MSP Int'l Film Festival Announces Minnesota Made Films and Outdoor Screenings

Via a recent e-announcement from MSP Film Society:

MSP Film Society is thrilled to announce the first slate of films for the 40th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF40): the Minnesota Made films! Representing the abundance of talent and diversity of vision in local filmmaking, the Minnesota Made program is always a highlight at MSPIFF, and this year offers another exciting mix of fiction and documentary films from Minnesota-based and Minnesota-native filmmakers.

“MSPIFF has an impressive track record of lifting up Minnesota filmmakers by presenting their films alongside some of the greatest filmmakers from around the world,” said Susan Smoluchowski, Executive Director of the MSP Film Society, parent organization of MSPIFF. “We are honored to be able to continue to offer Minnesota filmmakers our full support, including compensation for their participation in MSPIFF again this year, when filmmakers are facing even more financial challenges than ever before.”

MSP Film Society continues our commitment of year-round support to Minnesota filmmakers in multiple ways, from waiving submission fees to MSPIFF, to highlighting the selected films in MSPIFF’s publicity efforts, and offering weeklong theatrical runs and one-off screening opportunities at St. Anthony Main Theatre for festival favorites. Most recently, we have begun to offer our virtual platform so filmmakers can securely screen their films to audiences throughout Minnesota.

MSPIFF is Minnesota’s largest film festival and, at 40 years running, a Minnesota cultural institution. MSPIFF40 will present 150+ films from both veteran and emerging filmmakers from around the world.

MSPIFF40 will take place Thursday, May 13 through Sunday, May 23, 2021 as a hybrid festival, with most of the films screening virtually to audiences throughout Minnesota, panels and filmmaker Q&As available for free throughout the US, and special in-person outdoor screenings in both Minneapolis and St. Paul.

MSPIFF Opening Weekend – May 13/14/15 – will take place at the Como Lakeside Pavilion, 1360 Lexington Parkway North in St. Paul.

MSPIFF Closing Weekend – May 21/22 – will take place at a pop-up drive-in at Bohemian Flats Park, 2150 West River Parkway in Minneapolis.

The complete MSPIFF40 lineup, along with info on how to purchase tickets to the outdoor screenings, will be announced on Thursday, April 22, 2021.

MINNESOTA MADE FEATURE FILMS AT MSPIFF40

After America - Directed by Jake Yunza, USA, 2020, Fiction In 2019, director Jake Yuzna put out an open call in Minneapolis to criminal justice de-escalators to explore, through performance, the failures they saw in their work and in daily life. The result is an unconventional and eye-opening look at policing in America.

After Antarctica - Directed by Tasha Van Zandt, USA, 2021, Documentary In 1989 Will Steger travelled across Antarctica, the longest and most treacherous crossing of the continent in history. Now, over 30 years later, director Tasha Van Zandt follows him again across the continent, which is slowly coming apart due to the global warming crisis.

The Co-Op Wars - Directed by Deacon Warner, USA, 2020, Documentary Today, Co-ops are multi-million dollar businesses, so successful they’ve prompted mainstream grocery stores to stock organic food. But in the 1970s, it almost ended before it began, as internecine battles and even hostile takeovers threatened this burgeoning movement.

Hollywood Fringe - Directed by Megan Huber & Wyatt McDill, USA, 2020, Fiction Samantha and Travis have been trying to break into movies for years. When their dream project is finally green-lit, the producers want Travis for the male lead, but a younger actress for the female lead. What is Samantha to do but resurrect her “Alien Play” for the Fringe Festival?

Wet House - Directed by Benjamin May, USA. 2021, Documentary Benjamin May’s compassionate documentary pulls no punches nor casts any aspersions as he explores a residential facility for aging alcoholics, where they’re allowed to drink and ride out this last refuge in an unending storm of neglect, self-abuse and despair.

...and over 30 Minnesota Made Short Films, including:

Say His Name, Five Days for George Floyd - Directed by Cy Dodson, USA, 2021, Short Documentary The incomprehensible police killing of George Floyd on May 25th, 2020, sparked a global uprising. Director Cy Dodson captures an immersive observation of unrest in the days between the police killing of George Floyd and the charges filed against police officer Derek Chauvin.

Festival Passes are on sale now at mspfilm.org. All-Access Passes for MSP Film Society Members are $200. All-Access Passes for Non-Members are $250 and include a 1-year MSP Film Society core membership. Film Industry and Student Passes are available for $99.

MSPIFF40 is presented by the MSP Film Society, a dynamic 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to fostering a knowledgeable and vibrant appreciation of the art of film and its power to inform and transform individuals and communities. Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.