Freep Film Festival lineup: 20-plus feature-length documentaries from Michigan and beyond
The 11th annual Freep Film Festival has unveiled its lineup, featuring more than 20 feature-length documentaries and dozens of shorts, offering a diverse array of cinematic experiences showcasing compelling narratives from Michigan and beyond.
Highlighted in this year’s selection are documentaries shedding light on Michigan’s rich cultural tapestry, including an exploration of one of the state’s legendary high school basketball programs, the artist who created the iconic imagery for Michigan’s most famed beer, a thought-provoking look at the 2020 election landscape in Michigan and Detroit’s remarkable jazz legacy.
Tickets are on sale now for the annual documentary fest, produced by the Detroit Free Press. The festival will feature nearly 50 events encompassing not only film screenings but also music, parties, educational events and dinner that pair the on-the-screen stories with on-the plate meals prepared by top local chefs.
Most of the films slated for the festival will make their world, Michigan or Detroit premieres, with many arriving fresh from prestigious festivals such as Sundance and SXSW.
“Our audiences have shown they love great documentaries that tell rich local stories,” said the fest’s artistic director, Kathy Kieliszewski. “And our lineup this year is packed with films that fit that description — stories set Downriver, set in Detroit, set in the suburbs, set throughout the state.”
The lineup also features movies that move beyond our state’s borders, including the return of the popular Dinner and a Movie events with Frame restaurant, as well as the Asian American Pacific Islander Series Presented by American Citizens for Justice, now in its second year.
The Freep Film Festival takes place April 10-14 at venues in downtown Detroit and the suburbs. Venues include the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan Science Center, Detroit Historical Museum, Birmingham 8 Powered by Emagine and Frame. Many films will also be available for at-home streaming.
General admission tickets are $15. The festival will also offer festival five-packs, providing access to five films of your choice at a reduced price, as well as passes for virtual streaming of all festival films.
Here's a look at this year's lineup. You can find more information on the films and direct links for buying tickets at freepfilmfestival.com.
● "23 Mile": An experimental nonfiction film following the cataclysmic events in the swing state of Michigan throughout 2020 — including the plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. It paints a portrait of a populace that defies media stereotypes.
● "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit": An exploration of the city’s innovative and influential jazz musicians set against the stories of Detroit’s dramatic rise and fall as an industrial power and the struggles and triumphs of its African American community.
● "Chasing Chasing Amy"’: In Sav Rodgers’ debut feature film, he explores the unexamined legacy of Kevin Smith’s cult classic “Chasing Amy.” His documentary is both a tribute to the movie that saved his life as a queer kid coming of age in Kansas, and an exploration of its mixed reviews from the LGBTQ+ community.
● "Common Ground": The sequel to “Kiss the Ground” “fuses journalistic expose’ with deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of the food movement to reveal a dark web of money, power and politics behind our broken food system." Part of the Dinner and a Movie series at Frame.
● "Crush: Message in a Bottle": A manifesto for change that explores eco-conscious practices and low-intervention winemaking among artisanal winemakers and growers who represent changing diversity and inclusivity in the industry. It is ultimately a testament to the challenges of producing an exceptional bottle of wine against all odds. Part of the Dinner and a Movie series at Frame.
● "Frida": An exploration of the life of artist Frida Kahlo, including the time she spent in Detroit. It's told through her own words by drawing on her diary, revealing letters, essays and print interviews.
● "The Herricanes": The Houston Herricanes were a part of the first women's full-tackle football league in the 1970s. What they started was a movement that is still in motion today.
● "Ignore The Noise: The Transformation of the Detroit Riverfront": The two-decade story of how the Detroit riverfront was transformed from an industrial, blighted wasteland into an award-winning and beloved waterfront.
● "Jeanette Lee Vs.": She was the Black Widow, and at her peak, Jeanette Lee was, improbably, one of the most recognizable figures in sports. The film explores her rise as one of billiards’ biggest names, her TV popularity and her significance as a cultural figure. Part of the Asian American Pacific Islander Film Series.
● "Liquor Store Dreams'’: Growing up a daughter of Korean immigrants who ran a liquor store in a South LA neighborhood, So Yun Um decided she wanted to be a filmmaker, much to the bemusement of her father. Here, she chronicles her struggle to create her own path in life. Part of the Asian American Pacific Islander Series.
● "Luther: Never Too Much": Using a wealth of rarely seen archival material, Luther Vandross tells his own story with assistance from his closest friends and musical collaborators, including Mariah Carey, Dionne Warwick, Valerie Simpson and Roberta Flack.
● “The Michoacan File”: A look at the origin, history and impact of Mexican food in modern society. It's told from the point of view of culinary experts, anthropologists and traditional cooks, and challenges what we understand about Mexican cuisine. Part of the Dinner and a Movie series at Frame.
● "Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV": An examination of the quixotic journey of Nam June Paik, one of the most famous Asian artists of the 20th century. He revolutionized the use of technology as an artistic canvas and prophesied the fascist tendencies and intercultural understanding that would arise from today's interconnected metaverse. Part of the Asian American Pacific Islander Series.
