Detroit, USA | October 5-8, 2023
2023 BETTER CITIES FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Sunday Oct. 8
Sunday, October 8th 12:00-3:00 PM
The Future of 3rd Places
SPECIAL SCREENING of
LA BUENA COSECHA (THE GOOD HARVEST)
The Congregation, 9321 Rosa Parks Blvd
Our local businesses are about more than driving the economy. They are cultural generators, local gathering spots, a way to serve each other as neighbors. How can communities best support the businesses that mean the most to them? Join us for a short film screening and discussion with local entrepreneurs.
Our local businesses are about more than driving the economy. They are cultural generators, local gathering spots, a way to serve each other as neighbors. How can communities best support the businesses that mean the most to them? Join us for a short film screening and discussion with local entrepreneurs.
Film Lineup:
The Good Harvest
Presented by
The Good Harvest
Duration
0:14:11
Synopsis
Despite many obstacles, Paola and his son dream of turning their Colombian-style café into a national franchise.
Directed by
Melanie Cedeño-Lopez
Sunday, October 8th 5:30 - 7:00 PM
WORLDWIDE PREMIERE
ARBITRARY LINES: THE FREE SPIRIT OF CAROLINE
featuring M. Nolan Gray
Community Arts Auditorium, Wayne State University, 450 Reuther Mall.
90 MINS
Noted author and public speaker on issues of zoning and urban planning, M. Nolan Grey, meets his match in the small rural community of Caroline, NY. The anti-zoning battle in this small town becomes a case study for the author to apply his theory to the real life shops and farms and personalities of Caroline. This session will include the world premiere of "Arbitrary Lines" plus an extended conversation with author and star of "Arbitrary Lines" the movie.
Post-film Q&A with director Tran Hoang Calving and author / host Nolan Gray
Film Lineup:
Arbitrary Lines: The Free Spirit of Caroline
ARBITRARY LINES: THE FREE SPIRIT OF CAROLINE
Duration
0:25:53
Synopsis
"Arbitrary Lines: The Free Spirit of Caroline" is a compelling exploration of the delicate balance between the preservation of community character and the need for sustainable growth and development. It is a story about the power of community spirit in the face of bureaucratic constraints. The documentary challenges viewers to consider the impact of zoning laws on the fabric of small-town life and to rethink the arbitrary lines that define our built environments. The film ultimately raises a thought-provoking question: can the free spirit of a town like Caroline be preserved in the face of growing regulatory pressures?
Directed by
Tran Hoang Calvin
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
An important piece showcasing the still problematic issues of zoning and how it affects communities of all sizes, and in this case a town of 3,000 people. Brings up the point that zoning has historically (and still today) is used many times to segregate communities in a variety of ways. It lays out explicitly how overregulation that is prohibitive in nature can destroy an entire community - even those that have found ways to evolve and stay stable for almost two centuries. Zoning, ideally, should be less about structures and more about people.
Sunday, October 8th 7:30 - 9:00 PM
Rock This House
Community Arts Auditorium, Wayne State University, 450 Reuther Mall.
SHORT FILM BLOCK
90 MINS
No matter what kind of house it is, it's a home to someone. As housing becomes the number one issue facing cities, these short films call us back to remember the powerful personal stories about people's homes.
Film Lineup:
Tiny Victories 2.0 - A Tale of Empathy - Gustavo Bernal Betances Residence - Bilyana Dimitrova
Overtown's Living Legacy - Gina Margillo Guaranteed in Gary - Darryl Parham
Georgswerder - Sarah Gorf-Roloff
River City Rising - John Paget Cookie (from We are Shell Harbour) - Phillip Crawford Ralph & Bug - Christine Thomas
Presented by
Tiny Victories 2.0 - A Tale of Empathy
Duration
0:08:20
Synopsis
"Tiny Victories 2.0. A Tale of Empathy" tells the story of Chioco Design's team journey when building a micro home for an individual who has struggled with chronic and sustained homelessness. How organizations like AIA Design Voice and Mobile Loaves & Fishes works timely to offer hope for the community. The word "empathy" serves as a prompt in the development, and execution, but mostly the idea of leaving behind preconceptions of what it is like to live without a home. In this extended version, we dig deeper into the journey of Chioco Design, AIA Design Voice Committee and Mobile Loaves and Fishes.
