Detroit, USA | October 5-8, 2023
2023 BETTER CITIES FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Saturday Oct. 7
Saturday, October 7th 10:00 AM-12:30 PM
Yes In God's Backyard (YIGBY)
SPECIAL SCREENING of IT TAKES A VILLAGE
Wayne State University, McGregor Memorial Conference Center (room FGH), 495 Gilmour Mall
150 MINS
Houses of Worship are helping to address housing, and other urban crises through church property redevelopment and congregational revival. Come to this special screening of the award-winning film, It Take a Village, followed by conversation and short presentations by experts in church property redevelopment.
Film Lineup:
It Takes a Village
Presented by
It Takes A Village
Duration
0:20:00
Synopsis
It Takes a Village is more than a film. It’s a testament to all that’s possible when we work together to reimagine our communities. Together, we reveal the potential in place.
So often, the places where we live present real challenges. But they also provide the strength to take those challenges on. Partnering with the United Church of Christ Church Building & Loan Fund is a catalyst for truly remarkable things — things that power the reimagining of community.
Directed by
Howard Tate
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
A powerful story of vision, resilience and community transformation
Saturday, October 7th 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Being Green
Community Arts Auditorium, Wayne State University, 450 Reuther Mall.
SHORT FILM BLOCK
90 MINS
It ain’t easy being green, but there ain’t no better way to be! See how living sustainably brings life to the fullest in this set of short films showcasing how different sustainability heroes are saving their cities.
Film Lineup:
Rooted in Justice - Whitney Beer-Kerr
I am Kanaka - Genevieve Sulway Seagrass for Sea Change - Whitney Beer-Kerr
The Secret Garden - Kyle Decker
proTract Pittsburgh - Dean Bog
Presented by
Rooted in Justice
Duration
0:15:05
Synopsis
An urban farm in chicago is the life work of this farmer's father. It provides hope and fresh vegetables for generations of neighbors.
Directed by
Whitney Beer-Kerr
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
So much is said in this short film, a creatively-shot, engagingly-told story addressing food deserts in urban centers, mental, physical, and emotional health, environmental improvement and the legacy of structural racism.
The Secret Garden
Duration
0:05:37
Synopsis
This short documentary captures glimpses of the magic that happens when youth leaders on an urban farm in Austin, Texas dedicate their time and talents to increasing food access in their community, honoring the land, and growing into their power
Directed by
Kyle Decker
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
Gardens feed us with more than just vegetables. In the Secret Garden teenagers are introduced to gardening within the urban center. They are engaging and learning life lessons as they would in any other summer camp. But here the food is fresher.
I am Kanaka
Duration
0:15:00
Synopsis
With a dark history, 5% speaking the native language and 10% living in poverty, Hawaii is in danger of losing its traditions forever. “I am Kanaka” gives a glimpse into the future with Kaina Makua’s non-profit program teaching Hawaiian language, sustainability and life skills to disadvantaged indigenous kids aged 5-20
Directed by
Genevieve Sulway
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
Environmental preservation is also cultural preservation. Our human history is embedded in the earth. This island conservation effort is a way forward for all communities.
proTract Pittsburgh
Duration
0:18:05
Synopsis
What if transitions toward sustainability do not always have to start with huge government grants and new regulations? What if such transitions are already happening on a small scale, ready to be discovered, emulated, and celebrated? And what if people, communities, and businesses participate in the transition voluntarily and in pursuit of their own goals and interests? This film illustrates sustainability transitions based on three examples in Pittsburgh, and what we can learn from such examples about sustainability, community, and our shared future.
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
Very clever and well done. Corny in just the right ways. Spotlights the weird personality of the creator, but quickly pivots to put the change-makers front and center. It shows that sustainability can happen, and IS happening. Let's cast a vision and believe in it!
Directed by
Dean Bog
Seagrass for Sea Change
Duration
0:12:15
Synopsis
A hope-filled film about restoring native seagrasses in the harbor of Sydney. The seagrasses are a habitat for seahorses. the painstaking and wide community effort is impressive. It's also a perfect analogy for how hard we must work with collaborative engagement to restore the human habitat. So much of human civilization is on the water. How do we use it? Do we use it in ways that supports biodiversity? This film will draw out provocative questions.
Directed by
Whitney Beer-Kerr
Saturday, October 7th 8:00 - 9:30 PM
I Saw The Design
Community Arts Auditorium, Wayne State University, 450 Reuther Mall.
SHORT FILM BLOCK
90 MINS
Cities and city life is constantly evolving. See how good urban design and planning is helping cities and communities build on successes of the past so they can have thriving futures.
Film Lineup:
The Making of Mahalia Jackson Court Kelly Street Garden
They Came From All Over Thoughts on Reimagining Urban Sites: An Architect's Reflections
At Britannia Courts Neighborhoods Now Building Opportunities | Bridging Communities Look Up!
Presented by
At Britannia Courts
Duration
0:09:48
Synopsis
Architects, artists, craftspeople, and community stakeholders work together to rapidly transform a vacant lot on the south side of Chicago into a community gathering space.
Directed by
Christopher Hoerdemann
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
Amazing example of how you can revitalize by celebrating important residents, including community and collaboration in the process, and transforming place in doing so. I am so very impressed by how this story is told in this film.
The Making of Mahalia Jackson Court
Duration
0:04:10
Synopsis
Local skateboarders transformed the Britannia Tennis Courts into a skatepark in 2017, now known as the Britannia Courts Skatepark. It is a constantly evolving space rooted in tactical urbanism that is built by and for the community, with skateboarders supporting each other in developing new skills and tricks.
