Marquette area actors Han Numinen, left, and Jessica “Red” Bays film a scene for the short film “My Sister,” which was shot entirely in the Upper Peninsula by Negaunee native Dan Aho. (Photo courtesy of Jessica “Red” Bays)

By JESSICA POTILA

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — A filmmaker who grew up in Negaunee and went on to work with some of the most influential people in the movie industry has created a short film which he shot entirely in Marquette County.

“My Sister” was written, produced and directed by Dan Aho, and will premiere at the Marquette Regional History Center on Wednesday, March 19.

Aho, who holds a degree in theater from Northern Michigan University, has worked as an actor in Chicago and Los Angeles alongside Academy Award-winning thespians Kate Winslet and Matt Damon, and under some of the industry’s most celebrated directors, including Steven Soderbergh and Paul Weitz.

Among Aho’s acting credits are the movies “Contagion” and “Man of Steel.”

Aho, 45, evolved from acting to screenwriting for the same reason many film artists do.

“I can be at home and work on my writing if I’m waiting on something to do actingwise, which is a lot of waiting,” he said.

While stuck at home during the height of the COVID pandemic, he was inspired to write “My Sister,” a movie about family members who have a falling out over addiction, by events that transpired in his life and which he said are not about his own sister.

“The general idea and inspiration came from a familial circumstance that I have with someone in my family who was having many issues with addiction and it got to the point, as you do, with pleading and asking and wanting them to get help that you kind of have to draw a line in the sand for your own sanity and maybe to spur them to change, so that was kind of the kernel of this idea,” Aho said.

The short film features local actors Jessica “Red” Bays and Han Numinen, both of whom Aho describes as “very, very talented.”

Aho and Bays, who is promotions coordinator for the history center, worked together on stage productions when both were students at NMU and have kept in touch over the years.

The movie was intended to be filmed in Los Angeles but production fell through for various reasons, including location issues.

Aho decided to rewrite the script and bring the film to the Upper Peninsula where he knew it would find a cinematic home.

“I think the area has a lot to give in terms of storytelling, especially visual storytelling,” he said.

Film locations included Teal Lake, Lake Superior and Aho’s mother’s house in Negaunee.

Bays said filming a movie in the Marquette area was a uniquely moving experience, which was highlighted when Aho was filming a scene during which Numinen’s character was crossing a city street.

“Dan posted up in the middle of the road, and the cars patiently waited without honking their horns or yelling out the window for them to move,” Bays said. “They just patiently waited for the finish, waved, and proceeded to go about their day. It was quite touching.”

Aho, who lives in Chicago, said he hopes local folks will turn out to see “My Sister” if they are interested in seeing the area they grew up in on film, or if they have an interest in filmmaking, an art he said has expanded with the growth of technology.

He also said this is an opportunity to support local creative people.

“Something that I’ve always felt that the U.P. has had is the support of the local people, because you are nothing but your sort of community and you really feel it more when you’re in a little bit more of a remote area,” he said.

Aho said he has other short films and feature films in mind for production in the U.P.

“I want to use people that are from up there and live up there in as many spots and parts that I can, because there is just an authenticity up there that I deeply, deeply enjoy and I feel a connection to,” he said.

Bays said the film has a message most people can connect with.

“I think the struggle of addiction is something that has affected almost everyone in some way, which makes this story so relatable,” Bays said. “I hope to see our community come together for this beautiful, sad and yet somewhat hopeful short film.”

“My Sister” will premiere at 6:30 p.m. March 19 at the Marquette Regional History Center.

Tickets are $20 for general admission and $10 for students. They can be purchased at the history center or the organization’s website at marquettehistory.org.

Jessica Potila can be reached at 906-228-2500. Her email address is jpotila@miningjournal.net.