Film Blast event seeks to unite Detroit area filmmakers and fans
As someone who’s experienced film festivals both as an artist and an organizer, Ted Houser knows the challenges of making such events happen.
That’s why the founder of Film Blast is determined that the new event for metro Detroit filmmakers and fans will be something special.
“I really wanted to think, 'What are the cool, fun, amazing things that I want in a festival?,'" says Houser, a local filmmaker and programmer. “Like blue sky thinking.”
For a while now, the forecast for Detroit’s independent film community has felt more like cloudy with a chance of disappearing. After taking a substantial hit when Michigan’s film incentives ended in 2015, the Motor City saw a number of filmmakers and crew members relocate to busier, more economically friendly filming regions like Atlanta and Pittsburgh.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, which devastated the financial situation of artists in general and pushed indie films toward streaming platforms instead of theatrical screenings – an option that often produces slim profits and may not be for everyone, says Houser.
Add this to the death and demolition of Royal Oak’s indie oasis, the Main Art Theatre, and Houser began worrying about the future of filmmaking here.
“I really want this space to continue to exist,” he says.
With the launch of Film Blast, he hopes to bring more unity to the film community and contribute to reviving its sense of fun.
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The debut Film Blast will be a mini-festival, in essence, that unfolds Friday at Hamtramck’s Planet Ant Theatre. Things kick off at 6 p.m. with a panel titled “Free Streaming Platforms and the Indie Filmmaker." It features producers who'll offer practical information for filmmakers on platforms like Tubi, FreeVee and Pluto TV, among others
A screening of short works by local filmmakers starts at 7 p.m., followed by an afterparty at 9 p.m. at the Ghostlight Bar, which is part of the theater building. There will be an array of food from local restaurants and guests will have time to mingle with directors and other cineastes.
For those who stick around, a works-in-progress screening will happen after the afterparty. Houser says the schedule will allow attendees to come for part of the activities or stay for the entire evening.
The lineup for the 7 p.m. screening boasts a range of genres that speaks to the diversity and talent of Detroit's filmmakers, according to Houser, who teaches in the film department of the College for Creative Studies. He served as the Detroit coordinator for the Cinetopia Film Festival in 2018 and 2019 and currently is the festival director for two recurring gatherings, the Short Film Block Party and the Mise En Scene Horror Festival.
The short films include “Omicron 2042,” which has a martial arts theme and is choreophraged and performed by brothers Teddy Morisseau and Marc Morisseau, who has worked previously in motion-capture for movies like “Avatar” and video game franchises like “Call of Duty.”
A short film titled “blk” is a spoken word performance piece that's directed by Na Frenette and performed by poet and slam champion Jassmine Parks. Two other performance pieces will be shown: "Ourobouros," performed by Graem Whyte and involving the making of an unusual crop circle in a forest, and "The Blackbird Mother," in which artist Sabrina Nelson explores grief and healing.
"Ouroborous," "blk" and "The Blackbird Mother" all were produced with the help of Kresge Arts in Detroit (and Parks, White and Nelson are all 2021 Kresge Artist Fellows).
Another short film, “Powerful Solutions,” is a workplace comedy directed by Darren Herczeg that Houser says could be desscribed as a "workplace absurdist-comedy revenge musical," while "Devils," from filmmaker Bret Miller, spins a horror genre tale of a developer working on a home renovation who sees a ghost.
Rounding out the lineup are "Delineation," from Wayne State University graduate student Rishi Gudduguriki, centering on a man seeking to take the perfect picture, and "Arrivals & Departures" from director and musician Christopher Jarvis, which follows the havoc-causing return of a man to his hometown after being fired in Hollywood
Houser says he is committing to having an ethically run festival and taking steps like keeping submission fees as low as possible and paying screening fees directly to filmmakers. The nine participating filmmakers will split 40 percent of ticket sales.
Houser hopes to hold Film Blast gatherings more than once per year. He views the event as a way to build buzz about who’s making films locally and which projects to anticipate.
“I want people to come to the next one thinking, 'I can’t wait to see what comes out next!,'" he says.
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.
Film Blast
7 p.m. Friday screening (preceded by a panel discussion at 6 p.m. and afterparty at 9 p.m.)
Planet Ant Theatre
2320 Caniff St., Hamtramck
Tickets are $18, available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/404909775037.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Film Blast: New indie movie event created for Detroit filmmakers, fans
