Saturday, December 14, 4:45 p.m. | A cult classic and an ode to the creative process, AMERICAN MOVIE follows the life of amateur Milwaukee filmmaker Mark Borchardt and his attempt to complete his low-budget masterpiece feature film, NORTHWESTERN. When Mark realizes, due to a lack of funding and rocky pre-production, he can’t move forward with the feature, he pivots to finishing COVEN (pronounced, by Mark, as “COE-VIN”), his “35 minute direct-to-market thriller film shot on 16mm black-and-white reversal.” Alongside his ragtag team of collaborators, including his soft-spoken, supportive friend Mike and his skeptical investor Uncle Bill, Mark—regardless of  the snow and the doubters—remains doggedly determined to realize his vision. Hilarious, but never mocking or judgemental, AMERICAN MOVIE, celebrating its 25th anniversary, is a story of friendship and resilience and a love letter to artists who never give up on their dreams, despite the odds.

★ T-shirt giveaway! All AMERICAN MOVIE ticket holders will be entered to win one of five AMERICAN MOVIE t-shirts designed by illustrator Nathan Sakulich, courtesy Feels So Good. Winners will be contacted via email Monday, December 16. 

Awards & Nominations

Winner - Grand Jury Prize, Documentary, Sundance Film Festival

Heartland: Flyover country, the third coast, the rust belt. The American Midwest has plenty of nicknames, and is arguably more difficult to outline on a map than the east or west coasts. Despite its ambiguous footprint, the Midwest is often defined by its people: hard working, sympathetic, and “nice.” With Heartland, we search for the Midwest's cinematic definition—how is middle America defined by big screen style and story, and when the lights go down, do we like what we see of our cinematic selves (however realistic or fantastical) reflected back at us? Read more

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu