This story is part of a series about arts and culture in Washtenaw County. It is made possible by the Ann Arbor Art Center, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, Destination Ann Arbor, Larry and Lucie Nisson, and the University Musical Society.

The Independent Film Festival Ypsilanti (iFFY) returns to Riverside Arts Center April 17-19 with two feature films, four short film blocks, and live performances alongside its signature 26.2-hour filmmaking marathon. The grassroots fest also offers two free workshops, inviting new and seasoned creators to engage, learn, and experiment.

"We are definitely still a grassroots festival that is primarily run by volunteers and local filmmakers," says iFFY Co-Director Micah Vanderhoof. "We have a diverse range of films this year that ended up being very encouraging and inspiring, especially from a filmmaker’s perspective."

Vanderhoof highlights the inclusion of two different feature-length presentations, both documentaries, after "getting away from features" last year. "The Tuba Thieves," screening on April 18, centers on access and how members of the d/Deaf community are approaching storytelling. "Union," screening on April 19, is about unionization efforts among Amazon warehouse workers in Staten Island. The fest will also feature a new partnership with Media Live Ypsi (MLY), an incoming live performance festival, which will preview its fall season on April 19.

"We’re trying to make sure we’re highlighting not just different voices, but different perspectives and different ideas people can grow from," Vanderhoof says. "It’s been great working on programming that offers such a great eye to the different avenues and areas of interest that filmmakers have."

iFFYAudience members at an iFFY screening.
Alongside new additions to the fest are iFFY mainstays. The "Michigan-ish" film block returns to open the fest on April 17, featuring 11 short films by Michigan-based creators. Also returning is the 26.2 Filmmaking Marathon, which challenges filmmakers to produce four-minute short films over the course of only twenty-six hours. The resulting films will screen on the final day of the fest, April 19. Vanderhoof’s curated horror film program will also hit the screen again this year. Titled "Body Betrays Itself," it will explore themes of "revenge, catharsis, cathexis surrounding gender dynamics and how we relate to the body" over the course of seven films. 

"It’s really interesting to see and hear the things that grow out of a film festival environment," Vanderhoof says. "In general, our community collaborations have been very impactful and strong, which have kept me feeling optimistic about the festival and its capacity to grow."

To see iFFY’s full schedule and to purchase tickets, visit iffypsi.com.

"If I was going to give folks one big reason to come out to iFFY this year, it would be to challenge themselves and see something they haven't considered before," Vanderhoof says. "A film festival can be such a great resource for learning and filling gaps you don’t even know you have, and ours is a short and sweet fest perfect for those who’ve never attended a film festival before."

Rylee Barnsdale is a Michigan native and longtime Washtenaw County resident. She wants to use her journalistic experience from her time at Eastern Michigan University writing for the Eastern Echo to tell the stories of Washtenaw County residents that need to be heard.

Photo courtesy of iFFY.