Schedule:

September 21, 2023

6:00 PM - Opening Night Party - Pere Marquette Depot

8:15 PM - Chasing Chasing Amy - State Theatre

A documentary that examines the complex legacy of Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy (1997) on LGBTQ+ people and its life-saving impact on director Sav Rodgers.

10:15 PM - Karate, Guns & Tanning - Old City Hall

Karate, Guns & Tanning kicks off the festival on opening night of Hell’s Half Mile, and we’re certain they’ll set the tone for the rest of the fest. This female-fronted 3-piece band from Indianapolis delivers a swirl of genres that come together in the best way. They’re psychedelic-tinged post-punk mixed with shoegaze & dream-pop, and honestly that doesn’t even say enough. Taking their name from a strip mall sign in Indiana, Valerie Green (bass, synth, & lead vocals), Joy Caroline Mills (guitar), and Daniel Guajardo (drums) create music fit for a dance floor, sci-fi movie, or the opening night after party to a 17th annual film & music festival.

September 22, 2023

11:00 AM - Everybody Wants to be Loved - So Good! Gallery

A blisteringly hot summer day. Psychotherapist Ina notices something is wrong with her. But she doesn't have time to worry about it: patients are waiting at the practice, her daughter is threatening to move in with her father, her boyfriend wants to emigrate to Finland, and her self-centered mother is celebrating her 70th birthday. Ina wants to please everyone. But then everything changes.

11:00 AM - Friday Shorts One - Delta College Planetarium

Warsha:16m English Narrative Short
Non-negotiable
9m - English Narrative Short
Bear
6m - English Narrative Short
Birdie
14m - English Narrative Short
Starving
13m - English Narrative Short
Carly Dolls
20m - English Narrative Short
Dateleap
15m - English Narrative Short

1:30 PM - Objects - Delta College Planetarium

'Objects' follows three unique people who have held onto things which have gained incredible meaning for them over decades. These objects are not things they flaunt. They are things that touch them secretly…a fifty-year-old clump of grass, a sweater that once belonged to French actress, and a forty-year old sugar egg.

1:30 PM - Mad Cats - So Good! Gallery

Taka, a shiftless young man, sets off on a quest to find his brother Mune. Teaming up with a quirky new friend and an edgy, mysterious young girl along the way, Taka finds himself taking on a pack of vicious monster cats determined to execute unscrupulous pet shop owners.

4:00 PM - Youtopia - So Good! Gallery

After a devastating breakup, an elder millennial inadvertently forms a hipster cult. When members start to disappear, the leader is confronted with the knowledge that her journey of self-discovery may trigger the end of civilization as we know it, forcing her to face her most challenging enemy yet: herself.

4:00 PM - Join or Die - State Theatre

Join or Die is a film about why you should join a club—and why the fate of America depends on it. Follow the story of America's civic unraveling through the journey of Robert Putnam, whose legendary "Bowling Alone" research into American community decline may hold the answers to our democracy's present crisis.

6:00 PM - Filmmaker Reception - MI Table

Time to give all our visiting filmmakers another warm Bay City welcome! Of course, that means drinks, snacks, music, and fun! All Access, Guest, and Sponsor pass holders are welcome to attend. Featuring the music of MOONBEAU!

6:30 PM - Love Dump - So Good! Gallery

The quirky owner of a refurbished trash shop, Jessica Dump, serendipitously meets a forlorn dog lawyer, Todd Barkley, and the two fall deeply in love... However, their love is put to the test when Jessica's quest to find her missing father forces her to look inward in this 'not-quite-Hallmark' romantic comedy.

6:30 PM - Ann - Delta College Planetarium

Based on a true story. It's January 31st, 1984, and 15-year-old Ann is about to have a baby she's kept secret from her Irish-Catholic family and community. This is the story of the last day of her life, a girl alone and abandoned by society, by its prejudices, taboos, and traditions.

6:30 PM - Friday Shorts Two - State Theatr

9:00 PM - Kindling - State Theatre

Kindling follows a group of young men who return to their hometown in order to turn their friend's final days into a celebration of life and friendship.

10:00 PM - Friday Night Music - MI Table

Moonbeau is a captivating synth-pop duo hailing from Cincinnati and rural Kentucky and redefines nostalgia with their unique blend of heartfelt melodies and irresistible beats. The brainchild of Christian Gough (Guitar/Vocals), Moonbeau has embarked on a new journey with the addition of Callie Budrick (Keys/Vocals). Together, they craft an immersive musical experience that sparks a new wave of excitement within the synth-pop genre. This was one of the festival favorites back in 2018 when they first played HHM, and we’re absolutely thrilled to have them return!

11:15 PM - Cerebrum - Cerebrum - State Theatre

After waking up from a year-long coma, an insecure young man must fight his controlling father in order to discover what really happened to his seemingly absent mother, as the true consequences of his past actions unravel before him.

September 23, 2023

11:00 AM - Saturday Shorts One - State Theatre

In this Program
Breakfast to Go
5m - English Narrative Short
Play Date
10m - English Narrative Short
Sleep Study
10m - English Narrative Short
From Dreams to Dust
10m - English Documentary Short
Toy Phone
16m - English Narrative Short
Shafted
20m - English Narrative Short
I'm on Fire
24m - English Narrative Short
Run Amok
13m - English Narrative Short

11:00 AM - PEACOCK - So Good! Gallery

POU (PEACOCK) is a South African gothic horror following the psychosexual journey of a young woman into the dark recesses of the Afrikaner psyche and its compromised past.

