Mountainfilm on Tour brings films, art, and movement to Saugatuck
Mountainfilm on Tour returns to Saugatuck this Saturday for a daylong festival with short documentaries, movement sessions, art, and food.
A film festival in Saugatuck is inviting people to do more than sit in a theater.
This Saturday, the Saugatuck Center for the Arts (SCA) is hosting Mountainfilm on Tour.
It’s turning the traveling documentary showcase into a daylong community gathering that blends film with movement, art, food, and conversation.
Organizers say the event reflects the arts center’s multidisciplinary approach, offering visitors opportunities to connect with stories on screen and with each other between screenings.
“Most film festivals are about sitting and watching films, and that’s cool,” says Kristin Armstrong, SCA’s executive director. “But we add all these other pieces, really making it an incredible day of creativity.”
Mountainfilm on Tour features a selection of short documentaries curated from the Mountainfilm festival in Telluride, Colorado. Started in 1979, the festival is now one of North America’s longest-running documentary festivals and is an Academy Award–qualifying event in the documentary short category.
The festival will include three screenings, at 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m., with doors opening at 10 a.m.
“They bring together a community of filmmakers and changemakers, showcasing documentary films that celebrate adventure, activism, social justice, the environment, and the indomitable spirit,” Armstrong says.
Audiences can purchase tickets to individual screenings or an all-access pass to watch all 26 films in the program.
Long, growing relationship
SCA’s partnership with Mountainfilm began when the arts center was seeking documentaries to support storytelling and learning for youths in West Michigan.
“For more than 20 years, we’ve presented a children’s film festival,” Armstrong says. “Mountainfilm had fabulous documentaries for young audiences that we could share with our school partners as a tool for storytelling, literacy, and social-emotional learning.”
After several years of working with the SCA on youth programming, Mountainfilm encouraged the arts center to host its touring film program for the broader community.
“They kept saying, ‘You should take this to the community,’” Armstrong says. “We kept saying no for a while. And they kept pestering us. Finally, we said, ‘OK, fine.’”
The arts center has now hosted Mountainfilm on Tour for about a decade, turning it into a full-day festival that goes beyond traditional film screenings.
Between screenings, attendees can explore the arts center’s gallery exhibition, join slow-flow movement sessions led by a visiting artist, or visit downtown Saugatuck restaurants and shops before returning for evening films and a community gathering with food and live music.
Armstrong says the schedule encourages reflection and conversation about the films.
“This is one of those events that creates a deep connection,” Armstrong says. “You’re sitting in a dark theater watching these extraordinary stories together, and when you come out you want to turn to the person next to you and say, ‘What did you think?’”
One of two state presentations
Armstrong says the short documentary format keeps the viewing experience moving quickly.
“Because they’re short documentaries, if there’s one you’re not sure about, sit for five minutes — it will be over, and another one will start,” Armstrong says. “That’s the beauty of short docs.”
Accessibility improvements this year include closed captioning for the films.
Armstrong says Saugatuck and Ann Arbor are the only Michigan communities that host the festival.
Mountainfilm on Tour is hosted by SCA in partnership with the Saugatuck-Douglas Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and community partners Landsharks Outfitters, Roberta and Jack Deyo, State Farm agent Kabri Martyniek, Phil’s Bar & Grill, Ihle Automotive, and The Ski Passport.
Tickets are available for individual screenings or for the full-day festival. Individual screenings range from $15 to $35, while an all-access pass costs $85 and includes admission to all three screenings and all 26 films included in the program.
More information and tickets are available at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts website.
Photos provided by SCA
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