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41 North Film Festival

HOUGHTON -- Copper Country residents can explore stories of entrepreneurship, food,

wildlife, childhood and community when the 41 North Film Festival returns to Michigan

Technological University Now through Sunday All screenings and festival events are free and open to the public.

Most films will screen at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.

"The festival is an invitation to step outside our everyday routines, encounter something

unexpected and share that experience with other people," said Erin Smith. "There are stories

here that will make you laugh, spark your curiosity and give you an opportunity to ask questions

and talk about them afterward. We hope people will come for a film that interests them and stay

to discover something new."

The festival opened Thursday with a Michigan Tech connection. At 7:30 p.m., Breaking the Code

follows alumnus, entrepreneur and longtime benefactor Kanwal Rekhi's journey from India to the

Upper Peninsula and Silicon Valley. Rekhi attended the screen and his son Ben co-director, joined via Zoom for a conversation afterward.

Food and farming take center stage this evening. From 5:30 to 7:15 p.m., a farmers market in

the Rozsa lobby will feature local growers, food producers and artisans. At 7:30 p.m., “Fork in

the Road,” inspired by Wendell Berry's writings, explores farmers' efforts to sustain their land and livelihoods. Co-director Vivian Sorenson, a longtime producer of Chopped, will join local farmer Gina Kerr and Michigan Tech Associate Professor Angie Carter for a discussion following the screening.

Saturday begins at 12:30 p.m. with “Winter Is Coming,” a shorts program offering imaginative and

unconventional perspectives on the season. Together, the festival's three shorts programs give

audiences a chance to discover a range of filmmakers and storytelling styles. Shorts program

details

At 2 p.m. Saturday, the family-friendly “Cookie Queens” follows young Girl Scouts through cookie

season, capturing their ambition and entrepreneurial spirit. “Carl Sagan: We Are Made of Star

Stuff,” screens at 4:30 p.m., offers a portrait of the astronomer and science communicator.

At 7:30 p.m., “Wild Inside” tells the story of Flaco, the owl whose escape from the Central Park

Zoo captivated New York City. Michigan Tech wildlife ecologist David Flaspohler and

environmental ethicist Michael Paul Nelson will lead a post-film discussion about conservation,

captivity and human responsibilities toward wildlife.

Sunday's lineup begins at 12:30 p.m. with “Boatbuilders,” an intimate look at Maine artisans

constructing a sailing yacht. At 2:30 p.m., “Runa Simi” follows a Peruvian radio host's effort to dub The Lion King into Quechua. Fernando Valencia, Niigaanii Hartwig and Mariana Nakashima will join a discussion afterward about Indigenous language preservation and cultural representation.

At 5 p.m., “Joybubbles” introduces a blind man whose ability to navigate the telephone system

opened a world of connection. The festival closes at 7 p.m. with “Everybody to Kenmure Street,”

documenting a Glasgow neighborhood's efforts to protect two residents facing deportation.

Michigan Tech's Student Film Board will also present “The Peril at Pincer Point,” an island

adventure involving a sound recordist and a nautical prophecy, and “Bugonia,” Yorgos

Lanthimos's dark comedy about two conspiracy believers who abduct a corporate executive.

Both films will screen today and Saturday in Fisher 135. Joybubbles will be presented with

open audio description and open captions. For the complete schedule, film descriptions and event updates, visit 41northfilmfest.mtu.edu