2025 • USA • 17 min • Sabrina Greener

First Time Filmmaker

In the wake of the Iraq war, anti-war protesters began gathering on a street corner in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Twenty years later, a small but dedicated group still gathers, their message unchanged.

2024 • USA • 10 min • Andrew Doyle

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

Ron Yob, chairman of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians, seeks to gain federal recognition for his tribe from the federal government. Through Yob’s fight, he walks viewers through the historical evidence of the tribe’s presence in Grand Rapids to understand why the tribes deserve their federal rights.

2025 • USA • 13 min • Nate Sheppard

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

What does it take to start a small business in rural Wisconsin? ENTREPRENEUR explores the stories of four interconnected businesses in a historic building in downtown Rhinelander.

2025 • USA, Ecuador • 61 min • Jim Aikman

Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere

A team of evolutionary biologists from the University of Idaho travels to the Galápagos Islands to solve the Earth’s biodiversity crisis. The twist? They aren’t studying the iconic tortoises or blue footed boobies on this storied archipelago—they are Snail Hunters, studying a more unlikely subject in the crucible of evolution. By understanding the unique traits that make snails a champion of coexistence, the multi-disciplinary scientists hope to unlock a brighter future for humanity and the planet.

2024 • USA • 10 min • Christopher Lemkuil

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance

Food security is an issue for residents of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. (In)Security explores the food systems in the U.P., and how a few organizations are working to improve access to quality food.

2025 • USA • 7 min • Jeremiah Schuster

Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere

A look into Devin Brown’s journey as she seeks to be the First black female on record to kayak the entire Mississippi River.

2025 • USA • 14 min • Ben Weaver

Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, World Premiere, Making Waves Recipient, Filmmaker in Attendance

Using relationship as a method of storytelling, Edgelands explores urban green spaces to see what’s thriving despite impositions of modern infrastructure.

2024 • USA • 12 min • Nateya Taylor

Filmmaker in Attendance

Something in the Water follows five water justice advocates who discuss how Milwaukee’s Black communities are disproportionately being lead poisoned, the debilitating effects it has on residents’ health, and their hopes to see equitable change that will heal the water and Black resident’s relationship to it.

2025 • USA • 9 min • House of Bug Productions

Michigan Premiere

Explore the evolution and transformation of a stretch of the Chicago River into a thriving habitat and neighborhood fixture through the Wild Mile, the world’s first floating eco-park planned and developed by nonprofit Urban Rivers.

2025 • USA • 16 min • Glen Janssens

Hope comes to a South Memphis neighborhood that has struggled with basic resources. It takes the unlikely form of a climbing gym, where Jarmond Johnson and others experience different outcomes on the wall.

2025 • USA • 15 min • Kevin Paczesny & Jada Pearson

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

In November 2016 Gatlinburg, Tennessee was devastated by a wildfire that impacted thousands of families and businesses. Beyond the Ashes tells the stories of the families and businesses affected by the fire and how one city demonstrated resilience during its darkest times.

2025 • USA • 18 min • Grant Piering

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

Grant takes an unconventional road trip in a tiny 33 year old kei car from Japan, with a simple goal: to challenge the narrative that electric vehicles are the greener choice.

2024 • USA • 4 min • Thomas C Johnson

Family Friendly

Love & Sugar celebrates how Stephen Loveland, renowned Saint Paul, Minnesota ice cream man, purposefully inspires kindness.

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.

2025 • Canada • 21 min • Gregg McLachlan

Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere

A hauntingly beautiful conservation documentary that follows wildlife researchers from Birds Canada and the University of Waterloo deep into the forests of southwestern Ontario, Canada to uncover the mysterious world of the Eastern Whip-poor-will — a nocturnal bird whose call once echoed across the night, and is now slowly falling silent.

2023 • Canada • 16 min • Gregg McLachlan

Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere

Filmed over two field seasons spanning three years, The Bird House tells the story of the impacts of weather, storms and high water at Canada’s most isolated bird banding and research station located at the tip of a 20-mile long wind-swept sandspit in the middle of Lake Erie.

