February Newsletter
Google showing Lansing some love, Greater Farmington Film Festival primer, Project Cinema MI and more
We are now well into February and whether you were hit by Cupids arrow, celebrating #GalentinesDay, or picking up takeout for one, we will be sure to spread our love for the creative industries here in Michigan. Without further ado, dig in to what's on tap for late February and early March.
Grow With Google event coming to Lansing March 9-10
Google recently announced that they will be holding a two-day event in Lansing, Michigan called Grow With Google. Lansing Community College's Gannon Building will host Grow With Google on Friday, March 9th and Saturday, March 10th. The event is two-pronged with day one focused on entrepreneurs, job seekers, job providers and those looking to grow or expand their businesses in the region. Day two will focus on educators and students looking to advance their technological capabilities in the classroom. Grow With Google will feature several workshops built around these two themes. Googlers will be on hand to provide attendees with one-on-one coaching and to answer more specific questions which may have not been covered through the workshops. Participants will have the opportunity to experience some hands on demos utilizing Google's latest technology.
Several local partners including the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office have signed on in support of the Grow With Google event. Those partners include America's SBDC-Michigan, Capital Area District Libraries, Capital Area Michigan Works!, Lansing Community College, Capital Area IT Council, Information Technology Empowerment Center, Lansing Regional Chamber, Entrepreneur Institute, Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), and the City of Lansing. All of these entities are solidly committed to strengthening job growth and/or education in the Mid-Michigan region.
For more information or to register the event, visit https://events.withgoogle.com/join-google-in-lansing/.
**The Michigan Film & Digital Media Office has enjoyed a partnership with Google for the past two years with our efforts to advance computer science education to middle school students across the state.**
Speaking of Google...Michigan Middle Schools can advance their computer science curriculum through Google's CS First program
 In November of 2015 the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office partnered with Google to make computer science programs more accessible and approachable for 4th-8th grade students across Michigan. From its inception in 2015 through the 2017 summer camp activities, the MFDMO CS First program has been immensely popular.
The Google CS First program is a free software platform that has students engaging in computer programming across nine different themes (animation, art, fashion, friends, game design, music & sound, social media, sports and storytelling). Visit www.cs-first.com for additional details about the program.
The MFDMO invites all Michigan educators, schools, school districts and school programs to sign up for CS First through our online portal which can be accessed HERE.
We also must mention that new schools signing up for CS First through the MFDMO portal will be given 20 pairs of headphones for use in the classroom. Also, every school that signs up will have the ability to reward students who complete themes in their CS First clubs with all new digital badges. These badges allow the students to add their success in the CS First program to their other scholarly achievements. For more info about either the headphones or the digital badge offer, click HERE.
For additional information about the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office's CS First program, click HERE.
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MFDMO to host 3rd Annual Google CS First Event Next Week
 **Please note, that this event has already reached capacity. We'd be happy to register your school, organization or club to participate in Google CS First, so students can participate in our annual event in the coming years.**
WHAT: Third annual Computer Science First (CS First)
for 4th-8th grade students hosted by Michigan Film &
Digital Media Office (MFDMO) and Google.
CS First will present online demonstrations, and hands-on
experiences with robotics, drones and other tech devices to help students learn
about computer science.
WHEN: 10 a.m. – noon Tuesday, Feb. 27
WHERE: Southfield
Pavilion, 26000 Evergreen Rd., Southfield, MI 48076
“Our aim is to make computer science more easily accessible
to middle school students, and inspire them along a career path in a high-tech,
high-wage industry,” said MFDMO Commissioner Jenell Leonard. “By creating a
positive experience, we can demystify computer science and inspire students
along their education path.”
