Wednesday, April 2
Opening Night Feature: Obex
Conor Marsh lives a secluded life with his dog, Sandy, until one day he begins playing OBEX, a new, state-of-the-art computer game. When Sandy goes missing, the line between reality and game blurs and Conor must venture into the strange world of OBEX to bring her home. Screens with the short film PROTEUS.
- Wed, April 2 6:00 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
CCFF x The Robin Present: Growth Vol. 3 with Jahshua Smith and Friends
*FREE EVENT* The soulful variety show returns to The Robin Theatre starring poet and hip-hop educator Jahshua Smith along with a cast of talented friends.
- Wed, April 2 7:30 PM
- The Robin Theatre
‘Just a Vibe’ Shorts
What’s that emotion you can feel without words? What’s that mood that comes from the atmosphere? There’s something about the world that these filmmakers have captured, but whatever it is, it’s just a vibe. Selections include: Face Value, Alleyways, You Can't Beat the Feeling, The Newcomer, Aspiration, Ponce de Leon, Dream Now Revolution Tomorrow, The Wind Will Carry Her
- Wed, April 2 8:15 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
Thursday, April 3
Red Carpet Premiere Party
Join us for our Red Carpet Premiere Party as we kick off the 2025 festival! Fancy clothes, cocktails, music, your favorite people and professional photos on a real red carpet to embrace your inner movie star. You’ll feel like the most famous person in mid-Michigan.
- Thu, April 3 6:00 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
Friday, April 4
The Compatriots
*MICHIGAN PREMIERE* Javi, an undocumented immigrant facing imminent deportation, unexpectedly reunites with his long-lost best friend, Hunter, a vivacious bachelor seeking deeper connections. Together, they embark on a heartfelt journey to prevent Javi's expulsion from the only country he has ever called home. Screens with the short film Volador.
- Fri, April 4 6:00 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
The Accidental Spy
The Accidental Spy is the story of how one man became tangled in a complex geo-political web, how he risked everything to protect his family, and how he was cruelly betrayed by the country he strived to defend. Screens with the short film Crossing Lake Erie.
- Fri, April 4 6:00 PM
- Impression 5 Expansion
‘Film Imitates Life’ Shorts
*FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE* Every film was once a story waiting to be told. Whether they come from a lived experience or the mind of a writer, these shorts hold up a mirror that lets us learn more about ourselves and each other. Selections include: Rerun, Castling, An Old Friend, The Pact, Lumen, Domestic Help, Jedo's Dead, Nani
Ten Pound Fiddle Presents: Tim Eriksen
Tim Eriksen is acclaimed for transforming American tradition with his startling interpretations of old ballads, love songs, shape-note gospel and dance tunes from New England and Southern Appalachia. In partnership with the Ten Pound Fiddle.
- Fri, April 4 7:00 PM
- The Robin Theatre
Absurdly Funny Shorts
*FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE* You’ll either be rolling in your seats or picking your jaw up off the floor from the sheer, unadulterated absurdity that these comedies have to offer. Selections include: Sandra, Dropped, My So-Called Iraqi Wedding, Cat Custody, Circle Circle Circle Circle, Would You Like To Buy A Landline?, A Field Guide to Sasquatch Structures (and other serious signs)
- Fri, April 4 8:30 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
CCFF x Filmetry
*FREE EVENT // FILMMAKERS AND POETS IN ATTENDANCE* A Festival of Poetry and Film is an annual collaborative art-making endeavor that pairs filmmakers with poets to create exciting new pieces of work.
- Fri, April 4 8:30 PM
- Impression 5 Expansion
Goodbye Julia
*FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE* Just before the secession of South Sudan, a married former singer from the north seeks redemption for causing the death of a southern man by hiring his oblivious wife as her maid. Executive Producer Lupita Nyong'o. Screens with the short film Lapse.
Eraserhead
Honoring the late David Lynch. Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newborn mutant child.
- Fri, April 4 10:45 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
Saturday, April 5
“Folk Music in Film” A Workshop with Tim Eriksen
*FREE EVENT* Tim Eriksen is acclaimed for transforming American tradition with his startling interpretations of old ballads, love songs, shape-note gospel and dance tunes from New England and Southern Appalachia. This workshop, addressed to beginners and more experienced singers alike, begins with the basics of the human voice and group singing.
- Sat, April 5 11:00 AM
- The Robin Theatre
Valensole 1965
*US PREMIERE* Based on a true story, Maurice Masse, a farmer, discovers a UFO in his lavender field that takes off at an astonishing speed, leaving traces on the ground. Screens with the short film Geezers.
