Minnesota Film & TV

Party! Saturday, September 14! Be there! It's free!

That's a Wrap! Goodbye, Film Board. Hello, Explore Minnesota Film!

WRAP PARTY!!
Save the date: Saturday, September 14, at Tasty Lighting Supply, 6-10pm, featuring DJ Tricky Miki!

And what are we wrapping? EVERYTHING, YALL. The end of MN Film & TV and the beginning of Explore Minnesota Film! Which means bye-bye nonprofit fundraising so this party is FREE!!!

Stay tuned for extremely fun deets.🤩🥂🎤💖🕺

Ten years ago, Minnesota filmmaker Jesse Roesler made a documentary called THE STARFISH THROWERS. Huffington Post named it "the most heartwarming film of the year." Now, on July 30th, MSP Film Society is presenting a tenth anniversary screening -- because it's THAT GOOD. And, there's a party!

Director Jesse Roesler and members of cast and crew will be present for a Q&A after the film. All proceeds go to benefit the three organizations featured in the film.

Date: Tuesday, July 30
Party: 6:00pm at Pracna
Screening: 7:15pm at The Main Cinema
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/867639651892795

Synopsis: Worlds apart, a five-star chef, a twelve year-old girl, and a retired schoolteacher discover how their individual efforts to feed the poor ignite a movement in the fight against hunger. This documentary tells the tale of these remarkable individuals and the unexpected challenges they face.

The MN Made screening series is presented by MSP Film Society and supported by the Jerome Foundation and McKnight Foundation. Presented in partnership with FilmNorth and MN Film & TV.

Check out the trailer and mark your calendars!

THE STARFISH THROWERS | TRAILER | SIMA 2015 Director: Jesse Roesler2014 | 83 min USA | India Worlds apart, a five-star chef, a twelve year-old girl, and a retired school teacher discover how their indi...

Safety Always: Intimacy & Mental Health Coordination With the emerging trend of Mental Health & Intimacy Coordinators on set, this panel will take a deeper dive into the role of these positions and their part i...

WHAT IS HAPPENING??? you may ask, with regard to the entire world but specifically with regard to MN Film & TV becoming a state film office under the auspices of Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development's Explore Minnesota Tourism.

WELL...Melodie Bahan is now serving as Interim Deputy Director of the new "Explore MN Film." She just finished her first week on the job, so of course she brought Minnesota-shaped cookies to the office to celebrate. She is extremely busy getting the new jobs posted (COMING SOON!!), moving the website over, moving all the tasks of MN Film & TV over to the state. Board member Tacy Mangan is holding down the fort at MN Film & TV during the transition.

All our email addresses and website links remain active through the transition, so feel free to contact us with any questions! And stay tuned for details!

Good Morning America is coming to cast its New York-y gaze upon our little village, specifically our beautiful St. Anthony Main and The Main Cinema! Wave maniacally at the camera!

Lights, Camera, Main Street! 🎬🎉📢
Good Morning America will be doing a segment on The Main Cinema as a way to highlight the beautiful history behind Main Street. Help us show GMA a warm, Minnesota welcome and tune in to KTSP Channel 5 tomorrow, July 2nd at 8AM.

July 1 is the beginning of the state fiscal year. Why is that important, you ask? Read the latest update to find out.

Transition Update | MN Film and TV A message from MN Film & TV's Board of Directors

"The Explore Minnesota Film Office will be created this summer as a branch of the state's tourism office. It will be fully dedicated to attracting film and television productions."

Stay tuned for deets!!

What will the Explore Minnesota Film Office mean for the state's economy? Minnesota's been a popular place to shoot movies and TV shows over the years​, but the state may soon become even more of a destination for Hollywood.

You know you want to submit a video of your pet. Just do it 😸🐕‍🦺🦜🐩🐷🐺🦄

Pet Video Festival | CHS Field Since last year the St. Paul Saints have walked like a cat on eggs in deciding whether to bring back one of their more popular non-game day events. They waited to see which way the cat jumped and decided to turn the cat in the pan. Well, not completely. The Saints are teaming up with the Twin Cities...

June 22nd at 9a.

This is a free course open to current and future 490 members. All attendees must register at this link...

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4CADA92DA1FBC61-49984219-setdressing

Set Dressing for Film and Television is an introductory course designed to teach new and prospective Set Dressers what to expect and how to prepare for a job on a Film or Television series. This workshop will cover job classifications and responsibilities, Safety, Organizing a warehouse and how to properly wrap out a set decoration warehouse at the end of production. We will also offer hands on training in warehouse equipment, properly protecting set dressing for transport, practical light fixtures and recreating an established set for re-shoots or insert shots.

