Hidden Gems

MillionNight-4 (1)As you prepare to enjoy the arrival of the moveable feast of film that is the Traverse City Film Festival, let me highlight a few wonderful, hidden gems you’ll find within the guide. Very often it’s the films you’ve never heard of, the films you don’t think you’ll enjoy while you are being dragged into them, that make the most lasting impressions. I hope you will leave your comfort zone and take the risk to see a brillant movie at this year’s festival. Here are a few of my special picks– but there are many, many more! Check them all inside the guide. And I’ll see you at the movies!

still summer of bloodBREAKING A MONSTER — An amazing doc about a group of African American kids from Brooklyn who form a heavy metal band–and what happens when the music industry gets its hands on them.
still manuscripts20 YEARS OF MADNESS — A charming look at some Oakland County boys who had their own cable access show in the 1990s. Now they’re grown up, hoping lightning will strike twice. Yes it’s pure Michigan.
still stil lifeTHE ARMOR OF LIGHT — The story of an anti-abortion preacher who is devastated by the murder of an abortion doctor and decides to focus on the NRA and preventing easy access to guns.
still bending the lightTHE STATE-MAFIA PACT — Sabina Guzzanti’s latest comes to TC: a scathing look at the connection between the Mafia and the Italian government.
still newburgh stingTHE TRIALS OF SPRING— Gini Reticker has created THE definitive film on the Arab Spring Revolution in Egypt. An amazing record of what happened as seen through the eyes of three different women.
still stations crossFEAR NOT THE PATH OF TRUTH — One of the most uncomfortable films you will see at this year’s fest: a veteran of the Iraq War picks up a movie camera and decides to go see what Americans know about the war he fought in. You won’t be able to take your eyes off of it. “Thank you for your service!” Yeah, right.
still al helmTHE BRAINWASHING OF MY DAD — The filmmaker’s dad was a Kennedy Democrat until one day, he turned on AM radio, and, um, he “changed.” It’s the universal story about a white guy in everyone’s family who has something he wants to get off his chest at Thanksgiving dinner.
still fishing without(T)ERROR — Homeland Security has to stay in business, so here’s a powerful film about how they need to create “terrorists” so they’ll have someone to arrest. Whoa.
still dont leaveTHE CHINESE MAYOR — Imagine somebody says, let’s build a US-31 bypass around TC, or build a high-speed rail line between TC and Detroit. If this was China, and the star of this film was our mayor, both jobs would be done by December. Double whoa!
still the one i loveTHE DIPLOMAT An intense and beautiful look at one of the most important US diplomats in modern times, Richard Holbrooke. Filmmaker David Holbrooke, his son, will be in attendance.
still rubberCHALLAT OF TUNIS — A fiction film shot in documentary style about a (supposed) assailant who targets Tunisian women who don’t dress in religious clothing. One of the best foreign films I’ve seen this year. 
still i wont come backHOLBROOK/TWAIN — Hal Holbrook travels the country in his 90s as Mark Twain, bringing Twain’s scathing, hilarious turths to the American public– all of them still so relevant, 120 years later. Don’t miss this one! 
still blindTANGERINE  A compelling indie shot entirely on an iPhone, and it’s every bit as good as one shot for $100 million bucks.
still the huntTANGERINES  (plural) Nominated for a Best Foreign Film Academy Award this year, and a favorite of mine!
stills jackieHOT TYPE: 150 YEARS OF THE NATION — The great Barbara Kopple returns to Traverse City with her engaging film about The Nation magazine and the people who made it the top journal of the left. Staff members of The Nation will be in attendance for a lively discussion afterward.
still the huntROSEANNE FOR PRESIDENT  A great, funny film by Eric Weinrib (the first State Theatre manager when we reopened it in 2007!). Given unprecedented access to Roseanne Barr, you will see a side of this remarkable artist never seen before anywhere. And that’s saying a lot.
still manuscriptsLISTEN TO ME MARLON — There’s nothing like this in the festival. Marlon Brando kept an audio diary throughout his life, so he himself narrates this fascinating documentary. It’s on my shortlist for best doc of the year.
still manuscriptsPOVERTY, INC — Once you see it, you won’t look at poverty or the Third World the same way again.
—Michael Moore

Begin Your 2015 Traverse City Film Festival Adventure Now!

Friends,

Here it is. The official schedule for this summer’s 11th annual Traverse City Film Festival. 

