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Welcome, Media!

We are thrilled that you will be covering the 11th annual Traverse City Film Festival! With an astounding 131,000+ admissions in 2014 that resulted in 170 sold out screenings and with even higher numbers projected for this year, the Traverse City Film Festival has become one of the most talked about events on the North American festival circuit. Presenting “Just Great Movies,” the Traverse City Film Festival is committed to offering a diverse selection of the highest quality independent, foreign, and documentary films available. Press credentials can be picked up at 107 S. Cass Street, Suite A in the Rehmann offices on July 28th between 1 PM –5 PM. If you are unavailable to pick up at that time, please visit the Press Office or make special arrangements with either Nina or Andrea. SOCIAL MEDIA

facebook.com/TCFilmFest | @tcfilmfest | tcff.org | @TCFF | Traverse City Film Festival NEW THIS YEAR We are proud to introduce The Woz, Movies on Tap, the kickoff to the State Theatre’s Centennial year, The Sidebar: Food on Film, and new film category sections in the guide. The Woz is located in Traverse City’s Warehouse District at The Buzz at InsideOut Gallery. This is where we showcase interactive transmedia experiences that explore the expansion of cinema and gaming culture. Movies on Tap brings Traverse City Film Festival filmmakers, staff, volunteers, and filmgoers together at nightly after parties to continue the conversation. We’re excited to feature The Sidebar: Food on Film with four documentaries on food followed by a candid conversation between the stars of the Michigan culinary scene and sample bites of food prepared by these chefs. We’ve also added symbols in the guide to highlight #TWEEN films and LGBTQ equality films. Finally, in 2016 our festival’s anchor venue and historic movie palace will celebrate 100 years of showing movies. We are kicking off our Centennial Year with a collection of treasures from the early days of cinema. Find more about these new additions inside! CREDENTIALS: Press credentials offer you an inside view of the Traverse City Film Festival, including open access to the Opening Night and Filmmaker parties, interviews with industry guests, and more. If you have any questions or need more information during the festival, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our friendly volunteers are also stationed at every venue and can provide you with immediate assistance. Full press kits will be made available when you arrive at the festival. Enjoy the festival! Meg Weichman | Creative Director | meg@tcff.org Katy Gwizdala | Social Media & Blogger | katy.gwizdala@gmail.com Andrea Thompson | PR & Media Intern | andreafthomp@gmail.com Nina Capuzzi | PR & Media Intern | nina.capuzzi@gmail.com

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Media Guidelines & Information CONTACT press@tcff.org meg@tcff.org nina.capuzzi@gmail.com andreafthomp@gmail.com Press Office: 231-946-3230 ext. 2132 TCFF Main Office: 231-392-1134 Meg Weichman: 517-881-1039 Andrea Thompson: 810-407-2450 Nina Capuzzi: 815-575-2371 Fax: 231-929-4263 PO Box 4064 Traverse City, MI 49685 MEDIA CREDENTIALS Your press credentials will provide you with access to free morning discussion panels, film introductions, Q&A sessions following film screenings, and the Opening Night and Filmmaker parties. Beyond that, if you wish to attend any films for review or other purposes, or wish to attend any of the Traverse City Film School classes being held daily, you will need tickets. Your press credentials are not an all access passes to films or the film school. Please submit requests for any tickets ASAP to press@tcff.org. CREDENTIAL PICK UP Credentials are available for pick-up on Tuesday, July 28 in the Rehmann offices at 107 S. Cass Street, Suite A from 1 pm to 5 pm. After that time, please arrange to pick up credentials at the Press Office or by emailing or calling a member of the PR team. PRESS OFFICE The press office is located at 107 S. Cass Street on the second floor of the Rehmann offices. Signage will be posted to guide you from the street to the office. We will be credentialing on Tuesday, July 28th from 1 pm until 5 pm. The office will be available for your assistance and leisure Wednesday - Friday from 10 am until 3 pm.

