2021 • USA • 56 min • Charlie Tennessen

Family Friendly, First Time Filmmaker, Filmmaker in Attendance

The true story of an ancient crop, a farmer, and a pizza, this self-made film follows one season of wheat production on Anarchy Acres, a tiny farm in Wisconsin. One passionate farmer is working to re-create the flavors of 19th century Wisconsin by growing out rare wheat cultivars from samples held in seed banks. Anarchy Acres uses a team of miniature donkeys for some field work, and pays close attention to sustainable farming practices. Food, the environment, and mutual respect are lived out in a millennia-old cycle.

2020 • USA • 11 min • Ross Wayne Johnson

Filmmaker in Attendance, Adult Language, First Time Filmmaker

Ross Wayne Johnson scored an old camper walks us through patching her up. She gonna go!

2022 • USA • 20 min • Cameron Mattson and Kevin Paczesny

Filmmaker in Attendance, Adult Language, Michigan Premiere, Subject in Attendance, World Premiere

In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a rather unique subculture steeped in craft brewing has been growing since the mid 1990’s. This film explores that story by giving voice to some of the pioneers and newcomers behind the phenomenon they have come to call, “The Rising Tide”.

2022 • USA • 14 min • Daniel Lombroso

When wedding photographer John Kurc decided to spend a few days between assignments exploring the borderlands of southwest Arizona, he had no idea he would spend the next eight months documenting the devastation of the desert ecosystem created by the construction of Trump’s border wall. In the blitz to build the barrier as fast as possible, the administration ignored 47 laws that protect bears, deer, jaguars and javelina roaming the mountains in both the U.S. and Mexico. In addition to being a failed re-election campaign prop and racist monument, the wall also inhibits wildlife migration, putting 70 vulnerable plant and animal species at risk.

2022 • USA • 8 min • Jim Aikman

Arlene Blum led the groundbreaking first American and first all-female ascent of Annapurna in 1978. Despite dangerous avalanches and tumultuous conditions, the team was determined to prove that “A Woman’s Place Is On Top.” And though they surely did, this groundbreaking ascent is also laced with tragedy. In this installment of the AAC’s Legacy Series, Arlene reflects on the triumphs and tragedy of their ‘78 ascent of Annapurna.

2022 • USA • 7 min • Dominic Gill

Michigan Premiere

Since the 1800s bicycles have been a powerful liberating tool, starting with the first faltering pedal strokes of a child daring to venture a little further from home. Yet, somewhere in our cultural trajectory, as we are fed content to divide and categorize us as better or worse than our neighbors, many of us have forgotten the power of this simple machine to build community. This film celebrates the “Run what you brung” adage, and reminds us that, however we choose to engage with the ever changing world of cycling, there is more that brings us together than sets us apart.

2021 • USA • 12 min • Faith Briggs

Vasu Sojitra doesn’t want to be called an inspiration. For the Indian-American right leg amputee, it’s not his disability, but instead, the barriers to access the outdoors that must be overcome. His ascent and ski descent of iconic Mount Moran’s “The Skillet,” alongside other mountain athletes of color, brings solidarity and intersectionality to backcountry skiing.

2022 • USA • 10 min • Mykhailo Bogdanov

Michigan Premiere

An exploration of natural silence and human existence within it.

2021 • USA • 20 min • Stephen Michael Simon

Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, Staff Pick

A single dad of three boys manages a diner. But, there’s more to John than meets the eye.

2022 • USA • 5 min • Jenny Schweitzer Bell

Michigan Premiere

An artist explores the hidden world of sound beneath New York City, revealing a complex sonic ecosystem in which all living beings co-exist.

2020 • Austria • 2 min • Joi Hoffmann

Two women are looking for speed!

In spring 2019 gigantic snow walls piled up along the pass road of Timmelsjoch, Austria. Johanna Bolanos Cabrera and Jasmijn Hanegraef grabbed their longboards and took the chance to downhill through this stunning scenery. Speed is what these two girls are living for!