Directed by
Thaïs Despont
Kelly Street Garden
Duration
0:14:00
Synopsis
The Kelly Street Garden film explores the core mission of the garden to provide healthy food and community programming to our local South Bronx residents free of charge. The community's effort not only feeds people physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. Through Art workshops, Qi Gong, Yoga, cooking demos and herbal medicine they have created a space where the stressors of the community and daily life can be left at the door. Through a robust and free market, the garden's stewards directly provide a path to better nutrition. This film casts a light on the healing components of food, justice, equality, culture, coupled with the opportunity to improve mind and body in an oasis of healing in a community that has faced many challenges over the past several decades.
Directed by
Matthew Kohn
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
An important perspective on how addressing food disparity and access through community gardening celebrates diverse color and beauty both in people - and on the plate.
Neighborhoods Now
Duration
0:18:00
Synopsis
Neighborhoods Now is a community-led design initiative to help NYC recover and rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. Launched in spring 2020 by independent nonprofits the Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute, Neighborhoods Now has connected community organizations with 200+ designers, engineers, lawyers, and more to support their visions for a more resilient future. Together, they enlivened and programmed public space, provided support to small businesses, and envisioned thriving futures for their neighborhoods. Documentary filmmaker Kate Levy followed the work of these local leaders and their design teams, capturing a critical moment of recovery from the pandemic in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.
Directed by
Kate Levy
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
While combating the effects of COVID19 in some of New York's most diverse but disinvested neighborhoods, this piece highlights the successes of small wins and the need to leverage lived experience with learned experience
They Came From All Over
Duration
0:14:30
Synopsis
They Came from All Over highlights the important role small businesses play within their local communities. A love letter to small businesses everywhere, the film follows grocery store owner, Tom Mulholland, as he confronts the possibility of losing his family business and the impact it can have on his small Iowa town.
Directed by
Rayka Zehtabchi, Oscar-winning Iranian-American director.
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
This film does a great job of showing how one small business can really foster a sense of community to an entire town. Beyond the real and serious problems of food deserts or the fact that most people have to buy their food from massive corporations, this is a story about what makes a better city and how one man really can make a difference. The inspiration of this man's family business to create (hopefully) inspire people to support local and small, no matter where they live, The inspiration of this man's family business will hopefully inspire people to support local and small establishments, no matter where they live.
Building Opportunities | Bridging Communities
Duration
0:06:55
Synopsis
In the 1980s, the Parklands community of Washington, DC was devastated due the lack of civic resources and the rise of crime. In response, real estate developer WC Smith set out to create THEARC — Town Hall Education Arts and Recreation Campus. THEARC is now the largest multi-sector non-profit collaboration in the country. Building Opportunities | Bridging Communities tells the origin story of THEARC and the impact it has had on residents of Parklands.
Directed by
Jon Michael Shink, Michael Skinner
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
People across the globe should be aware of the potential dangers of climate-change induced flooding.
Thoughts on Reimagining Urban Sites: An Architect's Reflections
Duration
0:04:44
Synopsis
Stanton Eckstut, a pioneering architect who has designed iconic public spaces in cities across the United States, discusses the principles that have guided his work. In "Thoughts on Reimagining Urban Sites: An Architect's Reflections," Eckstut offers ideas about how to redevelop large urban sites with an emphasis on the public realm, while walking the grounds of The Wharf, a large-scale development he designed in Washington, D.C.
Eckstut's reputation as an innovator and leader in large-scale architecture was forged more than 30 years when he worked on the master plan for New York's Battery Park City. His work has since focused on strengthening the urban fabric of cities nationwide by creating new centers of social and civic activity. As Eckstut has said, “even my smallest buildings are about being part of a larger community.”
"Thoughts on Reimagining Urban Sites" was produced as an educational tool for the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, a nationally recognized nonprofit focused on historic preservation.
Directed by
Daniel Lovering
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
An excellent recap of some good principles of urban design based on the work around the Wharf in D.C.
Look Up!
Duration
0:18:57
Synopsis
After over 50 years of service as a major employer and hub of Franklin, Tennessee - The Factory at Franklin was left for dead and about to be blown up for a movie effects company. Local businessman and metaphysical man of action Calvin LeHew stepped in, sacrificed everything he had ever worked for to save it - and created a space for new art, while keeping community memories alive - passing the torch of creativity to the next generation.
Directed and voiced by Nashville documentary filmmaker Brian Siskind, and creatively cultivated by Bryce McCloud, Look Up! soars above a simple historical depiction of a place near and dear to a community, and amplifies the message of Calvin Lehew to not just dream, but take action!
A renewed and revitalizing energy is currently working its way through the physical spaces of the Factory. LOOK UP! Is the first chapter in a larger cultural and arts program that is taking place at The Factory at Franklin led by Bryce McCloud. As Calvin hands off the baton to a new generation, The Factory’s creative team and its artists are exploring and strengthening the connections between the factory’s rich cultural history, loyal local community and the exciting stories that have yet to come. We hope you join us as we all work towards “Producing smiles on an industrial scale.”
Directed by
Brian Siskind
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
The daring spirit of a stunt pilot takes on the long term risk of incremental development. He saves an abandoned factory from being blown up in a hollywood stunt. Then he works slowly over decades to restore the factory and bring it back to the center of life of the community that it once was. An inspiring tale.