Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival

MSPIFF returns April 2-13 to The Main Cinema and other venues around the Twin Cities. As the largest annual celebration of international cinema in the region, MSPIFF44 promises another exciting lineup of 200+ films from around the world, plus an exciting array of parties, panels, visiting filmmakers, and special guests.

Film Schedule

April 7, 2025

Deal at the Border

Dir. Dastan Zhapar Ryskeldi

104 min

On the Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan border, drug trafficker Aza meets Nazik, a woman on the run from human traffickers. Against his better judgment, he helps her to escape, but nothing goes as planned. Summoning up his last threads of dignity, Aza is determined to do the right thing in this gripping thriller.

Time: 2:15 pm

Venue: The Main 1

Magic & Monsters

Dir. Norah Shapiro

89 min

Director Norah Shapiro attending.

Magic & Monsters uncovers a decades-old sexual abuse scandal at America's preeminent children's theater, following survivors who break their silence to hold both their perpetrators and the institution that harbored them accountable. Their quest for justice becomes a path to healing—not only for themselves, but for their entire community.

Time: 7:00 pm

Venue: The Main 3

Pink Lady

Dir. Nir Bergman

106 min

In an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem, Bati (Nur Fibak) has a seemingly perfect life. She is happily married to Lazer (Uri Blufarb), and the young couple have three children. But their world starts to crumble when the gentle Lazer is blackmailed, and Bati discovers his secret affair with his male study partner. Desperate to protect her family and keep the man she loves, she supports Lazer as he attempts to “cure” his homosexuality, whilst uncovering her true desires. Screenwriter Mindi Ehrlich, who drew on her own experiences within the Hasidic Jewish community for the film, brings a freshness to the subject by focusing on the female perspective of events. Ultimately, Bati learns more about her own needs than those of her husband. –AS

Time: 1:50 pm

Venue: The Main 5

Sally

Dir. Cristina Costantini

103 min

Dr. Sally Ride was known as the first American woman to reach outer space, but few outside of her inner circle were aware of her lifelong romantic partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy. Facing down the sexism in the space program–before and after her historic inaugural flight–Dr. Ride triumphed and inspired countless girls and women around the world.

Time: 7:05 pm

Venue: The Main 2

Shorts: Revealing Laughter

87 min

Filmmakers attending.

Night Session 11 min

dir: Ballard C. Boyd

When a burglar unexpectedly runs into a homeowner during a theft, the robbery morphs into a makeshift therapy session.

The Constructor 10 min

dir: Scott Morris

Elizabeth, an impossibly precocious seven-year-old Lego constructor, struggles with “imagination blur” as her three-year-old sister attempts to free her from her rigid thinking.

Phantom Heart 6 min

dir: Josephine Spanier

When a mischievous poltergeist escapes, a shy supernatural researcher must recapture it before it reveals the crush she harbors for her coworker.

Check Please 10 min

dir: Shane Chung

Dinner for two turns deadly when a Korean and a Korean-American escalate a fight over who gets to pay the check — and who gets to walk out the restaurant alive.

Channelvue 8 min

dir: Brandon Tauszik

During a late '90s TV Guide channel broadcast, an uptight cable company CEO fights off deranged hackers as they hijack her station, changing its content in real time.

What's The Deal With Birds? 11 min

dir: Taylor Bakken

A trailblazing young birder sets out to answer the age-old question – what’s the deal with birds? When a strange bird offers her answers, things begin to take flight.

The Understudy 14 min

dir: Peter Pasyk

An understudy actor receives a call that he must go on last-minute to replace the star of a major stage production of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

The Sentry 17 min

dir: Jake Wachtel

A suave spy's routine mission in Cambodia gets derailed when a persistent local guard makes him face the human cost of his James Bond lifestyle.

Time: 7:10 pm

Venue: The Main 1

Third Act

Dir. Tadashi Nakamura

91 min

Known as “the Godfather of Asian-American media”, the life and career of filmmaker Robert A. Nakamura is examined in his son Tadashi's stirring documentary, along with generational trauma, silenced emotions, and Robert’s experiences in the Japanese internment camps during WWII.

Time: 4:15 pm

Venue: The Main 5

Undercover

Dir. Arantxa Echevarría

118 min

Aranzazu Berradre Marín has a secret, she’s a cop. And, she’s the only one able to infiltrate the Spanish terrorist group ETA. Not her real name, Marín goes deep undercover, perplexing her enemies and astonishing her fellow officers. Arantxa Echevarría’s nail-biting thriller is based on a true story and won the Goya for Best Film.

Time: 7:15 pm

Venue: The Main 5

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Date: April 2 - 13, 2025