Detroit, USA | October 5-8, 2023
2023 BETTER CITIES FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Friday Oct. 6
Friday, October 6th 1:00-3:30 PM
The Road Ahead
McGregor Memorial Conference Center (room FGH), Wayne State University, 495 Gilmour Mall
120 MINS (INCLUDES DISCUSSION & 46 MINS. OF FILMS)
SHORT FILM BLOCK
Rolling, rolling, rolling! keep them cities rolling! How we get around the city shapes the city almost as much as the destinations we build. Find out how cities are reinventing themselves by rethinking transportation alternatives. These short films feature stories about the violent history of LA's freeways, the liberating power of cargo bikes, the beauty of subways, and the wisdom of 10-minute-walk cities. This block of short films will be screened during the first session of the I-375 design workshop.
Film Lineup:
The real cost of freeways in LA - Josh Vredevoogd
Driving Mr. Begley - Russell Bates
Love Letters for the Subway - Mary Hawkins
A New Path: The Journey Towards A Connected Sarnia - Cong Nguyen, Joshua McDonald, Storm Astolfi
Presented by
The Real Cost of Freeways in LA
Duration
0:9:57
Synopsis
A look back at how freeways have impacted the Los Angeles area, especially communities of color, and how we continue to harmfully widen freeways even today.
Directed by
Josh Vredevoogd
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
A great overview of how freeway construction in los angeles was inequitable and damaging to the surrounding communities and how continued freeway expansion is a mistake we will be paying for, literally and figuratively, for generations to come.
Love Letters for the Subway
Duration
0:02:00
Synopsis
I love working with type and I started making this set of hand-drawn, animated letters representing New York City's subway lines as a love letter to NYC. I've pulled the imagery from the neighborhoods that our trains move through, used common items in the subway as textures, and found shapes in the architecture and sights around us as we get where we're going. I've been drawing these on the trains, and other subway riders have peered over my shoulder as I work and started conversations with me about the lines they take to live, play and work and the communities we move through.
Directed by
Mary Hawkins
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
A fun quirky clever animated ode to the love of the subway.
Driving Mr Begley - No Car Needed To Run Errands In LA!
Duration
0:03:47
Synopsis
Driving Mr. Begley features Streets For All Founder Michael Schneider driving Ed Begley, Jr. in an electric cargo bike to do his errands around Los Angeles, proving that you don't need a car to do everyday errands in LA.
Directed by
Russell Bates
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
Wonderful! Expertly done, good personal interest, fun to watch, a little humor.
A New Path: The Journey Towards A Connected Sarnia
Duration
0:30:27
Synopsis
Sarnia has tremendous potential. Dream big for the city you live in. Learn about our big vision for Sarnia and more by checking out “A New Path” a Documentary Film about Sarnia and the opportunity we have to build a happier, healthier and more connected community.
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
The combination of purpose and active pursuit give testament to a valued co-creation execution replicable in any city. The various actors were also participatory advocates thereby becoming a self-organizing, self-fulfilling prophecy. KUDOS!
Directed by
Cong Nguyen, Joshua McDonald, Storm Astolf
Friday, October 6th 3:30 - 5:00 PM
Urban Innovations
McGregor Memorial Conference Center (room FGH), Wayne State University, 495 Gilmour Mall
SHORT FILM BLOCK
90 MINS
Resilient cities are constantly learning and adapting. From material science to big data and community organizing digital platforms, these cities are embracing new ideas to unlock better futures.
Film Lineup:
Bare Metal - Brandon Gries
Gypsum Concrete - Simon Pénochet
Build Change - Gabriel Diamond Jacks Solar Garden: An Agrivoltaics Model in the Shadow of the Rocky Mountains - Chad Weber
Wild Harmony - Whitney Beer-Kerr, Geoff Luck
Mosaics: Seeds of Change - Harry Pound This Town Did The Impossible - Ruben Hanssen
Bare Metal
Duration
0:04:10
Synopsis
Microsoft, Google, META, and AWS are some of the biggest single-power consumers in the world. Along with other digital infrastructure companies’ consumption, they make up 2.4% of the world's energy use. This film details the digital infrastructure industry's work to reduce their carbon footprint in an effort to lower carbon emissions and help save the world..
Directed by
Thaïs Despont
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
Datacenters, the vast field of server rooms that support all the connected tech in our lives, have a large carbon footprint. See how all the companies involved in building and running datacenter are working together to reduce the carbon footprint and make a better future.
Wild Harmony
Duration
0:08:47
Synopsis
Krithi Karanth had a childhood unlike most in India--or anywhere else. She learned to track tigers, set camera traps, and even sneak up on elephants. But she also saw that the biggest threats to the animals she loved came from conflict with humans, and recognized those interactions threatened people as well. So she dedicated herself to reducing tensions between them by helping farmers get compensated for any lost livestock and crops, teaching children to respect and care for the wildlife around them, and even training front line workers how not to contract disease from the wild.