2022 • USA • 40 min • Brandon Watts

Struggling to find their seat at the table, mountain bikers have had to form unlikely partnerships in their fight to ride. Little did they know they were actually helping transform the identity of their communities. Specialized and Soil Searching present Biketown, a film by Freehub magazine.

2022 • USA • 12 min • Kristin Ojaniemi

Filmmaker in Attendance, World Premiere

Like the landscape in much of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Ewen-Trout Creek school district is a quintessential rural setting, dotted with the weathered structures of once-bustling family farms. One of these buildings is anything but typical; it’s where a decades-long dynasty of championship-caliber high school basketball teams began. This multi-part docu-series explores how this western U.P. high school with fewer than two dozen students per grade has built a basketball tradition that has captured the eyes of sportswriters and the dreams of young ballplayers for generations — and it all began in a unique gymnasium affectionately known as “The Barn.”

2022 • USA • 10 min • Matt Devlin

In 2017, Brooke Hess had her best year of kayaking. In January, she spent a month training in Uganda. And then from Stakeout to Unleashed to Montréal Eau Vive, she stood on the podium beside her friends and idols. But when she returned to Uganda to train for the next Unleashed competition, her kayaking came to a halt.

2021 • USA • 30 min • Jesse Roesler

Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere

Emily Ford sets out with Diggins a borrowed female Alaskan Huskie sled dog as her companion and protector to hike the entire 1200-mile Ice Age Trail in winter. As the 69-day journey through subzero temperatures tests her physical and mental endurance, Emily and Diggins develop a powerful bond.

2021 • USA • 17 min • Matthew Wagner

Filmmaker in Attendance, First Time Filmmaker

The “Charreria” or Mexican Rodeo, while often misunderstood, is really the roots of American Rodeo. This documentary explores the history, culture, and impact that Mexican Rodeo has as a tradition.

2021 • Canada • 2 min • Harrison Mendel, Bret Rheeder

Everything is connected. Each ride is an extension of the one before. Each reentry is a transition to the next launch. Each experience builds on one another toward a flow state of endless progression. Only the settings and perspectives change along this continuum. In this short film by rider Brett Rheeder and filmmaker Harrison Mendel, the sequence of individual movements are all linked together as a cohesive collection, with each maneuver unique yet forming a coherent visual journey across ever-changing landscapes by maintaining a locked perspective.

2021 • USA • 42 min • John Curtis

Family Friendly, Subject in Attendance, Filmmaker in Attendance, Staff Pick

John and Nahli Curtis are a father daughter duo on a mission to spread the stoke behind empowering young female athletes. Counter Methods is a documentary that gives an insider look at an epic adventure to the furthest most reaches of Michigan’s U.P, the Keweenaw Peninsula, and Midwest powder Mecca Mount Bohemia.

2022 • USA • 12 min • Erik Sudheimer

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Adult Language

It’s the end of the ice fishing season and Nate’s desire for northern pike has him reaching for alternative baits. Which legendary bait of legends will prevail? Soaked hot dogs? Fish shaped cheese? Traditional suckers or the mind bending wienershrimp?! As we await the answer, salivate over the cauldron of Nate’s Jambalaya steaming away on the soon to be melting ice.

2022 • USA • 17 min • Joshua Izenberg, Brett Marty

Michigan Premiere, Staff Pick

Through the use of specialized drones, desert rovers, laser cannons and fake exploding tortoise shells, desert biologist Tim Shields and his colleagues take what control they can to save the tortoise population of the Mojave desert. Akin to a cathedral builder laying bricks, Shields may never get to see the true effects of his work, but he does not let that deter him in his endeavors.

2022 • USA • 15 min • Palmer Morse

Michigan Premiere, Filmmaker in Attendance

Effective communication is a challenge every climber faces. It’s a sport that requires intense focus, dedication, and overcoming fear. For Deaf climber Sonya Wilson, communication and community is of vital importance. Elevated is a non-verbal film sharing Sonya’s experience as a Deaf woman and outdoor advocate working to bridge the gap between the Deaf community and the outdoor industry, one crag at a time.

