Nestled above the now-defunct Manhattan Loft on Washington Avenue lies the office of the Minneapolis Film Arts (MFA)— an aesthetic milieu of films that seem to filter in and out with the passing of time. Dates on Post-its and colorful writings on whiteboards line the parameters of the cozy yet work-loaded suite, while The String Quartet plays adaptations of the Arcade Fire and Elliott Smith in the background. Even on a Sunday afternoon, coordinators Ryan Oestreich and Rena Hartman are busily occupied: the 27th Annual Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF) is only a few weeks away. In every way, their lives are film—they watch it in the office, at home, and in places in between. And this “labor of love,” as they like to call it, never ceases.

Kicking off on the evening of April 16, the two-week festival will feature films from 52 different countries, precipitating world culture right into the Twin Cities. It will begin with a meet-and-greet soiree at the Bella Notte restaurant, where the film community will begin celebrating the craft of the films that reflect the eminently universal theme of the festival.

“I think we have a lot more variety this year,” Oestreich says. “I really see it in the films, and in the crew, and with the events. We’re bringing in diversity… with over 150 films. We’ve got a benchmark – I don’t think we’ve ever had [films from] more than 50 countries on one bill.” The countries of origin spawn from obscure, never-before-depicted-on-film nations like Mozambique, Macedonia, Burma and the Principality of Monaco to better-known locales such as Greece, France, China and the United States.

“We want to play a film that has not played in the Cities or even in the state before…a film that really represents a country or a subject matter cinematically and universally… we have to make sure that all the films have a universal theme, and come off so that everyone can understand them. We even shoot for the demographics of the Twin Cities… large populations of East Africans, Southeast Asians, and Scandinavians.”

Al Milgrom, the founding father of the University Film Society, is the official director of MFA and MSPIFF. Now heading a plentiful staff, he tours so-called first tier film festivals throughout the world, picking and choosing the perfect movies to bring back to the Twin Cities’ big screen. “Al goes to Seattle, Toronto, Sundance, Berlin, with his notebook, and basically rips through as many possible films as he can—then pulls out the best at each festival and brings them to Minneapolis… He seeks out producers and directors and sees if they want to be a part of our festival, and has been doing exactly this for the last 25 years,” Oestreich says. The ensuing worldly cinematic interaction is captured in the MSPIFF, whose prime motive is to “show the world.”

The universal theme of the MSPIFF is a “beautiful way to tell about another country,” says Oestreich. “If I can see a little of a country I would never travel to, I feel like I know a little more about it… The International Festival screens these people’s cultures and we want to show that.”

Thematic diversity is the festival’s most prized feat. Historical content revealed in a few Scandinavian films this year, about the Sami people of Northern Fenno-Scandinavia, may even be unfamiliar to the people from that culture. “[There are] a lot of undercurrent themes of climate change and culture,” Hartman says. New avant-garde indie films are also receiving their deserved notice.

“A film called Defamation takes a critical look at Jewish culture in America and how it paints Israel. It might irritate some people, challenge their values, but that is exactly what I want to show. I am not biased to any degree—I want to show a film from Iran as much as a film that criticizes America. I do. There’s no reason it shouldn’t play, and when I have the international spotlight right now, I’m going to shine it,” Oestreich asserts.

“Another examines problems in Peru, showing that there’s no way you can break the barrier in the class system. It’s therapeutic and it opens your mind, but it doesn’t drain you. It tries to help you understand the situation—it’s a big undertaking for anyone.” MFA’s decidedly open-minded stance on project selections sends a clear message that every culture, every type of belief system out there is being appreciated.

The community, however, is as big a part of the festival as the films themselves. Volunteers, projectors and viewers make it visual, real and uplifting. Hartman emphasizes: “[We’ve] connected a local element and tied every single possible community ethnic restaurant and any international aspect to take part in any way that they can in the film festival. For example, we went to a Croatian restaurant, and put up advertisements in Russian magazines. We’ve made a widespread effort to include every culture. Almost everyone has something they would like to promote on a cinematic medium.”

“There’ll be a lot of impromptu after-events,” says Hartman. “We want viewers to stick around after the film, find out what it was about, and talk to some of the directors.” To that end, Minnesota Film Arts has invited over twenty directors, producers, sound techs and cast members, many of them local, to present their films. Audience members will be given ballots to fill out about their favorite films, some of which will be chosen for post-festival screening at the Oak Street Cinema.

“I even put on a film for the frat boys,” Oestreich boasts of the documentary about the Las Vegas World Series of Beer Pong. “We’ve really tried to bridge the gap between international culture and hometown spirits, between generations,” Hartman added. “Stub & Herbs has been kind enough to host a party after the showing at Oak Street and invites everyone to play some beer pong.”

But not all is fun and games in the life of an organizer for a festival such as this; behind the scenes, a logistical whirlwind ensues—overnight FedEx’d film canisters, arrangement of guest star appearances, and managing secrets (such as what films will show for the opening and closing nights of the festival) as well as an army of specialized volunteers. Programmers had to be consulted for segments such as “Minnesota Made” and “Short Docs,” while the 35mm physical reels themselves had to be tracked down and fought over amongst other same-tier festivals going on concomitantly—even local competitors, such as the Beyond Borders Film Festival, have had the potential to co-opt some of MSPIFF’s highly-anticipated premiers.

To their credit, the team at MFA, being total celluloid purists, are proud to announce that more than two-thirds of this year’s lineup will be projected on their medium of choice—quite a feat in an era of almost entirely digitally shot/edited productions—with the rest being shown on Digibeta or HDCam enabled projection.

When asked about the venues, Oestreich assured us that this year’s festival would be run very much like the last: “Block E (Downtown) for the opening and closing galas, Oak Street, and Saint Anthony Main,” which will house the majority of MSPIFF’s shows.

Hartman also heads up volunteer coordination for this project. She tells us that, while a great number of the pre-festival details have already been locked down, volunteers are still being sought-after to help make the festival a huge success. Applications are currently being accepted for ticketing, ushering, events, etc., and anyone interested can send an email to info@mnfilmarts.org.

For two weeks, the crew at MFA will get to enjoy the fruits of their labors at MSPIFF. Those not scheduled to work certain events hope to get to as many showings as they can. Their infectious enthusiasm about each and every film and related event in the program is enough to make one want to drop everything from April 16-30 and become a major MSPIFF junky. Fortunately, festival passes are available in various amounts (5 films, 10 films, etc.) to help feed such an addiction, and to ease the burden on your wallet. Student discounts are also available.

After the festival is over, MFA staffers will be busy writing thank you notes, returning film canisters and cleaning up after an abundance of events. Milgrom will once again start his circuit of first-tier festivals, and Oak Street will resume its regular programming. Local theater owners from across the Metro may even try to incorporate some of the most noteworthy films shown at MSPIFF into their schedules for the upcoming year, as has happened in years past—giving people that “one last chance” to see a film they love on the silver screen. Aside from having a pricey Netflix membership, an opportunity to see this many quality films in such a short amount of time passes by this way only once each year. Go see an MSPIFF-affiliated show, stick around for the after-events, maybe even talk to a producer, director or actor in the motion picture. Play some art-sanctioned beer pong, and help to support the continuation of a very worthy (and educational) cause. Whatever you choose to do, we promise you won’t forget it. See you at the movies.