** MEDIA ALERT **
2025 Sunflower Film Festival Passes Now Available!
Paw Paw, MI, May 22, 2025 — Today, the Sunflower Film Festival, announced that Full Festival and Single Day Passes are now available for purchase at the Lucky Wolf’s website at theluckywolfpawpaw.com. Full schedule & descriptions are available to view at the festival website here: sunflowerfilmfest.org/schedule
Taking place from June 19–22, 2025, at the Lucky Wolf, this year's festival will honor the life and legacy of India Deibler-Love, whose spirit continues to inspire the event and the work of the India Love Sunflower Foundation. The annual festival is the foundation’s flagship event.
WHAT:
2025 Sunflower Film Festival Passes on sale at www.theluckywolfpawpaw.com
Unlock the entire Festival experience! Your Full Festival Pass is your all-access ticket to every feature film, shorts block, panel, music performance, and all other official programming throughout all four days of the Festival. No exceptions.
Price: $30 (plus processing fees)
Dates Valid: June 19–June 22, 2025
Experience a full day of the Festival! Your Single Day Pass unlocks access to all scheduled programming on any single day from June 19-22, 2025.
Price: $10 (plus processing fees)
Dates Valid: Your Single Day Pass grants access to all Festival programming on one full day of your choice: Thursday, June 19; Friday, June 20; Saturday, June 21; or Sunday, June 22, 2025
WHEN:
Passes on Sale as of Thursday, May 22, 2025
For all information related to pass offerings and more, please visit our official 2025 Festival site: sunflowerfilmfest.org
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The Sunflower Film Festival is an annual, multi-day event organized by the India Love Sunflower Foundation that harnesses the power of storytelling to foster conversations around mental health, resilience, and community connection. Established to honor the life and legacy of India Deibler-Love, the festival brings together filmmakers, artists, and audiences for a powerful lineup of films, interactive panels, and live musical performances. As the flagship event of the India Love Sunflower Foundation, it serves as a vibrant platform for raising awareness, inspiring hope, and building connections within the community.
India Love Sunflower Foundation
The India Love Sunflower Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 whose purpose is: “To help remove the stigma around mental health by raising awareness and providing assistance, support, resources, and education to individuals, families, and communities in need.”
The Foundation was established in honor of India Summer Deibler-Love who was a much beloved daughter, sister, niece, cousin, granddaughter, wife, mother, friend and inspiration to many. Tragically, India died by suicide on November 19th, 2023.
The Festival is a program of the nonprofit India Love Sunflower Foundation. To date 2025 Festival sponsors include: Destination Paw Paw, Jerry Mitchell, Knotek Law Office, PLC, Destination Paw Paw, Village of Paw Paw, and Land of Light Community; with support from: Luc’s LIght, Walmart, St. Julian Winery, Wonder Wheel Productions, and J. Adam Bennett. The support of these organizations helps offset the Festival’s costs.
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For press inquiries and more information, please contact Jason Deibler-Love at info@theluckywolfpawpaw.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunflower Film Festival Announces Lineup for 2nd Annual Event
Celebrating Mental Health Awareness and Community Connection
June 19–22, 2025 at The Lucky Wolf in Paw Paw, Michigan
Paw Paw, MI, May 8, 2025 — The Sunflower Film Festival returns for its second annual celebration, bringing together filmmakers, artists, and audiences to foster conversations around mental health awareness and resilience through the power of storytelling.
Taking place from June 19–22, 2025, at the Lucky Wolf, this year's festival will honor the life and legacy of India Deibler-Love, whose spirit continues to inspire the event and the work of the India Love Sunflower Foundation. The annual festival is the foundation’s flagship event. In addition to a curated selection of films, the event will also include interactive panels, and a variety of musical performances, and satellite screenings.
“When I lost my wife, India, to suicide, I was torn apart but found the strength to keep going each day because of our three young children,” said Jason Deibler-Love, Founder, Sunflower Film Festival / President, India Love Sunflower Foundation. “I was aware of her childhood trauma but knew little about mental health and the importance of its awareness or societal impact. Within months of her death, I learned more than I had ever known about mental health and its impact on our lives. It was too late for me to help India, but I wanted to find a way to help others. The India Love Sunflower Foundation and the Sunflower Film Festival are intended to spread awareness and reduce the stigma around mental health in a way that is meaningful, approachable, and impactful. India's legacy is not only the beautiful children she left behind but also the profound impact and memories she shared with so many before she left us, and I pray we can continue to share her positive influence going forward.”