2022 • USA • 14 min • Lindsey Hagen

Family Friendly, Staff Pick, Michigan Premiere

Fight or Flight chronicles the journey of the first female pilot employed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. She shares her story of how she overcame childhood trauma by taking to the sky. Drawn to flying as a means to flee her early life, she pursues a career in professional aviation and discovers she must first assemble the tools required to face her past and heal.

2021 • USA • 5 min • Nina Ignaczak

Family Friendly

Getting Black and brown Detroiters to fall in love with nature is a mission and passion for Antonio Rafael, who works with groups like the Detroit Indigenous People’s Alliance, Black to the Land, and the National Wildlife Federation to provide opportunities for them to connect with the outdoors.
Selected short for Freep Film Festival 2022.
First Place for videography from the Detroit Chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists 2022.
Official Selection, Freep Film Festival 2022
Produced by Reel Clever Films + Planet Detroit

2022 • USA • 51 min • Ian Planchon and Lynn Melling

Michigan Premiere

Freshwater is a documentary that dives into the cold waters of Lake Superior along Minnesota’s North Shore. It contains 10% of Earth’s freshwater, yet this massive force of nature remains largely unexplored. One group of people, however, is intimately aware of its power. From the surfers who catch its waves to the scientists who study its depths, learn why Lake Superior is a precious resource that should never be taken for granted.

2021 • USA • 10 min • Tanner Hamilton, Bri Fall, and Abi Bair

First Time Filmmaker

A behind-the-scenes look at Grand Haven’s historic lighthouses, and the group of volunteers dedicated to saving them.

2022 • USA • 14 min • Andrew Bydlon

Michigan Premiere

Native run salmon is as wild as the Alaskan rivers they swim. It stays that way because of a community that protects its waters and dedicates itself to the idea that a fish that feeds so many deserves respect. Amanda Wlaysewski, owner of Kvichak Fish Company, shows the quality and sustainability that are possible when individuals hold this focus all the way from the fishing vessels in the great waters of Bristol Bay, Alaska to your dinner plate.

2022 • USA • 14 min • Fischer Genau

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Family Friendly, First Time Filmmaker

From the Ground Up shows a town coming together to support its members, grow food, and do the necessary work to live kindly and responsibly off the land.

2022 • USA • 25 min • Brett Marty & Josh Izenberg

Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere

For Shawn Hayes, the ancient practice of falconry is more than a deep connection with raptors. It’s his life’s work. As an American falconry ambassador, he’s carved a space for himself where people of color haven’t always been welcome.

2022 • USA • 19 min • Katelyn Calhoun

Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere

From New York to Appalachia, the two-foot long eastern hellbender salamander is an indicator species for our river health. The population has declined noticeably since the early 1980s. In the Blue River watershed of southern Indiana, communities from all over the state are working towards dam removal to improve the environment for our slimy friend and the water for us all.

2022 • USA • 12 min • Lindsey Hagen

Michigan Premiere, World Premiere, Family Friendly, Staff Pick, Subject in Attendance

High Road celebrates the unbreakable bond between Paralympian Meg Fisher and Jack Berry a young para athlete who’s cycling career is just beginning to unfold. Together the two navigate life’s obstacles with grace and integrity- creating space for the next generation of para cyclists.

2022 • USA • 3 min • Whit Hassett

Michigan Premiere

Connecting humanity with salmon and the sea through the subtle art of poetry and Gyotaku (fish rubbing), Duncan Berry shares his experience as a longtime environmentalist and former captain of a salmon troller.

2018 • USA • 4 min • Jason Lindsey

Filmmaker in Attendance

I Still Remain is a film that inspects and explores the inner workings, insights, and inspirations of a man driven and informed by his previous two fights with cancer. The first, as a teenager, the second, just 2 years removed.

