This spring's edition of the Minnesota Film Festival "shines a light on local films, Indigenous voices, stories from across the Midwest and beyond," as organizers say. The annual festival is presented at Zeitgeist in Duluth, this year from Mar. 19-23. In anticipation of the event, we spoke with Vera Bianchini, director of the festival and of Zeitgeist's MN Media Arts Education.
LSM: How long have you been involved with the Minnesota Film Fest and how did that come to be?
VB: This will be the second year of being the festival director for the Minnesota Film Festival - which is so special since I've been working for film festivals since 2017. I was
actually suggested for the position from the Upper Midwest Film Office (UMFO) when the position was open. I had just moved to the Duluth area in 2021 and was finding my place in the Duluth community working at both a garden center and a server. Before I moved to Duluth, I was heavily involved in the film community in the Twin Cities and before that worked for festivals across the country including, Sundance, Chicago International Film Festival, Provincetown International Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival – to name a few – while Minneapolis was my home base. In Minneapolis, I was the Membership and Development Manager for the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival up until 2021, when we decided we wanted to find new roots outside of the Twin Cities. My sister, who lived in Duluth as a teacher, convinced us that Duluth is something special. As we found our footing in 2021 as new residents of Duluth, while I was working at the garden center and serving, a previous coworker, Craig Laurence Rice suggested I talk to Riki McManus with UMFO to get connected to the film industry in northeastern Minnesota. From there I worked for UMFO in smaller capacities until the Zeitgeist job opened. I'm forever grateful for the UMFO team for connecting me with Zeitgeist and even more grateful for Zeitgeist allowing me the privilege of leading their film Initiative.
LSM: How do you choose the films to be shown and the programs to be presented?
VB: Programming a film festival is not an easy feat. For those who don't know, to program a film festival is essentially taking on the role of a curator who has to screen hundreds of films throughout the year to make thoughtful decisions about which films check the criteria we are looking for. We have a team of programmers, myself, Matthew Berg, our programming director, and our lead programmers Khayman Goodsky, Kelly Florence and our Pitch Competition Producer MacK McCullum. Then we have a team of 30 to 40 screening team members who help us review over 500 film submissions from over 25 countries. Every film festival is different program films differently that fit their community missions. Specifically for us, we look for films both made regionally and globally, with an emphasis on locally made films. We want to provide our local filmmakers a platform to be able to tell their stories while also programming gems from across the world and inviting them into our space so our filmmaking community can network and grow!
LSM: What has you particularly excited about this year's line-up?
VB: This year I am so pleased with the quality of our programming. We had such a hard time picking the best because almost everything we watched was so impressive. The competition was tough! My personal picks are Mississippi Speed Record and Ultimate Citizen. In both of these documentaries we get to see the impact of a community showing up to support their neighbors and I think sharing these stories can spark inspiration and hope for our audience. Additionally, this year is the first year we get to screen films and host events at satellite venues! Our Festival Community Screening is at the American Indigenous Housing Organization (AICHO) and our Spotlight Film, "Boundary Waters," and Spotlight Celebration where we give out almost $20,000 in awards will be at The Depot! We not only have a stacked lineup of films, but a packed schedule of events.
LSM: Tell me a little about the Pitch Competition; are festival goers able to see that?
VB: ABSOLUTELY! The MFF Pitch Competition is an annual competition that takes place during the Festival in the Zeitgeist Teatro, where emerging filmmakers from across the Midwest have ten minutes to pitch their next film concepts, or works-in-progress, for financial support to a panel of filmmakers and industry professionals. Then the judges have the opportunity to provide feedback and ask questions about the project, like "Who is their target audience? What makes this project standout from others? Why should people invest in the project?" This back and forth provides practice for the filmmakers to build confidence in their project and perfect their pitch! The competition is open for all to attend. It's important for other filmmakers to see how a Pitch Competition is run so they can apply for the following year or apply to any other Pitch Competitions outside of ours.
LSM: For those considering attending for the first time, what are a few good-to-know festival tips?
VB: I've got all the festival secrets. #1 - Study the program and reserve your tickets as soon as possible. Most of these films won't be shown anywhere else so the best thing to do is get a pass to be able to reserve as many tickets as possible trying to see the most films. It's the worst feeling to miss out on a "sold out" show. #2 - "Sold out" doesn't mean to give up hope of watching a screening! At the festival we have a "rush line" that begins when events begin to "sell out". As soon as we know someone isn't showing up to their reservation, we go ahead and sell the ticket to the folks in the rush line, first come, first serve. The rush line is actually SUPER FUN - until there aren't any seats left and you can't go in... #3 - Last tip I have is to ASK ALL THE QUESTIONS! Almost all of our screenings are followed by a Q&A with visiting filmmakers. This is the time to ask them – HOW they made their film? WHY they made their film? What inspired their decision making, etc! It's super neat to hear from their perspective the behind the scenes moments that made the production so special. Also I highly recommend sparking up a conversation with other attendees! The film festival is a great space to not only watch great films but to get to know the people around you who are sharing the same experience as you. It's a wildly good time!
LSM: Finally – what question do you wish people would ask about the Film Festival because you've been dying to answer it (and please do)?
VB: The question I would love to answer is "What is my favorite part about the Film Festival?" My answer to that is so simple and maybe not expected. Some folks say that their favorite thing about the festival is the parties, the cinematic films or the visiting filmmakers. Don't get me wrong, I love ALL of those things and more, but my absolute favorite part about the film festival is when I'm in the theater in a sold out show and the audience and I become one by laughing together, gasping together, crying together. Everyone in the cinema is going through a roller coaster of emotions because of the stories unfolding before our very eyes. And that moment is so special to me. It's when I feel the most connected with my community. I can't wait to share this experience with everyone in March!