Bay City’s Hell’s Half Mile Film and Music Festival to host smaller events in lieu of large fall festival – mlive.com
BAY CITY, MI – The Hell’s Half Mile Film and Music Festival will return to Bay City for its “14.5th” year in a modified form for COVID-19 safety.
The nonprofit was slated to have its 15th festival this fall showcasing various independent musicians and filmmakers, as well as panel discussions and music jam sessions. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, organizers have opted to instead offer a series of smaller events throughout the summer as part of “Hell’s Half Mile 14.5.″
“We’ve decided to push the big celebration of our 15th festival to the fall of 2021 so we can all join together in Downtown Bay City and do it up big,” organizers stated in a press release. “We realize that sounds like another cancellation. We prefer to look at this as a temporary re-imagining.”
The first event scheduled for the summer is a pop-up drive-in movie on Sunday, July 12. Hell’s Half Mile has teamed up with the State Theatre of Bay City, located at 913 Washington Ave., to show 70s and 80s blockbusters on a giant inflatable screen. The screenings will be free, but pre-registration is required due to limited seating. The screen will be located in the parking lot near the Pere Marquette Depot on the corner of Fifth and Adams.
Hell’s Half Mile is also planning pop-up cinema experiences throughout the summer and fall. Films will focus on indie and rock and roll genres. Dates and locations have yet to be determined. For those who don’t want to leave their homes, a Hellion Film Club Virtual Cinema will be offered weekly to allow people to rent indie films from home. All rental proceeds will help support Hell’s Half Mile.
The organization also plans to have virtual watch parties with filmmakers. Virtual participants will be able to ask filmmakers questions live as they watch their movies live. Additionally, the HHM Film Slam competition will also go virtual. Local filmmakers can win prizes and share their work online.
In late July or early August, Hell’s Half Mile will host a beer tasting event at Bay City’s Drydock Beer Garden, 113 Center Ave. Revenue will go toward supporting Hell’s Half Mile. The organization is also tentatively planning various live music events and festival weekend events the last weekend of September. Events and schedules are subject to change.
More details will be posted on the Hell’s Half Mile website as updates are available.
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