Here are a few of the highlights you won’t want to miss:

  • Most important: The kick-off to the State Theatre Centennial Year! One Hundred Years on Front Street! And joining us to celebrate this special event will be none other than the great actress and daughter of Charlie Chaplin, GERALDINE CHAPLIN! She will dedicate our new cornerstone and flip the switch on a year’s worth of amazing cinema at the State. She will also introduce and take questions at two of her father’s films that are celebrating their centennial: “The Tramp” and “Kid Auto Races at Venice.” And she will present Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” on its 75th anniversary in the Open Space on Wednesday night. 

In addition to recreating the experience of going to the movies back in 1916, we’re also toasting some of Hollywood’s greatest including: 

  • The 100th Birthday of Orson Welles.
  • The 50th Anniversary of “Doctor Zhivago.” 
  • The 40th Anniversary of Robert Altman’s “Nashville” with Robert Altman‘s wife Kathryn and members of the original cast in attendance. 
  • The 30th Anniversary of “The Breakfast Club” — this year’s winner of the Open Space People’s Choice vote!
  • And finally, in honor of this morning’s historic Supreme Court’s ruling on LGBTQ rights, we will mark this momentous occasion at the festival
    with a celebration of films that tell the stories and perspectives of a heretofore shunned community. Some of the greatest movies of all time were made by LGBTQ filmmakers who lived in fear of being “discovered.” Showing their films here in Traverse City is us continuing to do our part
    in putting an end to that kind of hate and intolerance. This art form would not be what it is without the contributions made gays and lesbians
    who work in this industry, and this festival is all the richer thanks to our volunteers who are part of Michigan’s LGBTQ community.

Read more

TCFF 2015 Interns Go to the Movies

Are you curious what movies will be at the Traverse City Film Festival this year when the schedule is announced on Friday, June 26? Well, so are our interns. Because of their hard work we rewarded them with a sneak preview of a potential TCFF movie. Watch the video below to meet this year’s intern class and see their reactions.

Presenting the 2015 Poster…And Your Chance to Win!

Whether it’s a tiny atomic change in your brain or a big bang in your heart, one great movie can change you.TCFF11-Poster_FINAL

And with that we are proud to present the official 2015 poster, created by our incredible volunteer Art Director Gabriel Augustine. If the poster sets the tone for the year, then we couldn’t be more excited for what 2015 has in store.

Click here to view a high-res version of the poster.

And while you’re taking in its beauty, wonder, and majesty, see if you can identify the hidden film and pop culture-related “easter eggs,” and then enter our contest.

Those who correctly identify the most easter eggs will be entered to win two tickets to the 2015 TCFF Opening Night Party and a copy of the poster. To enter, send your name, phone number, email address, and list of easter eggs to eastereggs@tcff.org. (Hint: There are at least 10.)

Happy hunting!

Voice Your Vote! Open Space People’s Choice

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Last Year’s People’s Choice Winner: STAR WARS!

Grab some friends and a blanket, because our magical cinema under the stars will return once again to the Open Space this summer. And it wouldn’t be our free nightly movie series without our annual People’s Choice Night — the night we allow you, the people, to decide what’s shown on our 65-foot inflatable screen set against the beautiful Traverse City bayfront. 

Everyone has a favorite movie, a movie they return to again and again, year after year. Well, imagine getting to experience it like you’ve never seen it before! 

So let your voice be heard and help us pick what the community will come together to watch on Friday, July 31. This year’s choices include: “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” “The Breakfast Club,” “The Hunger Games,” “Poltergeist” (1982), “Say Anything…,” and “Zoolander.” Voters can also write in their own pick. 

Voting Has Now Closed. Stay Tuned for the Results!

The People’s Choice movie, along with all films to be shown at this year’s festival, will be announced on Friday, June 26. Open Space Park, on the corner of Union St. and Grandview Parkway, is one of Traverse City’s most beautiful and treasured public gathering spaces, an ideal venue to enjoy a free outdoor movie as well as the very best summertime fun Northern Michigan has to offer.

2015 Bumper Contest

The Traverse City Film Festival and its 11-year sponsor, FIM Group, invite filmmakers of all ages to submit to the sixth annual TCFF Bumper Contest for a chance to win cash prizes, including a Grand Prize of $1,000.