2025 • USA • 11 min • Daniel Wroblewski

Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Student Filmmaker

A look at the annual efforts to deploy and maintain the data collecting buoys by the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences. From scientists and sailors to weather forecasters and beachgoers, these buoys play an integral part of our lives to help us better understand and respond to the changing conditions of the Great Lakes.

2025 • USA • 9 min • Ben Albert

Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, Filmmaker in Attendance

In the face of climate change, Wisconsin conservationists are protecting the plants and wildlife at Rush Creek State Natural Area. Using fire and innovative adaptive techniques, their proactive approach offers a model for building resilience across our natural spaces in an uncertain future. In partnership with the Natural Resources Foundation of WI.

2025 • USA • 24 min • John Curtis

Family Friendly

A heartwarming tribute, this centennial documentary celebrates tradition, nature, and the lasting impact of Camp Daggett on Northern Michigan families.

2025 • USA • 111 min • Andrew Templeton

Filmmaker in Attendance, First Time Filmmaker, Adult Language, Adult Themes, Staff Pick

Amid the radical politics and cultural upheaval of the late 1960s, a series of brutal murders targeting young women gripped the twin university towns of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan. This independent documentary examines not just a series of crimes, but the social and political tensions that enabled them—many of which still resonate today.

2025 • USA • 22 min • Rachel Kozlowski

First Time Filmmaker, Filmmaker in Attendance, Student Filmmaker

A documentary about urbanism and life on the road- how is a car centric society changing the way we interact?

2024 • USA • 4 min • Sydney Spiridon

Family Friendly, Student Filmmaker, First Time Filmmaker

A visual essay from a first-time filmmaker explores how life is beautiful and complex. Enjoy every second of every day you have in this life. One day it will all be gone.

2024 • USA • 44 min • Alex Maier and Amy Robin

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

Four paddlers race against time to break the Guinness World Record on the mighty Mississippi—2,340 miles of brutal conditions and sleep deprivation, paddling 24/7 for over two weeks. With a large support crew behind them, it becomes clear that a record like this can’t be broken with skill alone—they’ll need teamwork, strategy, and a bit of luck.

2024 • USA/Mexico • 16 min • Marc Chavez and Octavio Aceves Coutiño

Has Subtitles, Michigan Premiere, Family Friendly

Over 400 years ago, a major disturbance disrupted nature’s law along the West Coast, reshaping coastlines, Indigenous life, and traditions. Now, a new wave emerges, allowing Indigenous communities to thrive in harmony with nature. Haagua portrays the deep bond between Great Great-Grandmother Ocean and her great-grandchildren, where surfing is more than a sport—it is a cultural revival, reconnecting with ancestral ways of life.

2025 • USA • 37 min • Hennie van Jaarsveld

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

Join Turkic-American pro-skier, Giray Dadali, on his journey to answer a life-long question: Which has a greater influence; the heritage from which you descended or the culture in which you were raised?

2025 • USA • 11 min • Jordan Boehm

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

Taste of Home follows Mimi and Eak, a Thai couple who run a beloved restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Through a blend of vérité footage and intimate interviews, we observe a full day in their lives, from morning prep to closing time, they navigate the joys and challenges of running an authentic Thai kitchen in America.

2025 • USA • 10 min • Nicholas Kapanke

Filmmaker in Attendance

Elite cyclist Noah Collins reflects on his journey in the sport while hoping to inspire the next generation as he competes in the La Crosse Omnium in La Crosse, WI, the only three-day omnium in the United States.

2025 • North America • 3 min • Sawyer Harris

Filmmaker in Attendance, Staff Pick

The Grand Ride follows Grand Rapids, Michigan rider Patrick Ellis as he carves his way through West Michigan’s best mountain bike trails. From the punchy climbs of Richmond Park to the fast flow of The Underground and the lush loops of The Bike Park this film is a love letter to the region’s growing trail network and tight-knit riding community.

