Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival holds many Minnesota ties

The 38th Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, which runs through April 20, has more than 250 movies from more than 100 cultures and countries.

The lineup also had a strong sample of movies with Minnesota connections — either made by Minnesota filmmakers or filmed in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Here’s a rundown of MSPIFF’s Minnesota-made program.

Blood Memory

The documentary looks at the history of Native American children placed with “white Christian families” and in boarding schools to “kill their culture and language and remove their ‘Indian-ness.’ ” Much of the story takes place in Minnesota, and one of the producers, Elizabeth Day, lives here.

Eating Up Easter

Director Sergio Rapu, who is originally from Easter Island and now lives in Minnesota, looks at the what the tourist crush has done to his homeland — from trash piling up to the highest per capita income in Chile.

The Interpreters

A look at the interpreters — not “translators,” as the film strongly points out — who work with the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the producers, Mark Steele, lives in Minnesota.

Stalag Luft III: One Man's Story

Louise Woehrle is a local filmmaker and the niece of Charles Woehrle, who was born in Pine City. Charles Woehrle was a World War II prisoner of war, one of 10,000 prisoners in Stalag Luft III depicted in the movie “The Great Escape.” Woehrle was shot down May 29, 1943. His parachute malfunctioned when he bailed from his crippled B-17. He survived, but four of his crew did not. He told his story at age 93, including details on a terrifying air battle, his rescue by a French fisherman, being captured by the Nazis, receiving an unexpected parcel from a watch company in Geneva, a 70-mile below-zero “forced march” and liberation by Gen. George S. Patton.

Love Them First: Lessons from Lucy Laney Elementary School 

KARE-TV reporter Lindsey Seavert and photographer Ben Garvin developed the film from a profile they did about an elementary school in North Minneapolis. The film puts a focus on the school’s reality that 91 percent of its students are growing up under the poverty line. Principal Mauri Friestleben is a key figure in this story about public education in Minnesota.

Over There

A band of American soldiers in World War I are told to venture behind enemy lines. Their mission is to rescue a platoon of missing soldiers. The movie was shot in Long Lake, Minn., and features a primarily Minnesota cast. One of the producers and the production company are based in Minnesota.

Singin' in the Grain: A Minnesota Czech Story

This documentary tells the story of a village polka band and its city cousins, “shot in the breadbasket of southern Minnesota.” Documentarist Al Milgrom followed the Eddie Shimota Polka Band for more than 40 years and three generations.

38th Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival

When: Through April 20

Where: Venues include St. Anthony Main, Metropolitan State University, University of St. Thomas, Capri Theater

Tickets: Individual tickets are $15-$8, with rush line and special prices for members

Films, venues, times,information: mspfilm.org