ORIGINS: A FILM FESTIVAL
Five Days - Five Films - One Community
September 16 - 20, 2026
The Beaverton Gem - Beaverton, MI
Something special is coming to The Gem.
For five days, we're bringing together five family-friendly films, our local community, and an opportunity to support a Michigan film studio while giving people a chance to share the experience with someone else.
This isn't just about filling seats.
It's about bringing people together.
It's about supporting local filmmakers.
It's about giving a family a night out.
And it's about giving our community an opportunity to pay it forward.
THE FESTIVAL
Every festival admission is just $5.
Wednesday, September 16
The King of Kings
3:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Thursday, September 17
Cabrini
4:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Friday, September 18
Unsung Hero
4:00 PM, 7:30 PM, and 11:00 PM
Saturday, September 19
Sit, Stay, Heal
1:00 PM, 4:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 20
The Forge
4:00 PM & 7:00 PM
PAY IT FORWARD
One of the most important parts of Origins is giving our community a way to make someone else's experience possible.
That's why we're offering festival ticket certificates for just $5.
Each certificate is good for one showing on the specific day for which it was purchased.
We've intentionally divided the available certificates between the individual festival days. The number available for each day has been calculated based on the number of seats in the theater.
This helps us spread attendance throughout the festival and avoid having one day become overcrowded while other days have available seats.
Give someone a ticket.
You can give your certificate directly to:
A friend
A neighbor
A family member
A coworker
Someone who might not otherwise be able to attend
Businesses and churches can also purchase certificates and distribute them through their own organizations and communities.
If you don't have someone specific in mind, you can also leave a certificate at The Gem and we'll make it available to someone who can use it.
The goal isn't simply to sell another ticket.
The goal is to give someone an opportunity to be part of the festival.
PAY IT FORWARD WITH POPCORN
We're also offering $7 Small Combo certificates.
Each certificate includes:
One small popcorn + one small fountain drink
And, if you'd like to make it a little bigger:
+$1 to upgrade to a medium
+$2 to upgrade to a large
Unlike the ticket certificates, Small Combo certificates can be used at any time during the festival week, regardless of which day they were purchased for.
So you can give someone a movie ticket for Wednesday and give them a combo certificate that they can use whenever they attend.
Or simply buy a few combos and give them to people who could use a little treat.
SATURDAY — SIT, STAY, HEAL
Saturday will be a special part of Origins.
We're excited to welcome people connected with Good Harbor Blue, the Michigan studio behind Sit, Stay, Heal.
We're planning a meet-and-greet with a representative from Good Harbor Blue and a person associated with the film.
And there's a very good chance one particularly important member of the cast will be there too...
The dog actor from Sit, Stay, Heal.
We're still working out the exact timing of the meet-and-greet, and availability may vary throughout the day. We'll announce the details as soon as we have them.
With three Saturday showings, there will be plenty of opportunities to come see the film and hopefully meet some of the people—and the dog—behind it.
BECOME PART OF ORIGINS
There are several ways individuals, businesses, churches, and organizations can support the festival.
Friend of the Festival
$50–$99
A great way for individuals and small businesses to help support Origins.
Festival Supporter
$100–$249
Support the festival while receiving recognition as a Festival Supporter with social media recognition.
Community Partner
$250–$499
Help us bring the festival to the community and receive enhanced recognition with social media recognition and addition to the sponsor list
Show Sponsor
$500–$999
A larger commitment to helping make Origins possible, with prominent recognition throughout the festival with social media recognition, addition to the sponsor list, a slide on the screen prior to the show and a table to present or chat with moviegoers.
Presenting Sponsor
$1,000+
Help make Origins possible at the highest level and receive premier recognition as a Presenting Sponsor with social media recognition, addition to the sponsor list, a slide on the screen prior to the show and a table to present or chat with moviegoers.
SPONSOR A SCREENING (Show Sponsor)
Businesses, organizations, churches, and individuals can also choose to sponsor an individual screening or an entire festival day.
Screening and day sponsors can receive recognition connected to the sponsored event and may have an information table in the theater, providing an opportunity to introduce themselves to festival attendees.
This is a great option for businesses and organizations that want to directly connect their name with a particular film or day of the festival.
POPCORN PARTNER
Help us put popcorn in someone's hands.
A Popcorn Partner can help provide discounted or donated concessions for festival attendees.
It's a simple way to support the festival while giving people something they can enjoy together.
COMMUNITY TICKET SPONSOR
Want to do something directly for people in our community?
Purchase ticket certificates and give them to people who might not otherwise attend.
Businesses and churches can purchase certificates for distribution through their organizations, or individuals can simply hand a certificate to someone they know.
This is one of the simplest ways to pay it forward during Origins.
SPONSOR A DAY
Rather than sponsoring an individual screening, you can help support an entire day of the festival.
Day sponsors can receive recognition throughout that day's activities and may have an information table at the theater.
It's a great way for a business, church, organization, or community group to make a larger impact.
IN-KIND SUPPORT
Not every contribution has to be cash.
Donated tickets, concession certificates, products, services, or other contributions can also help support Origins.
In-kind contributions may be credited toward sponsorship recognition based on their retail value.
If you have an idea for how you would like to contribute, we'd love to talk with you.
WHY ORIGINS?
Origins began with a simple conversation.
A local Michigan film studio approached The Gem about showing one of their films. They only needed a few screenings, but because of the way studio bookings work, that could potentially leave a significant amount of the week without programming.
Rather than simply looking at the empty space on the calendar, we asked:
What if we used it to do something for our community?
That question became Origins.
Five days.
Five films.
A local Michigan studio.
A historic local theater.
And a community that can help make it happen.
We're inviting you to be part of it.
Come watch a film.
Bring your family.
Invite a friend.
Buy a ticket for someone else.
Support a local business.
Sponsor a screening.
Or simply show up and enjoy being together.
Every story has an origin.
Every community has a story.
Let's make this one ours.
ORIGINS: A FILM FESTIVAL
September 16–20, 2026
The Beaverton Gem — Beaverton, Michigan