2024 • USA • 8 min • Andrew J. Morgan & Nick Nummerdor

Family Friendly

A Caregivers Journey puts a spotlight on the lives and experiences of two Michigan caregivers who are caring for their aging loved ones. It’s a heartfelt first-hand look at the joy and challenges that come with caregiving.

2025 • USA • 20 min • Nicholas J. Santore

Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Michigan Premiere

Bouncy Brothers examines the unspoken bond of brotherhood and what it looks like to take a second crack at the American dream.

2025 • USA • 5 min • Rishi Sethi

Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere

First Waves Beaver County documents the expansion of the Watersmith Guild’s groundbreaking youth environmental education program into the Beaver and Ohio River valleys in the aftermath of the ethylene cracker plant’s penalties for pollution.

2024 • France • 31 min • Anthony Lietart

Family Friendly

Maxime Chabloz is a seafarer, a man of the sea, a versatile athlete and a lover of the wind and watersports. Often surrounded by the ocean and other enthusiasts, this time he decides to go alone on a unique journey to the end of the world and this ode to the sea.

2024 • USA • 80 min • Paige McKenna

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

GOLD is a documentary exploring the lives of four current dancers and the owner of the Gold Nugget strip club in Spread Eagle, Wisconsin. The film focuses heavily on Dusty’s story, who was a dancer in the 90s. She has owned the club for 30 years, and runs the club in a way that empowers women, guiding them to further education, encourages them toward sobriety, and offers respect and support through unconditional (and sometimes tough) love.

2025 • USA • 23 min • Nicholas Stachurski

Filmmaker in Attendance, Adult Language, Has Subtitles, Staff Pick

In the heart of Detroit, a city with a rich history and a tapestry of diverse communities, “Land of Lost Toys” follows the interconnected lives of its residents, brought together by a shared passion to combat the city’s vast stray dog epidemic. This mosaic of characters carry their own burdens and dreams, navigating the challenges of life in Detroit. With conflicted views on the breeding, spaying and neutering this group of characters discuss the saddening results of disposability culture, lack of municipal support and overall care for “humans’ best friend”. Following our lead character James, we get a unique look into the world of dog fostering and rescuing as he navigates his own internal hardships and the emotional support dogs bring to him.

2024 • USA • 18 min • Matt Pirrall

Adult Language, Filmmaker in Attendance

How does a satire comedy website find itself on the front lines of the debate over free speech online? Seth Dillon and his team at the Babylon Bee,tell the story of how they unwittingly found themselves at war with Twitter over a joke, eventually garnering the attention of Elon Musk and ushering in a new era for the social media company.

2025 • USA • 29 min • Anna Brannon

Michigan Premiere, First Time Filmmaker

Missouri isn’t a place most people think of when they think of ultra running. But it’s here on the rolling hills and chunky karst terrain where race director Shalini Bhajjan has built Terrain Trail Runners, a community of long distance ultra trail runners. Follow along as three members of this community set out to complete Shalini’s toughest race and run 100 miles through extreme weather in the Ozark foothills.

2025 • USA • 8 min • Summit Olson

Adult Language, Michigan Premiere, First Time Filmmaker, Student Filmmaker, Filmmaker in Attendance

A 17-year-old’s first film offers an intimate look at the climate crisis, current events and a trip West through a teenagers eyes. It is brave to admit you are scared.

2025 • USA • 89 min • Kristin Tièche

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

Against the backdrop of the sixth mass extinction, an all-woman team of biologists set out to save bats from a deadly fungal disease, but when the COVID-19 pandemic interrupts their work, they are sent down a path of discovery that illuminates the connections between bat conservation and the spread of infectious disease.

