Ann Arbor Film Fest News
2012
Michael Sicinski Reviews the 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival
This week MUBI Notebook features an eloquent review of the 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival written by film critic Michael Sicinski. This year marked the 50th anniversary of the Ann Arbor Film Festiva...
50th AAFF Jury Awards
The 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival is proud to announce this year's award-winning films as chosen by our esteemed jury: Michael Robinson, Kathy Geritz and Peter Rose. The Vimeo Audience Award was ...
Premieres at the 50th
The Ann Arbor Film Festival takes place Tuesday, March 27th through Sunday, April 1st with over 250 films, videos, installations and live performances and more than 30 U.S., North American or world ...
50th Ann Arbor Film Festival
The full program and schedule for the 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival is now available. Visit the events calendar for more details or to purchase tickets and passes.
WCBN + AAFF at Encore Records
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is entering its 50th season as 88.3FM WCBN enters its 40th anniversary. To celebrate this occasion the AAFF and WCBN are throwing a show and film screening at Encore Reco...
50th AAFF Opening Night Celebration
Opening Night for the 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival will be a memorable celebration, with a grand reception in the Michigan Theater featuring a host of local DJs, honored guests of the AAFF and a dyn...
50th AAFF Mobile Shorts Contest hydrated by vitaminwater
The Ann Arbor Film Festival Mobile Shorts Contest hydrated by has announced its top 5 finalists (see below), as voted by you the viewer. The winner gets selected by the AAFF, announced 3/27 and scr...
Archival Programs at the 50th AAFF
The 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival will present rare opportunities to look back at five decades of ground-breaking cinema, with programs featuring Bruce Baillie, Barbara Hammer, Tomonari Nishikawa and...
Announcing the Awards Jury for the 50th AAFF
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is happy to announce the awards jury for the 50th season. This year’s group of esteemed jurors are avant-garde filmmaking legend Peter Rose, Whitney Biennial artist...
Opening Night Event Tickets
Whether you come for the Backstage Fundraiser Dinner, Opening Night Reception or simply attend the screening, March 27, 2012 will certainly be a night to remember. Get your tickets now! Backstage ...
Hotel Information for the 50th AAFF
Attend the whole 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival with a full festival pass and these exclusive festival hotel rates. The AAFF’s official hotel provider Weber’s Inn is offering a $92 per n...
Festival Passes Now On Sale
FESTIVAL PASSES FOR THE 50TH AAFF Experience the entire 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival with a Festival Pass! Festival Passes are a simple cost-effective way to maximize your Ann Arbor Film Festiva...
Studies and Observation no. 6: LOST BOOK FOUND
Studies and Observation group is proud to present two films by filmmaker Jem Cohen as the sixth installment of our monthly screening series. LOST BOOK FOUND (1996, 37 min) The result of over fiv...
Bruce Baillie at the 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival

The AAFF is proud to announce a special appearance by renowned avant-garde filmmaker Bruce Baillie at the 50th festival. Baillie will be an honored guest presenting three progr...
50 Years Of The Ann Arbor Film Festival: AAFF Archive @ AADL Launch
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is celebrating its 50th year and the Ann Arbor District Library is excited to unveil its new digital archive, chronicling the Festival's history. Join Donald Harrison...
Studies and Observation no. 5: STRANDED IN CANTON
Studies and Observation no.5 STRANDED IN CANTON by William Eggleston Organized by THE STUDIES AND OBSERVATION GROUP Co-presented by The Ann Arbor Film Festival In 1973, America's greate...
2011
AAFF 50th: Retrospective Screening #4
Portraits, the fourth Retrospective Screening, curated by Toronto filmmaker, artist and author Mike Hoolboom, features three past AAFF award winners.
AAFF 50th: Retrospective Screening #5
The AAFF 50th Retrospective series concludes with Robert Gardner’s feature documentary FOREST OF BLISS, which played at the 24th Ann Arbor Film Festival in 1986.
Studies and Observation no. 4: Journal and Remarks by David Gatten
David Gatten will present a program of his 16mm films. Program includes: HARDWOOD PROCESS (1996) SHRIMP BOAT LOG (2006/2010) JOURNAL AND REMARKS (2009) FILM FOR INVISIBLE INK, CASE NO.14...
