Lake County Film Festival Opens with Sundance Sensation Nuisance Bear and Closes with Homegrown Documentary All Skate
The Lake County Film Festival will kick off and conclude its 2026 edition with two powerful documentary features that reflect the festival’s commitment to bold storytelling, cultural memory, and local voices—opening with a buzzy Sundance world premiere and closing with a deeply personal film rooted in Lake County history.
Opening Night takes place Thursday, March 12 at 7:00 PM at the Antioch Theatre in Antioch, IL, featuring Nuisance Bear, fresh off its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The film, which captured attention, and the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature Documentary at one of the world’s most prestigious festivals, offers audiences a timely and thought-provoking look at the complicated relationship between humans and wildlife, blending sharp observation with unexpected humor and insight. “Screening Nuisance Bear on opening night sets the tone for a festival that celebrates films engaging urgently with the world around us”, said Festival Director Nat Dykeman.
The festival’s Closing Night on March 23 at 7:00 PM at the Gorton Center in Lake Forest, IL brings the spotlight home with All Skate directed by Lake County native April Wright. The documentary weaves together the rich, communal history of roller skating through stories from skaters across the country, including Wright’s own family legacy. Her family once owned the Park Roller Rink in Zion, Illinois—a beloved local gathering place that closed in 2006—making the film both a cultural chronicle and a meditation on what communities lose and preserve over time.
All Skate is the fourth installment in Wright’s acclaimed “Going Attractions” documentary series, which explores the third spaces that bring people together. The series includes a feature on historic movie palaces and two documentaries about drive-in theaters, including Back to the Drive-In, which screened at the 2022 Lake County Film Festival. With ALL SKATE, Wright continues her exploration of shared American experiences through the lens of place, memory, and movement. “Highlighting a film by a filmmaker originally from Lake County—who is also a festival alum and whose work celebrates our shared mission of entertaining people in social spaces—is a trifecta for the festival,” said Dykeman.
Together, Nuisance Bear and All Skate frame the Lake County Film Festival as both globally engaged and proudly local—opening with a film that debuted on the world stage and closing with a story that begins right here at home.
The Lake County Film Festival runs March 12–23, showcasing feature films, documentaries, and more than 100 short films from around the world. Full schedules, tickets, and festival information are available through the Lake County Film Festival: www.lakecountyfilmfestival.org.
