Films get a shot at the barn

The smell of popcorn coupled with the dim light within the barn brought a sense of anticipation to a large crowd of filmmakers and movie lovers last weekend in Wrenshall. Dozens of people were fixated on a gray screen pulled taut across the wall, each one waiting to see what the Midwest filmmakers had to offer.

The 2019 Free Range Film Festival featured 19 films - all shown in a large, 103-year-old barn sitting just outside of Wrenshall. The 16th annual festival held June 28-29 offered live music, a virtual reality experience and, of course, the films.

Greg Cassidy and Donovan Williams have driven up from the Twin Cities area to attend almost every festival. Cassidy said they first came up out of curiosity, but the "unique ambiance" kept them coming back.

"We're in a barn," Williams said. "I mean, where else are you going to get that?" They also commented on the close-knit community that gathers each summer in rural Carlton County.

The films aren't big-screen, Hollywood superhero or action thriller movies. Rather, they spring from the creative minds of people one might walk past every day. Like filmmakers Marla Peterson and Johnathan Olsen, who created "A Gift," the story of a man writing a song while his wife is away. The idea behind some of the music used in the film came from the Christian group known as the Shakers - who spread songs (known as "gift songs") in dreams. The 25-minute film took a few months to film, edit, and polish up for the festival. Olsen and Peterson are already working on next year's project.

"Don't let 'perfect' get in the way of making films," Olsen said, advising that it's best to "just go for it" and ignore perfection.

One of the most common topics during the Saturday afternoon picnic was the contrast between the Free Range Festival and other, larger film festivals. Cassidy said Free Range shows films that are not typically shown in larger film festivals. While large film festivals often have more films, you sometimes have to pick which ones you go see. Free Range shows the same film in each of the three viewing rooms, making sure that everyone who wants to see the film can.

The lights dimmed and the projector's loading screen appeared on the gray canvas. That familiar anticipation came despite surroundings that look nothing like a Marcus theater.

The final film period included "Maya Bdeg'a" ("Pelican Hill"), a story about a pelican that saved a tribe of Native Americans from a rival tribe. Another film, "RIP List," followed a group of friends and their annual celebrity deadpool. While it may seem gruesome, the film was lighthearted and addressed a different, less fearful view of death.

While it may not show some of the big-budget movies that dominate the theaters across the world, the Free Range Film Festival gives something to each person who comes to the old barn: a unique experience. It's an event one can share with a close-knit community and a chance to witness stories put on-screen by people who dreamed of displaying their vision to everyone.

It is, some festival-goers said, an experience unlike any other. After all, who else is going to hold a film festival in a barn?