The Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF), one of the longest-running film festivals in North America, returns April 8 through 19 to celebrate its 45th anniversary. If the opening and closing films are any indication, the programmers are not playing it safe.
A new documentary about comedian Maria Bamford, co-directed by Judd Apatow, opens the festival Wednesday. The film follows the Minnesota-raised Bamford through her career and continued mental health struggles. Rush tickets are available at the door.
The closing film brings viewers back to January 1992 for a Prince concert at his Minneapolis club, 104 minutes of never-before-seen footage from a spontaneous show with his new band for a packed crowd, described as conjuring nostalgia, love and hope. It screens on April 19.
Films screen at The Main Cinema along the Mississippi in Minneapolis, as well as the Edina Theatre, the Capri Theater and St. Paul’s Landmark Center. Tickets are $19 at The Main.
The lineup offers something for nearly every taste. A documentary from Minneapolis directors Lars Brinkema and Torsten Brinkema follows Minnesota-born skier Jessie Diggins, tracing how the cross-country ski champion battled an eating disorder and injury on her way to becoming the most decorated American skier in history. It screens on April 17.
Pop star Charli XCX makes her debut as a film actor in a sapphic postcard romance directed by Pete Ohs, playing a British tourist named Bethany who ditches her boyfriend’s itinerary and rekindles with a childhood friend. It screens April 17 and 18.
Also on the Minnesota-made slate is “Bigfoot Woods,” filmed in Ely in 2024, following a 14-year-old grappling with gender identity who accidentally records Bigfoot footage and faces mixed reactions from their small town.
The festival’s documentary slate mixes social and political reporting, cultural explorations and meditations on what it means to be human. Among those: a film about press freedom featuring journalists who covered the Twin Cities’ unrest in 2020, and a portrait of Indigenous fancy dancer and football coach Canku One Star exploring dance’s spiritual role in Native communities.
Full schedule and tickets are available at mspfilm.org.