2022 • USA • 8 min • Rachel Weinberg

Filmmaker in Attendance

Ibach follows the escape of a Jewish family and their piano from Nazi Germany in the 1930’s to the piano’s restoration in Philadelphia four generations later. Weaving an in-depth look at the restoration process alongside perspectives from the surviving family members, Ibach is a visual love letter that shares the heart-rending story of generational trauma and reconciliation.

2022 • USA • 6 min • Brandon Rieck

Filmmaker in Attendance

A look into the world of stand up freestyle jet skiing with Jack Ziegler. Follow him around Marquette’s shores as he trains for the world finals, learning about his passion and motivations for the sport.

2022 • India • 10 min • Danny Schmidt

Michigan Premiere

Janwaar celebrates a rambunctious group of kids whose lives are transformed when a skatepark is built in their small village in India. Raw talent, creativity, and unadulterated childhood find a home on four wheels, and manage to break down generations of caste and gender barriers in the process.

2022 • USA • 7 min • Justin Diamond

Michigan Premiere

Kids and bikes, wherever you are in the world, you’ll find the two together - smiling, aimlessly drifting. The bike for most kids is a first sense of afforded freedom. As we get older that senseless joy for cycling is lost, typically dampened by our transition into adulthood. Yet - there is nothing typical about Joe Warren; a retired professor who, during his tenure at the University of Utah, moonlit as a sound engineer for beat and reggae bands. Since discovering downhill mountain biking at the age of 60 to conquering the most challenging trails across North America, Joe’s story is anything but ordinary. He was born in 1947 in the post-depression ravaged era of Detroit, where most of his friends turned to drugs, or crime. Sometimes both. He now resides in the unwavering beauty of Utah’s Wasatch Back, where he ascends mountains the size of skyscrapers. He’s an astronaut.

2022 • USA • 12 min • Erik Sudheimer

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Adult Language

Summer weather is FINALLY (kinda) here! The water is high and the jorts are short. Join us on a rain swollen tributary to see if the allure of a well dressed man can be resisted by our finned friends. Hungus bungus? Fear not, Nate’s savory Korean influenced fried chicken sandwich with crunchy cucumber salad is sure to satisfy.

2022 • USA • 11 min • Matt Devlin

Michigan Premiere

Josiah Ching, a Hawaiian native and Iraq war veteran, is ready to tell his story. From shouldering the responsibility to do what it takes to survive, to shouldering the burden of then surviving, a soldier’s re-entry to the world they left behind is a lot to endure. Some can’t bear it. The lucky ones, like Josiah, find ways to cope. After the war, Josiah started fly fishing for bonefish and it saved his life.

2020 • The Netherlands • 15 min • Mirjam Marks

Family Friendly, Staff Pick, Michigan Premiere

14-year-old Julieta lives on the Caribbean island of Curaçao and prefers to be under water rather than above. The wonderful, exciting world of the ocean feels like home to Julieta. The more time Julieta spends under water, the more she is confronted with large amounts of waste on the seabed and that makes her extremely mad. Together with other volunteers on Curaçao, Julieta rescues sea turtles in need and tries to improve their habitat. Her actions sometimes only feel like a drop in the ocean for Julieta. Staying positive and believing that you can create a better world and future is a difficult task.

2022 • USA • 30 min • Mike King

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance

Pro skier returns to Michigan because of covid, rediscovers Michigan terrain but more importantly the ski community that made him who he is.

2022 • USA • 11 min • Makari Rising

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

The world’s largest surface area of freshwater, whose forested shorelines showcase the awesome beauty and grandeur of our planet Earth…is being threatened! In this documentary, experience the majestic southern coast of Lake Superior, formed thousands of years ago from the retreating glaciers of the last ice age. Witness first hand the impending proposal that threatens the natural habitats for animals and the water source for millions of people.

