Now in its eighth year, the film festival kicks off the 20th anniversary of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s (TBNMS) federal designation. TBNMS was officially designated on Oct. 7, 2000, as the first freshwater marine sanctuary of the 14 nationally designated underwater parks.

“The Thunder Bay International Film Festival has become one of our flagship annual events,” TBNMS Superintendent Jeff Gray said in a press release. “Through the power of filmmaking, this year’s carefully curated selection of more than 50 films in five days will spark imaginations, touch hearts, awaken adventurous spirits, and most importantly, inspire wise stewardship of our Great Lakes and ocean.”

In partnership with the renowned International Ocean Film Festival, the TBIFF will showcase some of the most impressive ocean and Great Lakes films from around the world.

Festival organizer Stephanie Gandulla said the Great Lakes-themed films bring our connection to water closer to home.

Courtesy Photo “Water” is showing at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Thunder Bay International Film Festival at Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena. The film is produced and directed by Barb Barton, and edited by Zachary Irving, with music by Barton with Albert Strickland Cho’zen.

“It’s very exciting,” she said of the lineup. “We have the film festival premiere of ‘Cross Lake Erie’ on Friday night.”

That film, directed by Corey Adkins, is just one of the many films that will not only focus on the Great Lakes, but will feature filmmakers and crew members at the festival taking questions from attendees.

Films featuring the Great Lakes include “Sinkhole Science in Lake Huron,” “Wrecks Within Reach,” “Coreyon,” “Amidst the Decay,” “Katherine V,” “River Raisin Legacy Project,” “The Forever Chemicals,” “A Face in the Rock,” “Smart Buoys, Preventing a Great Lakes Water Crisis,” and all 14 films in the free Sea Grant program, “Fresh Water In Focus.”

“Wrecks Within Reach” is a Detroit Public Television and Great Lakes Now partnership, Gandulla said, and the DPTV producer is coming for that.

“So that talks about the sanctuary, and also the Alpena High School class doing their Science in the Sanctuary class,” she noted.

“Coreyon” is about a Saginaw Bay reef restoration project similar to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary reef restoration project, Gandulla said.

“Another awesome Great Lakes one is ‘Sinkhole Science,'” she said. “That’s about the sinkhole that’s just off Middle Island.”

At 1 p.m. in Theater 1 at GLMHC, “Sinkhole Science,” “Community Mural Project,” and “The Forever Chemicals,” about PFAS, will be some of the films shown. State Rep. Sue Allor will be speaking about PFAS during that session, Gandulla said.

“Community Mural Project,” by Steve Jakubcin features the aquatic-themed mural that the Alpena community banded together to rebuild on the side of The Local Basket Case downtown.

Another film with a local connection is “Mystery Valley,” also by Adkins, which focuses on a “disappearing” lake just south of Posen. Adkins is from Cadillac and plans to attend the festival.

“Water,” is a film about the Flint Water Crisis, produced and directed by Barb Barton, and edited by Zachary Irving, with music by Barton with Albert Strickland Cho’zen.

More than 1,000 students got a Sneak Peek of some of the films in the past few weeks, including 400 Alcona students on Monday.

New this year is a free filmmaking seminar for anyone wishing to document family stories through video. From 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at GLMHC, documentary filmmaker Elizabeth Kaiser will give a free seminar on how to easily film your family stories using household items and inexpensive tools for high-quality video that rivals that of professional videographers.

Throughout the festival, many of the filmmakers will be on hand to answer questions following their films.

TBIFF on the Road starts in Rogers City from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight at the Rogers City Theater. TBIFF on the Road then heads to the Alcona County Library in Harrisville from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday. Admission is $6 per person for the R.C. and Harrisville events. The festival continues at Alpena’s Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. TBIFF on the Road concludes with film screenings at 2 p.m. Sunday at Rogers City Theater.

A Thunder Pass for $100 gets you into every single program today through Sunday. Or you can get tickets separately for each program, but reserve them online now because they are selling fast, Gandulla said. Friday’s reception is $30. Daytime programs on Saturday and Sunday are $6 apiece, and Saturday evening’s program is $15. For the full schedule, check out thunderbayfriends.org. Call the GLMHC at 989-884-6200 or stop in at 500 W. Fletcher St. for more information.

Images in some of the films may be violent, graphic and disturbing to some, so the festival is recommended for junior high students and older. Festival films range in length from one minute to feature-length.

“This is the third consecutive year that the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office has sponsored the film festival, serving as our lead sponsor, Great Lakes Executive Producer, this year. This level of support recognizes the festival’s ability to attract a high caliber of national filmmakers and films,” noted Gandulla.

This one-of-a-kind film festival would not be possible without generous festival sponsors. In addition to the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office, sponsors include: Lake Huron Directors: Alpena Agency, Inc. — Auto Owners Insurance; Thunder Bay Stars: Alpena Convention & Visitors Bureau, Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan, HPC Credit Union, mBank, and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation; and Festival Friends: Alpena Beverage, Alpena Community Credit Union, Bouldrey, Senchuk, Rouleau & Williams CPAs PC, Tom and Karen Brindley, DPTV — Great Lakes Now, Everett Goodrich Trucking, Inc., Lappan Agency, McDonalds-Alpena, Northland Area Federal Credit Union, and Thunder Bay Eye Care.

