As a student, shooting a short film during a pandemic is a hard task to take on, but Wayne State Film student Miles Reuben was up for the challenge. Reuben recently released NILE: A Visual Embodiment of a Sonic Experience, which takes a look into Black fatherhood from a sons perspective. The original intent of the film was supposed to be a visual aid to the song and showcase my skills as a director to show diversity, he states. The pandemic not only changed the intent of the film but it also changed the look of it and made it challenging to create. The short film has since been selected by Retrospective of Jupiter, an award winning short film website, and a daily pick by the internationally acclaimed film website, Film Shortage.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. The Ann Arbor Film Festival will open its call for entries for its 59th annual festival on July 1. Every year the Ann Arbor Film Festival offers around $22,500 cash and in-kind awards to filmmakers. An AAFF award can qualify filmmakers for an Oscar nomination by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the short film category. Heres what you need to know:The film festival currently accepts feature films and short films. Features must be 60 minutes or longer while short films must be 59 minutes or less.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Not yet open to the public, Ann Arbors Michigan Theater is still offering movies for rent through its virtual movie palace. Not rated -- $12A romantic drama, the film follows Parisian Aviva as she falls in love with Eden from New York. Not rated -- $9.99The documentary follows the life of two-time James Beard Award winner Diana Kennedy with extensive interviews. Not rated -- $10 (with Michigan Theater discount code)As single mother Kathy cleans out her late sisters house, she realizes how little she knew about her sister. Not rated -- $3 (free for Michigan Theater members)A Michigan Theater original, the documentary was shot in an Ann Arbor nature preserve on April 15 by Michigan Theater Technical Director Jared Van Eck.