Nordic Film Series opens with local documentary UP a River

The 2016-17 season of the Nordic Film Series at Finlandia University’s Finnish American Heritage Center (FAHC) gets under way with a film every Upper Michigan outdoorsman and outdoorswoman must see. On Thursday, October 13, the series opens with showings of the locally produced documentary “UP a River.”

More than 100 camps in the Ottawa National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will be removed or destroyed by January 1, 2017? “UP a River” is a cultural documentary about the people — including many Finnish Americans — who built decades of traditions around these camps.

“UP a River,” a 110-minute feature, was filmed completely in the Upper Peninsula by first-time filmmaker Kristin Ojaniemi of Bruce Crossing, Michigan. Her family camp, Camp Woodtick, is one of many camps that have to be removed from the forest.

The film will show at 2 and 6 p.m. on October 13 at the FAHC. Ojaniemi will be present at both screenings. The showings are free and open to the public; donations are appreciated.

For more information about this film, or the Nordic Film Series, call (906) 487-7302.