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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Faced with the ever pressing influence of technology Jim Henterly holds his post as the eyes and ears of the historic Desolation Peak Fire Lookout - in an effort to preserve the human narrative.
Subject in Attendance, Filmmaker in Attendance
Twelve hours to chase three things I love.
Michigan Premiere
Psychodelic surf siren Andrew Wyton is back with an out-of-this-world twist on Great Lakes surf films.
Rural Runner is a short film about finding purpose and common ground in rural America as Chloe Maxmin makes a bid to be the youngest woman in the Maine house of representatives and Canyon Woodward balances his lifestyle with running rural trails and running political campaigns. Join us for the journey.
An intimate portrait of midwestern lake surfer Erik Wilkie.
Like most things, Covid-19 wreaked havoc on the RI seafood industry. Through the wisdom of local fishermen, To The Surface explores the struggles and tries to shed light on some common sense solutions to the challenges that face the industry. Epilogue: During production, on May 1st 2020, an emergency action passed, temporarily allowing fishermen in Rhode Island to sell finned fish directly off the boat to consumers. The hope is to make this emergency regulation permanent.
Subject in Attendance, Staff Pick, Family Friendly
Comic Joe Pera premieres a never seen before episode of his upcoming season of Joe Pera Talks With You, we’ll also play an episode from Season 1 and 2 … and then he’ll talk with you.
Based on the ancient Chinese creation myth, Pangu is a modern tale about parenthood and the differences between generations. Pangu creates a rigid world of angular shapes, but there’s just one problem: his son sees the world as curves.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance
Alice Lyn (she/her) is a sustainability professional and outdoor enthusiast. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Alice relocated to Michigan where she attended college at Northern Michigan University in the Upper Peninsula before putting down roots in Grand Rapids. Today, Alice is the creator and host of “Color Out Here” a narrative platform and community organizing initiative designed in collaboration with WGVU and PBS that explores the barriers to inclusion faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship.
Subject in Attendance
When the world closed, our waters opened and so did an opportunity for this crew of kids to make a difference. Follow our crew of kids as they compete in a sailboat race to raise awareness and money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. A race against all adults, professionals, and mother nature herself.
Jared Blizzard is a composer and every day he sits at his desk, creating musical wonders for not just gnarly bay and our assortment of commercial clients, but to fulfill the inner pull of his soul toward sound. Occasionally that inner pull leads him down different roads, through dreams and ideas, alongside ghosts and forgotten memories to a more tactile experience.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Albertine Kimble is a duck hunter in Plaquemines Parish. Having worked for the parish, she knows the local wetlands better than almost anyone. In her own words, she explains how leveeing has prevented the Mississippi River from flowing its natural course and has deprived the wetlands of essential nutrients and sediment. As Albertine takes us to her favorite hunting spots, she shares how the dying marsh is disrupting the bird migration route, the Mississippi Flyway, and could eventually put New Orleans at risk.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Photographer Ben Depp has set out to chronicle the wetlands in a series of aerial photographs that he captures with the help of a paramotor that he straps to his back. From above he has become acutely aware of the vast network of pipeline canals which are reportedly responsible for up to 30% of the land loss. In this episode we take a trip to the barrier islands where Ben flies his glider and observes the recent restoration that the state has put into rebuilding the land in this area.
While there has been a widespread focus on the controversy of Line 5, this film takes a closer look into perhaps one of the most often overlooked, yet most important perspectives on this issue - that of Michigan’s indigenous communities. From the perspective of Michigan tribal members, scientific researchers, and legal experts we explore what is truly at stake for Michigan’s native tribes. As the original inhabitants of the land, and with protected treaty rights to the Great Lakes and the Straits of Mackinac these perspectives must be shared, along with the responsibility the state of Michigan has in protecting these rights along with the Great Lakes."
Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Adult Language
A low-brow, crass approach to plant ecology and evolution as muttered by a misanthropic Chicago Italian. Amidst mild (or not so mild) profanity and general irreverence, Joey Santore examines plant life (the base of Earth’s food chain) and the nature of the rocks and soil they grow on, as well as the evolutionary adaptations that enable them to do what they do. Watch, learn, laugh and go f*ck yourself.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Michigan Premiere
High school student Gerardo Hernandez - raised in the United States since six months of age - was arrested by ICE in Ohio, spent almost 2 months in prison and is scheduled to be deported. THE OTHER BORDER is his American story, told through intimate interviews with Gerardo and his sister, Karime, and shot exclusively on 8mm and 16mm film
We took five top freeskiers and a World Champion drone pilot to Mustang Powder Cat Skiing in BC for one week. Their instructions: charge as hard as you can everyday. Featuring Stan Rey, Leah Evans, Alexi Godbout, Josh Daiek, Drew Petersen and Jordan Temkin.
Kailey Kornhauser and fellow “fat cyclist” Marley Blonsky are on a mission. A mission to change the idea that people with larger bodies can’t ride bikes. They aim to make cycling more inviting to people of all sizes and expand the idea of what it means to be a cyclist — not just on screens, but on trails and in people’s minds.
