DETROIT—March 5, 2014--A full-length documentary on the legendary Detroit automotive plant, “Packard: The Last Shift” will have its world premiere on Thursday, March 20, at the Fillmore Detroit downtown as part of the inaugural Freep Film Festival.

The Free Press-produced film is primarily the work of three-time Emmy winner Brian Kaufman, who began visiting the Packard grounds in 2008 and has been filming there since 2010. The movie chronicles the storied past and unknown future of the iconic Detroit structure, which began with the auto business in 1903 and has more recently become Ground Zero for Rust Belt blight.

The building’s decline over the past half-century is shown through tenants who used the Packard for storage and light industry, legal wrangling with the City of Detroit over its ownership, techno music pioneers who held historic raves there in the 1990s and a new owner who wants to use what’s left of it. The film uses historic footage, photographs and new images by Kaufman, who finds patches of beauty and hope in the decay.

The movie features narration by NPR’s Celeste Headlee, poetry by Pulitzer Prize-winner Philip Levine and music by techno legend Richie Hawtin.

The inaugural Freep Film Festival will showcase Detroit and Michigan-themed documentaries, along with film discussions, panels and other events. The event runs March 20-23 at the Fillmore Detroit and the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

More information about “Packard” and other films in the lineup can be found at the festival’s website, freepfilmfestival.com. Announcements also will be made on freep.com, in the Free Press and at facebook.com/freepfilmfestival and twitter.com/freep_film_fest.

TICKET INFO: Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com, LiveNation.com and the Fillmore Detroit box office.

Tickets are $10 for general admission floor seats and $25 for premium reserved VIP seats. Only a limited number of VIP seats are available. VIP package includes access to the VIP reception from 6:30pm-8pm. Doors at 6:30pm, screening at 8pm, discussion panel to follow immediately after screening ends.

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