AAFF Newsletter: November 2011
Fired Up for Fifty - 50FORWARD 50FORWARD Auction Launches Final Deadline 11/3 - 50th AAFF Call for Entries 50th AAFF: Retrospective Screening #3 - David Gatten Welcome 50th AAFF ...
AAFF 50th: Retrospective Screening #3
Filmmaker David Gatten (Boulder, CO) selects and introduces influential films from AAFF’s exhibition history. Gatten’s been attending AAFF for more than two decades as a filmmaker, visit...
Shadowbox Cinema III
The Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF) and Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) team up again to present SHADOWBOX CINEMA III. This lively program presents 10 short, dynamic independent films maki...
Studies and Observation no. 3: AN INJURY TO ONE
AN INJURY TO ONE (16mm, 2003) by Travis Wilkerson AN INJURY TO ONE reconstructs the unsolved murder of union organizer Frank Little in Butte, Montana, and provides a corrective - and absolutely c...
Studies and Observation no. 2: Marcy Saude and Mark Toscano
Studies and Observation no. 2 Transubstantiation: Rituals, Transformations and Appropriations program curated by Marcy Saude and Mark Toscano (in person) Using varied techniques including opti...
AAFF 50th: Retrospective Screening #2
Mark Toscano, film preservationist for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, curates a selection of rare and influential films from the Ann Arbor Film Festival's 50 years of exhibitio...
Studies and Observation no. 1: AT SEA
AT SEA a film by Peter Hutton (2007, 16mm, silent, 60 min.) Hutton's most recent film—a riveting and revelatory chronicle of the birth, life, and death of a colossal container ship&mda...
AAFF Newsletter: October 2011
Official Call for Entries Deadline 10/3 AAFF Launches Archive with UM Bentley AAFF 50th: Retrospective #2 - Mark Toscano Final Chance for Special Edition DVD Collection Volume 3 &nb...
AAFF 50th: Retrospective Screening #1
Alice Anne Parker, (a.k.a. Anne Severson), first made waves in the international film community four decades ago. The San Francisco filmmaker shocked audiences with a handful of films, which culmina...
AAFF 50th: Retrospective Screening Series
The Ann Arbor Film Festival launches its 50th season in September with a five-part Retrospective Screening Series, which presents influential and rare films from its five decades of ground breaking exhibition.
AAFF Newsletter: September 2011
AAFF 50th: Retrospective Screening Series Screening #1: Alice Anne Parker George Kuchar 1942-2011 | Jordan Belson 1926-2011 AAFF 50th: Retrospective Screening Series Starting Septem...
Cinema & Yoga V
CINEMA & YOGA V Please join us for the 5th annual Cinema & Yoga, a mind and body expanding event hosted by the Ann Arbor School of Yoga as a fundraiser for the 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival....
AAFF Newsletter: August 2011
50th AAFF Call for Entries - Early Deadline AAFF High School Media Literacy Program Support the 50th AAFF 50th AAFF Call for Entries The early submission deadline for the Ann Arbor ...
Cinemasports: Shadow Art Fair Edition 2011
Cinemasports at Shadow Art Fair 2011 Cinemasports is the "Iron Chef of filmmaking" in which self-assembled filmmaking teams are challenged to include assigned "ingredients" into 3-minute movies pro...
Cinemasports at Shadow Art Fair - Winners Announced and Online
Cinemasports is a free, fun filmmaking challenge where self-assembled teams are required to include assigned "ingredients" into their 3-minute movie made in 10 hours or less.
Co-respondents: Recent work by Lori Felker & Robert Todd
Co-respondents: Recent work by Lori Felker & Robert Todd Thursday, July 14th @ 8pm (doors at 7:30) 60 min program This Is My Show- Lori Felker, 14 min (HD) Mere Mystery- Lori Felker, 12 min ...
AAFF Shorts @ Top of the Park III
It's your last chance to catch AAFF shorts at Top of the Park! This week we will screen two animated films from the 49th Festival, "Accumulonimbus" from Brooklyn, New York and from Tokyo, Japa...
AAFF Newsletter: July 2011
50th AAFF Call for Entries - Now Open Traveling Tour Launches for 49th AAFF AAFF Founder George Manupelli - Video 50th AAFF Call for Entries - Now Open The Ann Arbor Film Festival i...
AAFF Shorts @ Top of the Park II
Join the AAFF for another evening of free films at Top of the Park! This week we take "a look at life on the Mediterranean borders of Europe, where tourists try to relax while "illegal" immi...
