Larry enters what he calls the ‘final chapter’ of his life, he reflects on the lifelong fight for openness and vulnerability within the queer community, and through the desolation of nature, finds contentment in a job well done.