This course will include a mix of instruction through a Power Point Presentation as well as Hands On Training in skills that are required to work as a Set Dresser in Film and Television.

This course will be taught by Brian Simpson

Thank you, Sheletta.😅

Sheletta teaches the proper way to say Minnesota’s new Anthony Edwards-inspired slogan

"Following YEARS OF ADVOCACY FROM LOCAL INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS [emphasis ours], the new office became official with the passage of the omnibus jobs bill in the Legislature."

New state office will be dedicated to Minnesota's film and TV industry Minnesota is increasingly a destination for film production.

Hello, "Explore Minnesota Film"!
Goodbye, "Film Board"!
Read Melodie's announcement here!

Update from the Capitol | MN Film and TV A message from Executive Director Melodie Bahan

Stay tuned for news, yall. GOOD NEWS

If you're in the film industry you don't want to miss this Twin Cities Film Fest event on May 18! Check out the amazing lineup of panelists and topics here.

Actor & Film Industry Expo - Twin Cities Film Fest The Twin Cities Actor Expo has evolved! Join us as we launch our first Actor & Film Industry Expo! Participate in panels & auditions, visit exhibitors, and network at our mixer in hopes to strengthen our MN film community.

Great conversation coming!

Minnesota Crew & Filmmakers! Join us to talk SAFETY ON SET! Moderated by Carrie Bush & Matt Roy
Panelists:
Producer - Todd Cobery
Assistant Director - Van Hayden
Stunt Coordinator - Eric D. Howell
Stunt Performer - Mary Karcz
Key Grip - Dan Miller

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/893837470937?aff=oddtdtcreator

Thanks to our supporter . Louis County, Minnesota Blandin Foundation Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Visit Duluth Minnesota Film & TV IATSE Local 490 Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Lost Forty Studios Minnesota Women in Film & Television

Minneapolis-based Intuitive Content has received two Daytime Emmys nominations: Family Dinner for "Culinary Series" and
Andrew Zimmern and Zoe Francois (jointly) for "Daytime Host Non-Daily" for their Holiday Party special. Nice work, team!

The 51st Daytime Nominees are… - The Emmys NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES (NATAS) ANNOUNCE 2024 DAYTIME EMMY® NOMINATIONS “The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards” To Be Broadcast Friday, June 7 On CBS NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (APRIL 19, 2024) – The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced the n...

On April 23, Minnesota filmmaker Justin Atkinson is hosting a screening of his independent film, "Bobby's Intermission," shot entirely at the Vali-Hi Drive-In Theatre. For this screening, he will be donating 100% of the ticket sales to Basic Needs, a nonprofit organization located in Cottage Grove. Nice!

Here are the details:

Bobby’s Intermission
Tuesday, April 23
6pm
Woodbury 10 Theatre

WOODBURY THEATRE > WOODBURY 10 THEATRE > BOBBY'S INTERMISSION > VIEW SHOWTIMES - Movies, Showtimes, Tickets and Concessions Come see Bobby's Intermission at Woodbury Theatre with me!

Per the Star Tribune:

"Spoiler alert: The effort to establish a Minnesota state film and TV office appears headed for a happy ending.

"Not that the story had a lot of suspense to begin with. The creation of the new office, under the moniker Explore Minnesota Film, is too sensible and straightforward a scenario to yield much dramatic tension. Alone among states with incentives to attract film and TV production, Minnesota has been getting along without a dedicated state film office. That created a disadvantage in competing with other states. The change is necessary and overdue.

"Legislation to establish the film office has made its way into omnibus bills that have been approved in both the state House and Senate. Barring a plot twist in conference committee, Explore Minnesota Film should become a reality as the current session nears its conclusion...
"Nobody likes to be portrayed as handing out public money to Hollywood fat cats. But there is a simple arithmetic at work here: You can't subtract something from nothing. Tax credits represent funds that would not exist if the work being taxed did not exist. And the work would not exist — or rather, it would not exist in Minnesota — if Minnesota did not use incentives to bring the work to our state.

"Once the work is being done here, other benefits will follow, and those benefits can more than justify the investment. Film companies employ actors, extras, crew members, casting directors, carpenters, caterers, makeup artists, hair stylists and a host of others. They book hotel rooms and restaurant tables and rental cars and dry cleaners. Even a modest film or TV series may bring many millions of dollars in economic activity to a state.