AAFF Receives AAACF Grant for Media Literacy Education Program
Ann Arbor Film Festival Receives Grant from Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation to Build Media Literacy Education Program in Washtenaw County High Schools June 27, 2011 Ann Arbor, MI - The Ann A...
AAFF Shorts @ Top of the Park
Join the Ann Arbor Film Festival as we screen short films from the 49th festival before Top of the Park's Thursday main feature films. This week it's all about the music. Check out U.S. Gi...
AAFF Newsletter: June 2010
Video: Genesis & Marie Losier at 49th AAFF Festival Report: CUFF & Media City AAFF Summer DVD Sale Karen Aqua (1954 - 2011) Video: The Ballad of...
“Who is Bozo Texino?” Screening
Directed, photographed, edited by Bill Daniel 2005, 56 min, B/W Photographed on 16mm and Super 8, mastered on Digibeta NTSC Suggested $5 donation at the door. We are happy present another month...
Public Feedback Session - 49th Ann Arbor Film Festival
Please join the AAFF staff for an open forum to share feedback about the recently completed 49th Ann Arbor Film Festival. Have suggestions for improvements? Areas for increased attention? Ideas for...
My Heart is an Idiot World Premiere
Please join the AAFF at the Michigan Theater for the world premiere of My Heart is an Idiot, a romantic documentary that spans two years and over a hundred cities. The film captures the road-trippin...
In Comparison (Zum Vergleich)
The second installment of the Ann Arbor Film Festival's screening series at 327 Braun Court presents: In Comparison (Zum Vergleich) Directed by Harun Farocki, 16mm, 2009, 61 minutes Bricks...
49th AAFF - Program Guide PDF
To download a PDF (14mb) of the 88-page program guide for the 49th Ann Arbor Film Festival, please visit this link.
49th AAFF Opening Night Dinner
You are invited to celebrate the start of the 49th Ann Arbor Film Festival with a special backstage dinner and reserved seating for the Opening Night screening of short films in competition. Experie...
AAFF Newsletter: March 2011
Full Program Announced for 49th AAFF International Films & Programs Feature Films Opening Night Fundraiser 49th AAFF - Full Program Announced The Ann Arbor Film Festival is...
AAFF Newsletter: February 2011
Telcosystems, Duke and Battersby Keita Kurosaka and Sam Green Opening Night Fundraiser Announcing the 49th AAFF Special Programs The AAFF is pleased to welcome past festival award ...
TRYPPS 1-7 Screening / Filmmaker Ben Russell in Attendance
Chicago based filmmaker Ben Russell brings his acclaimed TRYPPS series of seven films to Ann Arbor for one night only. There will be a suggested donation of $5 at the door with all donations going b...
2010
Tiny Expo 2010
This holiday season the AAFF will be participating in Ann Arbor's biggest little arts & craft fair, Tiny Expo! The day long event, will feature local artists and crafters selling their wares...
Filmmaker Focus: Stephen Wetzel
December’s edition of Filmmaker in Focus features Stephen Wetzel, a Milwaukee-based artist who, over the past decade, has created several documentary videos. These observational portrait...
AAFF Newsletter: December 2010
AAFF DVD Collection: Volume 3 Filmmaker Focus: Stephen Wetzel Holiday Gift Giving AAFF Holiday Office Hours AAFF DVD Collection: Volume 3 The third compilation of films from the...
Shadowbox Cinema II
The Ann Arbor Film Festival and Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) team up to present SHADOWBOX CINEMA II. This program presents 10 short international works, featuring experimental animatio...
AAFF Newsletter: November 2010
Call for Entries - Final Deadline 11/4 Filmmaker Focus - Steve Cossman Tiny Expo - 12/11 Supporting the AAFF - Workplace Giving Call for Entries Final Deadline: November 4, 2010 ...
Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo delves into the ineffable mystery of Japan's age-old love affair with insects. A labyrinthine meditation on nature, beauty, philosophy and Japanese culture that might...
AAFF Newsletter: October 2010
Call for Entries Standard Deadline: OCTOBER 4, 2010 The standard deadline for submissions to the 49th Ann Arbor Film Festival is fast approaching. We are calling for new independent works (fil...
Stonyfield’s Sustainability Film Series: Ingredients
Ingredients, the final film of Stonyfield's Sustainability Series focuses on the farmers and chefs who are creating a truly sustainable food system. Their collaborative work has resulted in grea...
