Y-Arts Detroit will be spotlighting the art of film starting this week through the end of the year. John Sauve, who serves on the board of Y-Arts, is curating the Man in The City Film Series at the Boll Family YMCA, focusing on locally produced or locally themed films.
Sauve is well known for his Man In The City art installation, which is responsible for the orange figures of a man in a hat and suit all over the Detroit skyline. He’s worked with Y-Arts media camp participants to make a short film about the installation and even had the students help install one of the sculptures.
The series will raise funds for Y-Arts programming. At each screening, filmmakers of the featured film will attend and will share insights into the process of creating the film.
The series kicks off at 7 p.m. tomorrow, July 24, at the Marlene Boll Theater in the Boll Family YMCA, 1401 Broadway in Detroit. Two short films will be shown:
VICTOR, by Woodward Original
The film focuses on Victor, a 26 year-old Nigerian medical student who suffers from neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes massive life-threatening tumors on his face. It invites viewers to take a deeper look at his journey and see how he’s overcome his disorder in the most inspiring way.
THE 2014 CANADIAN NATIONAL YOUTH ARTS WEEK AT THE WYC – by Owen Wood
Through determination and the persistence to see his vision through, Owen Wood, a aspiring young filmmaker, was able to realize his dream to make a film despite not owning a camera or a computer. The short film looks at The 2014 Canadian National Youth Arts Week at the Windsor Youth Center from the perspective of a club member.
Future films in the series include:
August 28
LOUDER THAN LOVE by Tony D’Annunzio
This film screening will be paired with an exciting gallery exhibit of the artwork of the late Gary Grimshaw, an American graphic artist active in Detroit and San Francisco who specialized in designing rock concert posters. The film recreates the excitement of the Detroit rock scene in the 1960s, with the Grande Ballroom as the epicenter and many of the major players in the scene telling their stories.
September 18
LITTERBUG by Mikey Brown
This locally produced film was written, directed by, and stars Y Arts’ instructor Mikey Brown. It’s the story of a nightclub DJ who fakes interest in the green movement to win the love of an environmental activist who has become a fan of his music.
Practicing what it preaches, this film was made with the environment in mind. Brown charged his batteries with a stationary bike and made sure filming practices were as green as possible.
October 11
PLIMPTON! STARRING GEORGE PLIMPTON AS HIMSELF
Plimpton! tells the story of writer, editor, amateur sportsman and friend to many, George Plimpton. Using Plimpton’s own narration – along with thoughts and stories from friends, family and contemporaries – the film is a joyful celebration of a life lived fully, richly, strangely, and, at times, a life that is hard to believe was actually lived by just one man.
Filmmakers Tom Bean and Luke Poling have researched and catalogued Plimpton’s life and his work. They have interviewed people from every aspect of Plimpton’s life in order to tell the story of this one-of-a-kind person.
November 20
SHORT FILMS OF HARVEY OVSHINSKY
Celebrated filmmaker, author, and journalist Harvey Ovshinsky will showcase his short films in support of Y Arts. While director of production at Detroit Public Television, Ovshinsky was one of the supervisors of the Oscar-nominated, Peabody- and duPont-winning documentary “Who Killed Vincent Chin?”.
Working with WDIV-TV, WXYZ-TV, and Detroit Public Television he produced a variety of award-winning, prime-time television programs about Detroit and its citizens, among them: “A Gift for Serena,” “City Nights,” “The Deerhunters,” “Santa Claus is Alive & Living in Detroit,” and “The Voodoo Man of Heidelberg Street” about famed Detroit artist Tyree Guyton. Ovshinsky’s Harvey’s landmark documentary, “Land Grab: The Taking of Poletown” was featured in Jeanie Wylie’s book, Poletown: A Community Betrayed.
All screenings begin at 7 p.m. Suggested donation is $10 per person.