Directed by
Gustavo Bernal
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
More than just a design/architectural film; a great view into the importance of listening to the lived experiences of those that will inhabit the structures prior to building and designing the project. Too often we do things we feel will help people instead of asking what they need.
Georgswerder - The Village in the Hamburg Metropolis
Duration
0:06:06
Synopsis
Georgswerder is a small "underdeveloped" district in Hamburg, Germany. This film follows four residents to explore the problems and potentials of the neighborhood - and uses hybrid animation to make their visions come to life. This is a commissioned work by Studio Ranokel for "Q8".
Q8 does social work in the context of neighborhood development. The film portrays Georgswerder and its challenges in order to make it more visible in general AND specifically for Q8 to have something to show to potential partners that might not be very familiar with Georgswerder.
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
The film presents a great SWOT analysis of the community in a fun quirky way. They cast a vision full of hopes, good ideas, and future plans through clever animation.
Betances Residence
Duration
0:03:03
Synopsis
This award winning film features Betances Residence, a new "Passive House" supportive residence for formerly homeless and low-income seniors in the Bronx, NY. The 152-unit building is the result of the collaborative efforts of Breaking Ground and COOKFOX Architects that both believe in sustainable design, creating permanence for people who have not had permanence before and that good design promotes well being. This film illustrates that it's possible to build high quality affordable housing that prioritizes the quality of life of the residents and the environment.
Directed by
Bilyana Dimitrova
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
New housing provides housing.
River City Rising
Duration
0:07:00
Synopsis
This short documentary explores Missing Middle Housing and how it is being used by the city of Spokane as a policy tool to address its housing crisis.
Directed by
John Paget
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
This beautifully crafted film tells a compelling story about how Spokane is looking to its history for not only the solutions it needs to solve its housing crisis, namely Missing Middle Housing, but also the civic spirit it needs to draw on to achieve its new future.
Overtown's Living Legacy
Duration
0:07:00
Synopsis
When developers and city planners say they are "revitalizing" the historic black neighborhood of Overtown, in Miami Florida , they ignore its rich history and the community that has been living there for decades
Directed by
Gina Margillo
Cookie - From We are Shell Harbour
Duration
0:04:30
Synopsis
A family befriends an odd neighbor named cookie who leaves them with a great gift and a great lesson about community.
Directed by
Phillip Crawford
Guaranteed in Gary
Duration
0:11:00
Synopsis
Guaranteed in Gary follows a guaranteed income experiment in Gary, Indiana, where residents receive a gift of $500 per month for a year. The G.I.V.E. program is designed to reduce household stress and create the mental space to imagine new pathways to life goals. The experiment confirms that poverty isn’t a lack of character; it’s a lack of cash. One recipient, Augustine, is inspired to return to school at age 67 in this short documentary funded by Firelight/PBS’s Homegrown initiative. Premiering at the 2023 Cleveland International Film Festival.
Directed by
Darryl Parham
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
Community development at its core is about caring for the individual. The GIVE program, featured in this short doc, directly addresses some of the basic obstacles individuals face in order to rise out of poverty. By lifting up individuals, the whole community rises.
Ralph & Bug
Duration
0:17:15
Synopsis
Ralph James has traded in his street name “El Diablo” for the title of “The Urban Dad”. Leaving behind a life of drug dealing, Ralph is now the sole caretaker of his daughter Bug and leader of his local Dad’s Group in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. As Ralph and Bug navigate their grim housing conditions together, this film ultimately highlights a father’s sacrificial love for his child, promising to overcome anything that stands in his way.
Directed by
Christine Thomas
Festival Film Reviewer’s Quote
"Ralph & Bug" profiles a charismatic single father and former drug dealer struggling to raise his young daughter in New York City as they face financial challenges and racial discrimination -- all of this while leading a support group for others in similar circumstances, proving to be an inspirational figure to his peers and a strong role model to his daughter.