New this year, school-age youth can watch festival films for free from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. 

Thunder Bay International Film Festival schedule

Tonight

¯ Tonight’s TBIFF on the Road (Program 1) films at Rogers City Theater include “Sinkhole Science in Lake Huron,” “Million Waves,” “Bahia,” “For the Love of the Reef,” “The Ocean’s Message,” “Every Nine Minutes,” “Dispatches from the Gulf 2,” and “Coral: Glimmer of Hope.” (Cost: $6)

Thursday

¯ Thursday night’s TBIFF on the Road (Program 2) films, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Harrisville branch of the Alcona County Library, include “The Salty Generations” and “700 Sharks.” Call the library at 989-724-6796. (Cost: $6)

¯ From 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at GLMHC, documentary filmmaker Elizabeth Kaiser will give a free seminar on how to easily film your family stories using household items and inexpensive tools for high-quality video that rivals that of professional videographers. (Cost: FREE)

Friday

¯ TBIFF Great Lakes Gala: Reception and Films (Program 3) starts at 6 p.m. Friday at GLMHC, for $30 per person, with drinks and hors d’oeuvres, followed by films at 7 p.m. Tonight’s films include “Sailor’s Delight,” “Wrecks Within Reach,” “Crossing Lake Erie,” “Coreyon,” and “Call of the Baby Beluga.” (Cost: $30)

Saturday

¯ TBIFF continues at 10 a.m. Saturday, with Program 4 in Theater 1: “Amidst the Decay,” “Under an Arctic Sky,” “Paige,” “Living with the Oceans,” and “The Katherine V.” (Cost: $6)

¯ Also at 10 a.m. is Program 5 in Theater 2: “Water,” “Farallones Patrol: Feeding the Devil’s Teeth,” and “Scars — Politics in the Big Blue.” (Cost: $6)

¯ At 1 p.m. in Theater 1 is Program 6: “Wake Up,” “Sinkhole Science,” “River Raisin Legacy Project,” “Community Mural Project,” “Colors of Change,” and “The Forever Chemicals.” (Cost: $6)

¯ At 1 p.m. in Theater 2 is Program 7: “Hybrids,” “Diving Surge Narrows,” “The Swimmer,” “China: Caging the Ocean’s Wild,” “The Final Breach,” and “Lives of Wild Dolphins.” (Cost: $6)

¯ The free Student Film Competition (Program 8) is at 3 p.m., featuring 13 student films in Theater 1, followed by the awards presentation. (Cost: FREE)

¯ “Fresh Water in Focus” Sea Grant program (Program 9) is at 4:30 p.m., featuring 14 short films in Theater 2. (Cost: FREE)

¯ Then at 6 p.m. is Program 10 in Theater 1, with a reception with hors d’oeuvres at 6 p.m., followed by these films at 7 p.m.: “Hybrids,” “Plankton,” “Water Warrior,” “Homecoming: Journey to Limuw,” “Mystery Valley,” “Diving Through Darkness,” “Beyond the Gulf Stream,” “Protecting Blue Whales & Blue Skies,” “Near Miss,” and “Deep Time.” (Cost: $15)

Sunday

¯ TBIFF continues at 10 a.m. Sunday at GLMHC, with Program 11 in Theater 1: “Deep Look — Whack! Jab! Crack!” “Defending the Deep,” and “Manry at Sea, In the Wake of a Dream.” (Cost: $6)

¯ Program 12 is at 11 a.m. in Theater 2: “The Blues Crab,” “The Blessed Assurance,” and “Call of the Baby Beluga.” (Cost: $6)

¯ Program 13 is at noon in Theater 1: “Fragile — Why Turtle Hatchlings Need the Sea,”and “Chasing Thunder.” (Cost: $6)

¯ Program 14 is at 1 p.m. in Theater 2: “Hybrids,” “Deep Look — Watch These Cunning Snails,” “Beach Watch,” and “Wakes.” (Cost: $6)

¯ Program 15 is at 2 p.m. in Theater 1: “The Adventures of Zack and Molly,” “Deep Look — Adorable Sea Slug,” “A Face in the Rock,” “Smart Buoys, Preventing a Great Lakes Water Crisis,” and “Surviving in the Lagoon.” (Cost: $6)

¯ Program 16 is at 3 p.m. in Theater 2: “Blue Carbon,” “Master of Turbulence,” “New Caledonia, Mother of the Coral Sea,” “Whitehall,” and “A Feather to Kill.” (Cost: $6)

¯ Program 17, TBIFF on the Road, is at 2 p.m. at Rogers City Theater, showing “Living with the Oceans,” “700 Sharks,” and “The Southern Right Whale.” (Cost: $6)

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