Film fest in Oakland County spotlights lineup of ‘good films for a better world’
Fighting fascism, healing a broken food system and looking back on the history of Ann Arbor’s “Commie High” are among the topics explored by the 2024 Greater Farmington Film Festival.
The event is marking its 10th anniversary with the lineup that runs Thursday-Sunday. The movies curated by the festival’s programming coordinator Brandon Walley aim to spotlight movies and documentaries “that engage the heart and mind, explore important contemporary issues, and inspire action,” according to a news release.
In short, it’s all about “good films for a better world.” Screenings and discussions will be held at Oakland Community College, the Riviera Cinema, Farmington Civic Theater and the Zekelman Holocaust Center.
Among the highlights are films and short videos by this year’s Michigan featured artist, Donald Harrison, an independent filmmaker and former executive director of the Ann Arbor Film Festival.
Harrison will kick things off Thursday with “Traversing the Videoverse,” a presentation of short videos made by his 7 Cylinders Studio since its founding in 2012. Then on Saturday, there will be a screening of Harrison’s 2020 documentary “Welcome to Commie High,” which explores the journey of Community High School in Ann Arbor, one of the few remaining public schools from the “free school” movement of the 1970s.
On Friday, director Hilla Medalia’s 2023 documentary “Mourning in Lod” will tell the story of three women of three faiths from Lod, Israel, where Israelis and Palestinians live side by side, and how their lives have been impacted by violence in the city.
That same day, director Jen Markowitz’s “Summer Qamp” goes inside Camp fYrefly, which describes itself as “a leadership retreat for queer and trans youth ages 14-24” in Alberta, Canada. The camp focuses on building leadership skills and personal resiliency, along with providing a safe space for young people caught in the midst of political wars against gay and transgender rights.
Saturday’s “Movies in the Mitten,” a short film screening, will bring together films by artists across the state and be followed by a question-and-answer session with visiting filmmakers.
The eclectic range of titles includes “Pheasants of Detroit,” about the normally rural birds who are living in the open spaces of the city of Detroit, and “Caged Lion,” the saga of a Lions football fan who vows to stay in his basement until the team makes it to the Super Bowl.
On Sunday afternoon, the Zekelman Holocaust Center will host a showing of the Canadian-Polish drama “Irena’s Vow,” which traces the efforts of a Polish nurse (played by Sophie Nelisse) to save Jewish refugees during World War II.
Those are just some of the highlights. To see the full list of screenings and discussions and purchases tickets or festival passes, go to the official Greater Farmington Film Festival website.