Detroit, USA | Sept. 19-22, 2024

2024 BETTER CITIES FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Sat. Sept 21

Saturday, Sept. 21st 1:00 - 3:00 PM

Campus Martius Park, 800 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226

LET'S GET WASTED

Short Films On Toxic Cities

85 MINS

Film Lineup:

  • The Rubbish Trip - Jordan Osmond

  • Fl*shing Injustice - Astrid Malter

  • A Forest in the City - Thao Phuong Tran

  • Lead In The Land - Cigdem Slankard

Presented by

The Rubbish Trip

Duration

0:16:00

Synopsis
Hannah and Liam are the inspiring couple behind The Rubbish Trip, originally a nationwide tour offering free zero waste workshops around Aotearoa New Zealand. Now experts on the why’s and how’s of reducing waste, Hannah and Liam are our personal zero waste heroes – educators, advocates, and activists on a subject that is ultimately about so much more than waste.

For this film, we asked Hannah and Liam about their perspective on what it means to be zero waste, what it’s taken for them to make suitable lifestyle changes toward that goal, and their work in advocacy and activism. This short film offers inspiration and encouragement to all of us, no matter where we are on our waste minimisation journey.

Hannah and Liam’s story offers another opportunity for Happen Films to contribute to the global conversation about waste. It is topical and it needs urgent action. We see it as a critical subject to be discussing in our households, communities, businesses, and with our governments: how can each and every one of us assume responsibility for our impact on the planet and on each other and work towards the necessary system change?

Directed by
Jordan Osmond

Fl*shing Injustice

Duration

0:19:25

Synopsis
Sherry Bradley and Perman Hardy met on an ordinary Friday afternoon. Amid national and international media recognition of the egregious sanitation and health challenges facing counties across the Black Belt, they helped create an extraordinary consortium of community members, academic institutions, nonprofits, and government agencies dedicated to finding practical solutions for wastewater issues throughout the Black Belt in Alabama.

The Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Project, UAB Sanitation Health and Equity program and other members of the Alabama Rural Water and Wastewater Management Consortium, are utilizing historic state and federal infrastructure funding to implement real solutions on the ground, transforming communities through education and bringing justice to areas that have long been overlooked and underserved for these basic needs.

Directed by
Astrid Malter

A Forest in the City

Duration

0:13:06

Synopsis
Nestled by the bank of the Red River, in Hanoi, an unusual park has emerged where their used to be an informal garbage dump covered in vegetation. In the last years, this neglected riverbank area has become the pride of the local people who helped to turn it into a bustling and green recreational and socialization space and who now act as its caretakers. Initiated by civil society organizations, the Bo-Vo Chuong Duong Forest-Park is redefining what green and open spaces can be in urban Vietnam. It shows the profound impact that neighborhood public spaces, produced through community-based and environmental planning and design approaches, can have on local social cohesion and well-being. The story of this unusual project demonstrates how public spaces can integrate environmental renewal with social enrichment in Hanoi. This innovative forest-park holds promises in a city where needs for more and better open and green spaces are very high.

Directed by
Thao Phuong Tran

Lead in the Land

Duration

0:29:54

Synopsis
Lead in the Land is a documentary focusing on the harsh reality and far-reaching effects of lead poisoning, an invisible and insidious threat afflicting thousands of children in the United States. The film sheds light on the circumstances around lead poisoning, examining its causes, effects and potential solutions.

Directed by

Cigdem Slankard

Saturday, Sept. 21st 3:00 - 5:00 PM

Campus Martius Park, 800 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226

LET'S GET DOWN TO EARTH

Short Films On Environmental Issues

80 MINS

Film Lineup:

  • Electrifying Eugene - Lauren Iverson

  • A Seat At The Table - Astrid Malter

  • Arroyo Viejo Creek - Spencer Wilkinson

  • Hot Poets: Super Sleuths of the Streets - Chris Redmond & Liv Torc

  • Mussel Matters: Saving Critical Species in DuPage County - Lea Rodbarry & Jonathan Mullen

  • March of the Mangroves - Sophia Abolfathi

Presented by

Electrifying Eugene

Duration

0:14:08

Synopsis
Electrifying Eugene offers a first-hand look at how cities can navigate pushback from the gas industry to pursue viable pathways to decarbonization. Following the work of Aya Cockram of Fossil Free Eugene, Arjorie Arberry-Baribeault of Beyond Toxics, Jan Hasselman of Earthjustice, Danny Noonan of Breach Collective, and Eugene’s Mayor Lucy Vinis, we explore how one community’s efforts to pursue electrification is being met with opposition from Oregon’s largest “natural” gas utility, Northwest Natural — and how by harnessing a groundswell of community support for fossil fuel controls, they are able to push back.

