Filmmaker Keith Patterson’s documentary The Spirit of Sleeping Bear Dunes has two upcoming
showings. It has been accepted into the Lake Michigan Film Festival and will be shown at the
Bay Theatre in Suttons Bay.  

The film festival takes place at Celebration Cinema Studio C in Okemos, with The Spirit of
Sleeping Bear Dunes playing at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27. “It’s done really well at the other
film festivals,” Patterson says, and he hopes for more success at the Lake Michigan Film
Festival. Last year, the film nabbed the top prizes at the Central Michigan International Film
Festival and the Royal Starr Film Festival in Birmingham, Michigan for Best Michigan-Made
Feature Documentary.


The film will have its debut commercial release at 4 p.m. March 1 at the Bay Theatre in Suttons
Bay. Manitou Films and the Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitors Bureau will be donating 100 percent of
their proceeds from this screening to non-profit Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear.
Subtitled Awaken Your Spirit, Patterson’s film features historical footage and photos, interviews
with local historians, and contemporary footage of people at the dunes, on the trails and in the
waters. Patterson was originally approached by the Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitors Bureau to
create a short promotional film that was part history and part adventure. He says he was
excited by the opportunity. “Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is one of my favorite
places in the world," says Patterson. 


As he began writing and shooting the film, he found himself thinking it could evolve into
something more than simply a promotional short. That led to the creation of the 50-minute
documentary. “Being able to make a film about Sleeping Bear Dunes and showcasing it as well
as its history was a dream come true,” Patterson says.
The response from audiences at its previous showing has been positive. “I love hearing the
audience reaction,” Patterson says. “I’m happy to see it getting recognition.”

Bob Kuras, owner and CEO of The Homestead resort, located in the midst of the park, says
including both historical fact and legend provides background, and the current scenes in and
around the park showcase its appeal. “It’s still the most beautiful place in America in our
estimation, and this movie helps show why,” he says.


The film includes the legend of the dunes’ creation, as a mother bear and her two cubs flee a
fire in Wisconsin by swimming across Lake Michigan. She lands on the shore and falls asleep
watching for her cubs, who never make it across. The Great Spirit makes her one with the
dunes, and her cubs rise to the surface as the Manitou Islands, forever watched over by their
mother.


The film also touches on numerous areas just north and south of the park proper. The Glen
Lakes, Fishtown, Van’s Beach, Elberta Beach, Point Betsie and local businesses are all part of the
mix. The outdoor scenes include scenes from all the seasons, demonstrating the year-round
appeal of Sleeping Bear Dunes.


Patterson founded Manitou Films in 2022 after 15 years in Los Angeles as a producer on drama
and comedy television series for ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, The CW, USA, Lifetime, E!, Nat Geo, and
Disney XD. He has directed and produced advertising campaigns for brands such as Meijer,
Mars, Johnsonville, General Motors, Toyota, and Pure Michigan. Manitou Films was the
recipient of the 2024 State History Award for Media from the Historical Society of Michigan.
Patterson is currently completing two feature films that will premiere in 2026. Beer City, USA is
a film about the history of the craft brewing industry in Grand Rapids, and Frontier to Freedom,
the untold story of Michigan’s role in the American Revolution, was made to celebrate the
United States’ semiquincentennial in 2026.

LINKS FOR TICKETS:
Lake Michigan Film Festival: https://www.celebrationcinema.com/showtimes/booking/012-
109608#%2Ftickets
Bay Theatre in Suttons Bay: https://thebaytheatre.org/checkout/showing/made-in-michigan-
the-spirit-of-sleeping-bear-dunes/2715311