David Massar’s and my 16-minute, 41-second “Kalamazoo Gals” short documentary premiered on February 14, 2025 at Hollywood’s iconic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
Our film festival journey will take us around the world. Stay tuned for upcoming festival announcements! Our festival selections, so far:
- Golden State Film Festival (Hollywood, California), the world premiere in Grauman’s Chinese Theatre: Feb. 14-20
- Wrap Film Festival (London): the Festival has selected Kalamazoo Gals as a candidate for one of its awards: March 21, 2015.
- Capital City Film Festival (Lansing, Michigan): 3:30 pm, April 12
- Red Dirt Film Festival (Stillwater, Oklahoma): Saturday, April 5, 2 pm, at the Stillwater History Museum at the Sheerar Cultural Center. WINNER, Best Short Documentary.
- Music performance on Went-to-WWII Banner Gibson at the opening party at Backstage Stillwater, April 4, 6-8- pm.
- Social Justice Film Festival (Seattle, Washington): April 9-13. WINNER, “Gold Prize” for Best Short Documentary.
- Poppy Jasper International Film Festival (Morgan Hill, California): April 9-16. WINNER, audience award for Best Short Documentary. WINNER, Director’s Circle Award: one of the “films that have left a lasting impression—stories that moved [the festival director], challenged her, and captured the heart of what PJIFF stands for.”
- Kalamazoo Gals screens at 11:00 am on Sunday, April 13 at the CURA art gallery
PIFF will host 2 Kalamazoo Gals “Special Feature” concerts/open mics. We will have on hand 2 Banner Gibsons that US soldiers took to WWII. Come out and play a few tunes on these magical and historically significant instruments!
– Saturday, April 12, 8 pm – 9 pm, Tempo Kitchen & Bar
– Sunday, April 13, 1 pm – 4 pm, Bubbles and Brew
- Thin Line Fest (Denton, Texas): April 26, 6:30 pm. FINALIST (one of six) for “Best Overall Short Documentary.”
- Forum on Life, Culture & Society (FOLCS) (NY, NY): April 24, 2025, 7 pm, at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia. Theatre at Symphony Space. WINNER Audience Favorite Award!
- New York Independent Film Festival (NY, NY): June 4, 2025, 9 pm – 11 pm, at The Producers’ Club.
- Roosevelt Reading Festival, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum (Hyde Park, NY): June 21, 2025, 2 pm, a book reading followed by a few tunes picked on a Banner Gibson. No film screening.
- Sound on Screen Music Film Festival (Cape Town, South Africa): Saturday, July 26, 2025, 7:30 pm.
- Buenos Aires International Film Festival (Buenos Aires, Argentina): September 1, 2025.
- Music Film Festival (Tilburg, Netherlands): September 19-21, 2025.
- Sounds of the Zoo (Kalamazoo, MI): Friday, September 26 & Saturday, September 27 at 8:30 pm, at Bronson Park in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
- New York Shorts International Film Festival (NY, NY): October 11-17, 2025.
- Awareness Film Festival (Santa Monica, CA): Saturday, October 25, at 8:45 pm, at Illusion Magic Lounge, room 1. WINNER, Best Score!
- Friday, October 24, noon to 3:00 pm: Meet the “Kalamazoo Gals” documentary filmmakers and play and hear a Banner Gibson guitar that a young US soldier took to WWII in a casual song-sharing circle at legendary McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. Bring a “Banner” guitar if you have one!
- DocLA (Los Angeles, CA): Saturday, October 25 at 5 pm at Regal LA Live. WINNER, Best International Short Documentary.
- Cucalorus Film Festival (Wilmington, NC): November 19-23, 2025.
- Cine Paris Film Festival (Paris, France), WINNER, Best Short Documentary: Dec. 1
- Lyric Hall (New Haven, Connecticut): Connecticut Premiere! Saturday, February 13, 2026, 6:00 pm (doors open at 5:30 pm), Lyric Hall, 827 Whalley Avenue, New Haven, CT 06515, 203-389-8885. See the Connecticut premiere and hang out afterward with a half dozen Kalamazoo Gal-made, Banner Gibsons and some of your favorite local musicians.
For more information, please contact me.