Directed by
Lauren Iverson

A Seat At The Table

Duration

0:13:38

Synopsis
Food, health, and nutrition divide two sides of town in Gainesville, Florida -- how the movement to bring Black culture, history, and knowledge back to the table is healing the community.

Directed by

Sophia Abolfathi

Arroyo Viejo Creek

Duration

0:03:07

Synopsis
Arroyo Viejo Creek s a short community profile of a project in East Oakland, California. The story focuses on a collaboration of environmental justice organizations called "PROPA" who are working on liberating green spaces throughout the city. Featured organizations include Civic Design Studio, Movement Generation and Sogorea Te as they visit an urban river called "Arroyo Viejo Creek" to learn about revitalization projects. This piece is part of a larger initiative called the Bay Area Creative Corps - supported by the California Arts Council and the San Francisco Foundation. 


Directed by
Spencer Wilkinson

Hot Poets: Super Sleuths of the Streets

Duration

0:04:38

Synopsis
This solo commission is written and performed by Hot Poet Liv Torc, exploring pathway 3 and the European wide 'Urban Releaf' project, with a focus on citizen science, people power in action - using heat, pollution and tree data that communities and on the street people are collecting to redesign 6 European cities to better adapt to climate change.

Directed by

Chris Redmond & Liv Torc

Mussel Matters: Saving Critical Species in DuPage County

Duration

0:19:04

Synopsis
In the rivers that flow through our neighborhoods lives an unseen but important creature: the freshwater mussel. These mussels perform key ecosystem services, including a remarkable capacity to filter and clean water. Once almost extinct and now struggling to make a comeback in DuPage County's urban waterways, freshwater mussels need help.

Mussel Matters explores the balance between supporting our modern lifestyle and preserving our natural heritage. Despite this tension, a community of watershed professionals and residents is determined to save our streams and the incredible mussels that call them home.

Directed by

Lea Rodbarry & Jonathan Mullen

March of the Mangroves

Duration

0:24:50

Synopsis
The mangrove is an iconic South Florida tree – but with a warming climate, these trees are northbound on Florida's coastlines. As the mangroves march through the state's muddy flats and salty marshes, the people of North Florida begin to adapt to this new tree and prepare for the future it bears.

Directed by

Sophia Abolfathi

Saturday, Sept. 21st 5:00 - 7:00 PM

Campus Martius Park, 800 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226

LET'S GET WALKING

Feature Film and Two Short Films

70 MINS

Film Lineup:

  • Buffalo Unparked - John Paget

  • Walkable USA - Tom Desch

  • Paris School Streets: Safe for Children, Safe for Everyone - Clarence Eckerson Jr.

Presented by

Buffalo Unparked

Duration

0:05:15

Synopsis
Many people point to social and economic changes to explain the decline of rustbelt cities. But maybe its actually the rules about minimum parking requirements. In 2017, Buffalo became the first relatively large city to eliminate the minimum off-street parking requirements for all new development citywide.

Directed by
John Paget

Walkable USA

Duration

0:53:00

Synopsis
A rust belt city works to breathe new life into a near abandoned downtown by making it more focused on the pedestrian experience.

Directed by

Tom Desch

Paris School Streets: Safe for Children, Safe for Everyone

Duration

0:10:50

Synopsis
For many years now advocates and communities around the world have been focussed on Paris School Streets not only because they make streets safer on those blocks for kids but by the swift and ample number of the high quality implementation of them.

In the last 4 years there have been many thousands of social media photos of the school streets in action, presentations by academics & safe streets advocates and even a few video clips and an occasional news report from Paris on them, but there hasn't been anything on the scale of even a short film. So I set out to change that interviewing some people that could give a good amount of background on Paris School Streets.

