Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Work in Progress
Filmmaker Kate Arpke Houle unravels her father’s unusual childhood inside a rural Wisconsin mental hospital, where he and his siblings grew up among patients. Not Abandoned explores family, resilience, and confronting darkness with curiosity in this unfolding Midwestern tale.
Filmmaker in Attendance, First Time Filmmaker, Subject in Attendance
Love and forgiveness are the telling messages in this real life story of a family whose lives changed in a split second due to distracted driving.
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.
Michigan Premiere, Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Adult Themes
In 2022, 17-year-old Marquette High School student Jordan DeMay’s life ended. What looked like a suicide revealed something far more sinister, an international scheme that preyed on his trust.
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.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance
“ScrapFest: An Artist’s Journey” chronicles the transformation of an artist as he turns scrap metal into stunning sculptures—celebrating resilience, community, and reclaimed beauty. Embracing sobriety, Andrew carved out his own second chance while also giving new life to scrap, crafting beautiful pieces that express his experiences and himself.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, First Time Filmmaker
The Inner Sea is an unconventional love story–a story about music, adoption, the journey of a lifetime, and a bright blue 40 foot school bus. This film explores the complex issues of identity that result from the decision to place a child for adoption. It is also a film that explores the role that art plays in suffering, and healing.
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.
Family Friendly, Staff Pick, Filmmaker in Attendance
When I’m in the Water is a film centered around a group of women, called the Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage, in Cape Cod, Mass. fighting to revitalize not only their own lives and the lives of their fellow group members, but the ecosystems consisting of hundreds of ponds in the Cape. Throughout their journey to clean up the ponds, members of the group have found an accepting and supporting community to aid them in their personal journeys, harnessing their mental fortitude and discovering physical strength at their age.