“My time as Operations Director for the Sundance Film Festival reveals just how vital festivals are for sparking connection and dialogue,” said Ralph Rivera, Director, Sunflower Film Festival. “The Sunflower Film Festival is about opening gates and building bridges. Our aim for the Festival is simple: we want people to leave feeling enlightened, understanding that mental health struggles are common, and most importantly, feeling empowered to share the message that with the right support, there is always hope. We want them to leave recognizing that needing support – sometimes for a moment, sometimes lifelong – is a universal human experience.
"My love for India and Jason, my grief for the loss, and my wish to help uplift others and prevent this kind of grief are what drive me to be part of this festival–to help take our collective grief and make art about it, or at the very least, provide a platform for people who are doing so,” said America Young, Programming Director, Sunflower Film Festival. “ As we deliberated the submissions, many questions came up: What is a movie about mental health? What does it encompass? We carefully considered each film and are very proud of our line-up. This year's selected films run a wide range of genres and tones, but each one deftly touches on two very important themes for us: mental health and hope. We can also boast quite a few Michigan locals!"
S H O R T S
Break the Silence / United States
Director: Dax Phelan; Producers: Dax Phelan / Eric M. Klein / Benjamin Cheek / Shyanne Aponte; Screenwriter: Dax Phelan
A 1-minute public service announcement encouraging people experiencing emotional distress to seek help by calling 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Burned / United States
Director: Paula Rhodes; Producers: America Young / Cissy Jones; Screenwriter: Paula Rhodes
Librarians tell a new colleague of the book that burned so many, using motion graphic animation for the true tale-within-a-tale, in this overdue film where the witches get to burn back. A little Princess Bride, a dash of Drunk History, all to reclaim the narrative.
Carly Buckets / United States
Director: Mark Williams; Producer: Mark Williams
A small Choctaw reservation gets behind tribal member Carly Keats as she overcomes hardships and adversity in taking her basketball journey to the University of Arkansas.
Cascades / United States
Director: Brian Russell; Producers: Lisa DeTullio Russell / Brian Russell; Screenwriter: Brian Russell
Marcus and Denise walk toward a crossroads on their wedding anniversary. They’ve been happily married for 30 years, but can they overcome the one thing that just might tear them apart? They both love Danny, but what happens when parents have radically different takes on what it means to love an adult child? What does it mean to let go of our children?
Chatter / United States
Director: Jessica Sherif; Producers: Jessica Carlson / Jessica Sherif; Screenwriter: Jessica Sherif
When Samia and Charlie’s chance encounter stretches into an unexpected all-day first date, their inner voices (now suddenly able to communicate) threaten to derail the spark.
Cyanotype / United States (Michigan)
Directors: Jake Girolami / Nick Girolami
Photographer Pauly V. navigates life with chronic illness through eco-experimental film photography.
The Daughter / United States
Director: Mary Ann Anane; Producers: Kelli Reilly / Nicole Palermo; Screenwriter: Mary Ann Anane
A day at the beach turns sinister when 10-year-old Lana spies her father's violent interactions with a young woman.
G’itis Baggs – “Country Soul” / United States (Michigan)
Director: Nick Rohr
Encroaching industrialization disrupts the idyllic horizons a farmer’s wife uses as a painting reference.
Honk / United States
Director: Francisco Zayas; Producer: Vivia Font; Screenwriter: Vivia Font
A woman giving birth finds herself on a bench next to an old friend she knew she would never see again. A fleeting meditation.
Lotus / United States (Michigan)
Directors: Bryce Mackie / Brennan Collins; Producer: Tom Mackie; Screenwriters: Bryce Mackie / Brennan Collins
Be kind to yourself.
Michigan Visits Matter: The Family Cost of Incarceration / United States (Michigan)
Director: Bryce Mackie; Producer: Lois Pullano
A short documentary exploring the devastating impact of visitation restrictions on families affected by incarceration in the state of Michigan.
Missing Rhythms / United States
Director: Regina Hoyles; Producers: Julie Bersani / Toni Adeyemi / Regina Hoyles; Screenwriter: Aja Houston
In a mysterious insane asylum full of missing Black women from all over the country, a woman must use rhythm to remember her true identity and fight being lost forever behind the ominous Blue Door.
My Best Nut / United States
Director: David Bradburn; Producers: Lisa Roti / David Bradburn; Screenwriter: David Bradburn
Jude isn't the life of the party; he is the party. But this is only after he's forced to spend his days in the hospital fighting cancer. Soon the patients around him look forward to seeing him as much as they don't look forward to their next round of treatment.