● "Nowhere Near": A poetic essay film through the lens of an undocumented immigrant becoming disillusioned by a future in the United States and deciding to return to an estranged homeland. “Nowhere Near” tracks down the origin of a family curse by backtracking through the post 9/11 era, the US occupation of the Philippines and the spiritual conquest of the Spanish empire. Part of the Asian American Pacific Islander Series.
● "Q": A look at the insidious influence of a secretive matriarchal religious order in Lebanon on three generations of women in the Chehab family. Filmmaker Jude Chehab documents the unspoken ties that have bonded her mother, grandmother and herself to the mysterious organization. Part of the Asian American Pacific Islander Series.
● Real Fresh University Showcase: The Real Fresh program spotlights some of the best documentary work being done by students at area colleges and universities.
● "Regeneration: Films of the Reverend Solomon Sir Jones": The Rev. Solomon Sir Jones was a successful Baptist minister and early documentary filmmaker in Oklahoma during the 1920s. His 29 reels of silent black-and-white celluloid are now considered the definitive film record of the Great Migration of the 1920s. The unedited footage will be presented with a live musical score.
● "Relentless": Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons narrates the fascinating true story of the people tackling an exotic species invasion that nearly destroyed the largest freshwater ecosystem on Earth: the Great Lakes.
● "Rouge’": In the 1950s, coach Lofton Greene led the recently racially integrated River Rouge High School Panthers to a record number of state championships in a league of otherwise segregated schools. Now, almost 70 years later, LaMonta Stone, a former Panther himself, has returned to River Rouge to help the Panthers chase the school's 15th championship.
● "Shorts Program #1: The Camera’s Eye": Documentaries challenge us to consider what the camera sees, what it cannot see and how the camera’s eye forces us to recognize the limits of our own senses. Unifying these film is an effort by filmmakers to move audiences outside of their comfort zones and to experiment with the perceptual bounds of documentary film. See more information about the films in this program at https://freepfilmfestival.com/shorts-program-1-the-cameras-eye/.
● "Shorts Program #2: Life & Actuality": This program of films reminds us of documentary’s capacity to sketch characters. Here, the filmmakers follow their subjects through the continuous process of invention and reinvention, discovery and rediscovery, offering a series of remarkably intimate portraits along the way. See more information about the films in this program at https://freepfilmfestival.com/shorts-program-2-life-and-actuality//
● "Shorts Program #3: Catalysts": The films in this program set out to see the change in our world, or to change the way we see our world – and in some instances, both descriptions apply. See more information about the films in this program at https://freepfilmfestival.com/shorts-program-3-catalysts/.
● "Shorts Program #4: The Work We Do": This shorts collection intertwines the narratives of five distinct stories, each navigating the complexities and challenges of life, work, family and tradition through the prism of the labor of their characters. From a bustling emergency room to the methodic confines of a traditional Japanese confectionery shop, from Iowa to California to New York, these films illuminate the diverse experiences and meanings embedded within the work we do. See more information about the films in this program at https://freepfilmfestival.com/shorts-program-4-aapi-series/.
● "Spotlight Detroit: Short Films Featuring Kresge Artist Fellows and the 2024 Eminent Artist": Thirteen Detroit filmmakers collaborate with the 2023 Kresge Artist Fellows in Literary and Visual Arts to create 19 dynamic short films exploring the artists’ work and lives. The series culminates with a vignette of 2024 Kresge Eminent Artist Nora Chapa Mendoza.
● "Starring Jerry as Himself": The true story of Jerry, an ordinary immigrant dad retired in Florida who becomes a spy for the Chinese police. As his family members document his story, they discover a darker truth. Part of the Asian American Pacific Islander Series.
● "The Riot Report": When Black neighborhoods in scores of American cities erupted in violence during the summer of 1967 — Detroit notably among them — President Lyndon Johnson appointed a commission to investigate. Its report, issued in March of 1968, would offer a shocking assessment of race relations so politically explosive that Johnson doomed its finding to political oblivion.
● "The Truffle Hunters": Deep in the forests of Piedmont, Italy, a handful of men, 70 or 80 years young, hunt for the rare and expensive white Alba truffle. They're guided by a secret culture and training passed down through generations, as well as by the noses of their cherished and expertly trained dogs. Part of the Dinner and a Movie series at Frame.
● "Try Harder!": Lowell High School is the top-ranked public high school in San Francisco — and the seniors are stressed out. It's a school where cool kids are nerds, nearly everyone has an amazing talent, and the majority of the student body is Asian American. The film examines the reality of the American college application process and the intersection of class, race, and educational opportunity as experienced by five high school students living through it. Part of the Asian American Pacific Islander Series.
● "A Two Hearted Tale": A heartfelt look at the history of the iconic trout label adorning Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, the Michigan-born beer that is the most popular IPA beer in America, and the label’s eccentric artist, Ladislav Hanka. Screens with a short beer-related documentary, “On Guard.”
● "The World According to Allee Willis": Songwriter-artist Allee Willis, best known for writing the "Friends" theme song, the Earth Wind & Fire hit "September" and "The Color Purple" musical, began filming her life as a kid in 1950s Detroit and never stopped. She pursued creative expression at all costs while struggling with not fitting established gender and sexual norms.
Brendel Hightower is an assistant editor at the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at [email protected]. Support local journalism: Subscribe to the Detroit Free Press.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Freep Film Festival lineup: 20-plus feature-length documentaries
