SUPPORT
EXPERIMENTAL
FILM
We believe art and connecting people through film is vital, now more than ever. The Ann Arbor Film Festival has been bending minds with experimental film since 1963, but in 2020, for the first time-ever, we live-streamed the festival and bent over 16,000 minds from 101 countries!
We’re incredibly excited about the possibilities this year’s festival has opened up and now we’re asking for your support so we can continue our mission of being a platform for filmmakers and the very best film art.
If you're also interested in becoming an AAFF member, to receive year-round benefits and access to the Festival, please see our membership page.
Your contribution, large or small, makes a big difference in our ability to champion talented film artists! Make a donation today.
or send your check to:
Ann Arbor Film Festival
PO Box 8232
Ann Arbor, MI 48107
"In an age when the bottom line seems to be eroding some of the soul of cinema, the Ann Arbor Film Festival is unique, and truly radical, in its celebration of film as an art form. The AAFF is a cultural treasure."
Sam Green, director of
Academy Award®-nominated
The Weather Underground
Bending Minds
since 1963
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is the oldest avant-garde and experimental film festival in North America, founded by George Manupelli in 1963. Internationally recognized as a premiere forum for independent filmmakers and artists, each year's festival engages audiences with remarkable cinematic experiences.
Global Community
of Filmmakers
Each year, the AAFF receives more than 3,000 submissions annually from more than 65 countries and serves as one of a handful of Academy Award®-qualifying festivals in the United States. Thousands of influential filmmakers and artists have exhibited early work at the AAFF, including Kenneth Anger, Agnes Varda, Andy Warhol, Gus Van Sant, Barbara Hammer, and more.
Year-round programming
The AAFF is a pioneer of the traveling film festival tour and each year presents short film programs at more than 35 cinematheques, universities, museums and artist-run centers in the U.S., Canada and Europe. For the first time ever we held two Drive-In nights and have made the Tour and AAFF PRESENTS available to watch online.
“For me, it’s an oasis of bizarre creativity, profound insight, and luscious imagery in a dreary winter-trodden landscape. It feels like a big city event, and the fact that it’s timed with our emergence from the date bitter days of winter makes the experience that much sweeter.”
Nic Sims
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS
Many thanks to our donors for helping us get through such a challenging year.
Thanks to you, we are able to bring the best film art to the screen again!
$15,000 and above
Amy J. Moore, Deanna Morse
$10,000 – $14,999
The James and Helen McCaffery Charitable Foundation
$5,000 – $9,999
630 Club, Tom Bray & Jeri Hollister, Ken Burns, David DeVarti & Ellen Rabinowitz
$3,000 – $4,999
Martha Darling & Gil Omenn, Susan Dise, Cecily E. Horton, Lawrence & Meg Kasdan, Cynthia Nicely, Rick Cronn & Myrna Rugg,
Lynne Sachs & Mark Street
$1,000 – $2,999
