>> 2010 Festival Winners!

	Best Documentary November Requiem (Full Length Documentary) November Requiem, winner of a 2010 Silver TELLY (Editing), and 2009 Golden Eagle CINE, is a documentary about the sinking of the Carl D. Bradley, formerly known as 'Queen of the Great Lakes', in November of 1958. The tragedy hit the small town of Rogers City, Michigan by taking the lives of twenty-five of its men. The story of that fateful night is recalled by family members and the only living survivor. With iconic scenes of Northern Michigan, rare footage of the wreckage, and a dynamic original music score, this heart-touching documentary is about the ongoing pain and healing of a close-knit maritime community.. Produced by Anne Belanger (Bon Ami filmworks), directed and scored by Brian Belanger, and edited by David Peterson.
	Best in Show The Butterfly Circus (Short Narrative) At the height of the Great Depression, the showman of a renowned circus leads his troupe through the devastated American landscape, lifting the spirits of audiences along the way. During their travels they discover a man without limbs being exploited at a carnival sideshow, but after an intriguing encounter with the showman he becomes driven to hope against everything he has ever believed.
	Best Feature Film The Trial (Feature) After the horrific death of his wife and two sons, suicide seems to be the only escape for small town attorney Kent "Mac" McClain... until he's assigned a capital punishment case that begins to transform his life and those around him forever.
	Best Short Film The Butterfly Circus (Short Narrative) At the height of the Great Depression, the showman of a renowned circus leads his troupe through the devastated American landscape, lifting the spirits of audiences along the way. During their travels they discover a man without limbs being exploited at a carnival sideshow, but after an intriguing encounter with the showman he becomes driven to hope against everything he has ever believed.
	Best Student Film Turn Me On Dead Man (Student Short Film) A 1960‚pop band that has reached the pinnacle of international popularity must suddenly cope with the accidental death of one of its most popular members. In an attempt to maintain their fame, they choose to cover up the tragedy and replace their bandmate with a look-alike/sound-alike, hoping that their millions of fans will not notice. This is a high concept period piece serving as an allegory for the Paul McCartney (The Beatles) 'Paul is dead' conspiracy theory/ hoax.

>> 2010 Featured Films

	Waking Sleeping Beauty (Full Length Documentary) By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovate and old timers not yet ready to relinquish control. The conditions produced a series of box office flops and pessimistic forecasts: maybe the best days of animation were over. Maybe the public didn’t care. Only a miracle or a magic spell could produce a happy ending. Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale. It’s the true story of how Disney regained its magic with a staggering output of hits—“Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King” and more—over a 10-year period.
	Comedy The Road Less Traveled (Full Length Documentary) National headliner Michael Jr. takes his comedy on the road to places where laughter is sorely needed, but in short supply. This comedy tour is like no other and brings him face to face and heart to heart with hurting souls across America: the homeless on Skid Row in Los Angeles, abused children in Colorado, imprisoned youth in California, and those suffering with HIV in Fort Worth, Texas. Overwhelmed by their stories, Michael Jr. offers his gift of comedy, hoping that he will deliver—and that they can receive.
	Annabelle & Bear (Feature) Annabelle & Bear is the dramatic, tender story of a man who finds himself suddenly thrust into fatherhood, and the unexpected journey that leads him to discover the life-altering love found in the heart of his little girl.
	The Butterfly Circus (Short Narrative) At the height of the Great Depression, the showman of a renowned circus leads his troupe through the devastated American landscape, lifting the spirits of audiences along the way. During their travels they discover a man without limbs being exploited at a carnival sideshow, but after an intriguing encounter with the showman he becomes driven to hope against everything he has ever believed.
	Genesis Code (Feature) A college hockey player and a female journalism student struggle to find common ground with their spiritual faith and scientific studies.
	The Trial (Feature) After the horrific death of his wife and two sons, suicide seems to be the only escape for small town attorney Kent "Mac" McClain... until he's assigned a capital punishment case that begins to transform his life and those around him forever.

>> In the News

• Grand Rapids Film Festival (On the Town Magazine - view article)
• First Grand Rapids Film Festival Premieres August 26-28 (view article)
• 1st Grand Rapids Film Festival scheduled for Aug. 26-28; will feature films for families (view article)
• Grand Rapids Film Festival planned for August (view article)
• Grand Rapids Film Festival planned for August (view article)
• Dates finalized for GR Film Festival (view article)
• Is GR family friendly film festival going to fit the bill? (view article)