MARQUETTE, Mich.—The final three films in the retrospective celebrating the 30-year filmmaking career of Northern Michigan University professor Michael Loukinen will be shown in April. A double feature of documentaries “Finnish American Lives” and “Tradition Bearers” is scheduled for Friday, April 2. “Good Man in the Woods” is scheduled for Friday, April 23.  Both events begin at 7 p.m. in Jamrich Hall 102.

             “Finnish American Lives” is a portrait of traditional Finnish-American family culture in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that highlights the fragile community of memory connecting children with their parents and grandparents. A 92-year-old immigrant grandfather asked his son and Finnish immigrant daughter-in-law to live on the farm and care for him. The barn will fall any day; his three grandchildren are growing restless. This three-generation farm family works, celebrates, reflects and grieves together.

            “Tradition Bearers” is a documentary about Finnish-American history and folk art expressed through the lives and repertoires of four folk artists living in the western Great Lakes region. Blending live oral history interviews with historical photos, the film tells a story of Finnish emigration and the life of the miner, lumberjack and homesteader. 

            “Good Man in the Woods” is a documentary featuring the lives of the survivors of the ancient callings of the wilderness – loggers, trappers, and commercial fishermen – showing how character is shaped by daily exposure to the hazards and splendor of the forests and Lake Superior.

            For more information contact the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at 227-1219.