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Detroit, MI

‘Resurgo,’ Detroit doc 20 years in the making, heads to Ann Arbor

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3 months ago

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‘Resurgo,’ Detroit doc 20 years in the making, heads to Ann Arbor


Filmmaker Stephen McGee has been working on his film since he moved to Detroit in 2005.

Stephen McGee has spent so long making his Detroit documentary “Resurgo: The Rise From Within” — he’s been filming it for 20 years, and shaping it for at least the last 10 — that he’s having a hard time walking away from the project.

As the city it documents lives and breathes, so does the film, and McGee isn’t quite ready to lock in his final edit. Even after showing the film several times, he’s still tinkering with it, adding in a quote here or a few frames of footage there every time he shows it to a new audience.

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“It’s hard to know when a 20-year project is done,” says McGee, who has been documenting Detroit since he moved to the city in 2005. “Each screening is a new way to see the life of this film and where it should go, or how it’s going to live.”

His next screening is Friday, when McGee shows the film at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. It will be his biggest screening yet, following late 2025 showings at the Emagine Royal Oak and the Birmingham 8, as well as a premiere at October’s Fresh Coast Film Festival in Marquette, where “Resurgo” was awarded the festival’s Best Feature prize. He has future screenings planned in Grand Rapids (Feb. 26) and Farmington Hills (March 7).

McGee, 44, describes “Resurgo” — the title is Latin for “I rise again” — as a “visual symphony of humanity.” It covers the Motor City’s history and its rise and fall through its 2013 bankruptcy to its current state, and McGee talks to residents and civic leaders about the city’s character, resilience, spirit and resolve.

McGee, who grew up in California and moved to Detroit in 2005 when he was hired as a photographer at the Detroit Free Press, has had a front row seat to one of the city’s most stunning rehab projects: His Corktown house sits across the street from Michigan Central, and he has documented the building’s revival in an official capacity for Ford.

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That perspective provides a framework for “Resurgo,” along with McGee’s personal story as a husband and father of two living inside the city. The film — which features footage of Jack White and Kid Rock, and narration by Big Sean — then dives into Detroit’s present and past, its comeback narratives and its rejection of comeback narratives.

McGee culled the film — or is still culling the film, as it were — from thousands of hours of footage and millions of photographs, with which he’s filled some 50 or 60 hard drives, he says. He drew inspiration from “Baraka,” director Ron Fricke’s 1992 documentary, which used no narration or voiceover to tell its story of humanity.

His partner on the film is Jessica Care Moore, Detroit’s poet laureate, whom he met while doing a TEDX Detroit event in 2010 and has since become a close friend and collaborator.

“‘Resurgo’ is gorgeous, it’s (McGee’s) heart on his sleeve,” says Moore, who carries a producer credit on the film. She says she appreciates McGee’s perspective as an outsider to the city, as well as his ability to listen to and observe voices inside the city and help tell their stories, hers among them.

McGee’s work is “undeniable,” Moore says. “We’re going to keep making films together, ‘Resurgo’ is just the beginning,” she says.

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Since leaving the Free Press in 2007, McGee worked as a freelance photographer and videographer, and he has done projects with Ford, Dan Gilbert — McGee did Detroit’s 2017 pitch video for an Amazon headquarters in the city — and the Kresge Foundation.

At one point he says he was close to securing a seven-figure sum from a major investor to complete work on “Resurgo,” but the deal eventually fell apart.

“Having that fall through was probably one of the best things that ever happened to the movie,” McGee says. “Because if I would have had the pressure to finish a film because of a budget, this wouldn’t be the film that it is.”

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As “Resurgo” began to take shape, McGee always kept the end product in mind, even if he wasn’t sure what it would resemble. “I’ve made trailers for it basically every year, because I had to tell myself that the project was real,” he says.

He then hit the edit hard in 2024 and started coming up for air with it late last year. He began submitting “Resurgo” to film festivals and showing it to local audiences, selling out several screenings.

McGee would like to take “Resurgo” on the film festival circuit and eventually secure a distribution deal.

He’s also considering touring it around the country and leading discussions after the film, since he’s had healthy Q&A sessions with audiences after each screening of the film thus far, notes from which he’s taken with him back to the editing bay. He also sees parallels with what Detroit has been through to emerging storylines in cities across the country, including his hometown in San Francisco’s Bay Area.

During a visit to Ann Arbor last week, McGee pounded the pavement and handed out flyers to passersby to get the word out about Friday’s screening. Standing on stage at the Michigan Theater, McGee gazed out at the auditorium of the historic venue, with 1,500 empty seats laid out before him.

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It felt daunting, he said, and then exciting as it began to wash over him.

“It kind of feels like the film’s real,” he said. “Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way, but now it does.”

agraham@detroitnews.com

‘Resurgo: The Rise From Within’

7 p.m. Friday

Michigan Theatre, 603 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor

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Tickets $11.75 for adults, $9.75 for students and seniors

marqueearts.org



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Detroit, MI

Things to do in Metro Detroit, April 24 and beyond

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2 hours ago

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April 23, 2026

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Things to do in Metro Detroit, April 24 and beyond


On sale now

• The Strokes: June 15, Pine Knob Music Theatre, Independence Twp. with Thundercat and Hamilton Leithauser, ticket prices vary.

