Film Beat: October 12, 2026

As the leaves begin falling and the sweaters come out again, we’re using this change of seasons to try something new here at Northern Express.

We’ll be featuring picks from our remarkable array of restored arthouses, cultural centers, museums, and our local AMC multiplex. Some might be right in your backyard, and others might require a road trip to a nearby destination, but the goal will be the same: to celebrate NoMi cinema culture.

We’ll also continue to share top blockbuster picks so you can still win the predictions pool at your Oscar night party.

2026 Made in Michigan Film Series

The Bay Community Theatre of Suttons Bay

Opening its doors way back in 1946 (!), The Bay, as it’s known locally, is a 187-seat arthouse gem and an iconic example of a small town theatre as the heart of a downtown. When this landmark faced an uncertain future in 2018, an all-volunteer group of Suttons Bay locals formed a nonprofit that has been growing its impact and expanding their programming to include not just first-run films and classic encores, but also music and concerts, live-streamed sports and opera, comedy, and special events.

One of their signature special events in their “Made in Michigan” Film Series, which launched again this past March and features projects with unique creative connections to our region. Each curated premiere has included special guest directors, casts, and crew in live Q&A with the audiences, in a sort of mini film-festival format that feels intimate and special. (Full disclosure, this writer is a proud alum of the series for the documentary Marqueetown in 2024.)

Most exciting for readers should be the three, count ’em three chances you still have to experience the series yourself in October. $15 tickets still available at thebaytheatre.org

Sunday, Oct. 11, at 4pm: “Watching Mr. Pearson” (Narrative)
Two caregivers splitting day and night shifts tend to a fading Hollywood legend at the end of his life. When one starts acting out his old films for him, fantasy and reality begin to blur. A critically acclaimed story about aging, memory, and compassion, Watching Mr. Pearson is intentionally screening on the same weekend as the 2026 Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Traverse City. Producer and co-writer Simon Kienitz Kincade in attendance, a proud supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7pm: “Grounded” (Documentary)
Interlochen Center for the Arts film students assigned to investigate regenerative farming uncover contradictions in their own dining hall and struggle to see a more sustainable future. This mutli-year project will have its Michigan premiere downstate at the Hell’s Half Mile Film and Music Festival Oct. 16, then Oct. 17 at the Fresh Coast Film Festival in the Upper Peninsula, followed by the local premiere at The Bay. ICA filmmaking team in attendance.

Sunday, Oct. 25, at 4pm: “Rebel With A Clause” (Documentary)
Grammar Guru Ellen Jovin takes her pop-up advice stand across all 50 states, proving that comma debates can unite a divided America. Documentary subject Ellen Jovin and filmmaker Brandt Johnson in attendance.

Special Mention and Amuse-Bouche Primer to Watching “Grounded”

Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 6pm: “Food and Country” (Documentary)
Dennos Museum Center; $5 Tickets Benefitting Great Lakes Incubator Farm
dennosmuseum.org

What’s behind the food on your plate? This eye-opening documentary exposes the human toll of industrial agriculture and food manufacturing, a system as entrenched as it is fragile. Presented with support from our local food co-op Oryana, this special event includes outreach guests from Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology, FLOW Water Advocates, and SEEDS Ecology and Education Centers.

Pictured: Watching Mr. Pearson

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