Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival

05/06/2026

Okay. Okay. We get it. You had lots to do during the day, but you really want to help us out with . You still can!!!

Help us raise the most in the last two hours of the day to win another cash prize!!! We know Hellions are Night Owls. Let's surge late in the evening and take this one!!!

https://www.givelocalbay.org/organizations/hell-s-half-mile-events

05/05/2026

Please support Hell's Half Mile today for ! PLEASE LIKE and SHARE THIS POST to help us win the most creative post prize.

Donate here:

https://www.givelocalbay.org/organizations/hell-s-half-mile-events

Give Local Bay is a 24-hour online giving campaign to raise funds for your favorite local non-profits. With your help we can grow our endowment fund through Bay Area Community Foundation.

Check out all the amazing participating organizations.....

https://www.givelocalbay.org/

05/05/2026

It's LUNCH RUSH time for "GiveLocalBay2026! Hit us up with any size contribution. Hit the link....

I’m ready to support Hell's Half Mile Events on May 5, 2026 during Give Local Bay 2026. Learn more about Hell's Half Mile Events and all the other organizations participating in Give Local Bay 2026.

05/03/2026

This Tuesday, May 5th, we need your help!

Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival (nonprofit name Hell's Half Mile Events) is once again participating in GIVE LOCAL BAY!

https://www.givelocalbay.org/organizations/hell-s-half-mile-events

This will be our seventh year trying to build sustainability for our festival through the Bay Area Community Foundation's event, Give Local Bay. The funds we receive from you during Give Local Bay are invested in our endowment at BACF and have already provided a small but growing income for the festival!!!! Thank you to everyone who has contributed!!!!

Whether you're local or far away, it's easy to donate at any time during the 24-hour period on Tuesday, May 5th. BUT... if you want to help us win cash prizes from BACF consider the following when making your donation:

🔥 TARGETED DONATIONS – LET’S DO THIS

Want to help Hell’s Half Mile win some bonus funds during Give Local Bay? Here are the key moments to jump in:

⏰ First Donation – 12:00 AM (midnight!)

Join our “100 for 100” team and donate at least $100 right at midnight (yes… technically morning 😄).

👉 The nonprofit with the very first $100+ donation wins an extra $250 prize!

🍔 Lunch Rush – 11AM–1PM

We need just 5 donations (any amount) during this window to be entered into a $250 prize drawing.

👉 (Of course… we’ll gladly take more than five 😉)

🎬 Most Creative Post – 1PM–3PM

Vote for us for “Most Creative Post”!

You already know we go all in on creativity, from reverse-shot videos to full-on horror comedy films about the festival 😅

👉 Help us win another $250 prize
👉 Tell your friends to vote too!

🌙 Night Owls – 10PM–11:59PM

Busy all day? No worries.

👉 Help us surge late at night and raise the most in the final two hours to win another prize.

We know Hellions are night owls… let’s prove it.

🤳 SELFIE CONTEST (Everyone can do this!)

No matter when you donate:

📸 Post a selfie and share why you support Hell’s Half Mile
🌍 Make it public
🏷 Use
📌 Tag Bay Area Community Foundation
📩 Send them a DM so they don’t miss it

At 9PM, one person is randomly selected to direct a prize donation…

👉 (Hint: independent film & music 😉)

🎯 LET’S MAKE SOME NOISE

Every donation helps us build the future of Hell’s Half Mile.

Let’s show up, support local film & music, and maybe win a few bonus prizes along the way 💪

03/02/2026

🔥🎬Calling all filmmakers🎬🔥

The REGULAR SUBMISSION DEADLINE for the 20th annual Hell’s Half Mile Film & Music Festival is March 3rd.

🎥 All Genres Welcome 🎥

Year Twenty is on the way.
September 24–27, 2026.
Bay City, Michigan.

Final deadline: April 1st.
Submit now on FilmFreeway.

https://filmfreeway.com/HellsHalfMileFilmMusicFestival

Let’s see what you’ve been working on.

02/28/2026

Hell’s Half Mile Film Series is proud to partner with the Bay County Library System for a special screening of the powerful new documentary The Librarians.

As an unprecedented wave of book banning sweeps across Texas, Florida, and beyond, The Librarians follows librarians on the front lines as unlikely defenders of intellectual freedom, free access to information, and First Amendment rights.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Kim A. Snyder (Newtown, Us Kids, Death By Numbers), the film reveals how librarians are becoming first responders in the fight for democracy, facing harassment, threats, and mounting pressure as censorship efforts intensify nationwide.

From school board meetings to library systems under siege, The Librarians is a timely, urgent, and deeply human story about who controls ideas, and why it matters.

Thursday, March 19, 2026
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 State Theatre, Downtown Bay City
🎟️ Tickets: $8.00

🎥 Film Details
• 2025 | USA | Documentary
• Runtime: 92 minutes

02/18/2026

THIS THURSDAY @ 7pm!! Join us at the State Theatre for our annual installment of "It's Not Too Cold For Shorts"!