“What the Hell Was That?”
What The Hell Was That? is presented by the Projectorhead series from U of M's Department of Screen Arts and Cultures and the Ann Arbor Film Festival. This is a free, educational event from 7 - ...
Stonyfield’s Sustainability Film Series: Carbon Nation
Carbon Nation, the fourth film in Stonyfield's Sustainability Series explores climate change solutions. Even if viewers doubt the severity of the impact of climate change, or don't buy it at...
Stoneyfield’s Sustainability Film Series: Renewal
The third film in Stonyfield's Sustainability Film Series, Renewal is the first feature-length documentary film to capture the vitality and diversity of today’s religious environmental act...
Stoneyfield’s Sustainability Film Series: Living Downstream
Living Downstream charts the life and work of biologist, author and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber. In Steingraber's book Living Downstream, the author uses her life's experience to inve...
AAFF Newsletter: September 2010
Welcome David Dinnell 16mm Tour Program Returns Actualité of the Month Welcome David Dinnell, AAFF Program Director The AAFF is pleased to welcome David Dinnell to Ann Arbor...
The Real Dirt on Farmer John
Stonyfield’s Sustainability Film Series kicks off with a screening of The Real Dirt on Farmer John. This documentary tells the epic tale of a maverick Midwestern farmer. An outcast in his comm...
Cinema & Yoga IV
Please join us for the 4th annual Cinema & Yoga, a mind and body expanding event hosted by the Ann Arbor School of Yoga as a fundraiser for the Ann Arbor Film Festival. Saturday, August 7th ...
AAFF Newsletter: August 2010
49th Call for Entries - Early deadline is 8/16 Detroit's Burton Theatre Tour Update Upcoming Events 49th Call for Entries - Early deadline is 8/16! The early deadline for s...
Cinemasports: Shadow Art Fair Edition 2010
Ann Arbor Film Festival presents Cinemasports: Shadow Art Fair Edition Cinemasports is the "Iron Chef of filmmaking" in which self-assembled filmmaking teams are challenged to include assigned "in...
AAFF Animation Shorts @ Top of the Park
The Ann Arbor Film Festival will screen short films from its archive on Thursday evenings prior to feature films at Top of the Park. The shows begin at sundown (approximately 9:30pm). This week sh...
AAFF Newsletter: July 2010
49th Call for Entries - Now Accepting Submissions AAFF Hosts Cinemasports at Shadow Art Fair Upcoming Summer Events Tour Update 49th Call for Entries - Now Open! The A...
Snapshot Review of the 2010 Int’l Experimental Media Congress & 23rd Images Festival
The International Experimental Media Congress & 23rd Images Festival April 7 - 11, 2010, Toronto, Canada - There was a playfulness apparent from the outset: John Greyson interviewing Yvonne Rain...
Photo Highlights from the 48th AAFF
Our 48th season was a festival of large, lively audiences, wild headlines, pre-show surprises, live performances, adventures onstage,lasting connections, and memorable programming. If you missed som...
AAFF Newsletter: April 2010
Awards Announced Highlights from the 48th Festival Thank you! Education and the AAFF AWARDS ANNOUNCED The Ann Arbor Film Festival proudly announces its 2010 award winners, who ...
AAFF Presents a Free Public Lecture at AADL
"Bison Boys & Famous Monsters of Michigan: 1970s Super-8mm Films of Jimm Juback & Cary Loren" By Associate Professor Mike Mosher of Saginaw Valley State University
Flying Lotus World Premiere at Ann Arbor Film Fest gets picked up on Pitchfork
Pitchfork.com recently featured Flying Lotus on their homepage for his Ann Arbor Film Festival world premiere live score performance to Harry Smith's avant-garde animation classic Heaven & E...
48th AAFF Sneak Preview: Chelsea District Library
Curious about art-focused, independent and experimental cinema? Please join us for a free public sneak preview of the 48th Ann Arbor Film Festival, featuring short films from the upcoming festival (...
AAFF Newsletter: March 2010
Full Line-Up Announced for 48th AAFF Special Presentations at 48th AAFF Michigan Theater Independent Lens Upcoming March Events FULL PROGRAM ANNOUNCED 48th Ann Arbor Film F...
AAFF presents a screening of Craig Baldwin’s Spectres of the Spectrum
"An infinite number of possible worlds ... and this is the worst one."