- Sat, April 5 1:00 PM
- Impression 5 Expansion
ReelAbilities Shorts
*FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE* ReelAbilities celebrates disability, promotes inclusion, and advances accessibility through film. The short films in this program have been curated in partnership with the ReelAbilities Film Festival. Selections include: Dungeons Goblins and Broccoli, To My Father, Donald, Bear, Working Differently, Deaf Giants, Portraits of Poppy
Animated Shorts
*FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE* Straight from the mind! Unlike live action filmmaking, which is limited by the physical laws of our universe, the world of animation knows no such limitations. Selections include: Odyssey express, Core, Road of Lux, Thinkle, HOLY HEAVÊNESS, Make Money, Damp, Shaped, Weave a dream, Afterthought, Around U, Sweetsamsara, Who am I?, Nono, Detlev
- Sat, April 5 3:30 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
True Believer
As Roe is overturned and abortion bans become routine, TRUE BELIEVER is a call for reckoning for every American, but especially those within the religious subculture that threatens our very Democracy. Screens with the short film Reincarnate.
- Sat, April 5 3:30 PM
- Impression 5 Expansion
Water Lilies
*MICHIGAN PREMIERE* The water lilies blooms, even in the filthiest waters. Amid the mire of selfish desires and the indifference to others’ suffering, hope begins to bloom anew in the fleeting moment when we recognize the humanity within one another. Screens with the short film Arcturus Beaming.
Quality Scary and Lansing Facts Present: Final Destination
*FREE EVENT* Join us for the teen horror classic Final Destination, while Lansing Facts and Quality Scary work to divine your Lansing-specific Final Destination death. Will you be decapitated moto surfing under Penny? Perhaps choking on an olive burger under the Olympic Broil drive-in? Only Lansing Facts and Quality Scary can reveal your impending doom!
- Sat, April 5 6:00 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
‘Forbidden Futures’ Shorts
*FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE* Technology has overtaken the world. Humanity relies on it to stay connected, and there is no end in sight to this progress. Is this the digital future we were promised, or a dystopian depiction of our reality? Selections include: 528, Lover, The Chronocular Device, Locations, Stargazing: A dialogue on creation between serial-killers, The Fish Tank (La Pecera), Universe 25
- Sat, April 5 6:00 PM
- Impression 5 Expansion
Tell Them About Us
*FREE EVENT // DIRECTOR IN ATTENDANCE* Tell Them About Us is a coming of age story following seven teenage girls adjusting to their new life in Eberswalde, an East German provincial city. Presented in partnership with the MSU Womxn of Color Initiative.
Vampire Zombies…from Space!
*MICHIGAN PREMIERE // FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE* A motley crew consisting of a grizzled detective, a skeptical rookie cop, a chain-smoking greaser, and a determined young woman band together to save the world from — (see title). Screens with the short film Drunk Skunk.
- Sat, April 5 8:30 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
Global Shorts
From the bold to the intimate, we’re certain that this globe-trotting collection of dramatic shorts will stay with you long after you leave the theater. Selections include: A Summer's End Poem, Pentaclub (The Club of Five), Cow Killer, Das Feuilleton: Seemann (Sailor), Maraschino Cherries, Father's Son
- Sat, April 5 8:30 PM
- Impression 5 Expansion
Can I Get A Witness?
*MICHIGAN PREMIERE* In the not-too-distant future, we've solved all the world's problems: mitigated climate change, eradicated poverty, achieved true trans-species equality. There's just one catch... humans have to end life at 50 and teenage artists have to document it. It's Kiah's first day on the job. Starring Sandra Oh. Screens with the short film Lost & Found
Rinbossanova x CCFF Present: All Dolled Up ft. MotherCell and moistbreezy
*FREE EVENT* Lansing’s hyperpop royalty does it again! Post-Brat Summer, Rinbossanova lends their craft in DIY party making in celebration with CCFF. Calling all Dolls, Femmebots, and Britney stans to the Avenue for this stunner of a show featuring Y2K pop mixtress moistbreezy and MotherCell, a rhythmic noise-pop trio based in NYC.
- Sat, April 5 9:00 PM
- The Avenue
‘Unraveling Sanity’ Shorts
*FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE* Are you a fan of being frightened? Well if you’re in for some edge-of-your-seat, anxiety-inducing thrillers, join us to have your sanity unraveled by these eerie shorts. Selections include: Strings, Treadmill, Transylvanie, A Light That Doesn't Dim, Strangers Like Us, Shadow Dancer
- Sat, April 5 10:30 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
Sunday, April 6
The Palestine Exception
*MICHIGAN PREMIERE // FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE* The documentary unfolds as a story of college campuses as sites of both rebellion and repression, places where personal and collective histories converge in unexpected ways. Featuring professors and students as they join calls for a ceasefire and divestment from companies that do business with Israel and face waves of crackdown from administrators, the media, the police and politicians. Screens with the short film Mawtini (My Homeland).
