Set for June 19 through June 22 is the second annual Sunflower Film Festival in Paw Paw.
The festival was started last year by Jason Deibler-Love of The Lucky Wolf with a goal of spreading awareness and ending stigma surrounding mental health issues.
Deibler-Love tells us he and his wife, India Love, were planning to start a film festival, but she died from suicide in 2023, before the idea could be realized. He says after he learned more than he ever thought he could know about mental health, he wanted to find a way to help others. Films to be shown around Paw Paw during the Sunflower Film Festival tend to align with that goal.
“What we were looking for were filmmakers that had a message of either hope or something affiliated with mental health or hope or environmental health,” Deibler-Love said. “There’s so much in one’s environment where you grow up that could affect your health.”
Deibler-Love says after the festival got off to a slow start last year, he’s had more time for planning this year with a board that includes people who previously helped manage the Sundance Film Festival. Now they’ve got entries from all over the world.
Jennifer Sistrunk with Visit South Haven tells us having this event in Paw Paw will be a boon to the region.
“Paw Paw is a growing area,” Sistrunk said. “They’ve got a really robust music scene, wine culture. So I just think that it will continue to grow. They saw a lot of support last year, and with the lineup that they have, we anticipate that it’ll bring an even larger crowd this year.”
In addition to a curated selection of films, the Sunflower Film Festival will also include interactive panels, musical performances, and satellite screenings. Deibler-Love says you never know. Maybe the event in Paw Paw could become the next Sundance.
You can find out more about the festival, including its schedule, right here.
