Joe Graci Wood Sculptor

2023 • United States • 8 min • 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.

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.

2023 • United States • 9 min • Nels Lindquist

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, World Premiere

The official music video for Ethan Bott’s hit song “Ain’t No Honky Tonks in Michigan,” in which Ethan abandons a life as a Texan race car driver in order to voyage back to the UP in search of a mythical northern honky tonk bar.