41 North Film Festival celebrates 10 years in 2024

Students and the Copper Country won’t have to travel very far to see some great independent films. 41 North Film Festival will return this week. The festival for ten years has brought many incredible films to the Rozsa Center, free for campus and the community. Festival director Erin Smith says that keeping the festival free has been a true point of pride for organizers. She adds another point of pride that comes from involving faculty and the community in discussion panels during the festival.

So in most film festivals, what you have are filmmakers and maybe the subjects of the films, but we gather together people from our community and Michigan Tech to bring broader context and information about the subject matter of the movie. And we were just awarded a Michigan Humanities grant, partly I think in recognition of this work that we do putting together the panels. So, I think it adds a lot and it’s worth staying. The extra 25 minutes to hear that discussion and participate in it. – Erin Smith, Festival Director, 41 North Film Festival

This year’s lineup includes 20 titles over several genres and levels of recognition. From a story about an incredible jazz music student to a documentary about the Bad River Band in Wisconsin and the tribe’s fight for sovereignty. Smith says that 41 North wants to open perspectives and share incredible stories about the world around us.

So the film festival tries to have a variety of films that will appeal to people with different interests. So for the students this year, it’s the 10th anniversary of the film, Whiplash by Damien Chazelle about the jazz drummer and his teacher. And Filmboard is collaborating with us on that one, so that’s happening in the festival. And then we have a bunch of films that have premiered at Sundance this year, and some of which will probably be considered for Academy Award nominations. We have a movie about the happiness study that is issued in Bhutan, the country of Bhutan, and that’s just a wonderful look at how people think about the way they measure their happiness, which is something I think all of us are thinking about right now. – Erin Smith, Festival Director, 41 North Film Festival

Smith adds that This year’s film Every Little Thing, closing out the festival’s schedule, is a documentary the community won’t want to miss.

I wanted to put in a film that was just going to fill people with good feelings and a sense of wonder about our beautiful world and also just what it means to have that ethos of care and concern for other creatures. And this film is about a woman in California who has ended up turning her home into basically a rescue center for hummingbirds. And people from around the state bring their birds to her and it’s a beautiful story with beautiful photography of hummingbirds. – Erin Smith, Festival Director, 41 North Film Festival

41 North Film Festival begins on Thursday with the first short program, followed by the film Agent of Happiness. Friday’s programs will begin at 330 pm. Saturday’s films will begin at noon and at 1 pm on Sunday. Those interested in learning more about the 41 North Film Festival, or this year’s schedule can find more details here.