Ruth Bardenstein & Jim Roll, Richard & Elizabeth Berman, Gary Boren, Oscar Cardenas & John Seymour, Constance Crump & Jay Simrod, Martin Contreras & Keith Orr, Jackie & John Farah, David Gilbertson & Anne Cutsinger, Matthew Graff & Leslie Lawther, Deborah S. Greer, Donald Harrison, John Johnson & Mary Cronin, Noah & Ethan Kaplan, Heidi Kumao, Susan & Michael Landauer, Wendy Lawson, Morgan McCormick & Justin Bonfiglio, Thomas & Lisa McKarns, AJ Saulsberry, Paul Schutt, Barbara Twist, Jonathan Tyman & Deborah Bayer
$500 – $999
Alec & Judy Allen, James Bennett, F. Ross Birkhill and Laura Jean Birkhill Family Foundation, Martha Bloom, Patricia & John Carver, Richard & Mei DeVarti, Stephen & Angeline Fisher, Vicki Engel & Dan Gunning, Darcy Ann Hall, Barbara Kessler & Dick Soble, Kari Magill & George Fisher, Markus Nornes, Damani Partridge & Sunita Bose-Partridge, Chris Peters, Veerendra Prasad, Daniel Rivkin & Jennifer Conlin, Krissa & Jim Rumsey, Jeremy Seaver, Robin & Ron Sober, Francyne Stacey, Jim & Susan Warner
$250 – $499
Lars Bjorn & Susan Wineberg, Thomas Chivens & Katherine Jenckes, Zachary Damon, Mark Hardin & Pilarita Cortez, Dennis Hayes & Mary Ellen Rounsifer, Shannon Kohlitz, Jean Baderschneider & Pat MacArevey, Bob Moustakas & Katharine Burnett, Tadd & Nayiri Mullinix, Mark Murrell, Arthur Nusbaum, Deanna Relyea & Piotr Michalowski, James Salame, Claywood Sempliner, Jonathan Skidmore, Francyne Stacey
Leslie Raymond & Jason Stevens, Robin Wolgast, Harvey Levine & Marie Woo, Steve Wood
$100 – $249
Trevor John Adams, Phoebe Adams, Francheska Alers, Mark Anzicek, Joan Binkow, Anthony Buba & Janice McMannis, Julia Caroff, Dennis J. Carter, Diane Cheklich, Bernard Coakley, Hubert & Ellen Cohen, Cecelia Condit, Darren Floyd, Steven Haines, Peter Heydon, Cynthia Kennedy, John Kerr, James Kreul, Lance Lawlor, Leland Lew, Joan Lowenstein & Jonathan Trobe, Greg Merriman & Jill McDonough, Rashmi Menon, Peter and Carolyn Mertz, Hafsah Mijinyawa, Simona Monizza, Keith Moorman, David Olson, Greg Powell, Kathleen Quillian, Brian Roberson, Herbert Rossi, Gail Altenburg & Nicholas Roumel, Jay & Susan Sandweiss, Terri Sarris, Erich Schifter, Peter Sparling, Dey Summer, Danielle & Dave Susser, Mary Thiefels, Joseph Walters, Sasha Waters Freyer, Justin Wong
$20 – $99
Lindsey Arturo, Bella Babot, Sandra Berman, Andra Birkerts, Jean & Frederick Birkhill, Hillary Bliss, William Bolcom & Joan Morris, Susan Badger Booth, Betzy Bromberg, Howard White & Barbara Brown, Alan Brown, David Brown, Nancy Brucken, Caitlyn Buchanan, Catherine Butler, Sofia Caetano, Judith Calhoun, Madison Carter, Sara Chapman, Jon and Corinne Childs, Hui Hua Chua, Sean Clute, Diane Conde, Cathy Cook, Brent Coughenour, Nancy Cripe, Sean Cronin, Jack Cronin, Reates Curry, Rebecca Davenport, Jenna Didier, Sean Donovan
Jeannette Duane & Douglas Shapiro, Jerry Duba, Roberta Duda, John Engelbrecht, David Zachary Evans, Mike Everleth, Derek Felten
Rich Field & Kathie Hepler, Rebecca J Filbey, Zachary Finkelstein, Phil Fisher, Lee Flynn, John Francisco, Maura Fulton, Eric Furlong, Ian Gailer, Cheri Gaulke, Aaron Gerow, Anna Gersh, Deborah Geye, Lloyd Goldsmith, Mark Gordon, Marcie Greenfield, Travis Gresham, Maggie Haag, Timothy Hamann, Lavinia Hanachiuc, Carrie Hawks, Jean Henry, Stephanie Henyard, Dan Herbert & Anna Sampson, David Howell
