Screened at FCFF 2021
The third film of Superior Steel brings acrobatic fish, low and high water, new and old places and the same great fish.
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.
2024 • Canada • 90 min • Yvonne Drebert & Zach Melnick
Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, Staff Pick
Cutting-edge underwater drones explore how quadrillions of tiny invasive quagga mussels are re-engineering the ecosystem of the Great Lakes at a scale not seen since the glaciers. Part scientific exploration, part natural history adventure – the film shines a spotlight on freshwater wildlife and environments like never before.
2020 • United States • 15 min • Jason Whalen and Chris Zuker
Filmmaker in Attendance
The Coreyon Reef restoration is aimed at bringing open water spawning reef habitat back to Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay. Throughout history, land use, pollution, overfishing and invasive species have damaged native fish populations in the Great Lakes. But the Saginaw Bay is experiencing an era of restoration, with the Coreyon Reef restoration project being the latest effort toward building up resilient and self-sustaining native fish populations. Coreyon tells the story of this important restoration project for the Great Lakes fishery.