Tickets on sale for 2023 Freep Film Fest: See lineup of documentaries
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In its 10th year, Freep Film Festival will feature documentaries on 1970s-era Black cinema, a Detroit program that is changing the lives of at-risk youth, groundbreaking actress Mary Tyler Moore and a series of eye-openingfilms by Asian American filmmakers.
Tickets are on sale now for the annual film festival, which will feature more than 40 events including film screenings, educational and networking events from April 26-30. The lineup includes 19 feature length films and 19 short films, many with a connection or relevance to the region or state.
“The 10th year is a fantastic milestone and what better way to celebrate than another slate of fantastic films,” said the festival’s artistic director, Kathy Kieliszewski. “This year’s films highlight art and artists, revolutionaries and legends, and of course, crucial issues facing our communities that deserve a closer look.”
Tickets to most in-person screenings are $15. Venues include the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts, three theaters at the Michigan Science Center, the Detroit Historical Museum and Frame in Hazel Park.
Several of the films will be available to screen virtually at home, though, like in-person screenings, filmmakers place caps on the number of virtual screening reservations, so they can sell out, too. Tickets for virtual screenings are $12 per film.
Here's a look at some of the festival's highlights. More events will be announced in coming weeks. Tickets are available at freepfilmfestival.com.
‘And the king said, what a FANTASTIC MACHINE’
This film explores and exposes society's unchecked obsession with the image and how that has grown to affect human behavior. From Camera Obscura and the Lumière brothers all the way to YouTube and social media, the film chronicles how we went from capturing the image of a backyard to a multi-billion-dollar content industry in 200 years. Michigan premiere.
6 p.m. Sat., April 29, Michigan Science Center (IMAX)
1 p.m. Sun., April 30, Michigan Science Center (Planetarium)
More info, ticket details here.
Asian American Pacific Islander Film Series
With curation led by Razi Jafri, co-director of "Hamtramck USA," featured in the 2021 film festival, this series focuses on stories about Asian American communities and historical figures from across the country told by Asian American filmmakers. The series includes "Like a Rolling Stone: The Life and Times of Ben Fong-Torres," the legendary Rolling Stone editor; "Free Chol Soo Lee," about a Korean immigrant wrongfully convicted for a murder in 1970s San Francisco; and "In Search of Bengali Harlem," in which the filmmaker seeks out an understanding of his parents' lives in Bangladesh before they immigrated to New York City.
The AAPI series is free to the public, playing throughout the festival at the Detroit Historical Museum.
This series is produced in collaboration with the American Citizens for Justice and is being funded with the generous support of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission.
‘Being Mary Tyler Moore’
Offering unprecedented access to Mary Tyler Moore’s vast archive, “Being Mary Tyler Moore” chronicles the more than 60-year career of the groundbreaking actress. Weaving Moore’s personal narrative with her professional accomplishments, the film highlights the impact she had on generations of women who came after her. Michigan premiere.
12:30 p.m. Sat., April 29, Michigan Science Center (Toyota Engineering)
More info, ticket details here.
'Being Satori Circus ~ A Performance Documentary in Five Acts'
For 34 years, artist Satori Circus has enlightened and astonished audiences in metro Detroit with his unique style of theatrical performance art. “Being Satori Circus ~ A Performance Documentary in Five Acts” tells this story in a narrative that fuses nonfiction and fiction storytelling and keeps the artist’s mystery intact. World premiere.
5:30 p.m. Thu., April 27, Michigan Science Center (IMAX)
4 p.m. Sun., April 30, Michigan Science Center (Planetarium)
More info, ticket details here.
‘Black Mothers Love and Resist’
Wanda Johnson and Angela Williams, mothers of young Black men victimized by police brutality, come together to build a network of support and mutual aid spanning Oakland's Fruitvale to the American South. Johnson's son, Oscar, died in an encounter with law enforcement on a light rail platform in the Bay Area, while Williams' teen son Ulysses survived a police encounter in Alabama. Detroit premiere.
7:30 p.m. Fri., April 28, Michigan Science Center (Toyota Engineering)
More info, ticket details here.
'The Cave of Adullam'
This film introduces viewers to four young recruits of Jason Wilson's Cave of Adullam, what Wilson calls a transformational training academy. When Wilson started his karate dojo, he thought the young Black boys he intended to help with his academy needed more discipline. But he quickly learned what they needed more was love. Wilson challenges his recruits to confront their unresolved anger and fear as they develop from boys into well-rounded men. Michigan premiere.
More:Documentary about Detroit martial arts academy wins top Tribeca Film Festival prize
4 p.m. Sat., April 29, Michigan Science Center (Toyota Engineering)
More info, ticket details here.
'Coldwater Kitchen'
Freep Film Festival's opening night documentary will take viewers inside a high-quality, high-pressure culinary school where students learn to prepare exquisite gourmet meals. They learn the French mother sauces, service à la russe and how to pour and discuss wine — all inside Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, Michigan. "Coldwater Kitchen," features Chef Jimmy Lee Hill — who has led the culinary training program at the prison for nearly 30 years — and three of his students, who must navigate incarceration and the challenges of transitioning back into society after leaving prison. Michigan premiere.
