Threadbare Mitten Film Festival

***** RE: COVID-19 ***** ** In-Person or On-Line? ** We were able to transition last year's festival online with the help of our fellow Michiganders at Festivee, and it was wonderfully successful. Obviously, while we loved seeing folks from far away virtually, we missed seeing our neighbors here in the theatre. Our current planning is towards a hybrid festival incorporating both safe in-person screenings locally and virtual screenings through our Festivee site. Live screenings will be dependent on health regulations in effect as we approach the festival dates, and no films will screen online without filmmaker permission. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What’s your Genre? The Threadbare Mitten Film Festival is an eclectic and eccentric celebration of genre cinema, here in the tell-tale heart of Michigan. We won't push you into a box: Horror, Sci-Fi, Absurdist Comedy, Exploitation and Grindhouse, Documentary and Mockumentary, Experimental and Non-Narrative, Neo-Noir, Fantasy, Splatterpunk, Magical Realism, Creature Feature, Contemporary Western, Psychological Thriller, Modern Samurai, ZomRomCom, Road Trip, Animation, Underground... whatever weird quirks spark your camera rolling, genre or inter-genre, we want to give you an exhibition home to exorcise them with an appreciative audience. (...and if being pushed into a box is your thing, well ok, show us that!) As the Michigan Film and Digital Media Office said: "Think of the Threadbare Mitten Film Festival as the anti-genre, but all-genre film festival, if that makes any sense. Truly a grassroots festival if ever there was one." - June Newsletter 6/12/18 We categorically reject festivals that require filmmakers to sort their submissions by genre (or pay multiple submission fees). It’s our job to categorize films, not yours! Submit your work according to duration and we’ll take it from there. We take great pride in our thematic programming, each film block sequenced like the songs on an album. Every year’s festival is guaranteed to be different than what came before, based upon the characteristics of the films received. Our Festival Director leads the Judging Team, and personally watches every submission. YEAR FIVE: IT'S ALIVE!!! We've survived the death plague, and been inspired by our shared soft apocalypse. In addition to our usual inter-genre, experimental, documentary, and genre fare, show us your films on resurrection & rebirth, reanimation & corpses, the living dead & other monstrosities -- maybe we can 'put together' something special out of all this exuberant lifeforce! [films inspired by Lifeforce encouraged] Our beloved REO Town is alive, and will continue to host our two-night-and-all-of-a-day festival, with an extra lazy day online. We’re keeping our traditions alive in this fifth year, including Filmmaker Q&As, free Community Screenings, and hand-crafted Jury and Audience Award trophies for the year that will be revealed at the Festival. More details to come as we talk with venues and partners for this year's festivities! See our Wall of Fame for past years' Award Winning films: www.threadbarefilmfest.com/awards ABOUT US: We are passionate filmmakers, dedicated to growing our film community and providing a viewing experience worth the time and effort of everyone involved from ourselves to the filmmakers and the ticket buyer. We respect the film and the filmmaker, the cast and the crew, as does our audience. We support local film, student film, international film, diverse voices, and quality craft regardless of budget or questionable content. We take an expansive view of what a genre festival can be, pushing the boundaries of expectations to include some of the most gripping documentaries we've seen (about the only thing we DON'T want are straight-up 'indie' dramas and serialized content that does not provide its own complete narrative). This is neither a vanity exercise nor a party for ourselves, and we do not screen our own films or just shower our friends with prizes. We strive for quality of image and sound regardless of venue. OUR HOME: Located just off of Lansing's downtown core, REO Town represents the heart of creative revitalization and the artistic community. Saddleback BBQ, the REO Town Diner, Blue Owl Coffee, Sleepwalker Spirits and Ales, the REO Town Pub, the Rusty Mug, along with an assortment of shops, are right here on Washington Avenue under the Three Stacks. It truly is a small town within the Capital City.