10 years of Freep Film Fest

Kathy Kieliszewski, Detroit Free Press
·3 min read

Good morning,

Hundreds of films, scores of conversations, dozens of filmmakers, loads of parties and panels all equal ten fantastic years for Freep Film Festival.

Even as I type that, I can’t believe it has been ten years since we launched the festival – now a harbinger of spring for many in the documentary film loving community here in Michigan and the Midwest.

It all began in 2013 when Steve Byrne, the then arts and entertainment editor at the Free Press, walked into my office and suggested we should start a film festival. Steve is a big idea guy, always has been, ever since our days working at The State News, the student newspaper at Michigan State University. But this idea was beyond big. It sounded outright crazy.

Detroit Free Press staff photographer Brian Kaufman poses for a photo before the debut of his film 'Packard: The Last Shift' during the Detroit Free Press inaugural Freep Film Festival at The Fillmore Detroit. The film festival will showcase Detroit and Michigan-themed documentaries along with film discussions and panels. Ryan Garza / Detroit Free Press

At the time, many newspapers were producing short video stories for their online audiences and the Free Press was no exception. However, we lead the way among our peers as we experimented with more traditional documentary lengths and formats – winning four National News and Documentary Emmys in three years’ time.

Inspired by that work, Steve believed we could not only showcase those documentaries, but other Michigan-connected stories by launching our own festival right out of the newsroom. And we didn’t want to just screen movies. We wanted to infuse the festival with a journalistic mission. Enter Jewel Gopwani, our community engagement editor at the Free Press who had also served as assistant editorial page editor for several years. With her background, she was uniquely positioned to bring together filmmakers, the people spotlighted in the films and community stakeholders for robust post-film discussions lead by Free Press journalists. With that central mission – films that were relevant and resonated with Michigan audiences and journalistically driven conversations – we were excited to get started.

Projectionist assistant Kevin Rice keeps an eye on a 35mm film playing during "A Visit with Jam Handy" while showing three 35mm films inside the studio where they were created at the former Jam Handy Organization building on East Grand Boulevard in Detroit on Thursday, April 12, 2018. The series was part of the Freep Film Festival.
Projectionist assistant Kevin Rice keeps an eye on a 35mm film playing during "A Visit with Jam Handy" while showing three 35mm films inside the studio where they were created at the former Jam Handy Organization building on East Grand Boulevard in Detroit on Thursday, April 12, 2018. The series was part of the Freep Film Festival.

But there was a lot to learn. For example, learning to acquire films for exhibition from distributors and filmmakers, executing a seamless film screening and then dozens of film screenings, managing a crew of volunteers, hosting panel discussions, running a ticketing system, planning a marketing strategy and countless other big and little logistical details that go into producing a successful film festival is a lot. We were fast learners. We spent time volunteering at other festivals to see how the sausage was made, but more importantly, we found eager partners who wanted this festival to succeed. Through their generous support, we’ve built this festival from only 12 films in our first year to nearly 40 films screening at multiple venues around metro Detroit April 26-30.

The festival kicks off on Wednesday with the Michigan premiere of “Coldwater Kitchen,” a new Free Press film about Chef Jimmy Lee Hill, who runs a highly regarded culinary training program out of a prison in Coldwater, Mich. that offers incarcerated men a renewed sense of purpose through the craft of fine dining while demonstrating the life-changing potential that trust and compassion can offer the incarcerated.

Oscar-nominated actor Laurence Fishburne will attend the 2023 Freep Film Festival as a guest on Elvis Mitchell's nationally syndicated radio show "The Treatment" as well as appearing on two post-film discussions - Mitchell's debut documentary "Is That Black Enough For You?!?" and "The Cave of Adullam," which Fishburne was an executive producer on the Detroit-based film.

The weekend offers a lot more films, discussions and fun including the Michigan premiere of a documentary about legendary poet Nikki Giovanni, a series of films from and about the Asian American Pacific Islander community and the film debut from celebrated writer, film historian and Highland Park native Elvis Mitchell that explores the African American contribution to films. The post-film conversation includes Mitchell with legendary actor Laurence Fishburne. Fishburne will also be the special guest on Mitchell’s nationally syndicated radio show “The Treatment.” The live recording will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 29 at the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

And there is so much more. Go to www.freepfilmfestival.com to check out the whole lineup and join us as we celebrate this magical milestone.

−Kathy Kieliszewski

Senior News Director, Detroit Free Press 

Artistic Director, Freep Film Festival

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 10 years of Freep Film Fest