One Detroit’s Chris Jordan spoke with Joseph Beyer and Jordan Anderson about Bernie Rosendahl’s journey, the rich history of Michigan’s independent movie theaters, and their cultural importance as gathering spaces.
“Marqueetown departs from the often staid format of combining interviews with historical photos and narration and breathes life into a century's worth of facts and anecdotes through a variety of creative leaps.
It’s a sign, really, that this made-in-Michigan documentary named for the signs that adorn classic movie theaters is going to be quirky and pleasingly unpredictable.
And what other way would you want to tell the story of one man’s dream of resurrecting a piece of cinema-going history in the Upper Peninsula?”
“The new film Marqueetown places us squarely in the middle of downtown Marquette, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
There were once TWO cinemas right across from each other, including The Nordic — an old streamline moderne theater with a wraparound marquee and an astonishing interior.
In the film, we learn about The Nordic, and about a man named Bernie Rosendahl who grew up in Marquette and tries to bring the old arthouse cinema back to life.”
“Though (Bernie) Rosendahl’s campaign to restore the Nordic’s marquee unfolded before the pandemic, his longing to restore positive childhood memories of people gathering in a narrow auditorium is even more meaningful in a post-COVID world.
The solution he settles on makes it clear that his dream isn’t driven by simple nostalgia for the good old days but a desire to restore Americans’ sense of wonder toward the movies, harkening back to a time when films were deemed worthy of announcing in buzzing electric lights.”
“The journey from Rosendahl’s idea to his partnership with The Honorable Distillery became the central narrative of Marqueetown — the documentary feature I created with my producing partner Jordan Anderson.
We hope the film is a love letter not just to the theater itself, but also to the role of cinema as the heartbeat of community and small-town life—and the passion of one hero determined to keep it alive.”
“Anderson says it’s about our quest to save these places that hold so much to us, whether they're a movie theater or even just something larger that just means something to us as we grow up. It’s a story that is constantly in flux.
And if you look at any newspaper on any given day across the country, we're seeing how Bernie's quest seems all the more relevant every single day.”
“We started thinking ahead to what would make us happy and we immediately thought we should take this thing on the road and give all the ticket sales back to these remarkable theaters and try to remind people along the way what it's like to go out and see a movie…”
”First-time documentarians Jordan Anderson and Joe Beyer have crafted this beautifully told story of the rise, fall and potential rebirth of Marquette Michigan's Nordic Theater.
Set alongside a gorgeous score that underpins the emotionality of the boom and bust evolution of small-town businesses, the film connects the viewers with the passions they held in days past in a way only the most gifted storytellers can accomplish.”
“As I continue to mourn the demise of the local theater in my neighborhood, and watch small independent theaters across the region struggle, a movie like Marqueetown hit home. Hard.
For those among us who travel from city to city (Ann Arbor; Traverse City; Detroit; Toronto) in search of good movies and who love sitting in the classic movie palaces of the past, this one's for you.
Find it somewhere (if possible, in a historic movie theater), and enjoy.”
The story of how “Marqueetown” got to the Hell’s Half Mile Film and Music Festival in 60 seconds. 2024 Official Selection.
Friday September 27 at 6:30 PM, Bay City Michigan
Sunday September 29 at 5:00 PM, Bay City Michigan
“Beyer had never made a film before, and Anderson had only made shorts, but in January of 2023, the two friends started shooting footage that would become Marqueetown.
Nine months, countless hours of research, and half a dozen trips to the Upper Peninsula later, they debuted a rough cut of the film at Marquette’s own Fresh Coast Film Festival.
Now the pair are ready to screen the film for the first time, for a hometown crowd at Traverse City’s Alluvion..”
In honor of Yooper Nite, Co-Creators Jordan Anderson and Joseph Beyer threw out the first pitch for the Traverse City Pitspitters Game vs. the Battle Creek Battle Jacks.
As they ran to the mound, they dedicated it to The Honorable Distillery, the Peter White Public Library, the Delft Bistro, Remie’s, the Fresh Coast Film Festival, and the Marquette Regional History Center who all helped make the project happen.
— Turtle Creek Stadium August 1, 2024