Oneota Film Festival is February 29-March 3; opening night to include “SHIFT: The RAGBRAI Documentary” featuring community of Lansing

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Now in its 14th year, the Oneota Film Festival (February 29-March 3) will kick off a weekend of films and events with a screening of “SHIFT: The RAGBRAI Documentary” - which features the city of Lansing and two of its residents, Ian Zahren and Andrew Boddicker - Thursday, February 29 at the historic Steyer Opera House in Decorah’s Hotel Winneshiek. A social/cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m., followed by the film screening at 7 p.m.

“SHIFT” will be screened again at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 3, at the Hotel Winneshiek. The entire festival, including admission to all screenings and events, is free and open to the public. Attendees are asked to register, but there is no cost to attend.

Each year, the Oneota Film Festival (OFF) brings together visitors - audience and filmmakers - from across the state of Iowa, from the U.S. coasts, and from several foreign countries. This year, the festival will feature more than 45 films; most are shown twice. The festival weekend will unfold at six different Decorah venues: T-Bocks Upstairs, Hotel Winneshiek, Driftless Yoga Center, Convergence Ciderworks, ArtHaus, and the All Vet’s Club.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
Among the films being screened throughout the weekend is “Labor of Love,” which addresses childcare issues in the United States. “We have invited the filmmakers and the fundraising team for the Sunflower Childcare Development and Discovery Center (in Decorah) to come and have a panel discussion after the film,” says Elise Skellenger, OFF’s creative director. Another panel discussion, she adds, will focus on the topic of OCD and on mental health, and will include a few films.

“We are also very excited to be featuring a whole block of student films from our local area,” Skellenger says. “Some of the films will be the National History Day project films that were produced by Decorah middle schoolers and some will be films created by local high schoolers for their speech contest entries.”

OTHER FREE EVENTS
An OFF Social with the Driftless Jazz Ensemble is Friday, from 7:30-9:30 p.m., at Impact Coffee in Decorah. Filmmakers and fellow film enthusiasts will gather for live music at the popular downtown venue.

A “Meet the Filmmakers” reception is Saturday, at 7 p.m., at T-Bock’s Upstairs. Hearty hors d’oeuvres will be served, and the event includes a cash bar. Oneota Film Festival members and attendees will join filmmakers, submission jurors, guest panelists, and others to talk about films and world issues. Awards will also be presented for the 2024 films.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
“It was important to the original festival producers that OFF would be open to people of every economic level to take part in the screenings and discussions,” says OFF Board President of 10 years, Nancy Sojka. “This is made possible by members/supporters and sponsors who provide financial support and donations. When you come to the festival, we only ask that you register. The information we collect helps us when we apply for grants. And it helps us to communicate future events with the audience.”

Sojka has been involved with OFF since the festival began; before she began serving as board president, she was responsible for hospitality, connecting with visiting filmmakers. Sojka and her husband, Ted, were close friends of Kyrl Henderson and Walter Ordway, the two Luther College graduates who initiated the idea of having a Film Festival in northeast Iowa in 2009.

“Filmmakers and world travelers, Luther College grads Walter Ordway and Kyrl Hendersen conceived of the festival as a way to connect filmmakers and audience members,” Skellenger says. Building on the two men’s original vision, she says, “OFF accepts films that focus on the issues of our time including adventure, environmental (issues), social justice, arts, fitness, eco-travel, food/agriculture and creativity, (and) films that address all aspects of the human condition.”

“OFF is a great example of community members getting together to create a rich experience in a small town,” Sojka adds. “If you live in a city, you might not imagine this happening in a place without millions of people. The enrichment of our lives occurs as groups of people - local and visiting - watch films that have been produced by individuals or groups of independent filmmakers, not by large movie-making corporations. Films are selected by our judges that they believe will resonate with our audiences: films about issues that people actually care about. Those audience members then have an opportunity to take part in meaningful discussions of the issues addressed by the film, often with the filmmakers.”

ABOUT THE OPENING NIGHT FILM
RAGBRAI, Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, is the oldest, largest, and longest multi-day bicycle touring event in the world. To celebrate the 50th ride in 2023, documentarians Kelsey Kremer and Courtney Crowder filmed, created and edited this 58-minute documentary featuring Lansing - the ride-ending town for RAGBRAI XLIX. “Shift: The RAGBRAI Documentary,” presented by the Des Moines Register, “follows the planning and organizational efforts by Lansing to create a memorable experience for the 15,000+ riders during RAGBRAI XLIX - featuring local couple and organizers Ian Zahren and Andrew Boddicker,” according to the ride’s website at ragbrai.com.

Starring Dayna Chandler, Torie Giffin, Daniel Giffin, Andrew Boddicker, Ian Zahren, Adam Lineberry and Liam Lineberry, ‘SHIFT’ highlights the internal and external challenges and transformations riders experience, the catalyst that RAGBRAI creates for rural revitalization, and highlights what it means to be a minority couple in rural Iowa. ‘SHIFT’ serves as a reminder of the transformation and empowerment RAGBRAI gives to participants and communities alike” (ragbrai.com).

“I was able to be present for the Premier of ‘SHIFT’ when it was shown in Lansing last fall,” Sojka says. “I was thrilled by the film’s introductions to interesting, real people who took part in RAGBRAI. The stories rang true with my multiple experiences of being a rider in RAGBRAI. I was impressed to know that this is the first film for the two filmmakers. They are excellent storytellers.”

Boddicker will be present at the opening night gala and screening of “SHIFT” at the Hotel Winneshiek Thursday, February 29; both he and Zahren will be at the screening Sunday, March 3. “We are very excited and honored for ‘SHIFT’ to be the opening film in the Oneota Film festival this year,”

Boddicker says. “The ongoing impact of RAGBRAI continues to work in our community and we love that the story carries on in this way. We look forward to seeing the film on the big screen!”

Sojka encourages people to get involved in the film experience - watch films, volunteer to read a script or greet visitors, converse with each other and with filmmakers, go to the social events where there will be more opportunities to talk with other audience members and filmmakers. “Then, if you are motivated, start making your own films,” she says. “Or find people in the community who want to make films and support those filmmakers.”

For more information about the festival, including a printable schedule, visit oneotafilmfestival.org. Keep up with new developments and announcements by following the festival on Facebook at oneotafilmfest.

Oneota Film Festival’s mission is to inform, inspire, and engage viewers and filmmakers in compelling issues by building and sustaining a community of film lovers through film, discussions, and other media to engage a large and diverse audience in Decorah and surrounding communities.