Mitten-Made Movies Star in Local Film Fest

Some Michigan-made films will get their 15 minutes (because, well, most of them are only that long) when .

Rob St. Mary, a Harper Woods library board trustee and public radio reporter for WDET 101.9 FM, organized the first Harper Woods Film Festival as a fundraiser for the library.

St. Mary says he and the board got the idea from Ferndale, which held its first film festival last year.

St. Mary assembled a 1 1/2 hour program of short films, all from local filmmakers, that he says will appeal to a broad audience. He wanted the movies to be interesting, but also accessible to people of different ages.

As a reporter, St. Mary has covered many stories about the local film industry. He has worked crew for local films and frequents Mitten Movie Project nights—regular events during which area filmmakers showcase their work.

“I just talked to a bunch of film people. I asked, ‘What is good for prime time?’” St. Mary said. The films "are a good mix of things that are quality things that aren’t going to offend anybody’s sensibilities.”

Local cinephiles will find some cool items on the lineup. There’s a documentary from Detroiter Stephen McGee, an animated war story from Mike Zawacki of Grand Rapids, and an offering from Detroit Independent Film Festival producer Robert Joseph Butler.

St. Mary says music fans will want to check out the 5-minute-long trailer for Louder than Love: the Grande Ballroom Story, directed by Tony D’Annunzio. The much-anticipated documentary showcases local music legends like Alice Cooper and the MC-5, and St. Mary says it’s extremely well done.

St. Mary says he and the library board are hoping this will be the start of an annual event that will get bigger each year.

“If it works out well then we’ll continue it,” he said. “The buzz has been good."

The Harper Woods Film Festival is Friday, March 18 from 7:30 -10 p.m. at Harper Woods High School, 20225 Beaconsfield. The cost is $5 for adults, $3 for students. There will be a raffle for a variety of movie-themed prizes. For a complete list of films, chek out the fest's page on Facebook. Have a question? Contact Rob St. Mary at robstmary@gmail.com.