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
Fascinating documentary and a beautiful one too about Indian cities that live on the border of a wildlife preserve. How does the local community protect itself form destruction of crops and infrastructure and sometimes human loss due to the wildlife. This organization's actions adressing this problem present a great model and analogy which many cities could use to address the threats to their urban communities.
Directed by
Whitney Beer-Kerr, Geoff Luck
Gypsum Concrete
Duration
0:06:30
Synopsis
At a time when we are re-examining our manufacturing methods to find more virtuous and less carbon-intensive solutions, the architects of Ciguë agency are studying the potential of endemic materials. Their research proposes to explore the possible use of plaster in the manufacture of screed instead of cement, responsible for nearly 30.3% of CO2 emissions in the building sector. Their study also intends to demonstrate the qualities of plaster as a binder capable of replacing natural aggregates, sand and gravel whose reserves are running out, with building rubble: bricks, tiles or crushed concrete.
Directed by
Simon Pénochet
Mosaics: Seeds of Change
Duration
0:09:24
Synopsis
Retired Lutheran pastor Luisa Cabello Hansel creates large mosaic artwork to build community, inspire peace, justice, and hope in her Minneapolis neighborhood.
Directed by
Harry Pound
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
Astoundingly beautiful and touching piece that not only shows how a neighborhood with significant problems was transformed by mosaics, but how the art is a reflection of the human journey as well.
Build Change
Duration
0:14:46
Synopsis
Build Change trains homeowners, local builders, engineers, and government officials to construct or retrofit disaster-resistant buildings in areas vulnerable to earthquakes and typhoons.
More than nine in every ten natural disaster-related deaths occur in developing countries. Many of these occur in overcrowded and unsafe neighborhoods where housing is likely to collapse. With an emphasis on prevention, Build Change trains homeowners, local builders, engineers, and government officials to construct or retrofit disaster-resistant houses and schools in emerging nations vulnerable to earthquakes and typhoons.
Build Change makes the work affordable by leveraging cost savings through standardized retrofitting designs, existing subsidy and incentive programs, and partnerships with local universities providing seismic engineering experts. It works with governments and development agencies to promote standards, building codes, and financial incentives for disaster-resilient construction.
Directed by
Gabriel Diamond
This Town Did The Impossible
Duration
0:13:27
Synopsis
This Town Did The Impossible is a video that talks about the transformation of Le Plessis Robinson, a small town outside of Paris. The town went from a gloomy, rundown town with high poverty rates to a beautiful, thriving community thanks to the efforts of the mayor, two visionary architects, and an extensive social program. The video highlights how the town's success stemmed from long-term vision and partnerships between stakeholders and smart policies. It also discusses the importance of beauty in the design of urban spaces and how it led to the transformation of Le Plessis-Robinson. Finally, the video emphasizes the importance of making affordable housing attractive and beautiful and how walkability can lead to various health benefits, social contacts, and overall pleasant way of life. Despite some controversies surrounding the mayor's methods, his efforts were awarded with multiple re-elections.
Directed by
Ruben Hanssen
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
The film introduces us to a very inspirational city design that exists in real life. It carefully explains concepts of New Urbanism, Garden City River System Greenways, 15 Minute City, Skin in the Game Impact Financing, Human-Centered Urban Fabric, Walkable Cities. And it shows that these concepts are all created by design, they do not happen simply by nature.
Jacks Solar Garden: An Agrivoltaics Model in the Shadow of the Rocky Mountains
Duration
0:03:30
Synopsis
Jack's Solar Garden's 2022 season caught on film by documentarian Chad Weber of Longmont, Colorado. Hear from our people, see the work that has been done, decide how the future of solar development on America's farmland.
Directed by
Chad Weber
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
Can we harvest the sun's energy in plants and in solar panels? This innovation discovers a way to share the sun.
Friday, October 6th 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Blue Horizons
Community Arts Auditorium, Wayne State University, 450 Reuther Mall.
SHORT FILM BLOCK
90 MINS
Presented by
Just as life itself emerged from the depths of water, our cities also owe their existence to it. Whether nestled along riverbanks, within deltas, nestled in harbors, or sprawling across oceanfronts, our cities have long depended on their intrinsic connection with water for their prosperity and growth. This series of short films embarks on an exploration of the rich narratives woven by rivers, harbors, and oceans, illuminating the profound impact they have on both people and the places they call home.
