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The Adrian International Film Festival is an annual independent film festival held in mid-May in Adrian, Michigan. The festival was created in 2017 as a way to reinvigorate Adrian’s historic downtown district through the visual arts. The event was co-founded by Michael Neal and Scott Westfall, two (then) first-year professors at Adrian College, who came up with the idea during a staff meeting. The festival is a showcase for work from both American and international independent filmmakers.

Mission
The mission of the festival is to show a wide genre of films from various categories, including feature, short, feature documentary, short documentary, student film, and animation. It is known as a “film maker’s festival” because of its inclusive model for noted or new filmmakers, who may not receive mainstream distribution.

As a registered 501(c)(3) (non-profit) organization, a component of the Adrian International Film Festival is to donate a portion of its proceeds to benefit and beautify Adrian’s downtown district after each year’s festival. Staffing for the Adrian International Film Festival is done on a voluntary basis. The festival features approximately 35 part-time volunteer workers, planners, and college interns, who come together to put on this festival each spring. Michael Neal has served as the president of the Adrian International Film Festival since 2017. Despite receiving no salary, Neal works year-round to ensure the festival’s quality. A course in Adrian College’s Communication Arts program has been designed around the festival and is taught by Professor Neal.

2018

 * ’63 Boycott
 * The Maestro
 * Sound the Alarms
 * Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much

2019

 * Roll Red Roll
 * Relaxer
 * When Jeff Tried to Save the World
 * Screwball
 * Sparks!
 * Siege

Audience Choice Winners
Peak (2018) Completely Fine (2019)

Notable Guests

 * Gordon Quinn – Kartemquin Films
 * Deb Lake – Traverse City Film Festival
 * Keisha Salmon – POV
 * Nick Klein – Ohio Film Group
 * CJ Wallis - Forty FPS Films
 * Joshua Burge (Actor)

Venues

 * Croswell Opera House
 * Armory Event Center
 * Lenawee County Historical Society
 * The Seasons (2018)
 * Steele Carriage House (2018)
 * Adrian College (2018)
 * Siena Heights University (2018)

Partners

 * Adrian Steel Company
 * Kapnick Insurance Group
 * The Farver Foundation
 * Adrian College
 * Hemisphere Marketing
 * Chaloner’s