Soo, MI Film Festival

Soo Film Festival will host the first ever presentation of the feature film Small Business Saturday, September 19, at 4:00 pm at the LSSU Arts Center. 

Written by Paul Rothman and produced and directed by Rothman and Andy North, Small Business was filmed in Michigan and Ohio. The main cast includes Rothman, Dale Dobson, Robert Rybinski, and LSSU alum MD Nelson.

Small Business tells the story of Christopher, a struggling mortgage broker given 30 days to save his business, who sets a plan in motion that grows darker with every step.

Festival President Jason Markstrom: “Paul was here a few years ago with a short film and we kept in contact. I watched as what was supposed to be his next short became something else entirely. Nurturing such relationships is something I think Soo Film Festival excels at and the number of filmmakers who return every year is proof. That Paul and his cast and crew were able to make this with the means at their disposal is tremendous. I am honored Soo Film Festival is the world premiere of Small Business.”

Writer and co-director Paul Rothman: “Having our first feature film selected for the Soo Film Festival is an incredibly meaningful achievement. We filmed all over the state, across multiple seasons, with a terrific cast and crew of Michigan talent. It was a blast. It’s special to see something we made here find its way to an audience through a festival that celebrates independent filmmaking. Andy and I are incredibly proud of what we created and grateful for the opportunity to share it with audiences at the Soo.”

Soo Film Festival kicks off five days of film screenings in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, on Wednesday, September 16, at 6:30pm. Films screen at LSSU Arts Center and Bayliss Public Library, a Superior District Library. Dates and venues are subject to change.

The schedule, complete film information, and tickets are available online at https://soofilmfestival.org/sff_festival/2026_films/index.html. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Soo Film Festival, Inc. is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and host film and allied arts festivals in the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Soo Film Festival, Inc. seeks to showcase the work of independent and emerging filmmakers, especially from the Great Lakes of North America. Our Mission: Great Lakes, Great Movies!

The most up-to-date festival news is online. Find Soo Film Festival on Facebook at facebook.com/SooFilmFestival, Instagram and Threads @soofilmfestival,  and on Bluesky @soofilmfest.bsky.social.

Tagged as: sMALL bUSINESS, film.