In the news: Filmmakers wanted, bagels on the move, a challah bake, and a YouTuber’s visit

Calling Detroit filmmakers: Creative content wanted

Film Detroit launched in September with an outreach event that attracted between 300 to 500 people, director of Detroit’s Media Services Department Jasmine Barnes said. Film Detroit will continue to host monthly events in 2026 so people can network, submit film permits to the city, or submit their work to be considered for one of the city’s cable channels. The program comes as the city’s independent film scene is booming, 10 years after Michigan ended its tax incentives program that brought big productions to Detroit and across the state. Tubi has become an avenue for local filmmakers to showcase their films and TV shows, with titles like “CornerStore, “McGraw Ave” and “The Dirty D.” Read the full story here.
 Micah Walker, Bridge Detroit

Bev’s Bagels is growing in Detroit and Ann Arbor

Bev’s Bagels is doubling its footprint in Core City and opening a second location in Ann Arbor next year, the bagel diner announced Tuesday.
Why it matters: Bev’s expansion comes after its Detroit opening attracted a crowd last spring in one of the city’s emerging neighborhoods.

Driving the news: Adding space to the original location on Grand River Avenue will allow for additional seating, extra room for new pastry and bread offerings and more collaborations with other chefs and community groups.
The Detroit renovations will happen later this winter.
Read the full story here.
Joe Guillen, Axios

700 Jewish women gather at metro Detroit challah bake organized by Partners Detroit

Partners Detroit hosted a large-scale challah bake that brought together over 700 Jewish women for prayer, connection and a powerful evening of unity. Over 700 Jewish women from all over Metro Detroit came together to knead dough, braid challah and, most of all, lift each other up. The event was organized by Partners Detroit, the community-outreach arm of Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, a community resource providing impactful Jewish education and enriching experiences for the greater Detroit Jewish community.  

Representatives from almost every Jewish organization in Detroit showed up with open hearts, ready to bake, pray and RISE. You could literally feel the togetherness in the room, a collective celebration of solidarity. There was singing and dancing. There was a lot of flour in the air. And that hum that happens when people who care about the same things connect with each other.

The most powerful moment of the night came when Shelly Shem Tov, a mother who spent 505 days holding onto hope, spoke. Her son, Omer Shem Tov, was one of the Israelis abducted from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, and held in Gaza for many long months. 

As she shared her story, the room fell completely still.  She recounted how every morning she would walk into Omer’s empty room, sit on his unmade bed that she left waiting for him to remake on his return, and she would pray that her son would come home. You could feel the strength it took for her to keep believing that light could break through so much darkness. The women listened with tears in their eyes.

As we braided our dough, it felt like something else had been formed, too. A sense of hope and endurance. A feeling of strength. A reminder that when we come together, we lift each other up. In a moment when antisemitism feels increasingly heavy in America, this room felt like a safe haven, a place where faith is louder than fear, and our connection paves roads for a brighter, more peaceful future for our people.

Read the full story here.

Travel Vlogger Highlights Detroit’s Holiday Appeal in 48-Hour Visit

Detroit’s winter tourism scene was getting some love in a recent YouTube video by travel creator GoAnnieWhere, who documented her first visit to the city during a 48-hour holiday stay. The video highlights downtown Detroit’s walkability and seasonal atmosphere, with stops at Cadillac Square, where holiday markets, light displays, and public gathering spaces create what the vlogger describes as a “snow globe” effect. She also showcases multiple Christmas pop-ups and festive bars clustered in the downtown core. Several of Detroit’s architectural landmarks receive prominent attention, including the Guardian Building, Book Tower, and David Whitney Building, which she praises for their interiors and accessibility to the public—underscoring the city’s ongoing preservation and adaptive reuse efforts. Cultural attractions featured include the Henry Ford Museum, which she describes as a must-visit destination, and the Detroit Zoo’s Wild Lights event, highlighting the zoo’s large-scale holiday light displays. GoAnnieWhere described Detroit, saying it’s “One of the coolest cities no one is talking about.” GoAnnieWhere is the online name of Annie Wanyi Jiang, a travel content creator and social media personality based in Atlanta, Georgia. (YouTube) She creates travel guides, destination videos, and lifestyle content focused on must-visit places in the U.S. and around the world. (goanniewhere.com)

Watch the video here.