2025 • USA • 11 min • Daniel Larson

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

Green Bay Lake Sturgeon during their spring spawning run are blocked from traveling up the Menominee River by the first set of dams. The 12-minute documentary explores the sturgeon lift operation, how the sturgeon make their way past the dams and spawn 22 miles upriver at the Grand Rapids Dam.

2025 • USA • 24 min • Sam Price-Waldman

Michigan Premiere, Staff Pick

For over three years, Rob Shaver, 48, has run at least a mile every single day. Through rain, pain, and the weight of a terminal cancer diagnosis, his daily streak has become more than a habit — it’s an act of resilience, a step-by-step refusal to surrender to his disease.

2024 • USA • 14 min • Heimir fReyr Hlöðversson

Family Friendly, First Time Filmmaker

A team of 15 multiple myeloma survivors, care partners, and world-renowned physicians, embarks on the Iceland Cycling Expedition (ICE). Their mission: to cycle through Iceland’s rugged landscape to raise critical funds for groundbreaking myeloma research.

2025 • USA • 8 min • Finn Ryan

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

The pristine waters and winding channels of the the Bad River and Kakagon Sloughs hold the largest wild rice beds in the Great Lakes. Managed through time by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the sloughs are recognized internationally for their exceptional quality. They also remain under threat from an aging oil pipeline and impacts of climate change. The video is a segment of an upcoming hour-long documentary, Estuaries in the Balance: Freshwater Nurseries of Lake Superior, which is being produced by Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education.

2024 • Canada • 13 min • Louis Moulin

Filmmaker in Attendance, Has Subtitles, Michigan Premiere

Bloodhound dog handlers have an essential role in Québec’s hunting ecosystem. Thanks to them, a large number of wounded and lost animals are found during hunting season. Meet Yves Martineau as he follows the long waits and intense searches that come with the job.

6 min

Fresh Coast is proud to be the Michigan Premiere of this cutting edge Great Lakes film from Inspired Planet Productions. ‘All Too Clear’ uses new technologies to show never before seen underwater wonders of the Great Lakes. This short behind the scenes video gives a glimpse of what it took to create the film–but you don’t want to miss the premiere over the weekend and meet the filmmakers and their tools to see the future of Great Lakes filmmaking.

2024 • USA • 2 min

Representative in Attendance

Fresh Coast is proud to be the Michigan Premiere of this feature length film exploring ski culture in Afghanistan. This is trailer for the full film that will be shown during the festival and represented by friend-of-the-festival and driving force behind the project, Stacy Bare of Grand Rapids, Mich. This is one of those films where the backstory is as epic as the final film, don’t miss this conversation.

5 min

Filmmaker in Attendance

NMU grad Ryan Busch has completed his multi-year epic quest to craft a comprehensive, fun, and action packed feature film on the skiing culture of the Upper Peninsula. This is a trailer for that project which has been supported by the Fresh Coast Making Waves grant and will be showing over the weekend.

2024 • United States • 11 min • Brody Kuhar

Michigan Premiere

In 2021, a tragic car accident left Veranique (or V, as she’s known at Rox) paralyzed from the waist down. After a long stint in the hospital and multiple surgeries, doctors told Varanique she would never walk again. While this news would reshape her life, it wouldn’t alter her vibrant spirit. Veranique knew the key to living a full life rested in her mindset. In 2022, V set out to find a job, landing at Memphis Rox, a climbing gym in South Memphis. Witnessing climbing for the first time, she thought the gym would keep her behind the front desk — that she couldn’t participate in the sport. Until she did. Surrounded by community, Veranique is now a regular climber with a philosophy on and off the wall that the sky’s the limit.

2024 • United States • 15 min • Brody Kuhar and Joshua Cannon

Family Friendly

In South Memphis, married artists Bertram Williams and Talibah Safiya transform their creative practices into vehicles for a higher purpose. Enter Mama’s Sundry, a collaborative movement fostering wellness and sustainability through education, service initiatives and a neighborhood garden that produces fresh fruit and vegetables within a community that’s long been designated a food desert.