MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – It’s film festival time at Marquette’s Lower Harbor Park when it becomes the cinematic centerpiece for documentary films and the talented filmmakers that produce them.
The Fresh Coast Film Festival is all about documentaries celebrating the outdoor lifestyle and the personality of the Great Lakes. Co-founder Bugsy Sailor says if the outdoors is your thing, they have a film for you.
“There’s adventure, conservation, and anything from beekeeping to birding to Great Lakes, surfing, if you can do it outside, there’s a film about it at Fresh Coast,” said Sailor.
In its 8th year, Fresh Coast is always evolving with this year being the biggest festival so far.
“have some live music down here, bring filmmaker panels back for this year. So really trying to flush out everything we can do with 85 films over the course of a weekend,” explained Sailor.
New York filmmaker Stephen Michael Simon couldn’t attend last year, but this year?
“I was so excited to be able to put in a new film and hopefully get in and be able to come here. And so I’m here. It’s gorgeous out and excited to be here,” exclaimed Simon.
His film is about a woman living off the grid.
“She had no water, Wi-Fi electricity, nothing, just a young woman living alone out there. So it’s a character piece on her,” said Simon.
There are 85 films in 8 different venues, with filmmakers from around the country; some novices, some seasoned pros, but all films are curated to capture the spirit of our region.
“We like to break our own rules, so we’ll throw on some art films here and there, but really, we are telling the story of the Great Lakes Region, and what we like to call the resilient spirit of the Great Lakes,” said Sailor.
The festival box office is located in the Marquette Commons and is open from 10 am to 7 pm through Sunday.
