Courtesy Traverse City Film Festival

Some of the hottest Film Festival tickets in town are for the free panel discussions. More than 50 directors, producers, and actors are coming to our fair city with their films. Many of these celebs participate in free discussion panels each morning. Make some time in your day for one of these. You’ll be glad you did.

The Lowdown

When: daily, Wednesday-Sunday at 10 am

Where: City Opera House in downtown Traverse City.

Panel tickets are free to the public and are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 9 a.m. each morning. The complete list of panel topics and guests for the 2008 Traverse City Film Festival is as follows*:

Wednesday

Front and Vine: Showing Movies at the State, Making Movies in Michigan

Rich Brauer (Brauer Productions), Russ Collins (Michigan Theater), Sean Fine ("War Dance"), Christine Lahti ("Yonkers Joe"), Gretchen Mol ("3:10 to Yuma"), Michael Moore, Janet Lockwood of the Michigan Film Office, Andrea Nix-Fine, special guests.

Thursday

Who Are These Terrorists, and Why Do They Make Movies?

Daniel Evans ("War, Love, God & Madness"), Amin Matalqa ("Captain Abu Raed"), David Pritchard ("Captain Abu Raed"), Laura J. Winter ("Baghdad High"), Christopher Trumbo ("Trumbo").

Friday

The Phil Donahue Show, Live in Traverse City!

Phil Donahue with guests Michael Moore and Stanley Donen

Saturday

Saturday All-Star Comedy Panel

Larry Charles ("Religulous"), Stanley Donen, Sabina Guzzanti ("Sympathy for the Lobster"), Elaine May ("The Birdcage"), John Lyons (Focus Features), special guests.

Sunday

I Worked with Michael Moore and Lived to Make This Movie

Carl Deal ("Trouble the Water"), Tia Lessin ("Trouble the Water"), Jason Pollock ("The Youngest Candidate"), Gini Reticker ("Pray the Devil Back to Hell").

* Panelist schedule subject to change
  

Photo(s) by Courtesy Traverse City Film Festival