Tubi’s four-part docuseries explores Black creative entrepreneurship, narrative power, and the democratization of filmmaking.
Detroit’s Black independent filmmakers are refusing to wait for Hollywood’s approval—they are constructing their own industry from the ground up. That movement takes center stage in MOVIETOWN, a four-part documentary series that landed on Tubi on November 11. Using grassroots production networks, shoestring budgets, and streaming platforms like Tubi itself, these filmmakers are forging opportunities, cultivating loyal audiences, and dismantling the traditional gatekeeping that has long defined the film business.
Detroit put America on wheels and gave the world the sound of Motown. Now, a community of Black independent filmmakers is creating the city’s next cultural movement.
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Produced through a collaboration between Tilt Shift Media, Latchkey Entertainment, and Inkstertainment—and distributed by Silver Line Entertainment—the series compiles more than 50 interviews with actors, writers, directors, producers, and entrepreneurs who are transforming one of America’s most resilient cities into an unlikely filmmaking powerhouse.
The docuseries puts a spotlight on the key figures driving Detroit’s Black independent film scene and its Tubi successes. Among them are Kaamel “Diezel” Hasaun, widely referred to as the “King of Tubi,” and Mena Monroe, known as the “Queen of the D.” Also featured are Thomas L. Harris and Deborah Lane Spencer from the hit series McGraw Ave, along with Robyn Rose, NuNu Thurman, Kamal Smith, Cookie Smith, and Jayda Jones.
Through intimate interviews, firsthand accounts, and behind-the-scenes access, the series draws a direct line between Detroit’s manufacturing heritage—from the assembly line Berry Gordy once worked on to the Motown empire he built—and the new generation of filmmakers carrying that torch. These creative entrepreneurs serve as their own writers, producers, directors, and marketers, turning resourcefulness into a viable business model and their city into a cinematic canvas.
“Detroit’s story has always been about people building what the system would not build for them,” said Amber Payne, Executive Producer. “The Great Migration brought families north in search of work and dignity, and they turned Black Bottom and Paradise Valley into thriving centers of Black business and culture. That same spirit gave the world Motown, which began with a family loan and grew into one of the largest Black-owned businesses in America. Today’s filmmakers are the next chapter of that legacy. When the traditional doors stayed closed, they built their own, and MOVIETOWN honors the lineage they come from.”
From cult classics like McGraw Avenue to The Dirty D, Detroit filmmakers have upended the conventional model, completing feature films in as little as two weeks for a fraction of what a typical Hollywood budget would require.
“Most of the filmmakers in this series never followed a traditional path,” said Hakim Fajardo, Executive Producer and Editor. “A lot of them are self-taught, or they switched careers, or they stumbled into filmmaking and decided to stay. Nobody handed them a budget or a roadmap. They learned by doing, wore every hat on set, and kept going. What they have built came from grit and hustle, and it deserves to be seen.”
“Detroit shows up for its own. When a film is shot on their blocks with faces they recognize, people watch it, talk about it, and tell their friends. That loyalty is the engine of this whole movement,” said Movietown sound mixer and Detroit filmmaker Travis Williams.
The series also does not shy away from internal debate within the community. Some filmmakers and critics see echoes of the Blaxploitation era, with films that traffic in familiar tropes and stereotypes. Others view the work as raw, honest storytelling made by and for the community. MOVIETOWN allows both perspectives to be heard.
The stakes extend far beyond Detroit’s city limits. Throughout television’s history, networks have often relied on creators of color to attract audiences, only to later shift their content and sideline the very voices that built that success. MOVIETOWN asks: Who gets to tell stories? Who owns them? And what becomes possible when a community builds the means to bring its own experiences to the screen?
“You don’t have to live in Los Angeles or New York to build a career in film. Detroit shows what’s possible when a community stands behind its storytellers and they’re willing to do the work,” said Director and Executive Producer Rayner Ramirez. “I wanted audiences to meet these filmmakers as the entrepreneurs and artists they are. This isn’t an underdog story. It’s a blueprint.”
From neighborhood productions to streaming successes, MOVIETOWN follows storytellers who are creating opportunities, reaching audiences, and building careers beyond Hollywood’s traditional gates.
The series unfolds across four episodes: “Detroit Is Movietown,” which traces the movement’s origins; “History of the Hustle,” exploring its entrepreneurial culture; “A Filmmaking Goldmine,” examining production economics, local talent, and streaming opportunities; and “The Future of Filmmaking,” considering the technologies, challenges, and opportunities shaping the next generation.
Together, the four chapters offer a portrait of a city shaping its future through the stories it tells, and the people determined to tell them.
MOVIETOWN premieres November 11, 2026, on Tubi.
For more information, visit www.movietownfilm.com.
Media Resources
● Watch the MOVIETOWN Trailer
● MOVIETOWN Electronic Press Kit
● MOVIETOWN Key Art
● MOVIETOWN Trailers and Cast Clips- Available upon request
● Follow us on Instagram
About MOVIETOWN
MOVIETOWN is a four-part documentary series exploring Detroit’s Black independent film industry through the artists, entrepreneurs, and communities fueling its rise. The series is produced by Tilt Shift Media, Latchkey Entertainment, and Inkstertainment and distributed by Silver Line Entertainment.
Media Contacts (for interview or screener requests)
Amber Payne | Executive Producer | tiltshiftmediallc@gmail.com | 301-367-6977
Rayner Ramirez | Director, Executive Producer | rayner@tiltshiftmedia.org | 917-543-7308
Anastasia Balestriere
Gift of Gabrielle
contact@giftofgabrielle.com
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Why it matters: This docuseries arrives as streaming platforms like Tubi are increasingly becoming the primary distribution channel for filmmakers who lack access to traditional Hollywood pipelines. If Detroit’s model proves sustainable, it could offer a replicable blueprint for other underserved communities across the country to build their own film industries from the ground up.
