Marquette's Fresh Coast Film Festival opens Thursday, Oct. 15, for a four-day 10th-anniversary run. Organizers advertise 94 films, 10 screening venues and outdoor tours in and around Marquette.
The festival, first held in 2016, bills itself as the first documentary film festival dedicated to the outdoor lifestyle and environment of the Great Lakes region. Co-founders Aaron Peterson, Bill Thompson and Bugsy Sailor are listed on the festival’s About page.
Thursday's opening event is free. Dubbed "Fresh Coast Free," it begins at 5 p.m. at the Fresh Coast Basecamp tent in Mattson Lower Harbor Park with food trucks and a bluegrass concert. Film screenings and announcements start at 7 p.m., according to the official schedule.
The festival describes the opening as family-friendly and encourages attendees to bring a blanket or lawn chair.
Peterson, the festival's co-founder and director, told WLUC the milestone still feels fresh. "It truly is, still, 10 years in, a one-of-a-kind film festival," he said. "It is of the Great Lakes, for the Great Lakes."
Co-founder Bugsy Sailor echoed that in an Oct. 9 interview with Marquette's Man About Town newsletter, saying the decade went by fast and that he was not surprised the festival has endured.
Screenings run through Sunday, Oct. 18, at venues including Blackrocks Brewery, Ore Dock Brewing Co., Peter White Public Library, The Honorable Distillery and Women's Federated Clubhouse. Both breweries have supported the festival since its first year, according to the festival schedule. Festival headquarters and the box office are at the Marquette Commons.
Morning panel discussions on Saturday and Sunday begin with coffee at 8:30 a.m. and conversations from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Check the official schedule for the panel location before attending. After-parties are set for Friday at 9 p.m. at Blackrocks Brewery and Saturday at 9 p.m. at Ore Dock Brewing Co.
The screening schedule includes "Currentcy," "Saving Sturgeon the Tribal Way," "Representing Flint," "Neon Reef" and "The Good Neighbor."
The Man About Town newsletter reported Oct. 9 that ticket sales were ahead of previous years. A day pass costs $44, a weekend pass $84, a student weekend pass $29 and a patron pass $189, according to the festival website. Online ticket sales end Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 6 p.m.
Upcoming Fresh Coast Film Festival schedule:
- Thursday, Oct. 15: Fresh Coast Free opening, 5 p.m., Mattson Lower Harbor Park
- Friday, Oct. 16: Screenings at multiple venues; after-party at 9 p.m. at Blackrocks Brewery
- Saturday, Oct. 17: Screenings, morning panels; after-party at 9 p.m. at Ore Dock Brewing Co.
- Sunday, Oct. 18: Final day of screenings and morning panels
Full schedule and tickets are available on the festival’s website.
