Eightfold, a collection of Detroit creatives, artists and storytellers worked together to create a short film about the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on the city and the resulting sense of togetherness and strength.
The film is produced by Bre’ann White and is a mashup of images – city streets, people and protest shots – and sound. A poem by Mic Phelps and Brooke Weatherford is read aloud.
Click HERE to visit the official website.
While in production, news of the police killing of George Floyd reached Detroit and sparked protests here and across the globe. The filmmakers wanted to capture the stance that residents have adopted and the ways in which Black Lives Matter in this city.
“Our film was intended to both document the lived experiences of real people in our neighborhoods, as well as provide a glimmer of hope when it felt like it was needed most. To inspire a sense of togetherness and faith that we could come out on the other side of this pandemic moving towards a world that is better and more equal than the one we left behind. We wanted this film to create positive and productive conversations around the protests that are happening across the world, and to help uplift a movement that will make a permanent change, must, make a change — because Black Lives Matter,” according to a news statement for the film.
The film’s narrators say Detroiters will work to end injustice and build a new future, “until the whole neighborhood has a view of the skyline.”
Mic Phelps, Monalyse, Chase Walker and Kaylan Waterman are narrators of the film.
Visit the website for additional resources and support for those affected by COVID-19, as well as organizations and resources supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. More about Eightfold here.