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MOVIE TICKETS Due to capacity limitations, credentials do not grant access to films themselves. We can, however, often accommodate requests for movie tickets. Please submit all requests for movie tickets as early as possible to press@tcff.org. FILM SCHOOL Members of the press are permitted to attend sessions of the Traverse City Film Festival Film School, held Wednesday through Sunday at 12 noon and 3 pm, but must obtain tickets for any sessions they wish to attend. Filming may be permitted with the approval of the instructors. PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY TEAM GUIDELINES Still photography is permitted at TCFF venues before and after screenings, but never while films are being shown. No video cameras or recorders are allowed inside any venues except for during pre-arranged and TCFF PR approved guest interviews. Otherwise, members of the media wishing to film inside any venue including morning panels must make arrangements with and be accompanied by a member of the public relations team. The festival will produce photos and video clips of various festival events that are available daily to the media at no cost. For photos, visit the website at tcff.org. For video clips, please contact Videography Manager Morgan Burke-Beyers at morganburkebeyers@gmail.com. GUEST FILMMAKER INTERVIEWS Members of the media wishing to schedule interviews with specific festival guests and visiting filmmakers should submit those requests to the public relations staff in person, by phone, or via email. Please submit an interview request form. A hard copy will be included in your physical press kit and can also be found on the website (tcff.org) under the Press tab. Availability is entirely up to the filmmakers themselves and will be limited by their time constraints. A good time to get quotes or video and possibly catch filmmakers for short impromptu interviews is often following the morning panels, when time allows. TRUTH IN CREDENTIALING In granting credentials, the Traverse City Film Festival understands that those applying have accurately represented themselves and their organizations. Submitting false information to obtain credentials will be grounds for having credentials revoked.

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Interview Request Form Please return this form to a member of the PR Team, or email press@tcff.org Talent Requested: ___________________________________________________ Outlet: ____________________________________________________________ Journalist: __________________________________________________________ Phone: ________________________ Backup Phone: _______________________ Email: _____________________________________________________________ Type of Interview: ___________________________________________________ Preferred Dates and Times: ____________________________________________ Amount of Time Required: _____________________________________________ Deadline for Piece: ___________________________________________________ Special Needs (photo, art, etc.): ________________________________________ Scheduled Print/Air date: ______________________________________________ Additional Comments: _________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________

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General Information MISSION “The Traverse City Film Festival is committed to showing ‘Just Great Movies’ and helping to save one of America’s few indigenous art forms—the cinema. We are committed to showing great movies that both entertain and enlighten the audience. We need movies that seek to enrich the human spirit and the art of filmmaking, not the bottom line. Our goal is for people to leave the theater with the feeling that they just watched something special.” — Michael Moore, Founder and President. ABOUT THE FESTIVAL The Traverse City Film Festival is a charitable, educational, nonprofit organization committed to the idea that “One Great Movie Can Change You: Just Great Movies. The festival brings films and filmmakers from around the world to Northern Michigan for the annual film festival in late July to early August. The festival presents classic movies free of charge on a giant, inflatable outdoor screen overlooking Grand Traverse Bay in the Open Space at dusk. Free panel discussions with directors, writers, actors, and other members of the film industry are offered daily. And an affordable film school runs throughout the festival, offering twice daily classes for film students and film lovers. It was instrumental in renovating a shuttered historic downtown movie house, the State Theatre, which it continues to own and operate as a year-round, community-based, and volunteer-staffed art house movie theater. And in 2013, the festival renovated the historic Con Foster Museum building in Clinch Park and turned it into a sister screen for the State Theatre, the Bijou by the Bay. The festival was founded by Academy Award-winning director Michael Moore who makes his home here, runs the festival, and serves as president of the board of directors. Other board members include Rod Birleson (producer, “Capitalism: A Love Story”), Larry Charles (director, “Borat”), Terry George (director, “Hotel Rwanda”), Jeff Daniels (actor, “The Newsroom”), Tom Morello (musician, Rage Against the Machine), Christine Lahti (actor, “Running on Empty”), Mark Cousins (director, “The Story of Film: An Odyssey”), Tia Lessin (director, “Trouble the Water”), as well as Traverse City residents photographer John Robert Williams and former Walt Disney Co. marketing executive Penny Milliken.

