MSPIFF45 – April 8-19

The Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF) marks a perennial highlight for Minnesota cinephiles. Every year, the MSP Film Society presents a curated lineup that promises to challenge, provoke, and unify moviegoers with the voices of filmmakers from all around the globe. This year, the festival celebrates its 45th anniversary from April 8 through April 19, beginning with an opening night that spotlights a local voice in comedy, and from there, expanding with a schedule of over 200 films from more than a dozen countries. MSPIFF45 will also reach across the Twin Cities, with screenings at The Main Cinema, Edina Theatre, The Capri, FilmNorth, Landmark Center, and Pop’s Art Theater in Rochester.

The festival opens on April 8 at The Main Cinema, which is owned and operated by the MSP Film Society. The opener is Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley’s documentary Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story. A Duluth native, Maria Bamford is a stand-up comedian with multiple specials and an excellent comedy series, Lady Dynamite, on Netflix. The film premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and offers an intimate look at her career, as well as the frequent subjects of Bamford’s comedy: her dysfunctional family and struggle with mental health. Bamford and Neil Berkeley will be in attendance to introduce the film and launch the festival. 

My coverage of MSPIFF45 will include high-level dispatches and a few full-length reviews. Some of my most anticipated titles include Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers; Ildikó Enyedi’s Silent Friend, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Léa Seydoux; Sergei Loznitsa’s Two Prosecutors, about Stalin’s Great Purge; and Sophy Romvari’s Hungarian drama Blue Heron. The festival also includes several buzzworthy titles hitting theaters in the next few months, including Hokum, Normal, and Obsession, among many more. 

Plus, this year’s festival will present its Milgrom Tribute to the legendary cinematographer Dean Cundey, a frequent collaborator with John Carpenter and Robert Zemeckis, along with many other icons from Steven Spielberg to Joe Dante. Cundey’s groundbreaking lensing defined classics such as Halloween (1978), The Thing (1982), and the Back to the Future trilogy. The celebration of Cundey’s work includes repertory screenings of Escape From New York (1981) on April 11, followed by Cundey attending a screening of Jurassic Park (1993) on April 12, with a live Q&A. Fans can also attend the Industry Night on Sunday, April 12, featuring a “Conversation with Dean Cundey,” followed by a Happy Hour. 

Tickets for the Cundey event and all screenings are on sale at MSPIFF.org. Check out the full lineup here. I’ve been attending this festival for many years, and it looks like one of the best in the festival’s history. Be sure to keep on the lookout for my dispatches and full-length reviews. 

Brian Eggert
Critic, Essayist, Founder
Deep Focus Review