The 16th annual Central Michigan International Film Festival is scheduled to kickoff this Wednesday, Feb. 13 and run through Saturday, Feb. 16.
The festival has expanded to three venues this year with The Platform Theatre at Moore Hall joining Celebration Cinema and the Sarah and Daniel Opperman Auditorium at Park Library.
There will be 23 feature films and five short film programs playing throughout the duration of the film festival.
"We do this to bring another art form to our region, Mt. Pleasant and the surrounding communities. We don’t get a lot of independent and foreign cinema coming to town," says Patricia Williamson, Festival Director and Associate Professor in the Broadcast and Cinematic Arts department at Central Michigan University.
"We try to bring in a diverse and inclusive slate of films from different countries and filmmakers, to have a place to exhibit their work and bring a cultural event to the region."
Williamson says that the films include a range of Oscar-nominated movies and otherwise critically-acclaimed independent cinema that have yet to be shown in town, or have even been made available via online streaming services.
There are also a number of locally produced movies, short films, and documentaries scheduled.
This year’s festival is made possible in part through grants from the Tournées Film Festival, which is bringing six French films to CMIFF, and the Michigan Film and Digital Media Office. There are also several sponsors.
"In this day and age, so many people stay in and watch movies on their phones or at home on the TV," Williamson says.
"This is a chance to go out with family and friends and make a night of it. It’s a more social occasion then you tend to find these days."
For a full line-up of movies and showtimes, visit the Central Michigan International Film Festival online. Tickets are available for $5 online or at the door.
Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.