Film Lineup:
Revitalizing Cities: Urban River's Rescue in Taichung - Jose Miguel Garcia Sanchez
Jubilee Pools - Jim Stephenson
Save the Surf (from We Are Shell Harbour) - Phillip Crawford
Community Revitalization: Great Lakes Areas of Concern - David Ruck
Our 100 Year Floods - Fernando Rocha Rodney and the River - David Gantz
Revitalizing Cities: Urban River's Rescue in Taichung
Duration
0:12:25
Synopsis
All around the world, rivers are an essential part of a city's identity. Sometimes left to pollution, they can easily suffer from public dislike. This documentary explores the case of Taichung, central Taiwan, where an ambitious urban renewal plan has decided to give back to the Green River its original place: a natural element preserved for the benefit of the inhabitants, at the heart of the old city.
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
Seeing the completion of river revitalization will inspire many american cities who have ambition and hope to reintegrate urban rivers into the community.
Directed by
Jose Miguel Garcia Sanchez
Community Revitalization: Great Lakes Areas of Concern
Duration
0:09:00
Synopsis
Many Great Lakes communities that have carried the burden of legacy pollution for decades have an opportunity for a new lease on life when local waterways are finally cleaned up. This video series features five cities along waterways deemed Areas of Concern (AOCs) that are in various stages of the cleanup process and are experiencing revitalization.
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
A great example how focus and collaboration to address a major problem over a large geographic area can yield important, long-term positive results.
Directed by
David Ruck
Jubilee Pools
Duration
0:06:50
Synopsis
The people of Penzance, in Cornwall (UK), have a long and storied history of swimming in the sea so when their open air lido was at threat, the community came together to save it. Jubilee Pools is an art deco, sea-fed outdoor swimming complex that has recently been updated for a new generation of outdoors swimmers, led by the architects ScottWhitbyStudio. In this film, we hear from some of the people involved in bringing the pools back to life.
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
Showcases a unique public space. Shared community spaces don't have to be community gardens and playgrounds. This public pool builds character while building up the relationship between city and sea.
Directed by
Jim Stephenson
Our 100 Year Floods
Duration
0:18:57
Synopsis
Through the voices of community members in Birmingham and Gadsden, this visual exploration captures the struggles of families and homeowners impacted by decades of flooding. Initially a result of racially motivated zoning laws, the impacts to these communities are even more pronounced in our new climate – one prone to more flash floods than ever before. As flooding reaches even the wealthiest suburbs, we must ensure these historically neglected communities receive the attention they deserve.
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
People across the globe should be aware of the potential dangers of climate-change induced flooding.
Directed by
Fernando Rocha
Save The Surf: We Are Shell Harbour
Duration
0:06:00
Synopsis
One man's fight to save a national park surfing hot spot from overdevelopment links him with generations of climate activists. Saving our water is not just about the environment, but human flourishing and community building.
Directed by
Phillip Crawford
Rodney and the River
Duration
0:20:58
Synopsis
In a small verdant strip of the concrete Los Angeles River, the riverbed has been allowed to grow wild. In this tiny wilderness oasis in the heart of the city, Rodney lives off the land. By examining the city's relationship with this natural resource turned piece of infrastructure, the film explores what it means to be free and human in a modern city.
Directed by
David Gantz
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
Really great film. I love that it shows the efforts social workers go to build relationships with people experiencing homelessness. I love that it shows the natural and indigenous and contemporary history of the river--showing how the river has shaped the culture for centuries.
Friday, October 6th 8:00 - 9:30 PM
Community Arts Auditorium, Wayne State University, 450 Reuther Mall.
Directed by Detroit
SHORT FILM BLOCK
90 MINS
Local stories for the whole world. These Detroit films encompass the transformative potential of innovative creative spaces, an exploration of the rise and fall of wildlife in reflection of our own journey, the impactful role of churches in shaping civic discourse with a moral compass, and a powerful reminder to unite against divisive forces rather than waging internal battles.
Film Lineup:
Brightmoor Maker Space - Michael Moegelin
Pheasants of Detroit - Diane Cheklich, Diane Weiss
Pollution Has No Boundaries - Rick Morrone
Not For Sale: A Witness Story - Brianne Turczynski
Detroit Will Breathe - Kate Levy
Brightmoor Makerspace
Duration
0:07:00
Synopsis
The Brightmoor Makerspace, located on Detroit Community School grounds in collaboration with Sunbridge International Collaborative, operates in one of Detroit’s more distressed neighborhoods; reviving the spirit of hands-on making, skill building, resiliency, and experiential learning through community placemaking projects (stages, murals, community gardens, custom installations and collaborative park constructions).
During the summer of 2023 their media team, led by Mike Moegelin of more.Detroit covered a series of history making moments including the student-led building of public space infrastructure in Stein Park in the Cody Rouge Neighborhood, and an tour of New Lab at Michigan Central Innovation District with Sakiya Duncan, the former Senior Events Manager.
