What to watch at the 2023 Twin Cities Film Fest
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The Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) kicks off Oct. 19 with a packed schedule of in-person showings, panels, virtual screenings and more. It runs through Oct. 28.
What to expect: A mix of national festival favorites, Minnesota-made films and a "Changemaker Series," which this year, spotlights projects about healthcare disparities in America.
- Around 90 of the films will be shown at Showplace ICON Theatre in St. Louis Park, while an additional 50 will screen online.
- A streaming-only pass with 90+ options is $55, while in-person packages range from $55-$165. Individual tickets start at $12.
- Plus, more than 25 weekday matinee films will be available to view for free.
Here's what to look out for this year:
🥰 "The Holdovers": TCFF's opening night film stars Paul Giamatti as a pompous boarding school headmaster tasked with supervising a student that's unable to return home for Christmas break. Oct. 19, 7:15pm
🎥 "Black Barbie": Co-produced by Shonda Rhimes, filmmaker Lagueria Davis tells the story of the three Black women, including her own aunt, responsible for Mattel's first Black Barbie in 1980. Free screening. Oct. 20, 3:30pm
😱 "Curses!": The spooky children's comedy series by DreamWorks Animation follows two kids' quests to break a generations-long family curse that turned their father to stone. Free screening. Oct. 21, 10:45am
👩🚀 "Foe": The "Black Mirror"-esque science fiction thriller, which stars Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal, follows a married couple whose lives are turned upside down when Mescal's character is sent to a space station. Oct. 23, 7pm
❄️ "Downtown Owl": The dark comedy based on the novel by Chuck Klosterman is set in the fictional town of Owl, North Dakota, in the lead-up to a massive blizzard.
- It was shot in Minnesota, including the Twin Cities, Elko New Market and Independence. Oct. 28, 9pm
Of note: The festival has a variety of "shorts blocks" with up to nine consecutive short films with a specific theme, including Black voices, queer life, comedy and works by student filmmakers.
The story behind "Stories"
TCFF begins with the premiere of "Stories Behind The Menu," a new short documentary exploring a local cultural dinner series that goes beyond the cuisine.
Backstory: The film follows the quarterly event series by the same name that co-founder Chaz Sandifer calls a "dinner book club."
- Guests are tasked to read a specific book or watch a documentary related to the culture spotlighted at the upcoming event, then enjoy multicourse or family-style meals by a local chef who shares the meaning behind their cuisine and traditions throughout the meal.
- Over its two years of existence, the event has grown from around 60 people to a sold-out, 150-seat evening with a waitlist, Sandifer told us.
What she's saying: "The only true cuisine in the U.S. is Indigenous — everything else was brought here through enslavement or immigration," she told Axios.
- "The point is to sit down, educate people about how racism lies in food and allow chefs to tell their own stories," Sandifer said.
- Each dinner also features a Q&A with the chef, which this year has included Yia Vang, Milissa Silva of El Burrito Mercado, Mateo Mackbee of Creole restaurant Krewe and The Curry Diva's Heather Jansz.
What to expect: In addition to scenes from the dinners, Sandifer and co-founder Julie Burton sit down with four of the chefs and cook one of their dishes together while diving into its culinary history.
- "Stories Behind the Menu" opens TCFF on Oct. 19 at 5:30pm.