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Programming Highlights 2015

STATE THEATRE CENTENNIAL YEAR In 2016 our festival’s anchor venue and historic movie palace the State Theatre, will celebrate 100 years of showing movies in downtown Traverse City! We couldn’t let this incredible milestone pass without a little pomp and circumstance, so we’re kicking off our Centennial Year with a once-in-a-lifetime event that will recreate the experience of going to the movies 100 years ago and featuring the great actress Geraldine Chaplin, daughter of Charlie Chaplin. THE WOZ: NEW MEDIA AND INTERACTIVE GALLERY Focus on the future of storytelling inside our all-free-all-the-time venue, The Buzz at InsideOut Gallery. In the lounge area outside the theater you’ll find The Woz, where we showcase interactive transmedia experiences that explore the expansion of cinema and gaming culture. We’ve partnered with our sponsor Michigan State University to bring you a showcase of media projects that go beyond traditional screens. Experience the virtual reality of Oculus Rift, play the world’s only ten-player arcade game Killer Queen, and much more! MICHIGAN FILMMAKER ROGER CORMAN The Detroit native returns to his home state as we fête a career that has been anything but conventional. One of the most prolific filmmakers in history, the legendary “King of the Bs” has his hand in over 400 films—and launched the careers of many Hollywood titans in the process. In addition to revolutionizing the way films are made and distributed, the independent impresario received an honorary Oscar for his signature brand of low-budget exploitation movies that single-handedly defined genre film. We wouldn’t recognize the world of film today without him. ROBERT ALTMAN TRIBUTE On the 40th anniversary of his seminal film “Nashville,” and 45 years after his directorial breakout “M*A*S*H” earned him a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most daring cinematic minds, we pay tribute to a true vanguard director. Altman’s wife Kathryn will join us in Traverse City as we celebrate his life and influence on the film world with a special panel and screening throughout the festival.

FILM CATEGORIES LGBTQ EQUALITY: We mark the historic occasion of the Supreme Court’s ruling on LGBTQ rights with a celebration of films that tell the stories of this heretofore shunned community, as we continue to do our part to put an end to an ear of hate. THE SIDEBAR: FOODS ON FILM: After films in this mouthwatering showcase of the best in culinary cinema, listen in on candid conversations between stars of the Michigan food scene, and sample bites prepared by the chefs and inspired by the films. #TWEEN: We’ve got Kids Fest for the young ones, and over 200 films for adults. This year, we sought of the best new movies for the generation currently coming of age. Films in the section may be suitable fro PG audiences.

FREE MOVIES @ THE BUZZ: The Buzz @ InsideOut is home to FREE films all day, every day. Join us for 25 free screenings and love events, compliments of the festival.  