Sneak Preview: The Invisible Mammal
Against the backdrop of the sixth mass extinction, an all-woman team of biologists set out to save bats from a deadly fungal disease, but when the COVID-19 pandemic interrupts their work, they are sent down a path of discovery that illuminates the connections between bat conservation and the spread of infectious disease. Screens with the short film Kiko.
Symphonic Cinema
*FREE EVENT* The 2025 installment of Symphonic Cinema will reimagine the original score for The Brother From Another Planet. To capture the essence of the 1984 futurist film, the reimagined live score will utilize vocal performance, trumpet, synthesizers, and pads reminiscent of the 80s era of electronic, dub and techno subculture.
- Sun, April 6 6:00 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
Wednesday, April 9
Exploring Environmental Justice with Artists, Activists, and Scientists
*FREE EVENT // FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE* Presented in partnership with Lansing Community College, this event features three short films centering on environmental justice. Join us for a powerful event including a panel discussion with filmmakers following the screening.
- Wed, April 9 6:00 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
Maxxie LaWow: Drag Super-shero
*MICHIGAN PREMIERE // DIRECTOR IN ATTENDANCE* When drag queens start disappearing, a shy young barista must summon his inner super-shero to rescue them from an ambitious evil drag queen bent on harvesting their magical anti-aging tears.
MSU Student Shorts
*FREE EVENT* A celebration of student films from Michigan State University. Undergraduate micro-shorts will precede senior level projects in documentary and fiction.
- Wed, April 9 8:00 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
Bring Them Home
Bring Them Home tells the story of a small group of Blackfoot people and their mission to establish the first wild buffalo herd on their ancestral territory since the species’ near-extinction a century ago, an act that would restore the land, re-enliven traditional culture and bring much needed healing to their community. Screens with the short film Sacred Waters: Anishinaabeg Naagdawenmaanaanig Giigoonhkewin (The First People Taking Care of the Fishery)
Thursday, April 10
Vulcanizadora
Two friends trudge through a Michigan forest with the intention of following through on a disturbing pact. Screening with the short film Milly.
- Thu, April 10 6:00 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
CCFF x The Robin Present: Whorled
*FREE EVENT* Whorled transports their audiences around the globe with fresh interpretations of re-imagined Celtic, bluegrass, French Café, and jazz influences. Whorled is guitarist and digeridooist Thom Jayne, fiddler and bodhrán player Keala Venema, and accordionist Mariko Venema.
- Thu, April 10 7:30 PM
- The Robin Theatre
Friday, April 11
Kill Will
*U.S. PREMIERE // FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE* When former assassin Will’s location in the witness protection program is compromised and two hitmen descend on his small new hometown, he and Annie are forced on the run. Together, they must escape the killers and reach Will’s handler before they, and the rest of his former crew, are murdered.
- Fri, April 11 5:30 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
‘Pride in Motion’ Shorts
Pride is more than a summer festival and LGBTQIA+ is so much more than an acronym. These shorts explore the nuances, beauty, and heartbreak of those of us who exist within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum around the world. Selections include: EITR, The Yellow Sponge is the Dish Sponge, High Diver, This is Jan, Mélange, Hearts of Stone
- Fri, April 11 6:00 PM
- Impression 5 Expansion
Distant Planet Presents: ‘Black Metropolis’ and ‘Phlo’
*FREE EVENT // WORLD PREMIERES // ARTISTS IN ATTENDANCE* Join us for a Fielder Brothers double feature! The documentary Black Metropolis tells the history of the Afrofuturist movement is told through the perspective of comic artist and graphic novelist Tim Fielder. Phlo is a coming-of-age horror film following a high school student from Brooklyn who is faced with a life-altering decision.
- Fri, April 11 6:00 PM
- The Robin Theatre
Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano
In the aftermath of the catastrophic explosion from August 4th 2020 in Beirut, a film crew is facing a serious dilemma: should they defy the chaos and move forward with the shooting of their film or surrender to the multiple crises that are spreading all over the country? Dancing on the Edge of the Volcano captures their relentless battle to keep making cinema in a shattered city.
- Fri, April 11 8:00 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
Micro Budget
*MICHIGAN PREMIERE* When Terry (Patrick Noth) discovers he's about to be a father, he does what any other sane person would do. He moves himself and his nine-months-pregnant wife from Iowa to Los Angeles to shoot a low-budget indie movie and sell it to a streamer for a “fuck-ton of money.” Screens with the short film You Don't Mess with James.