"With such enormous benefits in play, it only makes sense to bring the most authoritative and efficient approach to the table. Rather than a small nonprofit whose staff must spend significant time raising their own operating budget, duly authorized state employees should be at work courting the studios, promoting Minnesota and arranging financial incentives."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves!

EDITORIAL | Be a major player in film and TV game A dedicated film office under Explore Minnesota would make the state more competitive.

So many movies. So much time to see them all! April 11-25. Get your tickets via MSP Film Society.

What to see at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival - MinnPost The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival opens this week, launching two weeks of films by international stars and local talent.

We need your help real quick! If you live in Senator Bobby Joe Champion's district (District 59, which includes North Minneapolis, the North Loop, and Downtown) we need you to call Sen. Champion and urge him to schedule SF4446 for a hearing in the Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee on Monday, April 15!

The companion bill, HF4249, had a hearing in the House Committee. Thanks to all who showed up to rally for that hearing!

Also ask him, in the event that we do not get a hearing, to include the creation of a state film office in the Senate's omnibus bill.

You can reach him at 651-296-9246 or
[email protected].

Let him know you're his constituent and that Minnesota needs a state film office to provide oversight to the tax credit incentive program established by the legislature. Minnesota is the only state in the country that relies on a nonprofit to do this important economic development work, and now that the state has made this important investment in the credit, we need to ensure that it's properly administered.

Thank you, and stay tuned for news of a hearing on Monday!!

It's time! An eye-popping schedule of films, special guests, panels, and parties at the 43rd annual Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival.

A look at six Minnesota films and events at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival “Fargo” cinematographer Roger Deakins is among the guests for the festival, which opens Thursday.

Oh geez Louise, if you're in Duluth on the 13th you fer sure do not want to miss this comic look at rural Minnesota living. Written, produced and directed by Moorhead filmmaker Janet Brandau.

The Greater Cumberland County Cooking Show - Perfect Duluth Day Moorhead, Minnesota filmmaker Janet Brandau wrote, produced and directed this comic look at rural Minnesota living and community ties in a time gone by. The event includes a screening of the film followed by a discussion of food, friendship and community.

The ScreenCraft Film Fund offers up to $30,000 in funding, a master class with the Los Angeles Media Fund, and cutting-edge budgeting software.

According to co-sponsor of the grant, media services, "This unique grant program is designed to fuel your creative vision while connecting you with industry-leading companies eager for fresh stories. Past recipients of this high-caliber initiative have gone on to screen at prestigious festivals like Cannes, Sundance, and SXSW."

Couldn't hurt to check it out!

ScreenCraft Film Fund Competition - ScreenCraft ScreenCraft Film Fund Competition - a unique grant program designed to help fund your vision; become the next big Hollywood film maker. Enter today

Minnesota-based animator Uzo Ngwu of ZOMA Studios shared this link to her Kickstarter campaign for "Mmanwu," a 2D animated horror short set in modern day Nigeria. Support your local amazingly talented writer-directors and their teams!!

If you have a crowdfunding campaign you'd like to share, send it our way!

MMANWU: Animated Short Film An animated horror short about a Nigerian-American teenager returning to Nigeria after the death of her grandfather.

According to actor Adam Bartley, who's in town to star in Patrick Coyle's film "Unholy Communion":

“Minnesota is already on the map, but it’s going to grow into a powerhouse. I see it, I’m watching it in real time. I’d love to buy a house here and work here all the time. You can’t come close to the quality of people here. You can talk crap about us all day, it’s too cold, flyover this, flyover that. But you just can’t beat the people.”

Actor Adam Bartley talks about return to Minnesota for feature film shot in St. Paul Back after roles on “Longmire” and “Night Sky,” he says he’d love to work here all the time.

Representative Liz Lee - 67A introduced a bill in the House that would create a new state office to promote Minnesota as a movie location. The office would be part of Explore Minnesota, which already touts the state as a tourist destination.

"When we talk about making Minnesota's economy strong and competitive, this is exactly one of those things that we have to pass, so that we're not at a competitive disadvantage with our neighbors and our friends," said Lee.

Thank you for introducing this bill, Rep. Lee!!

New bill would create state office to promote Minnesota as movie location A bill has been introduced by legislators to create a new state office to promote Minnesota as a movie location.

aaargh okay the Senate hearing is off but the House hearing at 10:30 is ON! See you there!!!