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Panels 2015 Join our visiting filmmakers as they tell moviemaking stories, mixing it up with each other and the audience. Panels begin at 9:30 am Wednesday through Sunday and the City Opera House. Panel topics are SUBJECT TO CHANGE and are free and open to the public. Wednesday 9:30 am—City Opera House COME TO THE DOC SIDE Michael Moore wrangles a tribe of documentary filmmakers to discuss the joys, pains, triumphs, tragedies, and unexpected rewards of their art form. Always controversial, always entertaining, always bleeped on public radio. Thursday 9:30 am—City Opera House ROBERT ALTMAN: AMERICAN MAVERICK Innovator. Iconoclast. There is so much we could say about director Robert Altman and his incomparable body of work, but instead we’ll leave it to those who worked with him, loved him, and knew him best. Join us as we pay tribute to the spiritual father of American indie filmmaking at a panel featuring his wife Kathryn Altman, “Altman” director Ron Mann, and actors Michael Murphy and Geraldine Chaplin. Moderated by Michael Moore. Friday 9:30 am—City Opera House EQUALITY NOW For our first cinematic celebration of the birth of long-overdue equality in our country with the Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage, we are featuring the works of LGBTQ filmmakers and storytellers at this year’s festival. Hear from directors and subjects from many of these films. Saturday 9:30 AM—City Opera House THE COMEDY PANEL Because there’s nothing a little laughter can’t fix, join Michael Moore, funny filmmakers, comedians Doug Benson and Geoff Tate, and Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor of the New Yorker, for some wisecracks, witticisms, humor, and repartee as we explore the funny business of making comedy. This cherished festival tradition just got funnier! Sunday 9:30 AM—City Opera House ONE-ON-ONE WITH ROGER CORMAN Michael Moore sits down with this year’s Michigan Filmmaker honoree, the legendary Roger Corman, for candid conversation about a storied life in the movies. The King of the “B-movie,” the master of a 400+ movie empire, the man who single-handedly defined genre films, the person responsible for bringing great auteurs like Truffaut, Fellini, and Kurasawa to US audiences, and the recipient of an honorary Oscar for his many remarkable contributions to the cinema, Corman appears live on the City Opera House stage for this rare visit to his home state.

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Parties Opening Night Party Tuesday, July 28, 8:30 pm – 12:30 am Front Street (200 Block) between Park and Cass Streets | Rain or Shine Tickets: $50 Kickoff the festival with a sparkling celebration of “Just Great Movies” on Tuesday night. We’ll shut down Front Street and fill it with excitement, music, dancing, stars, the most delectable food Traverse City has to offer, and the very best beer, wine, and mixed drinks your all access ticket can buy—all under the stars glittering in the sky. Enjoy a red carpet evening bathed in the luminous glow of the State Theatre’s beautiful marquee as we welcome movie lovers to experience the magic of Traverse City. Movies on Tap @ 7 Monks & Low Bar Wednesday, July 29, Starting at 7pm 128 S. Union Street Join Traverse City Film Festival filmmakers, staff, volunteers, and filmgoers to continue the conversation. Love Beer? Among 7 Monk’s 46 taps and ever-changing bottled beer selection, you’re sure to find something that fits your own specific tastes. The bar offers craft beers from Michigan and around the world as well as wine on tap in a unique, fun atmosphere. Or head downstairs for a throwback to pre-prohibition crafted concoctions at Low Bar. Movies on Tap @ Little Fleet Thursday, July 30, Starting at 7 pm 448 E. Front Street Join Traverse City Film Festival filmmakers, staff, volunteers, and filmgoers to continue the conversation. With eight rotating food trucks, craft beer, cool cocktails, and an outdoor patio, the Little Fleet is summer in Northern Michigan at its finest. The open air bar, special events, the original “Nip and Sip” are just a few of the things that make the city’s only food truck lot so unique. The Birdcage Official After Party Thursday, July 30, 11:30 pm Side Traxx Video Dance Bar | 520 Franklin Street Join us at Side Traxx Video Dance Bar after our screening of “The Birdcage” at the Open Space for the official after party. This evening will feature an eclectic celebration of dance (Fosse! Martha Graham! Twyla! Michael Kid! Madonna!), themed drinks, no cover, and an atmosphere unlike any other.

