Wyandotte Film Festival to Include Troy Filmmaker

The first-ever Downriver Detroit Underground Festival of Films will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday at the James R. DeSana Center for Arts & Culture (Wyandotte Arts Center).

Headlining will be the world premiere of three short films written and produced by award-winning local independent filmmaker and Wyandotte police detective Scott Galeski.

Galeski’s production company, Ring of Fire Entertainment, which he co-founded with his brother, Daniel Galeski Jr., is sponsoring the festival. The Ring of Fire films debuting will be Taking Back the City, Bone Yard and Whiskey Tango.

Several other independent filmmakers from the metropolitan Detroit area have been invited to show their short films, as well, including Blake O. Kleiner of Troy. The run time of each will be between five and 25 minutes.

After each film, Galeski said, the director and cast will come on stage and the audience will have a chance to ask questions and correspond with those involved.

Among the many films will be Spill Baby Spill by Bryan D. Hopkins of Riverview and Nutshell by Daniel D. Smith of Woodhaven.

About a year ago, Galeski held a world premiere party at the same Wyandotte venue for the short film The Tank II. In 2010, he held premieres for The Tank and Protangeline at the Trenton Village Theater.

Each film has gone on to win multiple awards on the independent film circuit, being shown in cities such as Royal Oak, Birmingham, Port Huron and Detroit.

Despite his success in other areas, Galeski said, he wants to maintain a strong connection to the Downriver area every step of the way in his filmmaking process.

“We remember where we came from,” he said. “We always want to premiere our new stuff here. We want to promote it here. We’re proud to be from Downriver and we want to keep it here.”

Galeski typically uses local people to act in his films and shoots at many Downriver locations. Wyandotte Municipal Services IT Director David Fuller has appeared in both Tank movies, while The Rockery, Do Hickeys and the Wyandotte Police Station have all been used as filming locations.

Galeski’s first feature-length movie, Pookerland, is currently in postproduction and is tentatively scheduled for a 2013 premiere in either late spring or early summer, he said. The movie will feature legendary Detroit rock and roll star Mitch Ryder.

Tickets for Saturday’s festival are $10 and are available by emailing rofe1@yahoo.com. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the show begins at 6 p.m.

Here is a full list of the short films that will be shown Saturday night:

• Castaways (trailer), directed by Randell Hutchison of Detroit.
• The Cabining (trailer), directed by Steve Kopera of Ann Arbor.
• Nutshell (25-minute drama), directed by Daniel D. Smith of Woodhaven.
• Cupid's Corral (9-minute comedy), directed by Daniel D. Smith of Woodhaven.
• Lifeless (19-minute drama), directed by A.S. Ghosh of Royal Oak.
• Cupcake Bandits (10-minute comedy), directed by Jeffery T. Schultz of Detroit.
• Spill Baby Spill (7-minute documentary), directed by Bryan D. Hopkins of Riverview.
• Haywire Effect (5-minute review), directed by Blake O. Kleiner of Troy.
• Actor Timothy A. King (5-minute tribute), directed by Daniel Galeski Jr. of Lincoln Park.
• Taking Back the City (6-minute short), directed by Scott A. Galeski of Wyandotte.
• Bone Yard (12-minute drama), directed by Scott A. Galeski of Wyandotte.
• Whiskey Tango (13-minute comedy), directed by Scott A. Galeski of Wyandotte.