When who we are and what we believe in conflicts with the traditions that we’re raised in, life broadly leaves us three choices: we can change who we are to fit the tradition, we can leave the tradition behind, or we can try to change the tradition to fit our ideals.

That last choice requires courage. Change is not easy, and when it comes to a tradition like religion, many become upset when people start tinkering with how things are done. 

But that’s exactly what Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie has been doing. The rabbi who runs an alternative Jewish synagogue in New York City grew up in Israel under a lineage of orthodox rabbis. But Rabbi Lau-Lavie and his congregation at Lab/Shul don’t practice orthodox Judaism, they’re doing something unique and experimental. 

The new documentary, “Sabbath Queen” explores the life of Rabbi Lau-Lavie and more. Tomorrow, the rabbi will be at an event at the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit. The film will be screening Sunday at the DIA. 

Sandi DuBowski is the filmmaker. He spoke with Cary Junior II.

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The thriving Detroit film scene continues to produce fan favorite shows and movies, which can often be found on Tubi and Youtube. The local artists and creators in Detroit continue to do what they can with what they have.

Resources and access to them are limited, but the City of Detroit wants to make a change.

The city is offering a new initiative to support local film creators called Film Detroit. They want to attract actors, production assistants, directors and more while providing them the chance to connect and learn about what the city has to offer.

This Wednesday September 10th, the city is hosting its first Film Detroit outreach session which will include food, music and networking. 

Chantal Cook is the program coordinator for Film Detroit. She joins The Metro to speak more about Detroit’s film community.

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In the 1999 film, “The Best Man,” we were introduced to novelist Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs), whose writes a book loosely based on his friend group that causes chaos and tests relationships amid a close friend’s wedding — for which he served as best man.

“The Best Man” was a staple film in the Black community. The friendships highlight the struggles of young adults trying to get their careers off the ground, early marriage stages and more. The bonds between those characters are so nuanced, it’s one of the reasons it became a hit.

For many it showed a multitude of different characters that we typically don’t see in film and television. That’s one of the reasons writer and director of the film, Malcolm D. Lee, says he created the film.

Now, 27 years later, after a second film and a series on Peacock, those characters are transitioning from the screen to a new book, “The Best Man: Unfinished Business,” co-written by Lee and author Jayne Allen.

Lee joined The Metro to share more about the book ahead of an author event on Tuesday at Detroit’s Garden Theater.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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