DETROIT, Mich. (WLNS) — Cooking while incarcerated, Black landmarks in cinema, and Mary Tyler Moore’s barrier-breaking career will be among the many topics explored under the lens of documentary film this April 26-30 in Detroit.
Visitors to the tenth annual documentary-based Freep Film Festival will have access to five days of local and globally recognized documentaries, including “Coldwater Kitchen,” “Elvis Mitchell’s Is That Black Enough For You?!?,” and “Being Mary Tyler Moore,” in addition to a series of short films.
Many of the films are from Michigan directors, stories, and perspectives.
Writer and film historian Elvis Mitchell, making his directorial debut with “Is That Black Enough For You?!?,” is a Highland Park native and Wayne State University alumnus.
The documentary “provides insight into the history of Black representation going back to the earliest days of cinema, and the cultural impact of witnessing unapologetic Blackness,” according to the Freep Film Festival website.
“Coldwater Kitchen” is filmed inside the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, Mich., and follows Chef Jimmy Lee Hill, who has run a highly regarded culinary training program in the facility for 30 years.
In addition, there will be a film series focused on stories told by Asian American filmmakers, in partnership with the American Citizens for Justice and the Asian American and Pacific Islander community (AAPI). All the AAPI films will be free to the public.
The film venues will be around midtown and downtown Detroit. In addition, some of the films will be available for at-home screening. The virtual lineup and instructions for at-home screening are available online. Ticketing is also available online.