Slim Foster filmed the 7th Annual “Detroit to Pontiac” Park(ing) Day Innovation Station/UNESCO Detroit City of Design project for Detroit Month of Design. This event included an interactive talk by Co-Founder of Park(ing) Day, John Bela, titled “Park(ing) Day Parklets & the Future of the Streets as Public Space.” Slim asked a crucial question regarding Detroit’s future during this time of increased public investment: “What is the right perspective and direction for innovation in the Motor City today?” Park(ing) Day was hosted for the 2nd year at Metropolis Cycles, which is a couple of doors east of the intersection of the Michigan Avenue “Detroit Mobility and Innovation Corridor Corktown Project” and the 14th Street Electrification pilot project by Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).
Directed by
Michael Moegelin
Not For Sale: A Witness Story
Duration
0:19:51
Synopsis
Not for Sale: A Witness Story is about one community’s prophetic vocation to hold space for their homeless and impoverished neighbors amidst an ever-growing gentrification project that booms around them in Corktown, Detroit. St. Peter’s Episcopal Church has been serving the homeless community in Corktown since the Great Depression. With the recent developments creeping closer to the church, the parish is finding clever ways to push back against some of the cynical and indifferent attitudes of Corktown’s developers and their new neighbors of high socioeconomic status.
Directed by
Brianne Turczynski
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Corktown, Detroit sets an inspiring example of defiance in the face of gentrification, refusing to sell its property to developers encroaching on the area and threatening to push out low-income residents and others experiencing homelessness, all of whom the church has been feeding and sheltering for many decades.
Pheasants of Detroit
Duration
0:16:26
Synopsis
Ring-necked Pheasants, typically known as a rural farmland species, are thriving in the open spaces of Detroit. A little human-pheasant subculture has developed in the city—pheasants are neighbors to human residents and muses to local artists. Pheasants have become the unofficial city bird of Detroit! Join everyday Detroiters in a walk around the city as we celebrate these funky birds at home in their urban element.
Directed by
Diane Cheklich & Diane Weiss
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
This film is a lovely peek into Detroit's "past, present, & future," looking through the whimsical lens of the Detroit Pheasant, and the balancing act the friends of these colorful birds must perform while racing to preserve their unique natural habitat and pollinator gardens in the face of rapid development & "Business As Usual."
Detroit Will Breathe
Duration
0:21:49
Synopsis
In the summer of 2020, Detroiters faced unprecedented police violence as they took to the streets to protest the killings of Black people across the country. Woven together from never-before-seen footage from police body cameras, protesters and bystanders, "Detroit Will Breathe" provides an unprecedented look into the tactics of the Detroit Police, reveals shocking conversations between police officers, and offers a poignant look into what it means to be part of an integrated movement fighting for Black lives.
Directed by
Kate Levy
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
An essential look at the hyperlocal tensions in public spaces and streets through the story of “Detroit Will Breathe” and their experiences with the Detroit Police Department during the national and international “George Floyd Protests” in the spring of 2020, and the settlement and ongoing legal and civil dynamics.
Pollution Has No Boundaries
Duration
0:16:48
Synopsis
Pollution Has No Boundaries (PHNB) takes viewers on a tour of environmental injustice in Southwest Detroit, the Southend of Dearborn, and neighboring communities in Southeast Michigan. It documents the region’s ever-expanding industrial and transportation corridors that have long plagued residents with extensive air pollution and health and safety impacts.
In the early 20th century, Detroit gained notoriety as the automotive capital of the world, dubbed the ‘Motor City.’ Immigrants from diverse nations and Black workers from the South flocked to Metro Detroit with the prospect of $5 per-day employment in the auto industry. With this multicultural migration at the heart of an international trade route between the U.S. and Canada, social and natural landscapes of the area dramatically changed many times over.
PHNB adds missing details to this well-known history. The film explains ways that discriminatory housing, zoning, and infrastructure policies of the times supported the auto industry while perpetuating segregation and environmental racism that has carried forward for generations. It highlights the implications of legacy pollution, ongoing cumulative impacts, and countless environmental risks that have harmed the health of primarily Black, Brown, and low-income communities for the last century. These impacts have included high rates of various types of cancer, asthma in children, premature mortality, adverse birth effects, reproductive issues, and other chronic diseases.
PHNB invites viewers to learn from many of Michigan’s new and longtime environmental justice leaders so together we can re-imagine a new economy that prioritizes our planet and values all communities.
Directed by
Rick Morrone
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
The community outreach regarding the negative impact the new bridge would have on the community was great, it showed how people can help their neighbors even if they can't stop the project.