Filmmakers, Fans Gather for Opening of Uptown Film Festival

The stars came out in Birmingham on Thursday for the opening of the second annual , a celebration of Michigan-made films and filmmakers.

The three-day festival runs through Saturday at the and , and is capped off by the third annual at the Palladium 12.

The Uptown Film Festival has expanded during its second year, with half a dozen premieres and three days of short and feature-length films. The festival has partnered with Gleaners Food Bank this year, as well as Defeat the Label, a national anti-bullying nonprofit.

Thursday night was highlighted by the Michigan Filmmakers Reception at the Birmingham 8, followed by the premiere of Brothers on the Line from Michigan-born filmmaker Sasha Reuther.

Making the rounds at the reception was one of the co-executive directors of the Uptown Film Festival, Jeffrey Spilman. Also the founder and managing partner of Ferndale-based S3 Entertainment Group, Spilman said this year's film festival is in a different league.

"Filmmakers are coming in from all over the country," Spilman said. "People are happy ... we're here to show the world what Michigan can do."

One of those filmmakers was Reuther, whose family has led the United Automobile Workers (UAW) for half a century. Reuther — a Detroit native who now lives in New York City — said he wrote, directed and produced Brothers on the Line, which tells the story of the UAW, social activism and his family's legacy.

Reuther said this was his first feature film and it means a lot for the world premiere to be in Michigan. "To have it in Michigan is a really big deal," he said. "It means so much to this audience."

The festival also means a lot to 21-year-old aspiring filmmaker Keith Leigh-Monstevens, a Rochester Hills native who graduated from film school in 2010.

Leigh-Monstevens said he returned to Michigan after graduating from college to take advantage of the state's film incentives and work in his home state.

However, after Gov. Rick Snyder capped the incentives at $25 million a year in his 2012 budget, Leigh-Monstevens saw many of the jobs dry up and said he's had a hard time finding work.

At the reception Thursday so that he could network, Leigh-Monstevens said he's still optimistic about the future of Michigan's film industry.

"They were saying Michigan was going to be the next Hollywood," he said. "We still hope that we can fight and get those incentives back."

Film festival expands into community with parties, deals

With the Uptown Film Festival expanding to three days this year, Spilman noted the festival was also able to spill out into surrounding Birmingham businesses. Three afterglow parties were scheduled Thursday through Saturday at Birmingham's what's crepe, and .

"I think the (festival) is a really great event for Birmingham," Birmingham City Manager Bob Bruner said on his way into the reception Thursday. "It's getting people downtown, especially during a time when some people might not be out."

The Birmingham community and its merchants have welcomed the festival during its second year, said Laura Bayoff-Elkins, event director for Uptown Entertainment. Select restaurants, such as and , are even offering special deals for those with ticket stubs from the festival.

Bayoff-Elkins said for those behind the festival, Thursday night is a relief and celebration.

"Everyone has worked really hard," she said. "Now it's time to sit back and relax."

Catch up with Birmingham Patch's coverage of the 2012 Uptown Film Festival by checking out all the stories we've published at Uptown Film Festival 2012. Then, stay tuned for Patch's coverage all weekend at our Facebook page and by following us on Twitter.