HOUGHTON — Michigan Tech’s 41North Film Festival begins its four-day run at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts on the Michigan Technological University campus. The 41 North Film Festival showcases award-winning independent films and filmmakers from around the region, country, and world. Its mission is to provide Michigan Tech students and the surrounding community with an opportunity to see new films that take up important topics of the day, to facilitate engagement and discussion, and to provide opportunities to interact with filmmakers about the art and business of cinematic storytelling. In addition to award-winning films, the festival features music, panel discussions and much more. All events take place at the Rozsa Center or Fisher 135 are free and open to the public.

In addition to feature films, the festival will highlight short films with three Shorts Programs. Each of the Shorts Programs will feature films around a specific theme. The festival opens at 5 p.m. today with the first Shorts Program “Reckoning.” Five films will be shown, starting with “9,192,631,770 Hz,” a 2025 film. In conversation with his young son, a filmmaker wonders about time, our attempts to control it, and how it controls us. The other films in tonight’s Shorts Program include, “Waterlogged,” “The Conscience Files,” “Whose woods are These?” and “All the Empty Rooms.”

Following the short films, there will be music in the Rozsa Lobby by the MTU student band JazzTec. Tonight’s feature film is “Folkales” shown at 7 p.m. Teenagers attend a folk high school in Arctic Norway, relying on themselves, peers, and sled dogs as they navigate the path to adulthood and uncharted personal growth. The film is in English and Norwegian with subtitles

Friday’s feature films include Cat Town, USA at 5 p.m. and Underland at 7:30 p.m. Following Underland there will be a discussion with bradley Garrett and Tim Scarlett. Friday also features music in the Rozsa Lobby by the Jana Nyberg Group from 6:20 to 7:30 p.m. There will be two films, Obex and Brick shown at 7;30 and 9:30 p.m. in Fisher 135.

Saturday’s films include “How Deep is Your Love,” “The Librarians,” and “Natchez.” There will be music by Willowby in the lobby at 6:15. The final day’s films on Sunday, include “Best Day Ever,” “Life After” with a panel discussion to follow and the Academy Award winning animated feature “Flow.”

The festival wraps up with “Listers: A Glimpse into Extreme Bird Watchting.” at 7 p.m. Sunday.

For a complete list and description as well as trailers for the films, visit 41northfilmfest.mtu.edu