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Movies on Tap @ The Parlor Friday, July 31, Starting at 7 pm 205 Lake Avenue A sense of nostalgia for a bygone era, a warm and inviting atmosphere, excellent service, and delicious and inventive handcrafted cocktails — no one can say no to an evening at The Parlor. Located in an former cherry warehouse in the heart of midtown, this beautifully refurbished bar is a great place to chat with friends, have a few drinks, and try some tasty tapas. Anniversary Party Friday, July 31, 9 pm – 11:30 pm The Corner Loft 201 E. Front Street Tickets: $100 Fundraiser for the Traverse City Film Festival The TCFF loves a good anniversary—and how! We’ve observed the 40th anniversary of the breakup of the Beatles, marked the 60th birthday of a filmmaker celebrating the 25th anniversary of his first film, and have been counting down to the State Theatre’s Centennial, which kicked off in July. This year’s festival is so chock full of commemoration pomp and circumstance—100 for Orson Welles and “The Tramp,” 75 for “The Great Dictator,” 50 for “Doctor Zhivago,” and 40 for “Nashville”—we’re throwing them all one big, grand party. Consider this intimate gathering the must-attend festival shindig. At the party we will honor our Hollywood royalty in attendance—Geraldine Chaplin, the family of the late Robert Altman, the legendary Roger Corman, and other surprise guests. Filmmaker Party Saturday, August 1, 8:30 pm – 12:30 am | Rain or Shine Century 21 Northland Parking Lot, corner of State and Park streets Tickets: $50 Celebrate with visiting filmmakers in the miraculously transformed parking lot on the corner of State and Park streets. At 9:30 pm, be one of the few to see the Founders present this year’s festival awards to a group of amazingly talented filmmakers. Featuring a smorgasbord of food, drinks, and entertainment, this star-studded party is destined to be a blast. Movies on Tap @ U&I Lounge Saturday, August 1, 7 pm – 2 am 214 E Front Street The U&I serves you suds in those dimpled steins your grandfather used to have, remember? The ones on the bottom shelf of the hutch that he’d bring out for thanksgiving? Man, that was a good time. And downtown’s best “dive” is hardly a dive at all, and they honestly have some of the best food in town – much better than that 1%er fare at those cafes, amirite?

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TCFF Closing Night Bash Sunday, August 2, 7 pm – 9:45 pm Open Space Park FREE for Everyone! Join us in the Open Space on Sunday night for our free community party and stay for a screening of the new family classic, “The LEGO Movie.” With live music, games, prizes, a Master Builder interactive photo booth, treats, and more, it will be a night so action-packed, you’ll feel like you’ve been identified as The Special. We’ve even heard that there may be a double-decker couch. It’ll be the greatest, most interesting, most important party of all time! Movies on Tap @ The Franklin Sunday, August 2, Starting at 7 pm 160 E Front Street The Franklin is one of Traverse City’s newest downtown bars and eateries. Their menu incorporates a diverse mix of Michigan favorites and exotic flavors from around the world. While you’re eating or drinking from their carefully curated selection of beer, wine, and spirits, enjoy the view from outside on the rooftop patio or inside behind the glass wall overlooking Cass Street.

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Film School Returning to Scholars Hall, thanks to our generous sponsors Northwestern Michigan College and the Herrington-Fitch Family Foundation, our Film School offers twice-daily sessions featuring visiting filmmakers and professionals sharing their insights and experiences with an audience of students and film lovers of all ages. Tickets are just $5 per class. Classes are subject to change. Wednesday 12 noon—There’s More Than One Way to Write a Screenplay Lesley Alicia Tye, Instructor of Creative Writing and Motion Picture Arts, Interlochen Arts Academy There are a ridiculous number of screenwriting aids out there, all claiming to be the best for helping you craft your cinematic masterpiece. But of course, not every story, and not every writer, is the same. This workshop aims to present a variety of practical approaches, exercises, and methods for structuring scenes and stories, constructing successful dialogue, and creating compelling characters

3 pm- Acting for the Camera: Working with the Director U of M Screen Arts & Cultures Lecturer Robert Rayher, Casting Director-Actor Pamela Guest, and actors Joe Carroll and Elizabeth Guest What makes movies unique on the level of performance is the relationship between director and actor. At best, they work together to believably populate the world the director envisions guided by the blueprint of the screenplay. Often times they speak entirely different languages, the director being trained in the technical, external aspects of filmmaking, while the actor is trained to use his or her “emotional” palette and inner life to create character. The different ways actor and director work together is the focus of this workshop.