• Jack White: July 25, Pine Knob Music Theatre, ticket prices vary.

• Hanson: Aug. 13, Sound Board at MotorCity Casino, ticket prices vary.

• The Beach Boys: Aug. 15, Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, Rochester Hills, ticket prices vary.

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On sale 10 a.m. April 24

• Comedian Jim Gaffigan: Sept. 18, Fox Theatre, Detroit, ticket prices vary.

• Teddy Swims: Sept. 29, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, ticket prices vary.

• Beck: Oct. 12, Fox Theatre, Detroit, ticket prices vary.

• Leanne Morgan: second show added, Oct. 15, Fox Theatre, Detroit, (limited number of tickets are still available for the previously announced Oct. 16 show), ticket prices vary.

On sale noon, April 24

• Melanie Martinez: July 18, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, ticket prices vary.

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On sale noon, April 27

• Usher Raymond and Chris Brown: July 2-3 Ford Field, Detroit, ticket prices vary.

Note: Events are subject to change; check with venues for updates. Tickets on sale at 313Presents.com, LiveNation.com, Ticketmaster.com or the XFINITY Box Office at Little Caesars Arena.

Beats

• Corktown Music Festival: April 23-25, Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit, https://thelagerhouse.com, ticket prices vary.

• Tyler Rich, James Barker Band: April 24, District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte,  with Ryan Jay, https://district142live.com, $28.40+.

• One Ton Trolley: 6:30 p.m. April 24, Pontiac Little Art Theatre, 47 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac, www.theplat.org, $15+ adv.

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• Lost Signals: April 24, Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, www.themagicbag.com, 18+, doors at 8 p.m., $12.82-$17.70+.

• Jeremy Facknitz and Audra Kubat: 7:30 p.m. April 24, Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile, Livonia, www.trinityhousetheatre.org, $25+.

• House of Heavy: April 24, The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, doors at 7 p.m., all ages, https://thelovingtouchferndale.com, 248-820-5596, $22.12-$26.49.

• Jay Electronica: 7 p.m. April 25, The Crofoot Ballroom, 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac, https://thecrofoot.com, ages 18+, ticket prices vary.

• Dark Tranquillity + Soen: April 25, Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E Congress St., Detroit, www.saintandrewsdetroit.com, doors at 6 p.m., ticket prices vary.

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• Live & Let Die – Paul McCartney Music tribute: April 25, Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Road, Warren, andiamoshowroom.com, 586-268-3200, doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m., $35-$65+.

• Sunset Blvd.: 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. April 25, The Roxy, 401 Walnut Blvd., Rochester, ages 21+, 248-453-5285, www.theroxyrochester.com, ticket prices vary.

• Bring the Noise Volume 9: April 25, Diesel Concert Lounge 33151 23 Mile Road, Chesterfield, doors at 7 p.m., www.dieselconcerts.com, $10+ cover.

• Annual Handbell Festival: 3 p.m. April 25, First United Methodist Church, 6363 Livernois Road, Troy, https://tuesdaymusicaleofgreaterpontiac.org.

• Ari Hest: 8 p.m. April 25, at 20 Front Street, Lake Orion, 248-783-7105, www.20frontstreet.com, all ages, $29.95+.

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• Kenny Wayne Shepherd: April 26, Music Hall, 350 Madison St., Detroit, with Shirley Murdock and Keith Washington, 313-887-8500, www.musichall.org, ticket prices vary.

• Hail The Sun: 6 p.m. April 26, The Crofoot Ballroom, 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac, https://thecrofoot.com, all ages, ticket prices vary.

• Slomosa: 7 p.m. April 26, El Club, 4114 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, https://elclubdetroit.com, $34.77.

• Musical Gems of Springtime Concert: 4-6 p.m. April 26, St. John Lutheran Church, 23225 Gill Road, Farmington Hills, www.stjohn-elca.org, free.

• The Randy Crawford Tribute: 7:30 p.m. April 27, at Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison Detroit, https://jazzcafedetroit.com, $39.19+.

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• They Might Be Giants: April 28-29, Majestic Theatre, 4140 Woodward Ave., Detroit, www.majesticdetroit.com, doors at 7 p.m., ages 16+, ticket prices vary.

• Demi Lovato: 8 p.m. April 29, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit,  with Adéla, 313presents.com, ticket prices vary.



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Detroit, MI

How these Detroit farmers are fighting for neighborhood food security

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14 hours ago

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April 22, 2026

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How these Detroit farmers are fighting for neighborhood food security


Detroit — The farmers at Oakland Avenue Urban Farm are experts at growing fruits and vegetables that end up on dinner plates throughout the city and surrounding region, executive director Jerry Ann Hebron said.

But that isn’t enough to protect their North End neighbors from food insecurity.

“We already know we can grow food. We grow a lot of food. We grow good food,” Hebron said. “What’s next? How do we move this, move the needle? Because none of us can say we have food sovereignty.”