- Fri, April 11 8:15 PM
- Impression 5 Expansion
CCFF Presents: The Love Effect
*FREE EVENT* Witness the power of Love and alchemy in this funk-fusion set by The Love Effect quartet. Then keep the night pulsating with a DJ set from Ruckus & Ganja Girl following The Love Effect.
- Fri, April 11 9:00 PM
- The Avenue
Saturday, April 12
Family Friendly Shorts
*FREE EVENT* This family friendly shorts loop contains nine creative and engaging animated films from Taiwan. From a bored student daydreaming of animals to a raindrop dancing through the city, these imaginative stories will delight young and old alike. Selections include: The Journey of White Sesame, Droplets Dance, Rainbbit, Odyssey express, Who am I?, Catfeine, Radiance, Dreaming, Around U
- Sat, April 12 10:00 AM
- Impression 5 Science Center
Documentary Shorts
*FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE* No reality bending here! Open your eyes to new perspectives at this wonderful block of documentary shorts films. Selections include: Walking on the Moon, Why My Dad Loves, Mahsa - Women Life Freedom, For Isaiah, Power Lines, In Exile, Don't Cry For Me All You Drag Queens, All-American Ruins: Nevele Grand Hotel, Toxic Art
Future Talk: Coffee Hour and Beginners Storyboarding Workshop with Tim Fielder
*FREE EVENT* Join us for a coffee social hour with CCFF filmmakers including OG Afrofuturists Jim and Tim Fielder and Focus Feature Award winner Jay Najeeah. Then learn the basics of storyboarding from graphic novelist Tim Fielder (DieselFunk Studios). Witness live illustrating and walk through the first steps of nailing your next pitch deck.
- Sat, April 12 11:00 AM
- The Robin Theatre
The Prospect
*U.S. PREMIERE* When high school senior Jerry Vanetti gets rejected from every college he applied to, he hatches a scheme to pose as an elite baseball prospect in order to trick a school into giving him an athletic scholarship...despite the fact that he's never played a sport in his life. Screens with the short film The Gold Ones.
- Sat, April 12 1:00 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
American Film Institute Shorts
The American Film Institute DWW+ educates traditionally underrepresented filmmakers through the production cycle of a short film, providing hands-on instruction led by industry experts. Selections include: The Long Way Home, Evil I, Sixteen, Ukrainian Dance Movie, Made in USA, Interloper, Chocolate With Sprinkles, Bloomed in the Water
Distant Planet Shorts
*FREE EVENT // FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE* A curation of short films and music videos utilizing themes and storytelling devices from Afrofuturism and other speculative fiction born of the global diasporas. A talkback with visiting filmmakers will take place following the screening. Selections include: Hag, Cottage Grove, Revolutionary Chic, Telekinetik, Moments of Stillness, Planet Pleasure, IWYTK
- Sat, April 12 2:00 PM
- The Robin Theatre
6 AM
*U.S. PREMIERE* Before going to the airport to continue on to higher education in Canada, she attends a goodbye party at her friend’s house. Everyone is singing and having a good time when the morality police break in... Screens with the short film Devolution.
- Sat, April 12 3:30 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
Your Tomorrow
With an historic public park set to close for redevelopment, an eccentric yet lovable group of park regulars and staff members live out its final year open to the public while confronting its controversial transformation into a private spa and waterpark. Screens with the short film Kalamazoo Gals.
Boys Go To Jupiter
*MICHIGAN PREMIERE* A teenager in suburban Florida desperately hustles to make $5,000 in this dreamy and surreal animated coming-of-age story. Screens with the short film Le Cosmos.
- Sat, April 12 5:30 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
‘Tear Jerker’ Shorts
*FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE* Weaving together performance and passion, the films in this collection portray the deeply profound connections that bring us closer together. (We’re not crying… *you’re* crying.) Selections include: Glitter Kiss, Karak, Breasts Not Included, Lola, The Concert, When Everything Was Blue, Amplified, Victoria
Closing Night Feature: Firebreak
*MIDWEST PREMIERE // FILMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE* Brandon and Royal are among a small group of firefighters in California who were trained while incarcerated and managed to break through and become professional firefighters post-release, but that’s not the story for most of their peers. After securing their own careers, they decided to take matters into their own hands and start their own nonprofit and fire department. Screens with the short film A Clean Slate.
- Sat, April 12 7:30 PM
- Central United Methodist Church
Atmosphere Stunt: Official CCFF Afterparty
All aboard the Mothership! The official CCFF Afterparty will land somewhere in between a subterranean rave and galactic circus. Punk-techno band Nature (CLE) and AK and Blackmoonchild of Detroit’s beloved…
- Sat, April 12 9:00 PM
- The Avenue