Fourth annual Speechless Film Festival comes to Mankato

100 shorts and feature films to be showcased from 23 countries

If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend with your friends, Mankato is hosting the fourth annual international Speechless Film Festival March 17-19. It will be located at multiple venues in downtown Mankato.

For those that do not know, according to www.speechlessfimfestival.com, the Speechless Film Festival is a festival inspired by the art of visual storytelling.

This weekend will be the festival’s largest event with a record number of submissions. There will be about 100 short and feature film selections from 23 countries. This includes some new and exciting events as well.

Some of the new events include a VIP party hosted by ISG, an Awards Ceremony, talks from several visiting filmmakers for college students and the public around the area, and a concert by an indie rock band called Cloud Cult.

Opening night includes a performance by Cloud Cult following the screening of the pre-production cut of The Seeker, a film by the band to go along with the music from their latest album. The film is directed by Jeff Johnson of Motion 17 Productions, a Minnesotan producer, who will be at the festival to speak about the film with Craig Minowa, the front man of Cloud Cult.

The film stars two people that many of us may be familiar with. One is Josh Radnor, the actor who also played Ted Mosby on the television series “How I Met Your Mother,” and the other is Alex McKenna, the actress from What Women Want.

The music from Cloud Cult has received positive reviews from The Rolling Stone and New York Times. You might also recognize that it was played on “How I Met Your Mother.” The film even received the Speechless Film Festival “Best of Show” award in the Visual Music category.

The Rainbow Kid, a film starring a teenager affected with Down syndrome and directed by Kire Paputts, is another feature film that will be played. The film has also received the festival’s “Best of Show” award in the Features category. Broke is another film included in the 2016 film line-up. It is a touching film about a sports star battling a gambling addiction but decides to turn his life around.

The other films are 40 minutes or less and organized into thematic blocks containing Animation, Art, Body Issues, Comedy, Coping, Culture, Documentary, Dreams & Nightmares, Experimental, The Gauntlet, Mystery, Romance, and Made in Minnesota.

If you would like to attend any of these events, passes and concert tickets are available for purchase online . The Basic Festival Pass is $25 which includes access to all of the festival’s showcases and the Awards Ceremony. The VIP Festival Pass is $75 and includes access to all of the festival’s showcases, parties, and special events.

The special events include reserved seating at Cloud Cults concert Thursday night and access to the VIP Party hosted by ISG. You also receive a festival T-shirt and free popcorn. If you would just like to attend the Cloud Cult concert located in the Kato Ballroom, the tickets are $23. If you are only interested in one showcase, Single Showcase tickets are only $5. These tickets are only available at the door while seats are open.

Any of these events would be a fun experience and a great time to enjoy shows with your friends or family. If you have any questions about the time and location of the events or would like to see a full schedule of the festival, click here.

Also, feel free to contact the Festival Director, Kurt Paulsen, by phone at 507-344-7732 or by email at Kurt.Paulsen@blc.edu. You can contact Amanda Quist, the Director of Programming, as well by phone at 507-344-7743 or by email at Amanda.Quist@blc.edu.