We’ve assembled an awesome collection of short films that are a mix of comedy, drama, docs, and animation. This is a HHM fan favorite event, so we hope to see you Hellions join us for our annual tradition that's been happening since 2016.

Tickets $8.00

Shanti Rides Shotgun
Director: Charles Frank - documentary
On Manhattan's jam-packed streets, NYC's most iconic driving instructor prepares students for the road ahead.

Ragamuffin
Director: Kaitlyn Mikayla - narrative
A young female motocross rider, Ryan "Ragamuffin" Myles spends what seems like an average race weekend with her father, Mad Mike. But as the weekend unfolds, 12 year old Ryan is faced with a cacophony of challenges on and off the track.

ETA
Director: Henrick BC - animation
Space pilot Marvin has the most boring job in the universe - but something lurks in the shadows of his space ship...

[subtext]
Director: Erin Brown Thomas - narrative
Two people on a first date mask and ignore their insecurities until an event forces them to say what they're really thinking.

Dumpster Archeology
Director: Dustie Carter - documentary
Self-proclaimed "Dumpster Archeologist" Lew Blink embarks on thrilling expeditions through dimly lit alleys where every item holds a story waiting to be brought to life.

Tall Dark and Handsome
Director: Sam Baron - narrative
Varun discovers his girlfriend has a history of dating Indian men and can't shake it off.

Such Good Friends
Director: Bri Klaproth - narrative
A recovering people pleaser struggles to break free from her old habits when she becomes entangled with her ex-best friend's family, testing her resolve and personal growth as she navigates complex relationships and boundaries.

Bug Diner
Director: Phoebe Hart - animation
A dissatisfied marriage, a secret crush, and workplace fantasies come to a head in a diner run by a mole with a hot ass.

If you wear shorts to this event, you'll be entered into a drawing for a prize at the end of the screening!

Special thanks to Jared Hart - the artist who created our graphic for this event, as well as Jay Glysz - the HHM programmer who thought of the brilliant name "It's Not Too Cold For Shorts" back in 2016

01/15/2026

THIS THURSDAY @ the State Theatre - 7pm!! 🎥

This stunning documentary follows cutting-edge underwater drones as they explore how quadrillions of tiny invasive quagga mussels are re-engineering the Great Lakes ecosystem on a scale not seen since the glaciers. Part scientific exploration, part natural history adventure, it shines a spotlight on freshwater wildlife and environments like never before.

We’re teaming up with the Saginaw Bay Sailing Association, Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy, and Outdoor Driven to present an eye-opening Great Lakes documentary on the big screen.

🎬 Directed by: Yvonne Drebert & Zach Melnick
📍 Where: State Theatre, Downtown Bay City, MI
🎟️ Tickets: $8.00

12/16/2025

🔥 THIS THURSDAY @ 7:00 p.m.!! 🔥

We’re thrilled to continue the Hell’s Half Mile Film Series with A Photographic Memory, a stunning new documentary by director Rachel Elizabeth Seed.

This film is more than a documentary, it’s a heartfelt journey into memory, creativity, and the connections that shape us. Intimate and powerful, it has been winning audiences over at festivals across the country.

Prepare to be moved, inspired, and reminded of why we come together to celebrate independent film.

🗓 Thursday 12/18
⏰ 7:00 PM
📍 State Theatre, Downtown Bay City

Synopsis: A filmmaker ventures into the archives of her photographer mother to construct a deeply personal story of love, loss, and finding someone in the work they leave behind.

11/22/2025

Thank you, Michigan filmmakers and film-goers. What a night.

Last night’s Made-in-Michigan Short Films event at the historic State Theatre in downtown Bay City was a standout evening for the HHM Film Series. We had a wonderful turnout, and a lively group of filmmakers who joined us from across the state. It was a night that highlighted the creativity, craft, and unique voices shaping filmmaking in Michigan today.

The films included:
Lotus, Be Kind to Yourself, Merge, Ana Sees Her Dad, Un Día Normal (A Normal Day), Fowl Encounters, DIY, 35 Days, Virus.exe, and Me, My Dad, and the Thing in the Shed.

Our audience cast their votes, and the Audience Choice Award went to Un Día Normal (A Normal Day).

We also presented Jury Awards in four categories:

Best Actor: Jonathan West, Ana Sees Her Dad
Best Animation: 35 Days
Best Director: Heather Turman, DIY
Best Screenplay: Me, My Dad, and the Thing in the Shed

After the screening, we continued the celebration at BarqueBC, where filmmakers and film-goers gathered for great conversation and fantastic food. Thank you to the BarqueBC team for providing such a welcoming place for our community to connect. We also announced the award winners there.

A huge thank you to all the filmmakers who shared their work, all the film-goers who came out to support, and everyone who helps make the HHM Film Series possible. Nights like this show just how much talent we have in Michigan, and we’re honored to help share these stories with our community.