Seats in Wealthy Theatre Wege Auditorium /Wealthy Theatre
Originally established in 2009, the Grand Rapids Film Festival (GRFF) is returning to the city Sept. 20-22, featuring multiple screenings, venues and local filmmakers.
The festival’s kick-off event is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 20 with a screening of the German-language film “The Universal Theory” (2023) at Celebration Cinema’s Studio Park starting at 6 p.m. Celebration Cinema has served as a longtime sponsor of the festival. A networking and social event will take place at The B.O.B following the screening, allowing filmmakers, local creative minds and audiences alike to mingle.
The Grand Rapids Community Media Center and Muse Art Gallery will host filmmaking workshops and an impressive schedule of screenings featuring short films, documentaries and full-length feature films throughout Saturday and Sunday.
“This year, with Wealthy Theatre’s involvement, we’re excited to expand the scope of the festival, including more screenings and opportunities for filmmakers to connect,” said Amanda Mo, GRFF board president. “There's a lot that goes into making the Grand Rapids Film Festival possible. Our board of volunteers puts in hundreds of hours over the year to get everything organized, from funding to programming.”
A Q&A session with local filmmakers Noah Bashore and Joel Potrykus will be held following the screenings of their Michigan-produced feature films “Walter, Grace & The Submarine” (2024) and “Vulcanizadora” (2024), respectively, on Saturday evening.
The fourth annual 24-Hour Micro Film Challenge will take place on Saturday. The challenge allows anyone to register solo or with a production crew to race against the clock to produce the best possible one-minute microfilm. The Micro Film Challenge screening & live judging will take place Sunday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Wealthy Theatre.
GRFF concludes Sunday with an awards ceremony at Brewery Vivant from 7-9 p.m. Winners for Best Film, Short Film, Music Video and Commercial will be announced.
In addition to GRFF, in partnership with Long Road Distillers, Celebration Cinema will bring another film event to Grand Rapids audiences aptly titled “Canned Film Series.” Paired with a themed Long Road signature canned cocktail, Celebration Cinema locations will screen 21+ showings of hits such as “Casablanca” (1942) and “Jaws” (1975).
The series will run every Wednesday evening, beginning with “Bridesmaids” (2011) on Sept. 18, paired with "Lavender Lemonade,” and ending on Nov. 6 with a showing of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (1987) paired with “Cranberry Fizz.”
All Canned Film Series showings begin at 8 p.m.
Disclosure: The Rapidian and Wealthy Theatre are both part of the Grand Rapids Community Media Center (GRCMC). This story was pitched and written by a community reporter, and coverage is provided independently of organizational affiliations.
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