“Sons of Detroit” documentary to open Ann Arbor’s Cinetopia Film Festival

This story is part of a series about arts and culture in Washtenaw County. It is made possible by the Ann Arbor Art Center, Destination Ann Arbor, Larry and Lucie Nisson, the University of Michigan Arts Initiative, and the University Musical Society.

The upcoming Cinetopia Film Festival in Ann Arbor will open with a deeply personal story rooted in Detroit history, as director Jeremy Xido brings his documentary “Sons of Detroit” home to Michigan audiences. The film will screen May 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. in Ann Arbor.

After screenings at major festivals including DOC NYC and True/False in Missouri, “Sons of Detroit” is arriving in Ann Arbor with a growing reputation and a series of accolades behind it, including a Best Documentary Feature award from the Sedona International Film Festival. Described as “part love letter and part detective story,” “Sons of Detroit” follows a white man raised within a Black family in ’70s Detroit as he and his cousin unpack a complex history shaped by race, violence, and enduring familial bonds. 

For Xido, whose family moved to Detroit early in his life, the opportunity to open Cinetopia carries particular weight. Aspects of the film’s story draw directly from his personal experience growing up in Detroit and his relationships with other Detroit natives. He says he is particularly excited about bringing the film back to Michigan. 

“It’s a huge honor to open the festival and especially to be screening at the majestic Michigan Theater,” Xido says. “Cinetopia is incredibly exciting because of the ridiculously high quality of their curation.”

While the film has resonated with audiences across the globe, Xido says there is something fundamentally different about screening it in Southeast Michigan. Xido acknowledges the heightened stakes of presenting such a personal and historically grounded narrative to audiences who may recognize their own experiences reflected on screen. 

“People in Southeast Michigan have actually lived this story,” he says. “It’s the kitchen table, it’s down to earth, and this is a hometown audience in which people have the opportunity to directly see themselves on screen.”

Xido hopes his film will spark dialogue and reflection, particularly around issues of race and historical narrative. 

“I am excited for us to sit together and watch a film dealing with race, and especially whiteness, in a way that simply doesn’t exist in films,” he says.

He adds that the film aims to confront both the vibrancy of Detroit’s past and the systemic forces that led to its challenges in later decades. By exploring the “golden age” of ’70s Detroit alongside the hardships that followed, the film seeks to illuminate not only trauma but also resilience and possibility. Ultimately, Xido hopes viewers walk away with a deeper understanding of the city’s history and their own place within it. 

“We want people to engage with history, with each other, and especially with themselves and their own blind spots,” he says.

The film’s screening at Cinetopia will be followed by a Q&A with Xido and producer Russell Stewart. Tickets are available here.

“This is a Detroit film in the deep sense,” Xido says. “Not about Detroit-as-symbol but about a specific East Side block, a specific family, and the specific histories that shaped a generation.”