2021 • USA • 4 min • Jim Aikman

Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere

Artist and climber Jeremy Collins has had a long and loving relationship with the desert canyons of the American southwest. In this short film, he describes his passion for three canyons in particular as he creates a new mural that combines them on paper. Captured with cutting edge robotic technology and featuring stunning timelapse imagery of Grand Canyon, Black Canyon, and Zion Canyon.

2022 • USA • 88 min • Sam Smartt

Filmmaker in Attendance

LUMINOUS tells the story of the first astronomer in history to publicly predict the near-future explosion of a star–will he be right? Others in the astronomical community are skeptical, and professional reputations hang in the balance.

2022 • USA • 16 min • Emily Hopcian

Michigan Premiere

In the male-dominated sport of adventure racing, co-ed teams of four race unsupported through rugged, wild terrain. To compete, each team must have at least one woman. Due to this rule, in the adventure racing world, women are often referred to as “mandatory gear” for competition.

2022 • USA • 7 min • Nick Nummerdor/Andrew J. Morgan

Filmmaker in Attendance, Michigan Premiere

Check out the spectacular views and troubles of growing cannabis in one of the most northern states in the country.

2022 • USA • 8 min • James Saunders

Michigan Premiere, Filmmaker in Attendance

In 2022 alone there have been over 300 anti LGBTQ+ bills proposed in various states across the country. Refusing to sit idly by, trans trail runner Perry Cohen formed a team of fellow runners, who identify as trans men, with an aim to compete in trail races in states proposing and passing hateful legislation. Miles to Go follows their journey into the world of trail running and the freedom to be themselves on the trail.

2021 • USA • 84 min • Kelsey Peterson, Daniel Klein

Adult Language, Has Subtitles, Michigan Premiere, First Time Filmmaker, Staff Pick

At 27, Kelsey Peterson (co-director) dove into Lake Superior, and emerged paralyzed. Now, the former dancer faces an opportunity to dance again while grappling with a decision to participate in a cutting-edge clinical trial, forcing her to confront hope and acceptance; body and spirit.

2021 • USA • 70 min • Anuradha Rana & Laurie Little

Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Staff Pick

Musher peels back the veil behind the bond that four women have between their dogs and the world of sled-dog racing. As each woman prepares for the Copperdog annual race, we reveal the intimate insight into the mushing community, devotion to that lifestyle, and how women influence the sport.

2022 • USA • 8 min • Tom Krawczyk

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

A Polish mother grieves when her only child leaves their home in the suburbs of Chicago to study in Poland. While her son is away, she finds a baby squirrel in her backyard and forges a unique and powerful bond with the animal, raising him as if he were her own child.

2022 • USA • 120 min • Keil Orion

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Adult Language

Keil Orion Troisi, of notorious culture-jamming collective The Yes Men, presents funny and shocking documentary shorts that mix humor and mischief to plague evildoers and amplify environmental justice campaigns. Along the way, he discusses trickster-activism techniques, hacking media attention through low-budget/high-concept filmmaking, and how to undermine oppressive systems with humor, surprise, and play.

2022 • USA • 39 min • Jordan Rowell, Duane Peterson III

Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, First Time Filmmaker

Motivated by a desire to better understand his home watershed, Jordan Rowell embarks on a two week kayaking trip along the 120-mile length of Lake Champlain, stopping to talk to a wide range of characters about the future of their shared basin.

2022 • Canada • 12 min • Travis Rummel + Darcy Hennessey

Adult Language

The misty forests above North Vancouver, British Columbia are hallowed ground for mountain biking, a place so harrowing it’s influenced every aspect of the sport for over 30 years. It’s also where Betty Birrell, at age 45, picked up mountain biking after a career as a mountaineer and professional windsurfer. Three decades later, the single mother is a role model for her son, her friends and anyone she’s met along the way—and proof that you’re never too old to send.

