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Film company producing documentary on Grand Rapids' civil rights struggle lands production space at Wealthy Theatre

Grand Stand Pictures producers and GR-MiFi founders Victor Williams, Jazmyne Fuentes and Rodney Brown stand in front of the Wealthy Theatre Annex building.
Grand Stand Pictures
Grand Stand Pictures producers and GR-MiFi founders Victor Williams, Jazmyne Fuentes and Rodney Brown stand in front of the Wealthy Theatre Annex building.

The film by Grand Stand Pictures, is based on the book A City Within a City by Dr. Todd E. Robinson. The 2012 work examines the civil rights movement in the North by concentrating on the struggles for equality in Grand Rapids.

A Grand Rapids-based film production company is creating a feature-length documentary addressing the struggle for civil rights in the city. The film by Grand Stand Pictures, is based on the book A City Within a City by Dr. Todd E. Robinson. The 2012 work examines the civil rights movement in the North by concentrating on the struggles for equality in Grand Rapids.

Grand Stand Pictures recently signed a lease with the Community Media Center to rent and office and film production space at the Wealthy Theatre Annex building, next to the historic Wealthy Theatre Auditorium. The production office will also serve as the home base for Grand Rapids Media Initiative and Film Incubator (GR-MiFi), a nonprofit media and film space that provides education, training and resources for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) creatives in Grand Rapids.

“As we begin filming for A City Within a City, we are incorporating our first film apprentices and our incubator work into the process, so it’s optimal that we move into a space to accommodate our development plans,” said Victor Williams, President & CEO of Grand Stand Pictures. “This partnership with the Community Media Center is the right situation at precisely the right time for this work, and it serves as a great launching pad for our film and media endeavors.”

In a press release, Grand Stand Productions said it was important that their work space reflect its mission and the projects it backs.

"The Grand Stand Pictures production team and GR-MiFi are excited to establish home at the The Wealthy Theatre Annex building as they have diligently sought locations to set up shop within the 49507 ZIP code and community described in the A City Within a City book. While upholding the principle of “nothing about us without us,” locating their offices in Southeast Grand Rapids was important because their work is grounded within the Black community and these important stories that originate from Grand Rapids," the release read.

An open house for the new offices is planned for Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Wealthy Theatre Annex building.

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