Michigan has a lot of creative talent and one area where we are really beginning to flex our muscle is within the filmmaking community.
Showcasing the works of our state’s filmmakers and those fans of this art form is the Grand Rapids Film Festival who, since 2009, has aimed according to its website is “to increase regional access to and overall production of quality films that provide meaningful, constructive and encouraging entertainment while harnessing the transformative power of film.”
Making good on the festival’s pledge to provide more space for such celebrations of Michigan film comes their Spotlight event, which is a socially-driven community event happening on Friday, Oct. 13.
Presented by the Michigan Film and Digital Media Office, Spotlight’s free outdoor cinema will feature two Michigan filmmakers—the winners of the April Festival’s Best Michigan Feature and Short.
Opening the night’s film program will be Jason Honeycut’s 14 minute short, “
Supermom.” The film tells the story of a daughter who believes her mother to be a real-life super hero, something that the film convincingly leads us to believe might just be right. It stars Justine Herron ("Kevin Hart - Let Me Explain") and John Hensley (lead of "Nip/Tuck," "Teeth," "Hostile III”).
The main feature at Spotlight is “
Something Fun” a film from University of Michigan graduate Chad Rhiness. In the film, Veronica Atburn returns to her hometown after a year of traveling the United States, reunites with her high school friends, and forces everybody to stop rehashing the past and start doing something fun.
Spotlight is free to the public, but if you want to enjoy a beer from Brewery Vivant or something to nosh on from Blue Spoon’s food truck, then bring your wallet. And while the film program begins at dusk, arrive early to enjoy a live DJ, interactive games, a photo booth, or just chill around the fire. Be sure to pack chairs or blankets for this special outdoor screening event.