The interactive
stations at CS First are provided by Google LLC (Ann Arbor), Alchemie (Troy),
DASI Solutions SolidWorks (Pontiac), DigiBit, LLC (Shelby Township), GHI
Electronics Amtech (Madison Heights), The Mars Agency (Southfield), Lawrence
Technological University Marburger
STEM Center (Southfield), Aero Design Services
(New Hudson), and Stefanini
(Southfield). Also participating is
Accelerate4Kids Foundation (Madison Heights), a MFDMO/Google CS First
Supporting Organization. This year’s
event co-host is Tech248, an initiative launched in 2014 by Oakland County to promote the county’s 2,000 tech/IT firms. Tech248 is another of the MFDMO/Google CS
First’s supporting organizations.
By
2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts there will be 1 million more
computer science jobs than graduating students who qualify for the jobs. Growth
for computer science positions in Michigan is increasing at three-and-a-half
times the average compared to other industries.
“We have a responsibility to inspire the next
generation of tech innovators,” said Rob Biederman, head of government relations
and public affairs. “Teaching middle-school students about computer science can
lead to some of the most rewarding jobs in the world. Kids from all
neighborhoods and all backgrounds should be encouraged to be creators – not
just consumers – of technology.”
Students and teachers from the following schools will
participate in Tuesday’s event: Hutchinson @ Howe School (Detroit), Ferndale
Middle School (Ferndale), Wegienka Elementary School (Brownstown), Riverside
Middle School (Dearborn Heights), Dryden Elementary School (Dryden), Oakview
Middle School (Oakland), Lincoln King Academy (Detroit) and Micol Homeschool
(Holt).
About CS First
“CS
First” is an online-based curriculum (offered at no cost) designed for students
in grades 4th-8th. Nearly 3,110 students from
around the state are newly enrolled in the CS First program this school year. The
goal is to offer an affordable, highly accessible path to help increase
proficiency in a discipline where mastery is a highly marketable skill to
current and future job prospects.
“CS First” includes
support for computer science clubs run by teachers and/or volunteers; flexible
program design that fits in class or after class requirements; and, several
focus areas, including game design, art, storytelling, fashion/design,
music/sound, social media and sports.
Greater Farmington Film Festival unveils an impressive array films
The Greater Farmington Film Festival returns for a fifth year with nine “good films for a better world.”
Presented by kickstART farmington, the festival takes place March 1-4 at venues in Farmington and Farmington Hills. These recently released feature films and documentaries were chosen to engage the heart and mind, explore important contemporary issues, and inspire action:
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City
Thursday, March 1, 7:30 p.m., Smith Theatre at Oakland Community College
Documentary, directed by Matt Tyrnauer, 92 mins. In 1960, Jane Jacobs’s book The Death and Life of Great American Cities sent shockwaves through the architecture and planning worlds, with its exploration of the consequences of modern planners’ and architects’ reconfiguration of cities. Jacobs also was involved in many fights in mid-century New York to stop “master builder” Robert Moses from running roughshod over the city. This film retraces the battles for the city as personified by Jacobs and Moses, as urbanization moves to the very front of the global agenda. A panel-led community conversation following the film.
The Breadwinner
Friday, March 2, Farmington Civic Theater, 7 p.m.
Animated, directed by Nora Twomey, 94 mins. Parvana is an 11-year-old girl growing up under the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. When her father is wrongfully arrested, Parvana cuts off her hair and dresses like a boy in order to support her family. With undaunted courage, Parvana draws strength from the fantastical stories she invents, as she embarks on a quest to find her father and reunite her family. Nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature.
A Season in France
Friday, March 2, Farmington Civic Theater, 9:15 p.m.
Drama (French, subtitled in English), directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, 100 mins. Abbas, a high school teacher in the Central African Republic, has fled his war-torn country with his two children. They now live in France, where Abbas works at a food market, while applying for political asylum. A French woman, Carole, falls in love with him and offers a roof for him and his family. When Abbas’ application is rejected, they face a crucial decision.
The Best of the New York International Children’s Film Festival
Saturday, March 3, Farmington Civic Theater, 10:30 a.m.
Animated, various directors, 65 mins. A diverse community must put aside their differences to enjoy a tasty meal in “Stone Soup” (France/Belgium), a hungry creature devises a way to get his fill in “Tiger” (Germany), and a young croc enjoys a tasty treat in “Crocodile” (Germany). A truly delicious selection for children of all ages.
