The MSP International Film Festival is back!! In case you missed it, here is the post from March where I talked about the awesome lineup, opening + closing night films, and all the international female-directed movies I’m excited about. I’ve pored over the list of films in the past few weeks and got my tickets already, too! See the link below for the schedule and see which filmmaker guests will be in attendance.

Download the full schedule in PDF

---

#MSPIFF24 DOCUMENTARIES

With 200+ films from all over the world, this is the perfect time to see as many international films as I can. The one genre that is abundant in film festivals is documentary, and that’s a good thing as I find that some docs are hard to find in theaters, and many wouldn’t hit streaming until long after their film festival runs. I love the variety of documentaries at MSPIFF this year, from art, film, and music to social justice issues from here (MN-made) as well as around the world, there is something for everyone!

Here they are in alphabetical order (those marked with * are directed by women):

1) Art For Everybody* (USA)
Who hasn’t seen a painting of Thomas Kinkade aka the “Painter of Light”? His paintings have been made into calendars, cards, etc. but I don’t know much about the man behind the artist. So I’m intrigued by the premise of this film:

Synopsis: After his shocking death, his family discovers a vault of unseen paintings that reveal a complex artist whose life and work embody our divided America. 

2) Behind the Mist (Ecuador) 
As someone afraid of heights, stories about daredevil climbers are inherently fascinating to me.

Synopsis: Iván Vallejo and Sebastián Cordero are Ecuadorian climbers and filmmakers, respectively. Together they begin a documentary of Vallejo’s ascent to the top of Mt. Everest, but as they climb higher, their vision of the film differs radically, and dangerously.

3) Broken Eyes* (MN-made) 
What a heartbreaking story, props to Minnesota filmmaker Dana Conroy for telling her story and providing warnings for others, her debut feature sounds like one that demands to be seen.

Synopsis: A documentary that centers on a filmmaker whose vision is destroyed by Lasik’s eye surgery and she decides to make a movie about it.

4) Call Me Dancer* (India, USA, Israel, UK) 
I’m always intrigued by stories about unlikely duos and this one is set in the dance world.

Synopsis: Call Me Dancer tells the story of a young Indian street dancer from Mumbai, Manish Chauhan, and his curmudgeonly 70-year-old Israeli teacher, Yehuda Ma’or. 

5) The Electric Indian* (MN-made)
I’m not a sports fan so I have a blind spot for sports figures, such as hockey legend Henry Boucha (his photo is on the post banner). Directed by MN filmmaker Leya Hale.

Synopsis: A member of the Ojibwe Nation, he played in the NHL for the Minnesota North Stars and Detroit Red Wings before he was assaulted on the ice. Temporarily lost without his hockey career, he was forced to start again and find his true self off the ice. 

6) The Gullspång Miracle* (Sweden, Norway, Denmark)
A mystery documentary with an eerie twist!

Synopsis: Two pious sisters buy an apartment after having witnessed a divine sign – only to realize that the seller of the apartment looks identical to their other sister, who committed suicide some thirty years before.

7) The Last Daughter* (Australia) 
As someone who spent some time away from my nuclear family, this is a story that really appeals to me in a personal way.

Synopsis: When she was young, Brenda was taken from her Aboriginal family and placed in a white one, where she lived, and was loved, for five years. Then, just as suddenly, she was returned, but the emotional toll resonated for years.

8) Laurel Massé: How Can I Keep From Singing (MN-made) 
Rilley Tillman is well-known in the MN film community not just as an indie filmmaker but also as FilmNorth’s Education Director. His new documentary centers on a singer he admires which has taken him nearly two decades to bring to life.

Synopsis: This uplifting documentary follows Laurel Massé from her early career in The Manhattan Transfer and the sudden success of that group, through the challenges the music industry wanted to thrust upon her and her bandmates.

9) Luther: Never Too Much* (USA) 
I love music documentaries and this one centers on the late R&B legend Luther Vandross whose velvety voice is truly the best of a generation.

Synopsis: Originally a supporting singer, Vandross sought his own path, and the result was becoming one of the most influential pop artists of all time. Dawn Porter’s joyful documentary will have you dancing in the aisles.

10) Maestra (USA) 
I had no idea that female conductors are called Maestra but this competition sounds really riveting as it features competing women from around the world at the early stages of their careers.

Synopsis: Maestra profiles five fiercely tenacious female orchestra conductors in the early stages of their careers who participate in France’s “La Maestra.”

11) Merchant Ivory (USA) 
A Room with a View, Howards’ End, Remains of the Day, etc. – their films have been nominated for multiple Oscars and received universal acclaim from critics and moviegoers alike. As a fan of period dramas, I can’t wait to see this doc!

Synopsis: Merchant Ivory tells the story of the incredible creative team of James Ivory, Ismail Merchant, and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.

12) Música! (Cuba, USA)
The power of music has been the subject of many films and docs, but this one shows the value of cross-cultural exchange and the impact it can have on individuals’ lives.

Synopsis: Over five years, Música! follows four young Cubans who view music as a way of life. Through music, they hope to find success and fulfillment, some choosing to remain in Cuba, and some seeking to venture out into the world beyond.

13) TEHACHAPI (France) 
I love how art can bring unlikely people together. The filmmaker JR is also an artist who empathizes with those in need of second chances. He not only recruited the inmates as subjects of his art project but also as intimate collaborators.

Synopsis: French artist JR (aka Jean-René) gathered 40 inmates from Tehachapi prison to create another of his signature epic photo collages in their prison yard, hoping to tell the stories lost behind bars, bring a unifying power to the inmates, and give them a small amount of grace.

14) Unbroken (documentary – USA) 
Given today’s heated political climate given what’s happening in Gaza, sadly there’s an increase in holocaust deniers and anti-semitism. All the more reason I want to see this personal story of someone whose family was able to escape Nazi Germany during WWII.

Synopsis: The daughter of a Holocaust survivor explores the questions she asks herself: “Would I be here if my mother hadn’t been hidden?” and “Who else helped my mother and her siblings survive?”

15) Watershed* (MN-made) 
I’ll be sure to bring tissues to see this one. Similar to Broken Eyes where the filmmaker is compelled to share their tragic and personal story, it will surely inspire us to make the most of our circumstances. 

Synopsis: This stunning and deeply personal documentary, conceived and directed by husband-wife team Mallory Weggemann and Jay Snyder, captures their lives after what she calls her “watershed moment”–when Mallory became paralyzed after an epidural injection. Yet she ends up surpassing even her own expectations by becoming a five-time Paralympic gold medalist,

---

Visit the MSPIFF official website and browse the rest of the documentaries playing in the next few weeks, some include trailers of the film.

---

Stay tuned for my coverage of MSPIFF43 films in the coming weeks!