The Detroit Windsor International Film Festival is kicking off tomorrow afternoon with some excellent films being shown in eight separate venues including a feature film debut at the DIA and continuing on through the weekend on both sides of the river.  Take a look at Tom Hendrickson’s video highlights or go directly to the festival website to purchase tickets and attend.  Support the successful and rapidly growing film industry in Michigan and have fun while you do it!  Where is the down side here?  Thanks ModelD!

No, we are not talking about rappers - this is film baby!  Michael Moore discusses his latest project, a sequel to Fahrenheit 911, brought to us courtesy of a QIK stream from a cell phone!  Go figure!  Click here to see the clip.

We’re not gonna take it!  No!  We’re not gonna take it! We’re not gonna take it, anymore!!!  For you Beastie Boy fans old enough, those words may have been your adolescent right of passage, but we are re-adapting them for the ‘D’!  Let’s all join hands, sing Kum-bye-ya and stop the negative press on Detroit!  Naw, forget that!  Just click and digg this article to raise the positive awareness on Detroit!  Thanks to 313rd for getting the movement going!  Go HERE to see the top ten list of Detroit goodness, and add more!

The Downtown Detroit Partnership is making a video tomorrow, February 29th, to be shown at it’s annual meeting on March 17th and for the general promotion and excitement of everyone. The intent of the video is to characterize life in the ‘D’ for the 21 to 34 year old denizen of the Detroit Urban Jungle. The video will be a ‘day in the life’ that shows the fun work, the after hours events, and the cool loft lifestyle available to those willing to try downtown on for size. You can download the PDF that explains the concept Lets Meet Downtown, and you can contact Bob Rossback, the guy spearheading this project, bob@rossbach.tv or call him at 313-402-9831.

Thanks to Fusion Detroit for the heads up.

Detroit Renaissance wants to know what you think and where you live - if you are creative.  They have asked New Economy Strategies LLC to conduct a survey to gauge obstacles to build a creative environment and Crain’s Detroit to survey the community to create a map of all the creative sector businesses in our Metro area.

For the Creative Business Climate survey (which they will email you the results of) click here.

For the asset map survey (which they won’t send you results of), you can read Mary Kramer’s intro to the survey, or jump to the survey.  If you even remotely suspect that you or someone you may work with can loosely be defined as creative - take this survey.  This survey is aimed at business, not individual, so fill it out for your company, even if you are a company of one!

There are few options (1) if you are in the music industry, and there may be others that are not completely represented.  Go ahead and pick the ‘other’ checkbox - don’t be intimidated to explain how you don’t fit into any of the pigeon holes!  What is most important is to stand up and be counted!

Over 40 original documentary films, many created by local talent will be on display starting Wednesday, October 17th at three different venues: The Detroit Film Center, the DIA, and Cranbrook. Besides the films being shown each evening, there is also an afterparty scheduled each night at a different location. A pass to the entire 5 day event will cost you $45, where you can attend any single evening for $7.50. The excessively young (students) and old (seniors) get a daily break - 5 bucks. You can purchase ticks direct from the Film Center, online via PayPal, or at the gate.  More info here.  If you would like to volunteer, contact nicole@detroitfilm.org.

Rumor from DetroitCity.com is that St. Andrews Hall, famous for Eminem’s rap battles featured in the movie 8 Mile, is a purchase target for the rapper/future real estate magnate.  No comment from Eminem’s camp on the discussions with Live Nation, formerly Clearchannel Communications, on what is going on.  You can read more about it from Rap Basement, here.  Thanks to DetroitCity and Rap Basement!

Like improv comedy? Too lazy to go somewhere to see it, too cheap for tickets, or like everything online? Then browse over to Group - The Series website to see the first few released episodes of a first ever online improv comedy series (”The First Webisodic Improv Comedy Series!“) airing exclusively on the web!  What happens when improvisational comedy and reality entertainment connect online?  No one knows for sure yet - not even the actors!  Local Executive Producer Skip Erickson of Ubiquitous Cre8ive LLC released the first episode April 24th, with additional episodes becoming available for viewing each week.  Another demonstration of the creative video talent in Detroit making a mark on the world.

InZer0, a 12 episode video series created in Detroit was completed last month, with plans to begin production immediately of feature length film “InZer0: Fragile Wings” based on the series.

Thought Collide Productions, responsible for the series & feature film, is presenting episodes 9, 10 & 11 of “InZer0″ on April 3, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. during the Mitten Movie Project at the Main Art Theatre (118 N. Main Street, Royal Oak, MI 48067).  Episodes 9-11 are considered to be the best episodes of the series so this is the perfect opportunity to watch them all on the big screen.
And not to miss a party, a director’s reception precedes each showing beginning at 6:30 and an afterglow party immediately follows in Cinq (in the basement of Bastone — 419 S. Main Street, Royal Oak).

The Ann Arbor Film Festival, the oldest festival in North America that showcases independent and experimental film recently lost state funding because legislators say it violated a prohibition on the depiction of sex acts. State legislators have barred the Ann Arbor Film Festival from receiving state money for at least three years.

The drive to enforce the funding restrictions was sparked by an essay from Michael LeFaive, a policy analyst with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a libertarian think tank in Michigan. LeFaive claimed that taxpayer dollars could end up paying for a so-called “cesspool of silliness.” To demonstrate how silly people can be, LeFaive’s essay cited as an example Boobie Girl, a ‘G’ rated film from director Brooke Keisling. Keisling in turn says she thinks LeFaive didn’t see any of the films he objected to, since her movie is suitable for all ages.

“There’s nothing pornographic about my film,” she says. “It’s really G-rated; it’s really sweet. In fact, the woman who narrated used to be the voice of Rocky the Squirrel from Rocky and Bullwinkle.”

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