8th annual Better Cities Film Festival screens in Detroit
First+Main Films will be screening the 2022 Better Cities Film Festival on October 20 - 23 in Detroit, Michigan. The festival curates and exhibits the best films from around the world, all focused on the theme of making cities and towns better places to live, work and play.
The 8th edition of the annual festival will present over 26 films at Cinema Detroit, an independent cinema arthouse theater. Screenings include films of all lengths and genres: features, shorts, documentaries, narratives and animation. Feature-length films selected to screen include: Raised / Razed, which celebrates the life and laments the destruction of two black communities in Virginia and North Carolina; If You Have, by academy award winning director Ben Proudfoot, chronicles the healing efforts of UNICEF particularly during COVID; and Next City, which reflects on the struggles to develop a new city in the Philippines. The heart of the festival is the short film blocks which have been curated into special categories including: Farm to Foodie, Show Me the Money, Architects of Community, and Planning for People. “These new categories examine cities' relationships with food, economies, people, and places,” said Josh Paget, the festival’s director. “The stories of struggle and the innovative ideas born of those struggles are an inspiration and aspiration for any city.”
The full schedule, along with film synopses and ticket information is available at: https://www.bettercitiesfilmfestival.com/2022. Festival passes are available to purchase online in advance as single screening tickets or all-access passes. Tickets will also be available at the door.
An annual event, Better Cities Film Festival was originally founded in 2013 in Los Angeles. Since that time, it’s received over 1000 film submissions and emerged as a platform for an entirely new genre of films about placemaking. “Our mission has been to find and share stories that will inspire and empower cities and communities everywhere” said John Paget, co-founder of First+Main Films, which produces and operates the festival. “BCFF Detroit will be a great addition to the Detroit film community and landscape,” says Jonathan Braue, Founder of Detroit’s Woodward Original and Executive Board Member of the Michigan Film Industry Association. “It will help shine more light on the strong talent base we have here and showcase more great stories that need to be told. I’m excited for how this festival will contribute to the creative energy bursting out of our city.”
“Detroit is the perfect host city for a film festival about civic revitalization and placemaking,” said Chris Elisara, co-founder of First+Main Films, producers of the festival. “The story of Detroit, its reinvention and resiliency, is emblematic of our film festival’s purpose and theme.”
"Film is a transformative visual medium that is uniquely suited to showcasing the power of place and urban design. I’m excited about participating – and salute Paget, co-founder and producer Chris Elisara and everyone involved in bringing our stories to life!" says CNU Executive Director, Rick Cole.
At the conclusion of the festival on October 23rd, Better Cities Film Festival will announce awards for winning films, including the Best of Fest, the Audience Choice, and the top short films in each category.
Official 2022 Better Cities Film Festival Page: https://www.bettercitiesfilmfestival.com/2022