Thursday 12 noon—Legal Basics for Filmmakers Joseph L. Voss, Senior Counsel, Clark Hill PLC One of the most challenging aspects of filmmaking can be working through the legal issues that confront producers as they move from development to production to distribution. This class offers participants an overview of the basic legal concepts producers need to know, and will include discussions about financing, chain of title, common production contracts, rights clearances, and the legal mechanics involved in film distribution.

3 pm—Modern Melodrama Ellen McCallum, Associate Professor, Michigan State University Hollywood’s melodramas of the 1950s marked a high point of the classic genre in works of directors like Douglas Sirk and Vincent Minelli. Late 20th-century directors like Rainer Fassbinder and Todd Haynes reinvented the genre with films like “Ali: Fear Eats the Soul” or “Far From Heaven.” Although directed by men, these films center on women’s desires and experiences. But female filmmakers have also reinterpreted the genre in remarkable ways, often showing us women through male characters’ eyes. We’ll discuss millennial women’s genre reinvention to think through classic melodramatic issues of family, attachment, sacrifice, and loss in a contemporary light

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Friday 12 noon—Cellphone Cinematography: Acting and Directing for the Tiny Screen Peter Johnston and Mark Colson, Michigan State University As filmmaking devices have been miniaturized into machines that fit into our pockets, how have the techniques of acting and directing changed to match? This workshop considers tools for creating a big-screen aesthetic using small devices (stabilizing, creating movement, and capturing great audio), as well as techniques directors should consider when working with actors to fully utilize the guerilla possibilities of cellphone cinematography.

3 pm—Julie Corman Master Class Producer Julie Corman Julie Corman is one of the most respected, resourceful, tenacious, and determined producers working today. She runs New Horizons Pictures, a production and distribution company,with her legendary producer-writer-director husband Roger Corman, this year’s TCFF Michigan Filmmaker honoree. At this year’s film school, Corman will share the knowledge and experience she earned while producing films like Martin Scorsese’s “Boxcar Bertha,” Jonathan Demme’s “Crazy Mama,” a film version of the play “Da,” which won a Tony for Barnard Hughes,“Lady in Red” written by John Sayles, and “A Cry in the Wild,” based on the Newbery Award-winning book “Hatchet.” The Traverse City Film Festival is honored to welcome the former Chair of the Graduate Film Department at New York University to our film school

Saturday 12 noon—Filmmaker Roundtable Class of TCFF 2015 Visiting Filmmakers

Join this year’s lively discussion with visiting filmmakers in an informal and interactive film school session. Bring your story ideas; questions on financing your film; distribution queries; technical issues; questions about equipment, working with actors, or location scouting—you name it. Or just kick back and enjoy the repartee and spirited dialogue.

3 pm—Music In Film: Past, Present, And Future Grammy-Nominated Composer David Joseph Wesley It’s hard to think about film and not hear your favorite theme songs running through your head. Since the dawn of cinema, music has been inextricably linked to film. Its emotional impact helps to drive the story and transport you to a different place and time. Join Grammy-nominated composer David Joseph Wesley in an exploration of music in film’s past, present, and future.

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Sunday 12 noon—Leap Of Faith: Producing Your Own Indie Film Rebecca Reynolds and Jim Carpenter, 8180 Films After years working as a screenwriter and TV producer in Los Angeles and New York, Rebecca Reynolds will talk about how she took a leap of faith with partners Jim Carpenter and Larry Brand to start 8180 Films, an indie film company based in Leland, Michigan. Sharing clips and anecdotes from 8180 Films’ three award-winning features (“Christina,” “The Coexist Comedy Tour,” “The Girl on the Train”) and their upcoming performance documentary (“Beyond Glory”), Reynolds and Carpenter will divide the workshop into three sections: Our Story—how 8180 Films got started; Your Story—attendees share their own challenges; and Next Story—how to take your own leap and produce an indie film.

