Sunday, October 25 at 4:00 PM

MSP Film presents a special MN Made Legacy screening of Sweet Land with Filmmaker Ali Selim & Writer Will Weaver.

The screening will be followed by a conversation with Selim and Weaver about adapting the short story for the screen, memories of making the film, and how they both echo in immigrant stories of today.

Presented in partnership with Minnesota Film Alliance, a non-profit trade association representing Minnesota’s production industry.

Based on Will Weaver’s acclaimed short story “A Gravestone Made of Wheat” and written and directed by Ali Selim, SWEET LAND is an intimate story of immigration and belonging. Set in rural Minnesota in 1920, the film follows the arrival of a young immigrant (Elizabeth Reaser) whose presence in a small farming community stirs suspicion, while a quiet romance grows between her and the deeply reserved farmer she is set to marry (Tim Guinee). As cultural tensions and community resistance gradually fade, the film becomes both a deeply personal story and a loving portrait of the first wave of immigrant communities that helped shape Minnesota.

Featured as the Closing Night Film at MSPIFF 2006, SWEET LAND includes stand out performances by an impressive ensemble, including Alan Cumming, Lois Smith, Alex Kingston, John Heard, and Ned Beatty. Shot on 35mm in southern Minnesota, the film endures as a cinematic love letter to the state’s expansive landscapes and farming communities, and remains a high point in MN Made filmmaking. The film earned widespread critical acclaim, including an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. Twenty+ years later, the film’s exploration of immigration, resilience, and assimilation remains as resonant as ever.