In its 13th year, Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) is back again with a strong opening night! 

As I’ve mentioned in this post, TCFF showcases more than 140 movies starting Oct 20 – 29 in a hybrid format. About 80 in-person screenings take place at the Showplace ICON Theaters at The Shops at West End, with more than 100 films simultaneously debuting online via the TCFF STREAMS platform at twincitiesfilmfest.org

One of tonight’s feature films is TILL, which focuses on the mother of Emmett Till who was murdered in a brutal lynching in 1955. It’s about a mother who vowed to expose the racism behind her son’s attack while working to have those involved brought to justice. TCFF is honoring Deborah and Teri Watts (The Emmett Till Legacy Foundation) with the inaugural Empower Award during the post-film discussion.

Be on the lookout for TILL review dropping in the next few days.

So in the next couple of weeks, I’ll be covering TCFF with the help of a few friends: Laura Schaubschlager, Vince Caro, and Vitali Gueron as I’ll be traveling to New England to visit family during the first half of the film fest. I did have some time after work today to see the first film showing on opening night, the climate-change documentary OVERHEATED.

Since the official cause of this year’s “Changemaker Series” is Climate Action: Food and Fashion, it’s fitting that OVERHEATED is the first film to open the fest. There was a dance performance prior to the start of the screening, which I thought is a nice touch! 

Directed by Yassa Khan, it’s an effectively edgy documentary, featuring vibrant colors and current, Gen-Z-approved music while tackling important and timely issues about why everyone, young and old, should care about the environment. It seems obvious and on the nose, yes, but I personally think that for young people to care about climate change is a VERY good thing, as they are the future after all. 

The doc talks about how many people are suffering from climate anxiety, feeling worried, nervous, or scared of the consequences of climate change. There’s a bit of a frenetic even chaotic vibe of the doc, which is deliberate as it’s a commentary on the turbulent realities of how climate change affects our world. As dire as it can be when we talk about this topic, the film does end on a hopeful note about turning climate anxiety into action.

The doc features a myriad of musicians, artists, fashion designers, etc. such as Billie Eilish, Tori Tsui, Ibeyi, Samata, Maggie Baird, Yungblud, Vanessa Nakate, Girl in Red, FINNEAS, Samata, Emily Eavis, Vivienne Westwood, as well the voices from the frontlines of climate change.

The film is in part produced by Maggie Baird, mother of Billie Eilish and Finneas, who’s the founder of Support + Feed, a non-profit charitable organization that provides nourishing, plant-based meals to people experiencing food insecurity in our local communities. She attended the festival alongside nationally recognized artist and local philanthropist Stephanie Dillon, both the recipients of the 2022 TCFF Changemaker Award. 

Stay tuned for more coverage of TCFF 2022!

Check out the full 2022 TCFF Lineup

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