Below is a tentative documentary film schedule. Check back periodically for changes and updates.
4/30 at 9p: 104 Days
Description: In the aftermath of World War II, American business and labor engaged in one of the most important struggles of the 20th century. President Truman would intervene to negotiate a compromise and put nearly a million Americans back to work. In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the iron mining companies who dominated the region’s economy accepted no compromise. The future of the communities of the Marquette Iron Range hung in the balance. This documentary explores the unfolding conflict between the mining companies and their employees. Written and produced by students at Negaunee High School, the film thoughtfully explores this turning point in local history.
3/26 at 9p: Yoopera!
Description: A Yoopera is what happens when you combine Yoopers and Oopera (the Finnish word for opera). The result: An exuberant, operatic, and inspirational celebration of local history and culture.
2/26 at 9p: Sirkka: Past & Present
Description: A veteran of the Women’s Army Corps, of the Finnish-American stage and press, and of numerous progressive and liberal causes, Sirkka’s vivid recollections captivate viewers as she recollects the decades.
1/29 at 9p: Winter Wonderland
Description: This film takes the viewer on a journey across the state over a hundred-year period. It tells the story of the early ski jumpers in the Upper Peninsula, the rise of winter sports parks and the arrival of down hill skiing. Rare archival footage combined with beautiful location cinematography makes this the perfect video to watch on a snowy evening.
12/25 at 9p: Christmas Tree Ship
Description: Chicago’s Christmas Tree Ship is the true story of the now-legendary, but doomed Lake Michigan voyage of the three-masted schooner Rouse Simmons loaded with thousands of Christmas trees for sale in the 1912 Christmas season. It is a riveting tale of dedication, adventure, unflagging courage, and tragedy, but in the end, of inspiration, heartwarming redemption and joy.
11/27 at 9p: Manoomin (Wild Rice)
Description: A documentary about wild rice in the Ojibwe’s history and spiritual culture and the traditional procedures for harvesting, processing, and cooking wild rice. Produced in Michigan's Upper Peninsula by Sociologist Michael Loukinen, PhD.
10/30 at 9p: 1913 Massacre
Description: 1913 Massacre follows singer/songwriter Arlo Guthrie to the town of Calumet, a once-thriving mining town on Michgan's Upper Peninsula still haunted by the tragic events that inspired Woody Guthrie's ballad, '1913 Massacre."
9/25 at 9p: L’empreinte (Footprints)
Description: The renowned actor Roy Dupuis discovers how our historic encounter with the First Nations was a determining factor in the construction of Quebec’s collective identity. It may even explain many fundamental aspects of our society… Why, then, have French Canadians denied this part of themselves for so long?