Christopher Huth, Radek Hylmar, Kathleen Ignatoski, Wayne Indyk, Andrew Inman, Howard Israel, Jim Jacob, Matt Jacobs, Katherine Johnson, Richard Johnson, Jessica Johnson, Crystal Kemter, Nancy Keough, Robert & Brenda Kerr, Edward Kimball, Dale Knorr, Ken Kobland, Patricia Kowalski, Harriet Kozyn, Dustin Krcatovich & Micah Vanderhoof, Kamila Kuc, Nancy LaTendresse, Alexandre Lechasseur-Dubé, Carl Lee, Jennifer Levonian, Alan Levy & Susan Pollans, Fung Li, Wood Lin, Michael Long, Ted Lyman, Charles Lyman, Linda Lyman
Gary Mangrum, Sophie Manning, Charles Marcus, Páraic Mc Gloughlin, Ryan McGavock, Kathleen McGowan, Joanna McNamara, Chris McNamara & Margaret Fong, Maureen Michael, James Middleton, Alexandra Milani, Floyd Miller, Catherine Mizgerd, Daniel E. Moerman
Maral Mohammadian, Bob Moir & Candice Gates, Allison Morris, Paul Morris, Kathleen Mortensen, Will Nediger, John Nelson & Deb Gaydos
Tiffany Ng, Willie Northway, Emily Olenzek, Maureen OMalley, Michael Osmond, Kirk Page, Carson Parish, Cynthia Penter, Mike Perini
Robert Pertuso, Christopher W. A. Peters, Melissa Phruksachart, Paul Pierantozzi, Lisa Powers, Greg Pratt, Astra Price, Jennifer Proctor & Aaron Valdez, Amel Puric, Edward Rankus, Julia Reardin, Anne Rebull, David Reed, Katharine Relth, Andrew Remdenok, David Richman
Lindsay Robillard, Peter Rose, David Rosenboom, Jules Rosskam, Kathleen Rugh, Raquel Salvatella de Prada, Veronica Sanitate
Heinz & Martha Schmidt, Elizabeth Schneider, Steve Seeger, Kristen Shaeffer, Russell Sheaffer, Christopher Sheklian, Ingrid & Clifford Sheldon, Kate Shults, Paul Simpson, Dana Sink, Michael & Pamela Smith, James Snazell, Lynn & John Spencer, Ellen Spiller, Shel & Rita Stark, Stacey Steers, Amanda Sterling, Ellen Stross, YANCHUN SU, Helder Sun, Paul Sutherland, Christina Tabaczka, Dicle Taskin, Bjorn Thoresen, Brian Tomsic, Natalie Tsui, Silvia Turchin, Mary Underwood, Marcia Valenstein, Angel Vasquez, Gretchen Vinnedge, Allida Warn
Grahame Weinbren, Kirk Westphal, Susan Wolf, Leon Wyszewianski, Tzu Hsuan Yang, Julia Yezbick & Ben Gaydos
Manupelli Giving Circle
Festival friends who pledge a sustaining gift of $500 (or more) for 5 years become a part of our very special giving circle, named for our founder George Manupelli.
Gary Boren, Martha Darling and Gil Omenn, David DeVarti & Ellen Rabinowitz, Susan Dise, Jackie & John Farah, David Gilbertson & Anne Cutsinger, Vicki Engel & Dan Gunning, Darcy Ann Hall, Heidi Kumao, Susan & Michael Landauer, Amy J. Moore, Cynthia Nicely, Veerendra Prasad, Daniel Rivkin & Jennifer Conlin, Robin & Ron Sober, Barbara Twist, Jonathan Tyman & Deborah Bayer
BEQUEST INTENTIONS
If you would like to add AAFF to your estate plan, simply add this language to your will:
I give, devise, and bequeath to the Ann Arbor Film Festival
(a) the sum of $ ___________ or (b) ______ percent of my estate
to be used for the benefit of the festival as determined by
the executive director and the Board of Directors.
To let us know your intentions, or for questions and more information, please email leslie@aafilmfest.org. Thank you!
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization powered by a generous community of supporters. As the longest running independent and experimental film festival in North America, the AAFF serves as a critical forum for connecting filmmakers with audiences through the art form of film.