More:Freep Film Festival to feature 'Coldwater Kitchen' on life-changing culinary program
7 p.m. Wed., April 26, Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts
A $65 VIP ticket includes includes a seat to the DFT screening, and entrance to a 5:30 p.m. VIP event at the Scarab Club, 217 Farnsworth St.
Frame in Hazel Park is hosting "Dinner & Movie" screenings of the film, featuring a meal prepared by Chef Hill and two of his former students Dink Dawson and Ernest Davis, who are featured in the film.
5 p.m. Sat. April 29, Frame, 23839 John R Rd., Hazel Park− sold out
4 p.m. Sun. April 30 , Frame
More info, ticket details here.
'Detroit: The City of Churches'
Viewers meet 17 different spiritual leaders in "Detroit: The City of Churches," to gain a deeper understanding of the role these spiritual touchstones and guides have played in the city's history.
In partnership with the Detroit Historical Society, a select number of tickets will be available for a tour of two local historic churches − Mariners' Church of Detroit and Basilica of Ste. Anne de Detroit.
Film + Historic Church Tour: 12:35 p.m. Thu., April 27, Detroit Historical Museum
Film only: 2 p.m. Sun., April 30, Michigan Science Center (IMAX)
More info, ticket details here.
'Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project'
Filmmakers explore the life and legacy of Nikki Giovanni through a collection of memories and moments in American history and readings of her poetry. Giovanni reflects on her time in Detroit, where she spent time in the company of civil rights figure Rev. Albert Cleage Jr. and his wife Doris. She watched over their children when they were out, a role she called her "revolutionary duty," because of the threats made against Cleage. Michigan premiere.
5:30 p.m. Fri., April 28, Michigan Science Center (IMAX)
5 p.m. Sat., April 29 Michigan Science Center (Planetarium)
More info, ticket details here.
‘Is That Black Enough For You?!?’
The debut film by Highland Park native and NPR host Elvis Mitchell examines the African American contribution to films released from the landmark era of the 1970s. Artistic voices, including director Charles Burnett, Samuel L. Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Laurence Fishburne, Zendaya and others, offer their perspectives on the creators and films that dazzled and inspired from the often overlooked period. Michigan premiere.
The Michigan premiere will feature an in-person appearance by Elvis Mitchell followed by a reception open to all filmgoers in the Rivera Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts, co-sponsored by the Friends of the Detroit Film Theatre.
This event is in partnership with Wayne State University College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, where Mitchell will hold the position as the Bob Allison (Allesee) Endowed Chair in Media beginning in May 2023.
6:30 p.m. Thu., April 27, Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts
More info, ticket details here.
‘Lead and Copper’
Countless municipalities across the country, including many in Michigan, are stuck with aging lead service pipes, leaving many to wonder which city will be the next Flint. "Lead and Copper" amplifies the voices of concerned parents and scientists pressing forward to expose the truth, showing the power of citizen action. World premiere.
6:30 p.m. Fri., April 28, Michigan Science Center (Planetarium)
More info, ticket details here.
‘Locked Out’
The racial gap in home ownership is wide, and those most impacted are women of color. Set in Detroit, “Locked out” brings viewers into the lives of courageous Black women who face evictions, predatory lenders and traditional banking, in a movement to battle housing injustice. World premiere.
7 p.m. Sat., April 29, Michigan Science Center (Toyota Engineering)
More info, ticket details here.
'Make Me Famous'
An investigation into the life and death of Detroit-born artist Edward Brezinski, a charismatic Lower East Side painter on the fringe of success, who thwarted his career with antics that roiled New York City's art elite. Through interviews, archival footage and hundreds of images “Make Me Famous” examines a scene that made some rich and famous and left others behind. Michigan premiere.
3 p.m. Sun., April 30, Michigan Science Center (Toyota Engineering)
More info, ticket details here.
Freep Film Festival shorts programs
This year, the festival features five shorts programs that bring viewers to the lives of unforgettable artists who work with paint, wood and their imaginations. They head up north for northern Michigan's natural bounty and outdoor adventures. A shorts program explores the nation's seemingly constant state of conflict, and another spotlights female voices in front of and behind the camera. As part of the festival's Asian American Pacific Islander series, a shorts program explores how culture, identity and food buttress the feeling of community among Asian Americans.
Shorts programs take place throughout the festival at multiple locations.
'With Peter Bradley'
Seventy-nine years old and overlooked since the 1970s, abstract painter Peter Bradley reflects on life and shares his artistic process. Bradley had spent some of his formative years in Detroit, where he attended the Detroit Society of Arts, now the College for Creative Studies. He went on to build an incredible resume early in his career. Despite falling on hard times, Bradley continues to paint in a shipping-container studio heated by a wood stove, no matter the weather. “With Peter Bradley” is a celebration of art-making, resilience and the creative contributions of Black artists to American life. Michigan premiere.
2 p.m. Sat. April 29, Michigan Science Center (Planetarium)
More info, ticket details here.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tickets on sale for 2023 Freep Film Festival: See lineup, schedule