On December 25th, 1965, amidst the blustery winds and sand dunes of Muskegon, Michigan, Sherman Poppen made history by strapping two skis together and sending his young daughter careening down his backyard hill. His invention, soon dubbed the Snurfer, laid the foundation for snowboarding as we know it.
Joint Effort is a poetic ode to Zoe Zeerip’s lifelong battle with Junior Rheumatoid Arthritis. Everyday Zoe Zeerip pushes back against a condition that conspires to hold her down. This is her story. This is her fight.
Staff Pick, Filmmaker in Attendance
Ice climbing in Kentucky?! This adventure documentary takes the audience for a bourbon-fueled ride deep into the bushy hollers of Appalachia with a crew of harmless misfits as they race to search out and climb new ice routes before they’re gone, with a few surprises along the way.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Hop Butcher is always searching for new experiences through hops and the search was a long one when trying to find Riwaka. Once connected with Hop Revolution farms in NZ, they got closer to finally getting this elusive hop in their hands. The result - an amazing relationship that resulted in new experiences for the tastebuds, an ocean away from where these hops were grown.
Filmmaker in Attendance
After a gluten allergy shook up a brewer’s career, him and his wife turned to a new fermentation project using all local ingredients from Michigan; Bløm Meadworks in Ann Arbor, MI was born.
Filmmaker in Attendance, World Premiere
Is wilderness more valuable than money? It depends on who you ask. Loon is a through hiking naturalist who understands what’s truly valuable in life. At 80 years old with more than 2,000 acres of wilderness to his name, he must decide what to do with this precious asset.
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.
Staff Pick
A journey across both poles, After Antarctica follows polar explorer Will Steger’s life journey as an eyewitness to the greatest changes to the polar regions of our planet. In 1989, Steger led an international team of six scientists and explorers on the first coast-to-coast dogsled traverse of Antarctica. The ultimate mission of the expedition was to draw global attention to Antarctica’s changing climate and use the expedition as a tool to renew the Antarctic Treaty, which would protect the continent from mineral exploitation. Even with his background in science and knowledge of the changing climate, Steger could never have expected what he would soon discover. This arduous expedition opened his eyes to the most pressing issue of our time and ultimately changed the course of his life forever.
Ted Nolan has barely worked in the NHL after winning its Coach of the Year award in 1997. Despite a sometimes turbulent relationship with those in the league, Nolan believes he should be coaching in the NHL. So why is he on the outside, looking in?
Filmmaker in Attendance
A captivating illustration of Catholic recognition of climate change as an environmental and social problem.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Adult Language
Passion project I filmed and edited about my friend, Cory Wiergowski and his company, Ramped Construction. I filmed over the course of 6 months, we had a lot of fun making this happen.
After his father passed, Bennett uprooted his idyllic life as a fishing guide to try and get a “real” job in real estate. That plan flops and he spends the summer living on top of his 1990 Cadillac Deville in some of North Americas wealthiest summering locations like Martha’s Vineyard. Strapped for cash, Bennett picks up trash on the beaches to tie flies for fishing, and enters into a fishing tournament. The simple joys of life are exactly that: simple, and often free.
James Sampsel, a plein air painter and fly-fishing guide, comes to terms with his past and a bi-polar diagnosis that hangs over his future.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Arrow 1 is his best arrow, the first one he will shoot in the fall, but this hunt started 13 years ago.
Filmmaker in Attendance
There are lots of definitions of therapy. Two fishermen reflect on the peace they’ve found along the AuSable River of Michigan.
In sport, success is often defined by measuring yourself against the competition. With little change to the landscape of Alaska since her first trip 10 years ago, big mountain skier Michelle Parker returns to Haines to test her skillset in the mountains. As she revisits some of the steepest, most unforgiving lines of her career, we discover that her metric for success isn’t measured by competition, Alaskan spines or blower pow, but found within.
This film tells of the end of an era. Ireland has a rich history in its lighthouses. Gerald is one of about a dozen living lighthouse keepers in Ireland, as these lighthouses have become automated since the mid-nineties.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance
Meet Sam Salwei, Raquel Hernandez, and the Peace Love Car – two charmingly talented wanderers and their trusty (if quirky) steed. The Peace Love Car is one-of-a-kind. A solar panel on the roof provides power for the fridge, the seats fold down into a bed, and the oven under the hood can cook you a perfect burrito. It custom-built shocks bear 1,500lbs of adventure gear with nary a squeak (OK, not true), and it has transported its occupants with moderate reliability across almost half a million miles of open road.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Buffalo Reef is a natural cobble feature in Lake Superior, located just off the eastern edge of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the U.P of Michigan. The reef has historically maintained invaluable spawning habitat for fish species such as lake trout and lake whitefish. These remarkable habitat features are threatened by the migrating stamp sands, produced by harmful mining activities beginning in the late 1800’s.