Detroit Docs is now among the three largest all-documentary film festivals in North America together with Hot Docs in Toronto and Full Frame in Raleigh/Durham. This year, 35 of the filmmakers will come to Detroit to attend the screenings of their films.
The university will kick off the festival with a gala celebration at the Wayne State Welcome Center (on the northwest corner of Woodward and Warren Avenues), from 7 to 10 pm, Thursday, Nov. 11. The party is free and open to the public. Last year 600 film viewers attended the opening party.
The Opening Gala, at Wayne State's Welcome Center at the corner of Woodward and Warren, will feature live music, food and streaming films. Dignitaries and filmmakers will be on hand and Detroit filmmaker and Wayne State faculty member, Harvey Ovshinsky will be presented a lifetime achievement award.
"Wayne State is proud to help bring this international festival to our city and our campus. Documentaries are enjoying a renaissance around the globe, and Detroit Docs with its accompanying lectures and workshops will create an electric exchange of ideas in an exciting format that benefits students, scholars and the public," said Wayne State President Irvin D. Reid.
Viewers will see award-winning films chosen through an international competition. They will see films about geopolitics, the Civil Rights movement, the Holocaust, the environment, women in prison, cowboys, the labor movement, music,sports and some that simply defy classification. Viewers will meet Putin's Mama and hear Lily Tomlin's views on Detroit. Filmgoers will learn about the Tuskeegee Airmen, a beauty pagent in Libya, a great Russian maestro, homeless women in Los Angeles, one girl's struggle to become a wrestler and the life of a Cuban activist.
Wayne State will show films in three locations -- the Bernath Auditorium of the Undergraduate Library, the General Lectures Building and the Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium. Detroit Docs will also screen films at the Detroit Institute of Art, the Detroit Film Center and the Birmingham 8.
Detroit Docs will feature several workshops and lectures. For a complete film list, detailed descriptions, workshop schedule, times and locations of screenings and ticket information visit detroit docs.org.
Wayne State University is a premier institution offering more than 350 academic programs through 12 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.
Contact: Chris Walny Cell Phone: (248) 541-4456 Phone: (248) 214-6952 Email:chriswalny@msn.com
Contact: Tod Hardin Phone: (313) 477-6617 Email:tod_hardin@msn.com