The Films

• Year 2025
• Country USA
• Runtime 4 min
• Director Aaron Peterson, Darryn Schulte

Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly

Almar Orchards near Flint, Michigan is a five generation farm and Michigan’s first organic apple orchard. Family bonds and unique climate characteristics help the Koan family provide food for their community and hard cider to the world.

• Year 2025
• Country USA
• Runtime 8 min
• Director Finn Ryan

Michigan Premiere, Family Friendly, World Premiere, Representative in Attendance, Filmmaker in Attendance

The pristine waters and winding channels of the the Bad River and Kakagon Sloughs hold the largest wild rice beds in the Great Lakes. Managed through time by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the sloughs are recognized internationally for their exceptional quality. They also remain under threat from an aging oil pipeline and impacts of climate change. The video is a segment of an upcoming hour-long documentary, Estuaries in the Balance: Freshwater Nurseries of Lake Superior, which is being produced by Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education.

• Year 2025
• Country USA
• Runtime 11 min
• Director Jordan Boehm

Filmmaker in Attendance, Has Subtitles, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, First Time Filmmaker, Representative in Attendance

Taste of Home follows Mimi and Eak, a Thai couple who run a beloved restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Through a blend of vérité footage and intimate interviews, we observe a full day in their lives, from morning prep to closing time, they navigate the joys and challenges of running an authentic Thai kitchen in America.

• Year 2024
• Country USA
• Runtime 10 min
• Director Christopher Lemkuil

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance

Food security is an issue for residents of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. (In)Security explores the food systems in the U.P., and how a few organizations are working to improve access to quality food.

• Year 2024
• Country USA
• Runtime 4 min
• Director Isabelle Tavares

Has Subtitles, Michigan Premiere, World Premiere, Family Friendly

Rufino Vargas moved to the U.S. from Mexico in 1988. Vargas, who has diabetes, now owns and operates Ortega Urban Farms on Detroit’s westside. He says farming has helped him manage his blood sugar while providing healthy food for his family — and other Detroiters.

• Year 2019
• Country USA
• Runtime 10 min
• Director Jorden Susewitz

Filmmaker in Attendance

The definition of a trophy hunt is different for all hunters. This adventure and the path is my trophy taken. The Forest features the opportunity to go afield in the wild places of Northern Michigan’s pristine public lands in search of whitetail deer and your own personal adventure.