3 pm—Indie Darling Bob Byington’s Guide to Filmmaking Bob Byington, “7 Chinese Brothers” Join award-winning writer/director and TCFF perennial Bob Byington as he discusses the craft of storytelling in independent film. This master class in filmmaking includes a trip through his body of work, beginning with “Registered Sex Offender” (TCFF 2009), through the creation of his latest indie sensation, “7 Chinese Brothers,” from conception, to filming, to screening at TCFF. Byington’s sardonic and literate approach has yielded rich characters acted by the likes of Nick Offerman, Kevin Corrigan, and Jason Schwartzman. Don’t miss your chance to hear directly from one of today’s top filmmaking talents. Wednesday & Thursday 2:45 pm—Young Filmmakers Workshop: Lights, Camera, Action! Claymation Animation (ages 7-11 years) Animate your own clay creations and make a short film that will be shown on Saturday before the Kids Fest shorts program! Students will design and bring 3D claymation characters to life in this two-day workshop presented by Blackbird Arts. You can read more about their additional workshops at blackbirdartstc.com. Sponsored by Blackbird Arts.

Free Movies at the Open Space One of Traverse City’s most beautiful and versatile public gathering places, an ideal venue to enjoy an outdoor movie as well as the very best summertime fun northern Michigan has to offer. Join us for free outdoor movies on a giant screen right on the waterfront: "Gravity" on Tuesday, "The Great Dictator" on Wednesday, "The Birdcage" on Thursday, "The Breakfast Club" on Friday, "Guardians of the Galaxy" on Saturday, and "The LEGO Movie" on Sunday following the FREE community Closing Night Bash.

Kids Fest 2015 The under-12 set just can’t get enough of Kids Fest, and it’s easy to see why! With great movies, popcorn, and plenty of activities at our FREE lawn party, there is simply no better place to spend a summer day. After the $1 family movies at Lars Hockstad Wednesday-Saturday, join us from 11 am to 2 pm on the beautiful lawn outside for games, arts and crafts, performances, bubbles, sports, food, giveaways, and much more. Bring some sunscreen and kids who are ready to party. The fun is on us!

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Cinema Salon Join us for moderated but informal community-in-the-round discussions after select movies in our Cinema Salon series. Everyone is welcome to gather and talk about the movies in the beautiful outdoor setting of Clinch Park, rain or shine, right outside the Bijou by the Bay and just a short walk from the other downtown movie houses.

Schedule

After these 12 noon films After these 3:00 pm films

Wednesday Hot Type: 150 Years of the Nation

The Brainwashing of My Dad

Thursday Indian Point The Hunting Ground

Friday Fear Not the Path of Truth The Wanted 18

Saturday Prescription Thugs A Courtship

Sunday Shorts: Finding Yourself A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story

Board of Directors Founder and President Michael Moore, winner of an Oscar (“Bowling for Columbine”), an Emmy (“TV Nation”), a Palme d’Or at Cannes (“Fahrenheit 9/11″), and the British Book of the Year award (“Stupid White Men”), was the first 18-year-old elected to public office in Michigan. He operated the art-house film series East Village Cinema in his native Flint, Michigan, for eight years. Moore serves as the board president.

Larry Charles, a Brooklyn-born writer, director, and producer, directed the largest grossing comedy of 2006, “Borat,” which had its North American premiere in Traverse City at the second annual film festival. “Borat” was named by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best films of 2007. Charles was also one of the original writers of “Seinfeld,” a director of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and a writer/producer of HBO’s “Entourage,” and currently works on FX’s “The Comedians.” Charles serves as the board vice-president.

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Rod Birleson is an educator and documentary filmmaker. He earned a degree in secondary education at Eastern Michigan University in 1970 and taught 27 years in Michigan public schools before retiring from teaching in 1997. He began his filmmaking career by being one of the two key field producers for the groundbreaking film, “Roger & Me.” Rod went on to work as a producer on “SICKO” and “Capitalism: A Love Story.” He has been active on the film festival from the start, acting as a moderator, panel member and volunteer for the Traverse City Film Festival.

