Detropia
Synopsis
Detroit's story has encapsulated the iconic narrative of America over the last century — the Great Migration of African Americans escaping Jim Crow; the rise of manufacturing and the middle class; the love affair with automobiles; the flowering of the American dream; and now...the collapse of the economy and the fading American mythos. With its vivid, painterly palette and haunting score, DETROPIA sculpts a dreamlike collage of a grand city teetering on the brink of dissolution. These soulful pragmatists and stalwart philosophers strive to make ends meet and make sense of it all, refusing to abandon hope or resistance. Their grit and pluck embody the spirit of the Motor City as it struggles to survive postindustrial America and begins to envision a radically different future.
Connect
See the Film
The Filmmakers
Heidi Ewing Director
Originally from Detroit, Ewing is the co-director of DETROPIA (2012, Sundance and Emmy winner), a searing exploration of the rise and fall of her hometown. Her newest film NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU was the opening night selection at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. She is also the co-director of Oscar nominated JESUS CAMP (Magnolia/A&E Indie), THE BOYS OF BARAKA (PBS, ThinkFilm, Emmy nominee) and 12TH & DELAWARE (HBO, Peabody winner). Ewing is currently at work on THE ARRIVALS, about two successful Mexican immigrants searching for a path to legalization. Ewing is the co-owner of New York’s Loki Films.
Rachel Grady Director
Rachel Grady is the co-director of the Academy Award nominated documentary JESUS CAMP, which chronicles the Evangelical movement through the eyes of children. Grady also co-directed THE BOYS OF BARAKA, which won a NAACP Image Award. Grady won a Peabody Award for 12TH & DELAWARE, and recently co-directed DETROPIA, an arresting exploration of Detroit City. The film won an Emmy and an Editing Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Her newest film NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU was the opening night selection at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Grady is the co-owner of New York’s Loki Films.
Festivals & Awards
News & Documentary Emmy Awards
2014
Winner - Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Editing - Documentary and Long Form
Academy Awards
2013
Shortlist - Best Documentary Feature
Cinema Eye Awards
2013
Winner - Outstanding Achievement in Direction
Winner - Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Score
Nominee - Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
Nominee - Outstanding Achievement in Editing
Sundance Film Festival
2012
World Premiere
Winner - U.S. Documentary Editing Award
Nominee - Grand Jury Prize, Documentary
Gotham Awards
2012
Nominee - Best Documentary
Boston Independent Film Festival
2012
Official Selection
Nominee - Grand Jury Prize, Documentary
SILVERDOCS Documentary Film Festival
2012
Official Selection
Reviews
“The most moving documentary I have seen in years.”
-David Denby, The New Yorker
“The defeat of the middle class that has comprised the last decade of Detroit's history. That painful story and its meaning for the rest of America is the subject of Detropia, an important, heartbreaking, and yet still occasionally hilarious documentary.”
-Slate
“Of all the Sundance films tackling the gap between the richest 1% and the rest of the nation, the documentary DETROPIA stands out for how it encapsulates the causes and potential solutions.”
-LA TImes
“This haunting piece of documentary cinema tells the story of one city in economic decay; but really, as the real people in the film repeatedly state, this isn't just a Detroit problem; it's an American problem. ”
-Indiewire