Student Filmmakers Shooting Scenes in Wyandotte

Film crews will be in and around Wyandotte over the next 10 days as they set out to capture what it’s like to live Downriver.

Students from the Michigan Creative Film Alliance, a collaboration of current and former students in the film programs at Wayne State University, University of Michigan and Michigan State University, will be filming in Wyandotte today, as well as Aug. 7-10.

They’ll be using the and as a home base between shoots.

Their 30-minute film, entitled Downriver, is a thought-provoking comedy written by University of Michigan graduate Brandon Verdi.

The film focuses on 15-year-old Alex, who has to move Downriver from his posh, suburban home to live with his estranged half-sister after the death of his father. Socially awkward and unimpressed with his family, Alex finds himself drawn into a backyard brawl that turns him into an accidental tough guy.

In spite of their cultural divide, Alex and his half-sister, Crystal, eventually connect in an unexpected way, realizing that whether you’re from Downriver or upriver, family is family.

“It's a film that will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you wonder how different we really are from one another,” students said on the film’s fundraising site.

Downriver is the third project of the Michigan Creative Film Alliance. Each summer, the alliance brings together top film students and recent graduates from the three schools to share their expertise as members of a production team dedicated to making a high-quality film, employing real-world professional standards and practices.

The alliance’s first two projects, Appleville and Beauty Queen, premiered at the Detroit Film Theatre to large and enthusiastic crowds of film supporters.

Organizers have similar hopes for Downriver.

“Downriver promises to be another big success, both as an engaging high quality film and as vital professional experience for a team of some of Michigan's most promising emerging filmmakers,” students said on the film’s fundraising site. 

To watch a short introduction to the film,