In March, KickstART is presenting our annual film festival, which returns exclusively to the Farmington Civic Theater in downtown Farmington with films that celebrate the arts and the creative spirit!
Tickets are on sale now at the Farmington Civic Theater.
March 5th, 2026
7:00 PM: Cinema Paradiso
Salvatore, a famous film director, returns to his hometown for the funeral of the local theater’s film projectionist, Alfredo. He reminisces about his life as a young boy falling in love with cinema.
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
124 minutes
Winner of the 1989 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
March 6th, 2026
6:30 pm: The World According to Allee Willis
Songwriter / artist Allee Willis, best known for writing the “Friends” theme song, the Earth Wind & Fire mega-hit “September” and “The Color Purple” musical, began filming her life as a kid in 1950s Detroit and never stopped. She pursued creative expression at all costs while struggling with not fitting established gender and sexual norms… until she found a path to love.
Directed by Alexis Spraic
98 minutes
“A Fascinating Doc Honors a Creative Force of Nature”—Hollywood Reporter
8:30 PM: You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community That Changed the World
An intimate, funny, and emotional documentary about the legendary Canadian production that changed entertainment forever. The 1972 Toronto production of the musical about the life of Jesus starred a then-unknown cast of Martin Short, Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Victor Garber, et al, with Paul Shaffer serving as musical director – a crazy confluence of talent rivalling “Paris in the 20s.”
Directed by Nick Davis
98 minutes
March 7th, 2026
11:00 am: Sing (presented FREE by the Farmington Community Library)
Preceded by the short film All That CHASS by Jason John Roche
An optimistic koala tries to save his struggling theater with a singing contest that attracts animal talent of all shapes, sizes and species.
Directed by Garth Jennings
110 minutes
2:00 pm: Michigan Filmmakers Panel, hosted by MIFIA
4:00 pm: Michigan Short Film Screening
Films include We Hope for Better Things by Gary Schwartz, Pure Magic by Natasha Beste, Sincerely, Sage Joe by Jacob Wilkins, The Girl Inside by Kate Bryan, Ana Sees Her Dad by Mark Broe, Tall Jesse by Adam Burns, Walking the Unknown by Aysha Jamali, That Bolex Thing by Paul Echeverria, and Resurgent Cineribus by Gary Schwartz.
7:00 pm: Resurgo
A landmark documentary from director Stephen McGee and poet-producer Jessica Care Moore, created from twenty years of immersive filmmaking in Detroit. Drawing from millions of photographs and thousands of hours of footage, the film presents a powerful, people-centered portrait of a city defined by creativity, endurance, and humanity.
*This screening will be followed by a Q&A/Discussion with the film’s director and several participants
Directed by Stephen McGee
107 minutes
10:00 pm: Farmington Film Festival afterparty at Lone Light Spirits and KickstART Gallery
March 8th, 2026
12:00 pm: International Short Film Screening
Films include Spiral by Abbey Lynn Paccia, Letter from Blackhawk Island by Derek Jenkins, Gravitation by Nolan Stolz, The Shell by Emil Hamberg, Post Atlantic by Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman, and Fiabexit by Lorenzo Giovenga and Giuliano Giacomelli.
The 2026 Farmington Film Festival is presented by KickstART Farmington with the generous and kind support of the Farmington Civic Theater, Art Leaders Gallery, Blue Hat Coffee, Thornton & Grooms, Dearborn Music-Farmington, Road Less Traveled Books, Steve Chang-Edward Jones, SSDC Services Corporation, Legato Salon & Spa, Schoolcraft College, Heights Brewing, Farmington Community Library, Friends of the Library, Shekufa & Ardeshir Irani, Aleks Heide Web & Design, Bodhi Yoga, Ground Control Coffee Roasters, Oakland Community College, Lone Light Spirits, MCD Architects, MI.MOSA, Chocolate Chipped Bakery, Spruce + Ash, Basement Burger Bar, 1Up Arcade, GLP Financial Group, and Art 101.