Editor's note: This story from the quarterly Star Tribune Magazine was printed before the coronavirus pandemic reached Minnesota. Before visiting places mentioned, please check to make sure they are open, and be aware that other details may have changed.
Being executive director of MSP Film Society, which programs the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF), is relentless. So it's no surprise that a standout moment of Susan Smoluchowski's nine-year tenure involves pausing briefly.
"During the festival, I stand in the lobby a lot, saying 'Hello' to people, and I just love how many languages I hear spoken around me. I once counted 10 languages in the course of five minutes," says Smoluchowski (small-HOUSE-key), whose staff once again is gearing up to put the "i" in MSPIFF. The 39th annual event, April 9-25, will feature about 160 movies from as many as 100 countries.
The best way to enjoy the festival may be taking a flier on an unknown moviemaker. You may discover a future award winner, since MSPIFF is way ahead of the multiplex in figuring out who's hot. Example: Bong Joon Ho, who snagged three Oscars last month for "Parasite." In 2014 the festival made bank with his film "Snowpiercer." That put Bong on a long list of now-prominent directors whose early work was showcased at the fest, including Sebastián Lelio and Lucrecia Martel (the only way to see Martel's "Zama," just named the best movie of the 2010s, was at last year's festival).
Smoluchowski has overseen tremendous growth at the society, which has increased its membership from 200 to 3,000 and its budget from about $450,000 to $1.85 million. Not bad for a Twin Cities newcomer who attended the 1991 festival with a friend, was entranced by China's "Ju Dou" and resolved to get more involved. She served as a volunteer and board member before taking over in 2011.
"What the organization has become owes everything to what it was for so many years [under founder Al Milgrom]," says Smoluchowski, interviewed between trips to festivals in Palm Springs and Utah. "That first time, I remember thinking, 'This is so wonderful that there's an event like this every April where I can go and see what's going on in the rest of the world.' "
Smoluchowski gets to do that in theaters and in person since her job takes her to seven international film festivals each year. That's just one reason it's a good fit.
"I didn't know anything about Minnesota before I moved here [nearly 30 years ago] but it's been great for me. There is a lot going on and it's all very accessible. I've really enjoyed my life here," says Smoluchowski. "But I also like being able to get out, which is why I love the job I have."
