Coming-of-Age

Filmmakers Present!

A recently widowed young mother living in a quaint Swedish farming community in Kansas hires an adorable twenty-something Norwegian soccer player to be a male au pair and help her raise two sons, 9 and 15 respectively. When the young Viking rebuffs her advances and gets too close to the boys, she wonders, 'is he gay, or just European?" The film stars rising Norwegian actor Håvard Lilleheie, of the 2003 top selling Norwegian film United, and porn-star-turned-actress Traci Lords (of Zach and Miri Make a Porno) in what its makers call a “romantic dramedy.”

Filmmakers Present!

Susan Burke and Minneapolis’ own Stephen Gurewitz star in this comedy about a young couple who move into a shabby 300 square foot apartment looking to start a life together. But things don’t exactly go as planned. A series of mishaps and unexpected visitors make them realize that maybe they aren’t as perfect for each other as they previously had thought. The film was shot in Minneapolis over 14 days and also features MSPIFF alum Alex Karpovsky, the ‘Mumblecore’ filmmaker who presented his debut feature, The Hole Story, at MSPIFF in 2005.

Esther Harris, a devout young woman praised for her virtue and devotion to Warren F. Vanderbilt’s Prophetic Watchman Ministries, has been given the opportunity of a lifetime – to attend Vanderbilt’s Kingdom Bible College.

The film, loosely based on writer/producer Andie Redwine’s own experiences, traces Esther’s story living with the fundamentalist pastor's family until she is banished for a committing a “sin” in the eyes of the church.  She takes up with her new-found friends and co-workers who reveal a brand new and more lighthearted world to her…

Director Andrew Okpeaha MacLean Present

In a frozen isolation of Barrow, a tiny Alaskan town on the banks of the polar seas, two Iñupiaq teenage boys listen to the latest hip hop and race around on snowmobiles while hunting seals. During one of their expeditions (they use guns instead of harpoons), an argument with a third boy escalates into violence, with fatal consequences. In utter panic, the pair decides to frame the death as a tragic accident, lying and pretending it happened otherwise. A dark secret waiting to be discovered puts them on very thin ice as their families are suspected of murder.

Though it won Berlin Film Festival’s International Children’s Jury Prize this year, this film from Poland’s world famous Dorota Kędzierzawska  (Crows, A Time to Die, Nothing) is actually built for an adult audience.

Award-winning director of Mullberry Street, Jim Mickle’s latest film, Stake Land,will test the mettle of any diehard vampire horror fan. 

On the last sultry night of summer, four teenagers roam the suburban Detroit streets in search of elusive first kisses, wild parties, and cigarettes. David Robert Mitchell’s lauded feature debut is a dreamy, impressionistic mood piece that perfectly captures the longings and rebellions of the teenage years. Like those heady exploits of adolescence, the particulars of the plot are not as important as their mere existence.

Director Brendan Fletcher borrows from aboriginal storytelling traditions and uses regional amateur actors, some of whom actually lived the story, to strengthen the film's power and legitimacy.  An incredible raw-energy score, emotionally powerful acting, and the breathtaking Australian landscape make this family tale both endearing and unforgettable.

Winner of the Audience Award at the Palm Springs, Chicago, Philadelphia, and St. Louis film festivals, and Best Documentary at the Austin and Virginia film festivals, Louder Than A Bomb is a spine-tingling, heart-pumping, awe-inspiring ode to the ecstatic power of words.