That’s why Oakland Avenue Urban Farm is embarking on an ambitious plan to redevelop a 9,000-square-foot vacant grocery store at the corner of Oakland Avenue and Westminster Street.

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They want to turn the building into a community resilience center that will offer commercial kitchen space, community food storage, cooking classes, event space, housing and solar power. They hope their resilience center will be the first of many to be built at Detroit urban farms.

Hebron’s vision for Oakland Avenue is inspired by her childhood in the area. Oakland Avenue was a bustling commercial corridor in the 1950s and ’60s. Now, people have to leave the neighborhood to shop and run errands. She wants to see more businesses and resources return to the community.

“Being able to be a part of a major development on the corridor should send a signal to others to come and build their developments as well,” said Hebron, who also is executive director of Northend Christian CDC.

The same effect could take place in other parts of the city as Detroit farms build similar indoor food centers, Hebron said. Oakland Avenue Urban Farm is working with a network of Detroit farms, including Cadillac Urban Gardens, Feedom Freedom Farms and others, are pursuing plans to build a similar community resiliency spaces throughout the city.

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“We realized we are just one community,” Hebron said. “What about all the others?”

More: Detroit has 122K vacant lots where homes once stood. How should they be filled?

How solar panels help Detroit urban farm serve its neighbors

Northend Christian CDC was founded in 1999 by Hebron’s 94-year-old mother, Reverend Bertha L. Carter of St. John Evangelist Temple of Truth and School of Wisdom, the church adjacent to the grocery store that the organization plans to redevelop.

Carter and her congregation started Oakland Avenue Urban Farm in 2000. Northend CDC has renovated five houses around its farm and turned a sixth into an expansive chicken coop. They rent some of the homes to tenants and use others as gathering space.

Oakland Avenue Urban Farm grows fruits and vegetables on more than three acres, has three hoop houses and a greenhouse, runs a 4-H program, hosts a weekly summer farmer’s market and supplies produce to regional food banks. Farmers also readily give produce to people who pass by and show interest in a fresh tomato or bundle of greens, a neighborly practice they call “harvest by demand.”

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On Wednesday, farmers were harvesting the last of their spring spinach crop.

The farm is inviting, with colorful murals, fragrant flowering trees, pergolas, picnic tables, fire pits and outlets powered by solar panels — an important feature during power outages and for neighbors who live off the grid, Hebron said.

Power outages are a big problem for people who rely on medical equipment or can’t afford to replace a refrigerator’s worth of food, Hebron said. In addition to solar-powered outdoor plugs, Oakland Avenue Farm has a refrigerator people can use to store food.

“We’ve got seniors, we have people who are diabetic, we’ve got people we know are on oxygen,” Hebron said. “How can we be a resource for them?”

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Solar panels, backup generator planned for new center

That’s why Northend Christian CDC leaders plan to install solar panels on the roof of their future food and resilience center and will install backup generators so the building can help power the community during grid outages. The building also will offer space where people can store food during power outages, Hebron said.

Hebron is most excited about the commercial kitchen. Farmers can use it to make products like jams and tea blends, and the farm will partner with a local chef who will teach community cooking classes to show people how to turn farm-fresh produce into affordable, healthy and easy meals.

The kitchen also will serve farmers who want to expand their offerings with products like baked goods or canned goods.

“With all the challenges facing farmers nationwide right now, locally produced food is becoming even more essential,” Hebron said. “Detroit is already viewed as a global leader in urban agriculture, so we are excited to take this next leap to expand food security and sustainability for our community.”

Oakland Avenue Urban Farm received a grant from the McGregor Fund to start the initial work, the fund’s Director of Engagement and Communications Nikia Washington said in an email.

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Construction should begin this summer and be finished in 2028, said Hebron. Oakland Avenue Urban Farm leaders need approval from city council for the site plans.

More: Detroiter seeks to reduce barriers for urban, Black farmers on new fed panel

ckthompson@detroitnews.com



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Detroit, MI

Chris Simms projects Detroit Lions first-round NFL draft pick

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1 day ago

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April 22, 2026

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Chris Simms projects Detroit Lions first-round NFL draft pick


In the lead-up to the 2026 NFL Draft, NBC Sports’ Chris Simms gave his one and only prediction of who he believes will be selected in the first round on April 23, including where the Detroit Lions go after at the No. 17 overall pick.

Along with several draft boards and experts, the general consensus is that the Lions will prioritize an offensive tackle with their lone first-round pick, given the dire need to replace now-released Taylor Decker at the left tackle position next season.

In his April 20 prediction posted on X, Simms has the Lions addressing that need by selecting 6-foot-7, 352-pound Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor at their No. 17 overall draft position.

While there are some mock drafts that predict the Lions trading up to grab their desired draft target, the franchise certainly would not be opposed to Proctor, who is ranked as the No. 2 overall offensive tackle by NFL.com, perfectly falling to them at the No. 17 position.

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If Detroit can land Proctor, it would likely be viewed as another successful first-round selection by general manager Brad Holmes and an excellent way to kick off the NFL Draft weekend in the Steel City.

For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews



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