A look at six Minnesota films and events at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival

Ross Raihala, Pioneer Press
Updated ·3 min read

Some 200 films and events will be highlighted during the 43rd Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, which runs Thursday through April 25..

Screenings are $15, or $10 for MSP Film Society members. Six packs of tickets are $75 and $50, while all-access passes are $600 and $400. For more details, see mspiff.org.

As always, the festival is full of films with Minnesota connections. Here’s a look at six of them from this year’s lineup. Screenings take place at the Main Cinema, 115 S.E. Main Street, Minneapolis.

MORE IN LOCAL MOVIES: Actor Adam Bartley talks about return to Minnesota for feature film shot in St. Paul

“Broken Eyes”: After Lasik eye surgery destroyed her vision, Minnesota filmmaker Dana Conroy decided to make a movie about it. She went on a quest to find out more about the multibillion industry that claims it’s the “safest elective surgery on the market” and documented her journey on camera.

It’s the debut feature from Conroy, a Pepperdine University film graduate and senior producer for Pioneer PBS in Appleton, Minn. (4:20 p.m. April 14, 4:30 p.m. April 15)

“Claire Facing North”: A drama about a woman who returns to Iceland on a solo trip, intending to confront her past and tend to a difficult task. She meets a young hitchhiker with whom she soon forges a bond. Director Lynn Lukkas has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bush Foundation, the McKnight Foundation and the Jerome Foundation. She currently teaches filmmaking at the University of Minnesota. (7:15 p.m. April 21, 1:45 p.m. April 24)

“The Electric Indian”: A co-production of Twin Cities PBS and Vision Maker Media, this documentary tells the story of Henry Boucha, a legendary hockey player from Warroad and member of the Ojibwe Nation.

He played for the Minnesota North Stars and Detroit Red Wings and on the 1972 U.S.A. Olympic hockey team before he was assaulted on the ice, resulting in a debilitating eye injury and a controversial court case. (4:45 p.m. April 21, 5 p.m. April 24)

“No One Asked You”: Director Ruth Leitman spent six years following Minneapolis native Lizz Winstead and her nonprofit group Abortion Access Front, a collective of activists, writers, producers and comedians who “use humor to destigmatize abortion and fight anti-abortion forces nationwide.”

A stand-up comic, Winstead co-created “The Daily Show” and Air America Radio. Tickets are $25 for an afterparty following the April 20 screening that will feature food, drinks, a silent auction and karaoke. (6 p.m. April 20, 2 p.m. April 21)

MN Made Celebration: This party “celebrates the abundance of talent and diversity of vision in Minnesota’s homegrown film industry.” It’s the chance to mix and mingle with Minnesota filmmakers and other special guests. (7 p.m. April 13)

“Fargo”: A screening of the classic Coen brothers film, which was largely shot in the Twin Cities in the winter of 1995, will be accompanied by an on-stage conversation with the film’s cinematographer Roger Deakins and his collaborator James Deakins.

The event is sold out, but organizers may offer rush tickets. (7 p.m. April 24)

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