2025 Sweetwater Film Showcase

Sponsored by the Horton Family in Honor of Gary Horton

The Michigan Maritime Museum is proud to present the Sweetwater Film Showcase. This two-day event will feature short and full-length documentaries about Great Lakes topics that highlight the connections, contributions, and stories of underrepresented and minority communities and persons to Great Lakes maritime history and heritage. The Showcase is a part of the Museum’s Whispers Across the Water program series.

Schedule

Morning Screenings
10:30 AM - 12 PM

Filmmaker Panel Discussion
12 PM - 12:30 PM

Afternoon Screenings
1:30 PM - 3 PM

Filmmaker Panel Discussion
3 PM - 3:30 PM

Documentary Selections

Thursday, July 24th

Ripples

Ripples: Casting for Change

32 minutes

Six elementary school girls fly to an island in the middle of Lake Michigan to test their fly fishing skill. The girls are members of a school sponsored Adventure Club that focuses on building community, belonging, and leadership skills to change the narrative of what girls can and can not do. During the two day trip the girls discuss the pressures of growing up in a digital world and the need for nature based connections like fly fishing.

Thunder Enlightening

Thunder Enlightening

14 minutes

"Thunder Enlightening" chronicles the week-long deployment a team of Special Operations veterans from FORCE BLUE made to Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary as part of their nonprofit organization’s "Tour of Duty." It is the story of the work they performed, the people they touched and the collective hope that, together, they might inspire others to help preserve and restore one of America’s national treasures.

Boblo Boats Horizontal poster_with laurels

Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale

78 minutes

When Ste. Claire and SS Columbia sounded their whistles, every Detroit kid knew it heralded the coming of summer and the magic of ferrying over to nearby Boblo Island Amusement Park. After 85 years of operation, these two sister steamships – the oldest in America - awaken from a deep slumber to find a devoted team of enthusiasts have set out to rescue them from their deteriorating state. SS Columbia has been whisked away to New York while Claire's fate rests in the hands of an unlikely band of heroes: a doctor, a psychic, and an amusement park fanatic.

Water is Life

Water is Life

15 minutes

A portion of a longer documentary that is still in production, Water Is Life revolves around the perspective of indigenous people for whom the Great Lakes are a crucial living entity in all of our lives. Central to Water Is Life is an interview with Frank Ettawageshik, a former Executive Director of the United Tribes of Michigan and a member of the Little Traverse Bans of Chippewa and Odawa Indians. He was a Native American delegate in the original negotiations of the Great Lakes Compact whose personal story begins and ends on the shore of Little Traverse Bay at the north end of Lake Michigan. His message is one of hope and his faith that the youth of today are both willing and able to work tirelessly for the sustainability of a healthy Great Lakes environment.

Lake Huron Red Tails

Lake Huron Red Tails

9 minutes

The story of Tuskegee Airman Frank Moody, his tragic accident in Lake Huron, and the team that works to preserve his history more than 70 years later. Narrated by archaeologist Wayne Lusardi.

Beneath the Surface

Beneath the Surface

7 minutes

Elementary school girls from Harbor Springs' Adventure Club experience spear fishing in Lake Huron. This program is a follow up to the success of Ripples: Casting for Change. The girls are members of a school sponsored club that focuses on experiences and leadership skills to breakthrough barriers defining traditionally male dominated outdoor activities.

Lake Leelanau

Lake Leelanau, Spirit of the Lake

24 minutes
The documentary features insightful interviews with expert historians who trace Lake Leelanau's story from its formation by ancient glaciers to its significance for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and early settlers. Lake biologists and geologists provide a deep dive into the lake’s ecology, discussing its unique North and South basins, the invasive species threatening its clarity, and efforts to preserve its pristine waters. Members of the Lake Leelanau Lake Association share personal memories and highlight their decades-long commitment to protecting this 8,608-acre sanctuary, emphasizing its role as a haven for generations of families.

Friday, July 25

Fish Thief

The Fish Thief

91 minutes

THE FISH THIEF: A Great Lakes Mystery tells the true story of remarkable people tackling the mystery of why the fish most prized by people nearly vanished from the largest freshwater ecosystem on Earth: the Great Lakes. The crash destroyed jobs and businesses, devastating towns, tribal communities and First Nations in Canada and the United States.
Nme Title frame

Nme the Tribal Way

43 minutes

Nmé the Tribal Way examines the lake sturgeon’s life cycle from hatching eggs to spawning adults. The film explores the sturgeon’s traditional role in Native American culture through interviews with community members across Michigan, including two sturgeon clan members.
Known Traditionally as the Nummaseppi or River of Sturgeon, the Raisin River in Southeast Michigan suffered a similar fate as rivers across the Great Lakes, where European colonization followed by the industrial revolution led to the demise of once pristine sturgeon habitat. Today, the People of the Three Fires are leading the way for lake sturgeon restoration efforts in the Great Lakes basin.
Billy Caldwell 1

The Negotiator: Billy Caldwell

40 minutes

The Negotiator: Billy Caldwell explores the life of the Métis leader who navigated shifting alliances and treaties in early Chicago, striving to protect Native land and people during turbulent times. This film examines Caldwell’s complex legacy, resilience, and role in shaping Chicago’s history through skillful negotiation and cultural bridging.