Michigan-based film celebrates local theaters
HARBOR SPRINGS — The Lyric Theatre held a special viewing and Q&A with the directors of a new film made by two Michiganders last week.
On Thursday night, people could visit the theater in Harbor Springs to check out “Marqueetown,” a film that follows a man trying to restore the Nordic Theatre, a historic arthouse in Marquette.
The story began in 2018 when Joseph Beyer, one of the film’s writers and directors, took a trip to Marquette for a film festival and saw the Delft marquee on Washington Street. Just across the street was the Nordic Theatre with a marquee of its own. The historic theater operated from 1936-1994. After doing a bit of digging, he found a project spearheaded by Bernie Rosendahl, the film’s main character, to restore the Nordic Theatre.
The film was made by two first time filmmakers — Holland's Joseph Beyer and Elk Rapids' Jordan Anderson.
Anderson said the love of historic art houses and theaters is more than just seeing their impressive architecture; it's also the communal nature of such places.
“These smaller theaters were gathering places for folks to not only have a shared experience of watching a great film, but of coming together and doing things together,” Anderson said. "We just thought that not only were they wonderful pieces of architecture ... but they just meant so much to everyone involved, because of coming together.”
Now, the filmmaking duo is bringing the story from town to town, with the program benefitting local theaters. Throughout the tour, people will be able to sit for the 83-minute-long film and the Q&A that follows. Ticket proceeds are given back to the theaters as a way to remind people of their value, Beyer said.
“We're also giving them the proceeds because at every stop, it's really important to us to support cinema culture,” he said. “We feel like we're on a little bit of a mini mission to reboot these experiences, and make people remember that it can be really worthwhile to come out with old friends and new, have a conversation after the movie.”
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While the story doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending — the Nordic Theatre was purchased in 2019 and opened as The Honorable Distillery in 2022, according to the Nordic Theatre’s website — Beyer said “everybody seems to love Bernie’s story because they can relate to it. Bernie’s journey didn’t go exactly the way he thought it would and so it's a bittersweet story in some ways, but life is that way.”
While the tour makes its way around the state, stops are being added, including an upcoming showing in Charlevoix. Set for 7 p.m. on May 7, a screening will be held at the Charlevoix III Cinema, with the Q&A moderated by Trevor Dotson, manager of operations of the Charlevoix Historical Society. Tickets will be available soon.
For more information about the “Marqueetown” film and the current tour, visit marqueetown.com.
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Michigan-based film celebrates local theaters