New AAFF Identity
We're proud to present a new look for the AAFF in 2010. This new website design culminates a 6-month process with Pryor Design. Our new identity serves as a platform to support the films and tal...
Opening Reception for INTERMISSION
The Ann Arbor Film Festival's first exhibition in collaboration with The Ann Arbor Art Center, "Intermission" will feature films, new-media, and film-inspired works from a group of talented Mich...
Vintage Hollywood: A Fundraiser for Ann Arbor’s Neutral Zone
An Evening of Film, Music, Drinks, Food, and Tinsel Town Glamour Dress in your finest attire for entertainment from Neutral Zone teens, short films provided by the Ann Arbor Film Festival and DJ Fo...
AAFF Newsletter: February 2010
Jurors Announced for 48th festival Special Programs Announced Access AAFF: Passes and Membership Destination AAFF: Hotel Deals Penny Stamps brings Saskia Olde Wolbers AAFF'...
2008
Filmmaker Focus: Steve Cossman
For this month’s Filmmaker Focus we hear from Steve Cossman, a Brooklyn-based artist, whose 16mm film TUSSLEMUSCLE received its world premiere at the 48th AAFF and is currently featured on th...
Filmmaker Focus: Ken Paul Rosenthal
This edition delves into the embodiment of "madness" through the in-depth process of AAFF alum Ken Paul Rosenthal as he creates his latest piece "Crooked Beauty". "The cyclic and contrasting natur...
Filmmaker Focus: Vanessa Renwick
Our aim with "Filmmaker Focus" is to connect audiences with AAFF alumni working on new projects, to reveal some of the process and approach of art-driven filmmaking. Vanessa Renwick's film "Port...
Filmmaker Focus: Jodie Mack
Her film "Yard Work Is Hard Work" delighted audiences at the 47th AAFF with colorful cut-out animation, indie folk narrated musical approach and prescient sub-prime mortgage subplot. Here we hear fr...
Filmmaker Focus: Thorsten Fleisch
The AAFF is committed to championing bold, pioneering, artistically-inspired filmmakers and connecting them with audiences. For this edition of Filmmaker Focus we hear from Thorsten Fleisch, whose e...
Filmmaker Focus: Fred Worden
In this exclusive edition of Filmmaker Focus, Fred Worden peels back the process of his nonrepresentational cinematic pursuits. Notes on the Making of When Worlds Collude by Fred Worden One thi...
Filmmaker Focus: Scott Nyerges
For this exclusive edition of Filmmaker Focus we get insight into the hand-crafted film practice of Scott Nyerges, a NY-based filmmaker whose recent film "Polar" screened at the 46th AAFF. "There...
Filmmaker Focus: Libbey White
The AAFF is committed to championing bold, pioneering, artistically-inspired filmmakers and connecting them with audiences. For this edition of Filmmaker Focus we hear about a new project in develop...
Filmmaker Focus: Matt Hulse
This month's edition of Filmmaker Focus finds AAFF alumni Matt Hulse on a filmmaking journey quite unlike any other with his new project Dummy Jim. Scene #1 Film Maker Clears Throat Hello. ...
Filmmaker Focus: Jessie Stead (& David Gatten)
The AAFF is committed to championing bold, pioneering, and artistically-inspired filmmakers. And we're dedicated to bringing creative, quality content to our audience. Thus, another installment ...
Filmmaker Focus: Catherine Chalmers
We explore the controlled chaos world of Catherine Chalmers, whose film Safari stunned the 46th AAFF audience with its hyper close-up view of insects and other creatures. "After working with the ...
Filmmaker Focus: Chris McNamara
We keep it local the border-crossing Chris McNamara. Two of his recent films, Establishing Shots and Character Sketches, both played at the 45th and 46th AAFF respectively. AAFF: What's your...
Filmmaker Focus: Lynn Hershman Leeson
The AAFF is committed to championing bold, pioneering, and artistically-inspired filmmakers. And we're dedicated to bringing creative, quality content to our audience. This month we hear about a...
Filmmaker Focus: Cade Bursell
The AAFF is committed to championing bold, pioneering, and artistically-inspired filmmakers. And we’re dedicated to bringing creative, quality content to our audience. Thus, another installmen...
Filmmaker Focus: Caveh Zahedi
The first AAFF Filmmaker Focus features an artist embracing risk and self-examination, Caveh Zahedi, who screened at the 39th AAFF with Worm (co-produced with Jay Rosenblatt). "My current project...
