Cinetopia Film Festival announces 2015 films, events in Detroit, Ann Arbor

posted on: May 1, 2015

The 2015 Cinetopia International Film Festival in Detroit and Ann Arbor is doubling from five days to 10.

Bigger and better is also the aim of its June 5-14 schedule, which boasts more movies (100 screenings of 72 films) and more venues than ever (including festival newcomers like the Redford and Maple theaters).

“It ends up being a really rich 10 days that’s more geographically inclusive, with really great films,” said Russ Collins, founder of Cinetopia and CEO of Ann Arbor’s Michigan Theater, of the schedule announced today.

To kick off things on June 5, the new animated movie “Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet” will be screened for free on the north lawn of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Produced by Salma Hayek and based on the famed poetry book, it’s an anthology film featuring acclaimed animators like Bill Plympton and Tomm Moore (“The Secret of Kells”). Beforehand, there will be an outdoor concert at dusk featuring a live jazz take on Holst’s “The Planets.”

And that’s just the beginning. Cinetopia 2015 is chock full of intriguing titles to fulfill its goal of bringing southeast Michigan some of the best features and documentaries from the best film festivals around the globe.

This year’s lineup includes “Back on Board,” a documentary about Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis and his emergence as a gay activist, and “Imperial Dreams,” a drama about an aspiring young writer just out of prison and ready to build a new life in Watts.

Audiences can see Sundance festival sensation “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” before it hits theaters this summer. And moviegoers of all ages can enjoy a free outdoor Michael Jackson-themed sing-along and dance party at Campus Martius.

From little-known works getting their first showing in the region to classics like “Ghostbusters” being discovered by new generations, Cinetopia is all about “the sense of discovery that’s possible at a festival,” according to Collins.

This year, Cinetopia is joining forces with the Arab American National Museum’s Arab Film Festival, which will run in sync and present several new movies together, including “Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet.”

Another special tie-in is the University of Michigan’s Orson Welles Centennial Symposium, inspired by the Welles archival material housed at the U-M Libraries. There will be screenings of Welles classics from “The Magnificent Ambersons” to “A Touch of Evil.”

Source: www.freep.com