Never Quite the Same

Screened at FCFF 2018

Film Synopsis

Five or six years ago, Marti O’Brien was feeling burned out. She was overwhelmed and pushing her friends and family away. Late one sleepless night, she took her dog Obie on a trail run and had an encounter with an owl that stunned her. She said that after that experience, she was never quite the same. Now one of Marti’s favorite ways to unwind, trail running holds a dear place in her heart and she owes it all to the Power of Nature.

Related Films

Iron Family

2021 • United States • 90 min • Patrick Longstreth

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Staff Pick, Michigan Premiere

Jazmine Faries, a 32-year old woman with Down syndrome, is obsessed with soap operas, Barbie dolls, and Matthew McConaughey. For the past 5 summers, her family has performed her original stage plays for a small audience in their town of Iron River, Michigan. In this sixth season, we follow the creative process of writing, rehearsing, and performing the play. Family bonds between her brother, Chad, and her mother, Kate, are strengthened and put to the test by the mishaps and chaos of coordinating a production with limited resources. Along the way we see Jazmine’s personal struggle for independence, her yearning for a romantic partner, and how a single spark of creativity can spread joy throughout a community.

The Great Wake

2022 • USA • 9 min • Charlie Klipp & Mario Cassem (Co-Directors)

Filmmaker in Attendance, First Time Filmmaker

On Halloween, a grief dream reunites a young programmer with his lost Player 2. Based on a true story of loss and life.

The Iron Town

2022 • USA • 20 min • John Scheibe

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

The discovery of iron ore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and how one small town hopes to outlive the industry that followed.