Fresh Coast Film Festival

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Marquette, MI
Fresh Coast Film Festival

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Fresh Coast Film Festival, October 13-16, 2022. Marquette, Michigan. Here the waves of an inland sea crash on the bedrock remains of the ancient Huron Mountains.

The Fresh Coast Film Festival is the first of its kind: a documentary film festival celebrating the outdoor lifestyle, water-rich environment and resilient spirit of the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest. The festival will gather the best in environmental and cultural filmmaking from around the world while creating a venue for, and building a culture of, Great Lakes storytelling. Fresh Coast will be held annually in October during the height of fall color season in the Lake Superior harbor town of Marquette, Michigan. A red lighthouse winks across the water at thousandfoot freighters slipping through the fog. Singletrack trails link a historic downtown with world class mountain biking, trail running and waterfalls. After a day of play, a vibrant brewing and dining scene rewards hard work with ingredients and inspiration drawn from the crisp clean waters of the world’s largest body of fresh water, Lake Superior. We think you’ll like it here. For filmmakers and students Fresh Coast will mean an opportunity to interact with environmental thinkers, outdoors athletes and media professionals working in the outdoors industry. Who you know is as important as what you know and Fresh Coast is THE place in the Midwest to connect. A key component of the Fresh Coast experience will be guided outdoor activities to introduce visitors to the outdoor playground of the Marquette area. Rock climbing, fly fishing, sea kayaking, waterfall hikes and mountain bike rides will all be offered as part of the Fresh Coast weekend. So please join us for a weekend of storytelling, learning and outdoor recreation like no other.

10/17/2026

Come celebrate with us at basecamp TONIGHT as we celebrate TEN YEARS of doing this thing!

Join us as we look back at the past decade of Fresh Coast and our driving themes of adventure, conservation and inspiration. We'll hear from some special guests old and new, including Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t’s Joey Santore with a comedic performance, Kicked outta the Botanic Garden, and hip-hop and spoken word artist featured in Representing Flint.

Can't make it to the full weekend of films but want to join the party at basecamp tonight? $15 at the door gets you in to our evening program!

Food trucks and beverage tent open at 6pm - come early and grab a bite and a local craft b**r. We've got the outdoor screen up on the lawn for additional seating - bring a blanket, lawn chair, or sub-zero sleeping bag for outdoor viewing. We've added heaters to keep us extra cozy in the big tent tonight!

LET'S BOOGIE!

10/17/2026

Heck of a day 1! 🔁 tomorrow?

10/16/2026

Join us this evening as we gather under the tent at HQ for Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild].

From Ojibway filmmakers and brothers Adam and Zack Khalil, and winner of the 2026 Sundance NEXT Audience Award, the film follows the Michigan Anishinaabek Cultural Preservation and Repatriation Alliance (MACPRA): repatriation specialists representing all Michigan tribes, working to bring Ancestors and funerary objects home from museums, libraries, and archives.

It traces how those institutions came to hold ancestral remains, and the fight to enforce the laws meant to ensure their return. Honoring Ojibwe understandings of time as fluid and relational, the film is part intimate portrait of the specialists carrying out this work, part essay, part animation.

📍: Basecamp at Lower Harbor
🕖: Friday, Oct. 16 - 7pm

Freshcoasting tip: Food trucks and beverage tent open at 6:00pm. New this year, an outdoor screen has been added to the lawn for additional seating-bring a blanket, lawn chair, or sub-zero sleeping bag and bundle up for outdoor viewing.

10/16/2026

Here we goooo! Incredible first morning of tours! A lil breezy out there, eh?

📸 all weekend from WAY NORTH STUDIO + John Scheibe!

10/15/2026

FRESH COAST HEADQUARTERS IS OPEN! 🎬

It all begins TONIGHT at the Fresh Coast Basecamp at Mattson Lower Harbor Park for Fresh Coast Free. Here’s how to Fresh Coast:

🌲 Pick up your wristband, program & merch at the Box Office, Marquette Commons (112 S. Third St). Refer to our previously pinned post for box office hours.

🌲 Drink from the firehose. You won’t see everything! Think music festival with multiple stages, not your local theater. Look through the program and make a plan. Venues vary in size, popular screenings fill early, and seating is first come, first served. Every venue is a 5-10 minute walk or less, so your next favorite film is always close.

🌲 Catch the evening features at Basecamp on the waterfront: a huge screen, heaters, and fresh air. Thursday: Fresh Coast Free. Friday: Aanikoobijigan (ancestor / great-grandparent / great-grandchild). Saturday: A Decade of Fresh Coast and Friends ft. Joey Santore of Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t and Mama Sol of Representing Flint. Let’s fill the tent!

🌲 Meet a filmmaker. Well over 100 filmmakers and film subjects attend. We’re small and laid back, so say hi! Go deeper at the filmmaker panels Saturday and Sunday morning.

🌲 Find your tour. Outdoor tours are free to pass holders. Register online before Thursday 8 p.m. EST, then ask volunteers at the Box Office about availability.

🌲 Enjoy the food & drink. Many venues are also our sponsors, serving craft brews, coffee, or cocktails (some have food too). Show them some love. Food trucks park at Basecamp Thursday-Saturday nights, and volunteers pour local b**r and seltzer Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m.

🌲 Thank a volunteer. Seriously. Well over 200 of them keep this boat afloat. Fresh Coast is 99.99% volunteer run.

🌲 Get outside and play! The UP is amazing and Marquette is the perfect launching pad. Go play. Watch films. Shake hands. Drink b**r. Eat food. Repeat.

That’s Fresh Coasting!

10/14/2026

What are you doing tomorrow night?

Join us for Fresh Coast Free, our annual kickoff event for FCFF. Our free festival kickoff starts at 5pm with Marquette’s food trucks and music from Cloverland at the Fresh Coast Basecamp tent in Lower Harbor Park. This family-friendly event is open to all, so bring a blanket or lawn chair and get a taste of what the rest of the weekend has in store!

Film screenings and announcements begin at 7pm.

10/14/2026

While you’re strolling between screenings, stop in to see a bit of FCFF history in the lower level of Peter White Public Library - all ten years of Fresh Coast posters from 2016 through 2026!

Big thanks to adeline:) for hanging these up!

06/30/2026

Holy S🌲🌲🌲, we made it 10 years.

Join us October 15-18 in Marquette on the shores of Lake Superior as we celebrate a decade of Inspiration, Conservation + Adventure.

Tickets available at freshcoastfilm.com.

Address

221 W WASHINGTON Street
Marquette, MI
49855

Website

https://freshcoastfilm.com/

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