2022 • USA • 10 min • Brody Kuhar

Michigan Premiere

For Dan Baker, passion came at a cost. Out of a deep connection with nature, he built a life working with wood. His dedication to his craft, his home state of Michigan, and to all that the land provides is novel. At old age, a journey is just beginning. He’s a Sawyer now. His sustainable, environmentally conscious, small-town approach to the sawmill makes his work one of a kind and he largely does it alone. While many get old of age, they slow down and fail to try new things thinking that it’s simply too late in life to shake things up. Dan’s young heart keeps him going every day, every time of year. His message to the world, “That which grows, never grows old.”

2021 • USA • 24 min • Gitz Crazyboy

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Has Subtitles, Michigan Premiere, Adult Language

Comedians and activists pose as a indigenous energy company to share plans to reroute Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline through the wealthy white suburbs of Duluth, MN, to more fairly share the risks oil pipelines bring to indigenous lands—with shocking and hilarious results.

2022 • USA • 16 min • Diane Cheklich, Diane Weiss

Family Friendly, Staff Pick, Filmmaker in Attendance

Ring-necked Pheasants, typically known as a rural farmland species, are thriving in the open spaces of Detroit. A little human-pheasant subculture has developed in the city—pheasants are neighbors to human residents and muses to local artists—and pheasants have become the unofficial city bird of Detroit! Join everyday Detroiters in a walk around the city as we celebrate these funky birds at home in their urban element.

2022 • USA • 20 min • Christy Frank

Michigan Premiere, First Time Filmmaker, Family Friendly, Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance

After an 83-year absence, two tiny endangered birds arrive in a small midwest community. People unite to protect them, facing heartbreak and overcoming challenges, only to discover their own lives changing in the process.

2022 • USA • 25 min • Eric Stange

Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere

Summer, 1967. Two Massachusetts boys – 9 and 11 – set off on an improbable journey with their family pet, a Shetland pony named King. Tony and Jeff Whittemore are desperate to visit Expo ’67 in Montreal – the largest World’s Fair ever. But their parents can’t take them. Then Mom comes up with the solution: hitch their pet Shetland pony King to a cart and drive 350 miles to Expo 67 – on their own – at 5 m.p.h.! For Tony and Jeff, it becomes the adventure of a lifetime.

2022 • USA • 1 min • Producer: Will Casse DP: Cam Nabors

Filmmaker in Attendance, Michigan Premiere, Family Friendly, Subject in Attendance

Pro stone skipper Julie Benda has a rocky reputation of dealing with chunkers and clunkers of all sizes. As one of very few women to go pro in stone skipping, she encourages others to enjoy the magic and skip to their heart’s content. This short film is produced by 60 Second Docs.

2021 • USA • 8 min • Faith Briggs & Tim Kemple

Family Friendly, Staff Pick, Michigan Premiere

Their route is uphill by design.
Through the language of running, Prolyfyck Run Crew is creating a safe space where Black runners can see themselves represented, and all runners are welcome, in Charlottesville, VA.

2021 • USA • 10 min • Faith Briggs & Tim Kemple

Michigan Premiere

For Rosalie Fish, Indigenous student-athlete and activist, running isn’t just a sport — it’s how she represents the strength and resilience of indigenous women within her tribe and beyond. As we look forward to #IndigenousPeoplesDay, we are honored to share Rosalie’s story in our second episode of “Who is a Runner” – a docu-series collaboration with Brooks Running.

2022 • UK • 7 min • Mike Coggan

Family Friendly

‘Rush’ explores the life and philosophy of super-volunteer Oly Rush, who ditched his 9-5 job for beach cleans and record-breaking swims. Oly is responsible for removing truckloads of plastic from the Dorset coastline, all whilst training for long-distance swims to raise money for environmental causes.

2022 • USA • 4 min • Nick Loud & Chris Loud

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

This film, by The Boardman Review, features cheesemaker Dave Omar and his wife Joy, who specialize in Mediterranean-style cheeses crafted from Michigan ingredients. They use traditional techniques to create artisan cheese that is uniquely Midwestern: down to earth and surprisingly complex. The film follows them as they look to expand their production and find a more permanent home for their business.

