The Capital City Film Festival opened Thursday in downtown Lansing after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival is showcasing films from over 30 different countries.
Along with international features, the festival is highlighting Michigan made films. It opened its tenth year with Disfluency, a film depicting the story of a young college student on the verge of failing her senior year.
Nicole Szymczak, the co-founder of the Capital City Film Festival, says she’s excited audiences get the opportunity to interact with the creator of Disfluency.
“We're one of the first festivals to really kick off festival season here in Mid-Michigan. And we really want to make it a great and safe one,” she said.
During the next ten days, audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy an experience featuring 100 films and several concerts.
“We have a huge outpouring of supportive people who are really excited to be together again, both to experience film, to go to concerts, and also to do all the other celebrations as well that are happening during the festival," Szymczak added.
As an all volunteer-run festival, Szymczak says she's proud of what they are able to accomplish year after year.
"We have all of our volunteer slots filled and we turn these spaces that aren't really typically cinemas into an amazing film experience," she said.
The Capital City Film Festival is home to the Fortnight Film Contest. A competition for Michigan filmmakers, regardless of experience, to submit short films for a chance to win cash prizes.
"The Fortnight Film Contest was a two week film contest that was held two weeks ago, and we'll be screening this weekend, the top films, and we'll be choosing the winners," Szymczak said.
The festival will also offer virtual screenings for those unable to attend in person. Tickets for each event are $5 dollars and can be purchased at the Lansing Public Media Center. For a list of the films playing visit capitalcityfilmfest.com.