Liyana
Saturday, March 3, Farmington Civic Theater, 7 p.m.
Animated/Documentary, directed by Amanda & Aaron Kopp, 77 mins. A Swazi girl embarks on a dangerous quest to rescue her young twin brothers. This animated African tale is born in the imaginations of five orphaned children in Swaziland who collaborate to tell a story of perseverance drawn from their darkest memories and brightest dreams. Their fictional character’s journey is interwoven with poetic and observational documentary scenes to create a genre-defying celebration of collective storytelling.
Bending the Arc
Saturday, March 3, Farmington Civic Theater, 9:15 p.m.
Documentary, directed by Kief Davidson and Pedro Kos, 102 mins. A powerful documentary about the extraordinary team of doctors and activists – including Paul Farmer, Jim Yong Kim, and Ophelia Dahl – whose work thirty years ago to save lives in a rural Haitian village grew into a global battle in the halls of power for the right to health for all. Epic, yet intimate, the film is a compelling argument for the power of collective and personal vision and will to turn the tide of history.
Rebels on Pointe
Sunday, March 4, Holocaust Memorial Center, 2:30 p.m.
Documentary, directed by Bobbi Jo Hart, 90 mins. Exploring universal themes of identity, dreams and family, this is the first-ever documentary film celebrating the world famous Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. The notorious all-male, drag ballet company was founded over 40 years ago in New York City on the heels of the Stonewall riots, and has a passionate cult following around the world. The story ultimately proves that a ballerina is not only a woman dancing—but an act of revolution in a tutu.
Find more information about the Greater Farmington Film Festival and tickets at gffilmfest.com.
Q&A with Alana Tucker of Downtown Detroit Partnership
 Q: Tell me a little bit about your background
(education, work history) and how you came to be working with the Downtown
Detroit Partnership?
I am originally from Lincoln, Nebraska. I went to
school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and received my bachelor's studied
international business. There, I worked for the Lincoln Partnership for
Economic Development and the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce on relocation and
talent attraction initiatives. Building on my interests in forces and systems
and how they affect people led me to Ann Arbor in 2015 to pursue my master's in
urban planning at the University of Michigan. I actually did my graduate school
capstone for DDP where I looked at future sustainability initiatives for the
Downtown to enhance collective environmental stewardship. Now I work on
projects related to streetscape infrastructure Downtown, as well as the
Creative Chamber.
Q: What are your thoughts on the Creative Chamber
program and what it means for the Metro Detroit region?
The Creative Chamber, or the Detroit Creative
Partnership, as we are calling it, is really influential in
furthering some critical conversations about the creative community in
Detroit. With all the change and growth occurring in the city, we want to ensure
that the robust and rich creative industry here is supported through
partnerships between the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Our goals are
to significantly influence some local and state policies regarding support and
recognition for creatives in Detroit who often fall into the invisible category
of the "freelance economy" which entails challenges in measuring the
true value and role of the creative industry relative to other
industries.
Q: What are some of the goals you and the
Downtown Detroit Partnership would like to accomplish utilizing the Creative
Chamber funding?
We are interested in elevating the creative work
already happening in Detroit neighborhoods. This may be through enhancing our
programming to feature this work in our Downtown parks and public spaces, as
well as facilitating continued education, business literacy, and programming in
the neighborhoods. We are also interested in building the creative pipeline of
our youth here in Detroit through artist residencies in our parks and public
spaces, as well as Detroit Public Schools. Lastly, a significant gap we
identified in each of our focus groups was the lack of an arts and culture
council here. We, along with the City, are facilitating the creation of
this body in coming months.
Q: Can you give folks a sense of the current
climate of creatives both living in working in the City of Detroit?
The creative industry is alive and well here in
Detroit. Many creatives are proud to be working here in the City. However, the
reality of the situation is that the cost of living is increasing here in the
city and opportunities are hard to come by. The incentives and opportunities
are drawing creatives, especially in the film industry, to the coasts,
primarily Atlanta, LA, and New York. Additionally, we have found that creatives
working in Detroit companies have difficulty putting a dollar value to their
in-house work at their companies, which makes their work difficult to justify
to decision-makers in the company.
