Fishtown

2019 • USA • 7 min • Finn Ryan

Filmmaker in Attendance

In 1971, A.B. LeBlanc set a gill net in Pendills Bay on Lake Superior. The Michigan DNR arrested LeBlanc and he was later convicted of fishing commercially without a license and for fishing with an illegal device. This story highlights the treaty challenge and struggle for the Bay Mills Ojibwe community to maintain their identity through treaty reserved rights asserted in the signing of the 1836 treaty with the United States.

2023 • United States • 41 min • Rory K. McHarg & Bret Miller

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

Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale is America’s No.1 IPA. The now infamous & iconic trout image is found in every convenience store nationwide. The legends behind this label and many others have been buried in folklore for nearly 40 years, but the vision created at Bell’s started a revolution in the craft brewing industry that changed what a beer label could be. This is the unconventional story of an artist whose love of fishing, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and beer found its way into every store in America. Dave Chapelle, during a comedy set in Kalamazoo said aloud, “Why the hell did you put a fish on the label?” However, eccentric artist Ladislav Hanka’s reasoning is simple yet personal. Just like the rest of his artwork.

2026 • USA • 3 min • Mark Wilson of New Leonard Media

Filmmaker in Attendance, Has Subtitles, Family Friendly, Representative in Attendance

Patrick Concannon reflects on his ancestral land near North Lake Leelanau, where hunting, gathering and caring for the land connect family across generations. This film is part of the Leelanau Conservancy’s Indigenous Knowledges Project, dedicated to elevating Anishinaabe voices.