2022 • France • 93 min • Mikey Corker

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

How far would you go searching for something that may not exist?

A 19th century treasure-hunter’s journal inspires a captivating journey to seek out and surf a mythical, never-ridden wave in some of the most remote and dangerous waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

2022 • USA • 120 min • Nate P

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Adult Language, Staff Pick

Shorelunch with Nate P is a modern twist on a venerable Midwest classic: the fishing show.

Fast cuts, metal riffs, F-bombs and wobbly-pops are all par for the course as Nate P explores the waters of the Midwest in search of trash fish kisses and culinary delights.

2022 • USA • 22 min • Justin Zimmerman

Filmmaker in Attendance, Adult Language, Michigan Premiere

SOLDIER focuses on Daniel Krug: a heroic firefighter, father of five, SWAT trainer and armored combat enthusiast. Daniel is also a former sniper, with ten years of combat, security, rescue and recovery experience in Iraq. And over the past decade, he’s lost 11 of his close military friends - and almost lost himself - to PTSD.

2022 • USA • 42 min • Connor Ryan / Tim Kressin

Michigan Premiere

Centered around skier and Hunkpapa Lakota, Connor Ryan, Spirit of the Peaks dives deep into the struggles of identity that comes with being stuck between two worlds. His mission is to connect the Ute people with the mountains that they were displaced from and work towards restoring balance through his own reciprocity.

2022 • USA • 20 min • Brandon Watts

It has taken time for Alexandera Houchin to weave layers of her identity together. First and foremost, Alexandera is an Ojibwe woman. She’s also an artist, a farmer, a mechanic, a cyclist and a person who cares deeply about her community on the Fond Du Lac reservation near Cloquet, Minnesota. “Stronger Together” takes an intimate look into Alexandera’s life while examining concepts of identity, forgiveness and what it means to merge seemingly different aspects of your soul in order to continue moving forward, one pedal stroke at a time.

2022 • USA • 12 min • Mia Hagerty

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

Daily Bread explores the meaning of community and the idea of service from the perspective of Traverse City’s Reverend Jane Lippert and her work in response to food insecurity and in support of those most on the margin of society.

2022 • USA • 12 min • Mia Hagerty

Filmmaker in Attendance, Michigan Premiere, World Premiere, Adult Language, Staff Pick

The chef-owners of Traverse City’s celebrated restaurant, The Cooks’ House, speak to the struggle of attaining a healthy work life balance and to the changing nature of restaurant work.

2021 • USA • 6 min • Cody Lewis and Marc Rotse

Gian Lawrence is a fly fisherman and outdoorsman with a unique origin story. Growing up in Puyallup and Tacoma’s Hilltop, he fell into a life of crime, violence, and destitution until a near-death experience opened his eyes and his soul to the outdoors and a sport largely inaccessible to young black men like him, fly fishing.

2022 • USA • 72 min • David J. Ruck

Filmmaker in Attendance

As climate, politics, and agricultural interests collide, the health of Lake Erie – and that of humans and wildlife – hang in the balance.

In 2014, the citizens of Toledo, Ohio had to go without running water for three days when a bloom of highly toxic algae entered the drinking water plant from Lake Erie. This should have been a wake up call for politicians, big agriculture, and citizens everywhere that freshwater resources are at risk of becoming toxic.

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.

2022 • USA • 57 min • Daniel Larson

Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere

The Power of the River takes viewers on a historical journey that begins with the melting of the last glacier and ends with a group of energetic kayakers transiting the De Pere Lock. The Upper Fox River is part of a 12,000-year-old route that leads to the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico. The Lower Fox River is a wonderful 39 mile stretch of river for boaters and fishermen, an electrical power source for homes and industry, 17 locks and a magnet for fish and wildlife. A recently completed one-billion-dollar cleanup has done much to return this treasured resource closer to its former splendor.