Q: What is something you wish more people knew
about the Metro Detroit region?
I wish more people knew the value of the creative
economy and how it contributed to where the city is today. Additionally, I have
been amazed by the collaborative environment within the creative industry here.
Creatives should be proud of the people advocating for them here in
Detroit.
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Invent@NMU and Innovate SmartZone Marquette event gives attendees first look at the Ampersand co-working space
Last Thursday evening, the Ampersand co-working offices in downtown Marquette played host an event celebrating the collaboration between Invent@NMU and Innovate SmartZone Marquette. While the venue has yet to officially open, some 70 attendee's were able to glean Marquette's first ever co-working space.
Ampersand was made possible in part due to funding through the Creative Chamber initiative. Co-working office spaces are popping up all around the country, as our economy is seeing a shift in the the types of jobs people hold. Freelancers now make up 35% of the US workforce, so the need for a facilities such as Ampersand is being felt. Ampersand will also be a boon to the creative workforce in Marquette, as many of them will now be able to more readily collaborate.
Article
Invent@NMU, SmartZone expand services - by Christie Bleck, The Mining Journal
Grand Rapids Chamber is rebranding and opening new offices
 Formerly the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, and now known as the Grand Rapids Chamber. The Grand Rapids Chamber is getting a bit of a face lift and some new digs as well. As one of the oldest Chambers of Commerce in Michigan, the organization has seen numerous changes in Grand Rpaids over the years. Their rebranding and new office space are reflective of an organization that is ushering in a new era with the business community they represent.
The Michigan Film & Digital Media Office is proud to partner with the Grand Rapids Chamber on the Creative Chamber initiative. We look forward to seeing Grand Rapids creatives thrive under this partnership.
Article
Chamber receives makeover - by Justin Dawes, Grand Rapids Business Journal
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Grand Rapids Film Festival's 36-Hour Challenge winners revealed
 As a proud sponsor of the Grand Rapids Film Festival and their year round programming, we were happy to step in a judge films from their recent 36-Hour Challenge. In all, 17 teams participated. They were tasked with creating short films within a brief 36 hour time frame centering on the theme: transformation.
Our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and to all those who participated.
Please take a moment to watch some of the short films from this years competition.
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Project Cinema MI screenwriting contest winners soon to be announced
 Back in the fall of 2017, a screenwriting competition was hatched called Project Cinema MI. The criteria of the submissions was fairly straight forward. A 5-10 page screenplay for an character driven original narrative. The screenplays for the shorts need to utilize Northwest Michigan locations.
Submission deadlines have passed, and the screenplays are now being judged, with a winner expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The winning screenplay will then be made into a short film, courtesy of Traverse City native and Michigan film industry veteran, Rich Brauer and his production company, Brauer Productions, Inc.
CLICK HERE to learn more about Project Cinema MI.
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Upcoming Events
February 23 - Brew & View (Presented by Capital City Film Festival) - Lansing
Now-March 18 - Science Behind Pixar - Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn
February 25 - 10th Annual Great Indoor Folk Festival - Traverse City
February 27 - Google CS First Event - Southfield
March 1-4 - Greater Farmington Film Festival - Farmington
March 2-3 - Michigan Science Teachers Association Conference - Lansing
March 7-9 - 2018 MACUL Conference - Grand Rapids
March 9-10 - Grow With Google - Lansing
March 12-13 - Arts Advocacy Day - Nationwide
March 13 - Filmmaker Community Mixer - Emagine Theaters, Royal Oak
March 17 - Teen Filmmaker Festival - Kalamazoo
March 20-25 - Ann Arbor Film Festival - Ann Arbor
March 28 - Free Film & Photography Permit Training - Grand Rapids
**If you have an event that you would like displayed in our monthly newsletter, on our social media channels or on our website, please send the details to mfo@michigan.org. Thanks!**
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