The Passions of the Soul / Belgium
Director: Emile Buyls; Producer: Lucas Lambrechts; Screenwriters: Emile Buyls / Bo Sels / Philippe Vanpuyvelde
When timid bellboy Stan unexpectedly loses his best friend Mats, the hotel’s handyman, he encounters an unstable young woman, a grumpy businessman, and a poetic old lady, each of whom, knowingly or not, guides him through his journey of grief.
SilverSizzle / United States
Director: Brian Russell; Producers: Lisa DeTullio Russell / Brian Russell; Screenwriters: Brian Russell / Ross Popick
Two recent widowers enlist the aid of a cemetery caretaker to find new love among widows visiting their departed spouses.
Yellow / United Kingdom (BAFTA Nominated)
Director: Elham Ehsas; Producers: Dina Mousawi / Yiannis Manolopoulos / Catherine Tschaepe / Azeem Bhati / Elham Ehsas; Screenwriter: Elham Ehsas
In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, a woman walks into a chadari store in Kabul to buy her first full-body veil, and to face an uncertain future.
Yesterday Again / United States
Director: Jorge Del Toro; Producers: Stephanie Del Toro / Joseph Blake Menzel; Screenwriter: Jorge Del Toro
As memories slip away, a widower struggles to hold onto the fragments of his past before they vanish completely. When an unexpected visitor forces him to confront what’s real and what’s fading, he embarks on an emotional journey through time, love, and identity.
F E A T U R E S
Bloody & Bruised: The Untold Story of The Back Room / United States
Director: Budro Partida; Producers: John Robert Jew, Jr. / Budro Partida / Ray Seggern / Tamara Salem Moore / Adam Salinas; Screenwriters: Budro Partida / Tamara Salem Moore
The untold story of the most infamous heavy metal club to live and die in Austin, Texas, as told by the people who survived it.
Burt / United States
Director: Joe Burke; Producers: Joe Burke / Oliver Cooper / David Gordon Green; Screenwriters: Joe Burke / Oliver Cooper
Burt, a delightful and spirited 69-year-old street musician with Parkinson’s, has his daily life shaken up when a wayward young man from New York, Sammy, shows up claiming to be his son. Having always dreamt of being a dad, Burt embraces Sammy, inviting him to stay for the weekend at the house he shares with his irritable landlord, Steve.
Destiny / United States
Director: Clarence Fuller; Producers: Kristin Krall / Clarence Fuller; Screenwriter: Clarence Fuller
A gold digger on the verge of losing her inheritance becomes intertwined with an unhoused man whose idea of justice is killing drug dealers.
Good Side of Bad / United States
Director: Alethea Root; Producers: Alethea Root / Jules Bruff / Jenny Napier / Katie Von Till / Mark David / Connie Jo Sechrist / Cameo Woods; Screenwriters: Alethea Root / Jules Bruff / Ciera Danielle
When a young photographer has a severe mental break, her siblings come back together to help her heal.
Las Abogadas: Attorneys on the Front Lines of the Migrant Crisis / United States
Director: Victoria Bruce; Producer: Laura Seltzer-Duny; Screenwriter: Victoria Bruce
For a group of extraordinary women who practice immigration law, the border crisis is a call to action they can't ignore.
Sunflower Film Festival
The Sunflower Film Festival is an annual, multi-day event organized by the India Love Sunflower Foundation that harnesses the power of storytelling to foster conversations around mental health, resilience, and community connection. Established to honor the life and legacy of India Deibler-Love, the festival brings together filmmakers, artists, and audiences for a powerful lineup of films, interactive panels, and live musical performances. As the flagship event of the India Love Sunflower Foundation, it serves as a vibrant platform for raising awareness, inspiring hope, and building connections within the community.
India Love Sunflower Foundation
The India Love Sunflower Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 whose purpose is: “To help remove the stigma around mental health by raising awareness and providing assistance, support, resources, and education to individuals, families, and communities in need.”
The Foundation was established in honor of India Summer Deibler-Love who was a much beloved daughter, sister, niece, cousin, granddaughter, wife, mother, friend and inspiration to many. Tragically, India died by suicide on November 19th, 2023.
Tickets and Additional Information:
Join us in creating something beautiful as we shine a light on mental health, elevate stories of resilience, and foster a sense of connection and hope through the arts. Tickets will be available soon at sunflowerfilmfest.org.
To date, festival sponsors include: Jerry Mitchell, Destination Paw Paw, Land of Light Community, Luc’s Light, Knotek Law Office, and the Village of Paw Paw, Michigan.
With support from St. Julian’s Winery, Walmart, Wonder Wheel Productions, and J. Adam Bennett.
# # #
For press inquiries and more information, please contact Jason Deibler-Love at info@theluckywolfpawpaw.com.