Co-founder John Robert Williams is also a lifelong resident of Traverse City. A full-time commercial photographer for over 26 years, his studio is in the center of downtown Traverse City. He has served Traverse City since he was appointed to the City Planning Commission at age 17. A long-time member of Rotary Charities, he has been instrumental in founding the Dennos Museum, TART Trails, radio station WNMC, and Cross-Town Properties’ affordable housing. Williams serves as board treasurer. Mark Cousins, an Irish-born film critic and director, wowed Traverse City audiences in 2012 with “The Story of Film: An Odyssey,” his epic 15-hour look at the history of the movies which just won a Peabody Award. He returned to the festival in 2013 with crowd favorites “The First Movie” and “A Story of Children and Film” and received the festival’s Visionary Award. Around the world, Cousins is hailed as one of today's leading film intellectuals and auteurs. Michigan-native Jeff Daniels is an Emmy Award-winning ("The Newsroom") and Golden Globe-nominated actor, musician, writer and director. He founded the non-profit theater company, Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his hometown of Chelsea, Michigan and received the first annual Michigan Filmmaker Award at the TCFF in 2006.

Terry George, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing “In the Name of the Father.” His “Hotel Rwanda” received three Oscar nominations. Much of his film work (“The Boxer,” “Some Mother’s Son,” and “In the Name of the Father”) involves Northern Ireland. His storied career as a playwright, screenwriter, director, curator, draftsman, journalist, and magazine researcher has led him to his current place among the upper echelons of dramatic filmmakers.

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Christine Lahti is a Michigan-born Emmy Award- and two-time Golden Globe Award-winning actress, and the Academy Award-winning film director of “Lieberman in Love.” She starred in the TCFF fave “Yonkers Joe” and many other films including “Running on Empty,” and is the recipient of the 2007 TCFF Michigan Filmmakers Award. She joined the board in 2008.

Tia Lessin is an Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker produced and directed "Trouble the Water" (2008), winner of the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize. With a commitment to social advocacy, Lessin has worked in both television and film and is the recipient ofthe L’Oréal Paris/Women in Film’s Women of Worth Vision Award and the Sidney Hillman Prize for Broadcast Journalism.

Penny Milliken is a voting member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Traverse City native, community leader, and former marketing executive at the Walt Disney Company. Penny brings both a love of the Grand Traverse Region and an accomplished background in digital media, filmed entertainment, theme parks, and e-commerce to the festival board.

Tom Morello is a Grammy Award-winning guitarist noted for his work as a founder and member of the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, and The Nightwatchman. He is also the co-founder of the non-profit political activist organization, Axis of Justice, bringing together musicians and fans of music to fight for social justice. His music has appeared in a number of films including "The Matrix," "Iron Man," and "Zero Dark Thirty."

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VENUE MAP

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Lodging Partners

Park Place Hotel 300 E State St,

Traverse City, MI 49684 Phone: 231-946-5000

 

Fairfield Inn & Suites 3701 North Country Drive

Traverse City, Michigan 49684 Phone: 800-228-2800

 

Holiday Inn Express & Suites 3536 Mt. Hope Road

Acme, Michigan 49690 Phone: 231-938-2600

 

Courtyard by Marriott 3615 S Airport Rd W

Traverse City, Michigan 49684 Phone: 231-929-1800

 

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Grand Beach | Sugar Beach US 31 North

Traverse City, Michigan 49686 Phone: 231-938-0100

 

West Bay Beach – A Holiday Inn Resort

615 E. Front Street Traverse City, Michigan 49686

Phone: 231-947-3700  

Grand Traverse Resort and Spa 100 Grand Traverse Blvd

Williamsburg, Michigan 49690 Phone: 231-534-6000

 

Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel 7741 M72 East

Williamsburg, Michigan 49690 Phone: 231-534-8888