A wonderful opportunity for aspiring and enthusiastic filmmakers looking to strut their stuff, and a great summer vacation project, bumpers are 20 to 60 second short films designed to play before festival feature presentations. The top bumpers submitted to the contest will be shown on screen during the 11th Annual Traverse City Film Festival and the very best will be eligible for cash prizes, including the $1,000 Grand Prize.

The festival is looking for creative and fun pieces that capture the spirit of both the festival and Traverse City — it’s beauty and movie savvy. Let your imagination run wild.

For complete details about the contest, including the fine print, go to http://traversecityfilmfest.org/bumpers/.

Winners will be contacted after the jury makes their decisions, and will be announced in late July.

Here are the winners from last year’s contest!

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Volunteer Manager Open House: Wednesday, June 24

14615748650_d76b558bc7_bThe Traverse City Film Festival is seeking awesome, fun-loving people to join our team as Volunteer  Managers for the 2015 festival! Please stop by our Volunteer Manager Open House on Wednesday, June 24 at 6 pm in the Basement Conference Rooms of the Park Place Hotel (300 E. State Street). We would love to meet you! If you can’t make it, please call 231-392-1134 or email volunteer@tcff.org. Interested parties should also feel free to email volunteer@tcff.org in advance of the Open House. We would love to get you on board now! 

Why Be a Manager?

TCFF volunteer managers are the core of our amazingly talented, incredibly devoted, and super fun festival family. The festival couldn’t run without the many managers who spend part of their summer in the most beautiful place on earth working with the best team on planet. Friendships forged under fire last forever! Create something meaningful for the community, meet new people, spend time with friends and family, and gain invaluable experience. Help us put on the best festival in the world and have tons of fun along the way! For more information, please visit TCFF Volunteer Managers.

Open Positions:

We have roles and venues available to meet almost any interest and commitment level.

Volunteer Coordinator

Help us manage the 100s of incredible volunteers who come together each summer to create the ultimate celebration of cinema. In this position, you’ll get to know the amazing volunteers from around the area and world who make this all possible. Key duties include sending out mass communications to volunteers regarding upcoming events and shift/signup available and responding to volunteer email inquires with the assistance of an office intern. You’ll also be involved in helping place volunteers and managers in specific roles while keeping an eye on how shifts are filling up. Responsibility, organization,  great social skills, fantastic communication, a sense of adventure, and a commitment to your community are desired. 

Green Room Manager

Go behind-the-scenes and join our amazing hospitality team. Provide festival guests and visiting filmmakers with a comfortable and well-stocked green room for them to relax in before, during, and after their screenings. The Green Room manager is responsible for helping schedule green room volunteer attendants and coordinating the pickup and delivery of food and beverage across venues. Organization, friendliness, ability to read a situation, an eye for styling a space, and professionalism are key.  Read more

It’s Official: TCFF is the Coolest

Copy-2-of-Spread1-620x400Big thanks to MovieMaker Magazine for including us on their annual list of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals” in the world! Citing the grandeur of our home venue, the State Theatre, our programming, and one of the world’s most unique moviegoing experiences, Movies of a Boat, we join the ranks of a very eclectic list that includes South by Southwest, Seattle International Film Festival, Sidewalk Film Festival, and Stanley Film Festival.

Find the complete list here.

For the Love of Film – TCFF10 Documentary

Experience the festival through the eyes of a talented group of budding filmmakers!

Each year, as part of the festival’s educational partnership with the Interlochen Arts Academy, the student Documentary Storytelling class works with a visiting TCFF filmmaker to create a short film about his or her festival journey.

This year, however, the class decided to mix things up, and in recognition of the fest’s 10th Anniversary the students put together a short film about the history of the TCFF. Featuring interviews with Michael Moore, executive director Deb Lake, and co-founder John Robert Williams, you can watch the doc in its entirety below.

Doc Podcast: Live from the TCFF

"Documentary Podcast" cohost Steve Byrne (left) speaks with doc programmer Thom Powers at the 2014 Traverse City Film Festival.The most recent edition of “The Documentary Podcast” for the Detroit Free Press features a special report on location at the Traverse City Film Festival. Listen below to hear interviews with TCFF moderator and leading documentary programmer Thom Powers (Toronto International Film Festival, Doc NYC), TCFF Founders Prize Special Award winner James Spione (“Silenced”), and director Orlando von Einsiedel (“Virunga”).

Hosts Steve Byrne and Kathy Kieliszewski also discuss the magic of the TCFF, some of their favorite films they saw at the festival, and other highlights from a week spent in movie lovers paradise.