Directed by
Clarence Eckerson Jr.

Saturday, Sept. 21st 8:00 - 10:00 PM

Campus Martius Park, 800 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226

DIRECTED BY DETROIT

Short Films on Detroit, and by Local Filmmakers

69 MINS

Film Lineup:

  • Natural Light: The Remarkable Transformation of a School on Detroit’s East Eight Mile - Richard R. Murray

  • My Child's Middle School Journey in Detroit: Voices from the Best Classroom Project - Josh Bellars

  • Spirits by the Strait - Jesus Arzola-Vega

  • Detroit Solar Neighborhoods Project - Robin Schwartz & Grayson Beras

  • Helen Moore: Dexter Elmhurst Center - Robin Schwartz & Grayson Beras

  • The Land Bank: 20 Years from Crisis to Opportunity - Robin Schwartz & Grayson Beras

Presented by

Natural Light: The Remarkable Transformation of a School on East Eight Mile

Duration

0:18:01

Synopsis
When a new leader arrives at one of Michigan’s worst schools, he seeks help from a unique firm known for solving “impossible” school problems. But the challenges are enormous, the project has no funding, and the effort will confront bureaucracy, skepticism, indifference, profiteering, and even a pandemic.

Directed by
Richard R. Murray

My Child's Middle School Journey in Detroit: Voices from the Best Classroom Project

Duration

0:07:22

Synopsis
This documentary short chronicles the experiences of 5 Detroit youth whose middle school decisions were informed by their parents' participation in a social network. Their experiences encompass perspectives about what sustains them in Detroit, academic experiences, participation in extracurricular activities, and plans for high school.

Directed by

Josh Bellars

Spirits by the Strait

Duration

0:03:35

Synopsis
If a 130 year old house in Detroit could talk, what would it say? What about a rusty bike, a pheasant, The Detroit People Mover, or even Belle Isle? This short film series seeks to answer that question. Grace Lee Boggs, reflecting on Detroit's place in history, said that Detroit "gives a sense of epochs of civilization," so clearly, with such a unique place in history, Detroit is exactly the type of place that spirits would congregate to chat about the ever-changing world they observe. As many Detroiters will tell you, our city's name has it's origin in the French word for 'strait,' and that's where this series of short films derives it's name: just a group of lonely and pensive spirits by the strait, longing to be heard.

Directed by
Jesus Arzola-Vega

Detroit Solar Neighborhoods Project

Duration

0:01:43

Synopsis
To meet the city's energy demands, the City of Detroit introduced the innovative "Solar Neighborhoods Project." The goal of the project is to build up solar capacity throughout the city. The initiative will also provide energy efficiency upgrades for surrounding homes, at an average of approximately $15,000 per home. Each acre contributed to the project will provide up to $25,000 in community benefits for energy-efficient upgrades.

Directed by

Robin Schwartz & Grayson Beras

Helen Moore: Dexter Elmhurst Center

Duration

0:01:32

Synopsis
The Dexter Elmhurst Center is a longtime community center in Detroit that fell into disrepair. Community activist Helen Moore fought tirelessly to keep the center open and got the attention of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. Now, the city has purchased the center and plans to renovate it as a City Recreation Center, and create a park and parking area. Construction starts Spring 2024 and the renovation budget is $8.5M.

Directed by
Robin Schwartz & Grayson Beras

The Land Bank: 20 Years from Crisis to Opportunity

Duration

036:29

Synopsis
The Genesee County Land Bank is the first modern Land Bank in the United States. On this, its 20th anniversary, we take an in-depth look at the many ways the Land Bank is changing the future for the City of Flint and beyond. Meet the incredible people who are caring for vacant land, planting gardens, rehabbing abandoned homes, carrying out demolitions, becoming first-time homeowners, building new businesses, investing in Flint, and breathing new life into a resilient city that has endured a great deal of heartbreak and pain. Flint embodies a spirit of champions, a spirit of hope, and a spirit of perseverance and The Land Bank is at the heart of it all.

Directed by
Robin Schwartz & Grayson Beras