Home movies are a great way to celebrate a birthday, and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is doing just that, but with a twist.
The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore turns 50 years old this Saturday, November 5, and culminates a year of celebrations with the Indiana Dunes Film Festival, a three-day, five-venue, free public event commemorating this milestone by featuring a variety of films about the dunes, the notable work people have done here and significant factors in the environment and the development of the area, plus opportunities to meet the filmmakers, and even a contest for new films.
“We knew the date was coming up, and wanted to do something different and special for our birthday,” said Kim Swift, education programs manager at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
“All of us have been so energized by the ‘Shifting Sands’ movie that came out by Pat Wisniewski that’s gotten such good reviews across the region and even beyond. Then there’s also a film about Jens Jensen … and Paul Nelson has been working on a film about the South Shore Railroad.”
“We kept hearing about all of these local films and so many other good ones, and felt there’s a need to promote these more. There was some talk about using film to celebrate the birthday and it just bubbled up to the surface from there — there’s so much going on locally in film, why not showcase this around the birthday,” Swift explained.
In addition to “Singing Sands”, “Jens Jensen the Living Green”, and “Riding the Rails of History”, other films to be featured in the festival include: “Everglades of the North”, telling the fascinating story of the history of the Grand Kankakee Marsh, its unique resources and its development; “Lake Michigan in a Dugout”, documenting the 93-day adventure of two young ladies who sailed and paddled around the perimeter of Lake Michigan in their homemade canoe; and a movie about Octave Chanute, the aviation pioneer who did flight experimentation in the Indiana dunes in 1896.
The festival also invited all filmmakers to share their visions by submitting short films into a contest with two categories: up to 2-minute films on the subject of “Happy Birthday Indiana Dunes”; and films up to 10-minutes in length on “The Calumet Region” and its relation to “the formation, existence, and future of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore”.
“We’ve gotten quite a few submissions and will have time to show about 10 to 12 of them, depending on the timing available, interspersed between the longer festival films,” according to Swift.
The winning film will be given consideration for broadcast on “Eye On The Arts,” a Lakeshore Public Media television program that brings focus to Northwest Indiana artists and their works.
The Indiana Dunes Film Festival begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Indiana Welcome Center, just south of Interstate 94 off of Kennedy Avenue. Reservations are required for the opening night festivities which includes introductions to the films and the filmmakers. Reservations can be made by calling 1-219-395-1882 or by emailing Lynda_Lancaster@nps.gov.
Saturday’s screenings will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at three venues: the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center at 1215 North State Road 49, just north of Interstate 94 in Porter; the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education at 100 North Lake Street in the Miller community of Gary; and the La Porte County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 4073 South Franklin Street in Michigan City at Marquette Mall. A variety of films will be shown at each location with introductions by many of the filmmakers.
The film festival will continue from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday at two venues: the Indiana Welcome Center at 7770 Corinne Drive in Hammond; and Barker Mansion at 631 Washington Street in Michigan City.
Swift said that, especially with the broad variety of film subjects, this should appeal to viewers as young as upper elementary age students.
“Plus, all of the venues are kid-friendly places that also have other things for younger kids to do, like at the Douglas Center kids can do a craft project or families can take a break and go on a hike.”
Swift added, “We also hope to reach new audiences, especially teenagers and college-age students with the call out for films since this is a medium many of them use on a regular basis. We also hope to bring in those who might not be engaged with the outdoors to show them that there are other ways to experience the park.”
For a complete festival schedule, go online to www.nps.gov/indu or to the Indiana Dunes Film Festival Facebook page.
“The interesting thing about this project is that it feels like we’re just scratching the surface. It’s been a nice surprise to see how much is already out there, and the interesting variety of what’s out there — and people keep suggesting others we weren’t aware of. We definitely plan to follow up in the future,” Swift said.
That will begin with a retreat-style workshop for teachers on how to incorporate many of these films into the classroom which will be held on December 2 and 3 in partnership with the Dunes Learning Center. Swift added that information is being developed on how to use films about local topics in the classroom, similar to the supplemental curriculum on area geography, natural resources, development and sustainability that is available in conjunction with the film “Shifting Sands”.
Go online to www.duneslearningcenter.org for details on the workshop and other upcoming Dunes Learning Center programs.
Joan Dittmann is a freelance columnist for the Post-Tribune.