2022 • USA • 23 min • Makari Rising

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

A story about the return of Fr. Jacques Marquette’s bones to their original burial place in the Northern Great Lakes Basin. His remains were carried there by Native American descendants of the people among whom this 17th century “Black Robe” and pipe carrier lived a life of advocacy and service. Witness the remarkable efforts of the Anishinabeg (Original) people as they come together to honor Marquette’s final wish - to be brought home to Ettakwaamshing (The Place of the Lookout).

2022 • USA • 6 min • Jason Whalen

Filmmaker in Attendance, Michigan Premiere

To the Alabama-Coushatta tribe of East Texas, to lose the longleaf pine is to lose a part of their culture. The tree provides needles that highly skilled weavers make into baskets. The skills and knowledge is passed down from generation to generation but as the longleaf pine forests became threatened, so did this transfer of wisdom. Prescribed burning is helping to restore longleaf pine forests and preserve the cultural traditions that longleaf pine trees can provide.

2018 • USA • 21 min • The Yes Men

Filmmaker in Attendance

Trickster comedian-activists The Yes Men impersonate the National Rifle Association to launch their “buy a gun, give a gun program” at the Reagan Presidential Library. Likely to be the funniest film you will see about the NRA’s racism.

2022 • USA • 4 min • Nick and Danielle Steffey

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, First Time Filmmaker

Every Summer and Winter the Michigan DNR puts on Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW), a weekend-long workshop bringing women in from around the Midwest for learning, teaching, and community in the outdoors. Located on the beautiful campus of Bay Cliff Health Camp, BOW teaches many of the skills needed to be active and confident in the outdoors. The workshop provides opportunities in three general program areas: shooting and hunting, fishing, and eco-sports, such as kayaking, camping, or orienteering.

2022 • USA/ France • 12 min • Keil Orion Troisi & Molly Gore

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Has Subtitles, Michigan Premiere

Armed with realistic bird puppets, trickster environmental activists pretend to be oil company Total—staging a satirical press conference to introduce “RéHabitat,” a program to rescue animals from the East African Oil Pipeline by relocating them to “more sustainable” habitats. Using humor and mischief, they expose a deadly ecological disaster in a zany effort to help #StopEACOP.

2022 • USA • 42 min • Aaron Peterson

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance

In spring of 2021 a group of bikepackers set out to ride around the perimeter of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The approximately 1,600 mile journey, dubbed Project Adventrus, would trace the outline of one of the most unique geographic and cultural regions in America. Ironically, the Upper Peninsula, or U.P., is often left off of maps due in part to data glitches and an inconvenient silhouette. Join the crew on their unforgettable journey to explore, suffer and celebrate the region via bike.

2022 • USA • 8 min • Finn Ryan

Filmmaker in Attendance, Michigan Premiere

The Treaty of 1837 forced the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe to cede 13 million acres of land to the United States government. Despite this catastrophic loss of land, they refused to give up their right to hunt, fish, and gather, as without it, they could not survive. Wenji-Bimaadiziyaang | From Where We Get Life tells the story of the political and legal fight to have treaty rights honored after 150 years of persecution for trying to exercise their rights and provide sustenance for the Mille Lacs community.

2021 • USA • 14 min • Jules Jimreivat

After immigrating from Brazil to the United States as a teenager, Maiza Lima worked to find her place in American culture and climbing. Now living in rural Montana where she is one of the only female climbers in her town, Maiza has come to realize that there are many parts of climbing culture she does not want to conform to. She discovers that she must define her own portion of American climbing, community and place to make more space for people like her.

2023 • USA / Canada • 5 min • Matthew Wagner

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Family Friendly, Staff Pick

Mike Shoreman becomes the first disabled person to Paddleboard across all five Great Lakes! He has done so in order to raise money for mental health in Canada and the United States. This short promo points to a 2023 full length documentary.