Catching Pinecones

Film Synopsis

Catching Pinecones is the story of Jan and Herb Conn, pioneering rock climbers and cave explorers who lived life to the fullest on their own terms. Rejecting a conventional lifestyle in pursuit of adventure and fun, the Conns’ story reveals a legacy of renowned discoveries and their philosophies for a simple, well-lived life.

Showings

Sat, Oct 18 Saturday, Oct 18

Catching Pinecones

Blackrocks Brewery

Sun, Oct 19 Sunday, Oct 19

Catching Pinecones

The Honorable Distillery

  • Filmmakers in attendance
  • Subjects in attendance
  • Contains adult language

Related Films

The Developer

2025 • USA • 85 min • DJ Viernes

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

The Developer is about outdoor climbing areas and how they are discovered, established, and maintained. Follow Michigan climber Brendan Baars and his journey to put The Nooks — a newly developed crag in northern Ontario — on the climbing community’s map.

Resurgo: The Rise from Within

2025 • USA • 94 min • Stephen McGee

Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, Staff Pick

Detroit endured six decades of massive disinvestment, losing its primary industry in what is often described as the largest economic withdrawal in U.S. history. Its industry collapsed, its skyline dimmed. Yet the city’s spirit refused to vanish. Some call what followed the greatest comeback story in the nation. Others insist Detroit never left at all.
Now, through the eyes of a two-time Emmy Award–winning filmmaker and the voice of a celebrated poet, comes a story told from the ground up. Drawn from a twenty-year archive of over three million photographs and thousands of hours of unseen footage, this cinematic journey redefines an iconic city through the lives of the people who lived it. 

Color Out Here: Breaking Ice & Building Community

2025 • USA • 30 min • Alan Helzer

First Time Filmmaker, Michigan Premiere, World Premiere, Filmmaker in Attendance

Rooted in the core values of uplifting representation, place, and public learning, this segment follows Alice Lyn and community members on a powerful journey to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where they learn to ice climb at Michigan Ice Fest.
Color Out Here is a TV show highlighting BIPOC representation in the outdoors through Public Learning, Representation, and Place. Each episode explores outdoor activities, unique environmental narratives, and the intersection of identity with nature, inspiring inclusion and advocacy for equitable access to outdoor spaces.