1:30 PM - Waiting For The Light To Change - So Good! Gallery

Over the course of a week-long wintertime beachside getaway, Amy, having recently undergone dramatic weight loss, finds herself wrestling between loyalty to her best friend Kim and her attraction to Kim’s new boyfriend. This film was shot in Michigan's Thumb Region around Port Austin. A nuanced film with cinematography as crisp as the cold air from Lake Huron in the winter.

1:30 PM - Saturday Shorts Two - State Theatre

4:00 PM - Benji's Hour - State Theatre

Benji is sentenced to three months of court-ordered community service, to be completed at a wig shop for cancer patients. Benji’s interest is piqued by his coworker Laura, the intensely private, cagey woman he works alongside daily. Benji and Laura discover they share a kindred spirit, and when Laura’s cancer becomes too violent to fight, Benji is faced with the most difficult question of them all: What now? It's a film that gives an honest peek into the often bleak (albeit exceedingly human) Upstate existence of Benji, his drug-addicted, alcoholic mother, absentee father, and the others in his orbit.

4:00 PM - Michigan Shorts One - Delta College Planetarium

4:00 PM - Fuzzy Head - So Good! Gallery

Insomnia-ridden Marla is on the run after the murder of her mother. Now, Marla must confront her everlasting void to find out the truth of what really happened and at last, undo all that's been done.

6:30 PM - Late Bloomers - State Theatre

An aimless 28-year-old Brooklynite lands in the hospital after drunkenly breaking her hip being stupid. An encounter with a cranky elderly Polish woman who speaks no English leads to a job caring for her. Neither likes it, but it's time to grow up.

6:30 PM - Movie Theater Massacre - So Good! Gallery

Jake, Wily, Rachel, Val, & Dan are employees at a movie theater. They enjoy working somewhere where they have the opportunity to discuss their favorite subject: movies. But the building’s owner, Harold, plans to sell off the property since moviegoing is dwindling and doesn't seem profitable anymore. Then, random people start disappearing, while simultaneously, strange, and unexplainable things begin happening. Will they live to see another movie?

6:30 PM - Hundreds of Beavers - Delta College Planetarium

In this 19th century, slapstick winter epic, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America's greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.

9:00 PM - Starring Jerry As Himself - State Theatre

A family documents how their immigrant father Jerry, a recently retired Florida man, was recruited by the Chinese police to be an undercover agent, only to discover a darker truth.

9:00 PM - Saturday Night Music - Dunlop Building

The weekend's peak of music events for the 17th annual Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival happens here. The Saturday, September 23rd event is taking place at the Dunlop Building (located at 517 Washington Ave., Bay City, MI), and per usual is bringing 3 amazing bands! This year's lineup features Weakened Friends (Portland, ME), LVRS (Lansing, MI) & Kelly Jean Caldwell Band (Detroit, MI) The show is open to all ages for Pass holders, or admission is $15 at the door. As a festival we're thrilled to return to the Dunlop Building and transform it into a HHM-style venue for one evening, and bring 3 awesome bands together at this unique location. Last year the atmosphere in the Dunlop Building added to the experience making for an unforgettable live show.

September 24, 2023

12:00 PM -  Join or Die - Delta College Planetarium

Join or Die is a film about why you should join a club—and why the fate of America depends on it. Follow the story of America's civic unraveling through the journey of Robert Putnam, whose legendary "Bowling Alone" research into American community decline may hold the answers to our democracy's present crisis.

12:00 PM - Mad Cats - State Theatre

Taka, a shiftless young man, sets off on a quest to find his brother Mune. Teaming up with a quirky new friend and an edgy, mysterious young girl along the way, Taka finds himself taking on a pack of vicious monster cats determined to execute unscrupulous pet shop owners.

12:00 PM - Love Dump - So Good! Gallery

The quirky owner of a refurbished trash shop, Jessica Dump, serendipitously meets a forlorn dog lawyer, Todd Barkley, and the two fall deeply in love... However, their love is put to the test when Jessica's quest to find her missing father forces her to look inward in this 'not-quite-Hallmark' romantic comedy.

2:30 PM - Peggy - Delta College Planetarium

After years of torment, Peggy finally gets revenge on all those who wronged her in the past. *This horror film is straight out of Midland, MI.

2:30 PM - Sunday Shorts - State Theatre

4:30 PM - Youtopia - So Good! Gallery

After a devastating breakup, an elder millennial inadvertently forms a hipster cult. When members start to disappear, the leader is confronted with the knowledge that her journey of self-discovery may trigger the end of civilization as we know it, forcing her to face her most challenging enemy yet: herself.

5:00 PM - Black Barbie: A Documentary - Delta College Planetarium

Love her or hate her, almost everyone has a Barbie story. Even if they don't have a story, there's a story as to why they don't have a story. In this film, we tell the story behind the first Black Barbie, because yes, she has a story too. It started with the filmmaker's 83-year-old aunt, Beulah Mae Mitchell, and a seemingly simple question, "Why not make a Barbie that looks like me?"

5:00 PM - Hundreds of Beavers - So Good! Gallery

In this 19th century, slapstick winter epic, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America's greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.

5:00 PM - Michigan Shorts Two - State Theatre

7:30 PM - Hayseed - State Theatre

After the shocking death of a small-town reverend, insurance investigator Leo Hobbins (Bill Sage) arrives at Emmaus Holy to interview the faithful congregation members. Sifting through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies over the next 24 hours, he attempts to solve the case with the help of the church secretary, Darlene Halsey.

Date: September 21 - 24, 2023

Location: Various Venues in Bay City, MI 48706

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