A true movie theater experience comprises three things: a bucket of buttery popcorn balanced precariously on your lap, candy wrappers crinkling as you extract the contraband from your bag and overhead lights dimming until the mood is just right.
As Nicole Kidman reminds us in her famous AMC monologue: “We come to this place for magic.”
That movie magic is palpable at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, MSPIFF. Run mostly out of The Main Cinema, the 12-day festival connects audiences and filmmakers from around the world through films, panels and parties.
Known as the largest annual celebration of international cinema in the region, the festival’s lineup this year includes more than 200 films that will be shown between April 8-19.
In addition to the Main, viewers can catch these movies at venues throughout the Twin Cities, including daily showings at the Edina 4 Mann Theatre, plus select screenings at the Landmark Center and Film North in Saint Paul, Capri Theater in North Minneapolis, Pop’s Art Theater in Rochester and one screening at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
This year marks the festival’s 45th anniversary. While it’s evolved, its attitude of excitement has remained consistent, said MSP Film Society programming director Jesse Bishop.
“It’s a whole celebration of cinema and movies that we embark on each spring,” Bishop said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Bishop, who works with a team to select movies for the festival, first got involved with the film society selling tickets at the now-demolished Oak Street Cinema as a University of Minnesota student.
When looking for films to show at the festival, Bishop said his team emphasizes new and international work. They also try to curate a large selection of work by emerging artists who have few feature films under their belts.
“We’re trying to find stories that may be familiar but are told from perspectives that you don’t always get exposed to,” Bishop said.
Audiences aren’t the only ones eager for the festival. Filmmakers, too, are excited to bring their work to MSPIFF’s screens.
Director Elizabeth Chatelain, who first screened at MSPIFF in 2017, is showing her film “Bigfoot Woods” at the festival April 10 and 11.
Her film follows a father-child duo as they stumble upon evidence of Bigfoot, tussling with a small town’s eager acceptance of a mythical sasquatch over a teen’s transitioning gender.
“The viewers in Minneapolis are always really open-minded and really excited about film,” Chatelain said. “I’m really looking forward to reaching these audience members here.”
Beyond outreach, the festival specialises in presenting artful films.
“I see film as being an art form,” Chatelain said. “I know not everybody sees it that way, but I think specifically the types of films that come to film festivals are artistic. And you get to see films that you wouldn’t necessarily see, like you wouldn’t necessarily get the opportunity to see.”
What makes these artsy films so powerful, according to Bishop, is their capacity to encourage empathy.
“If you’re a fan of the movie culture and cinema in general, this is like a little staycation for you,” Bishop said. “But I think more than that, in the times that we’re in, where people are othered constantly, and in our face, this is a way to really build up your empathy muscle.”
Aside from the films, MSPIFF will host a variety of panels where presenters will share insight with both industry professionals and the general public.
Have festival passion but not festival money? MSPIFF has some options for you: Students are eligible to purchase an MSPIFF45 all-access pass for $75 or a six-pack of passes for $30. This year is also introducing moonlight pricing, where anyone can buy discounted tickets for all MSPIFF screenings after 9 p.m.
Go experience that movie magic!
