The Detroit Trinity International Film Festival (DTIFF) has become a significant platform for showcasing diverse voices in cinema over its first two decades. The early years of the DTIFF were marked by a dedication to cultural representation, community engagement, and support for independent filmmakers. The notable guests, films, and programs established a foundation that continues to resonate as DTIFF celebrates 20 years of enriching the film landscape in Detroit and beyond in 2026.
SHORT FILMS
The Albert Kahn Sonata USA (2025)
dir. John Mark Hanson
The Albert Kahn Sonata is a meditative short film offering an intimate glimpse into Detroit through the architecture of Albert Kahn, a Jewish immigrant whose visionary designs shaped the city’s industrial and cultural identity. Scored by composer Dr. Michael Kropf and performed by Forrest Howell, the film features an original three-part piano sonata inspired by three of Kahn’s most iconic works: the opulent Fisher Building, the historic Belle Isle Aquarium, and the haunting remains of the Packard Plant. Through light, texture, and sound, the film invites viewers to experience Detroit as a living composition—where architecture becomes memory, music, and motion.
More Than Santa Baby USA (2025)
dir. Tamar Springer
Everyone knows the song “Santa Baby,” but its composer, Philip Springer, created so much more in his 80+ year career. Join his daughter Tamar to celebrate the life of an artist who impacted culture for decades, from his early hits to his globe-spanning viral video that was made well into his 90s. Philip Springer's story is an inspiring example of pursuing dreams against all odds, and shows that it is never too late to reach for the stars.
Kim Weston: Buried in Motown USA (2025)
dir. Valerie Denise Jones
Kim Weston: Buried in Motown is a poetic documentary short that restores the story of a Motown voice too often remembered in fragments and silence. From her early life in Detroit to her rise within Motown, the film traces Kim Weston’s journey alongside the cultural foundation of Black Bottom, where sound, community, and identity were born before they were ever recorded.