A festival honoring films about outdoor lifestyles and activities coming to Marquette Thursday Oct. 13 will kick off with two free films and popcorn to start a 3-day celebration that will also feature guided outdoor activities.

The annual Fresh Coast Film Festival will take place until Oct.16 at the Marquette Commons. The films featured at the festival will focus on water-rich environments and the resilient spirit of the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest region by highlighting what it is all about, according to the Fresh Coast Film website.

The three founders of the festival are Aaron Peterson, Bill Thompson and Bugsy Sailor. Co-director Thompson said this is the first year the festival will take place.

“It is a great way for filmmakers to come together, connect and network,”  Thompson said.

Over 60 films will be featured at the event. The films “Great Lakes, Bad Lines” and “Skip Stones For Fudge” will be shown from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday.

“We’ve tried to make it affordable for students,” said Thompson.

Tickets for the event are $25 for a student weekend pass with a student ID. For general public, a day pass is $35 and a weekend pass is $60.

Four to six filmmakers will be in attendance for students or community members interested in talking to them, Thompson said. The filmmakers that will be at the festival come from all over the Midwest. Thompson added that if you are a parks and recreation or film major this would be a great opportunity to meet people.

Thompson is in charge of putting together the guided tours. Some of the guided tours and activities will feature rock climbing, fly fishing, kayaking, waterfall hikes and mountain bike rides. Thompson added that they chose October because it is an interesting time and you can still do summer activities.

Co-director Peterson is a filmmaker himself and selected the films for the festival by choosing from filmmakers that he knew personally, from collection of his own films and from others around the world. The films feature scenes from  outdoor areas around the Great Lakes, the Midwest and around the world.

Peterson said the films are designed to be “adventurous.” One of the features is a film about surfing in Iceland called, “The Accord.” Other films feature projects people have built, different animals and people’s journeys in the outdoors.

For a full schedule and more information about the festival go to freshcoastfilm.com.