Frozen River Film Festival

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About

The art of documentary. The warmth of Winona.

FEBRUARY 1-8, 2026: Celebrating 21 Years!

The Frozen River Film Festival offers programs that engage, educate and activate viewers to become involved in the world. These programs provide a unique perspective on environmental issues, sustainable communities, adventure travel and sports, and diverse cultures while showcasing the art of documentary film. Our films often explore issues, concerns, and life’s successes that are usually not covered in the local media.

We connect our viewers with people at the heart of current events, organizations at the forefront of social change, and distinct cultures in an increasingly global community.

Our high-caliber documentary films feature interviews, exciting stories, or perspective on current affairs that will often captivate and engross the viewer. Films often hit home on a personal note for viewers. Films encourage attendees to learn more about an issue, volunteer with an organization, get outside, or help financially support a cause they believe in.

In addition, face-to-face Q&A sessions with filmmakers and producers are a rewarding bonus to our festival screenings Q&A sessions with the filmmaker or producer. This happens immediately after showing of the film when the audience has the story fresh in its mind. Viewers then delve into details of how the film was made, what the film’s characters are doing now, or how the celebrity found inspiration to make the documentary. Those follow-ups keep the audience engaged. Periodic workshops and forums throughout the year can keep viewers engaged as well.

We unfortunately cannot highlight every film, but here are a few we’ve identified as the must see films of the festival:

• Third Act, a powerful feature about passing down intergenerational artistic wisdom, exploring father–son bonding and the resilience required to create something entirely new for your culture.
• Comparsa is a compelling story of women’s resistance and community healing through art and performance. After 41 girls are killed in a government housing fire, two sisters organize a street festival to bring their community together.
• Everything Needs to Live follows a lesbian Ukrainian weightlifter as she cares for animals and neighbors while war rages around her, capturing moments of tenderness and strength in the face of ongoing war.
• The Little Ancestor, one of the few animated films in the festival, traces the history of a farmhouse and its surroundings as years, and generations, pass by.

These are just four of our sixty incredible international films which will be screened in Winona from February 1st through the 8th. To learn more, visit frff.eventive.org.