GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A film producer from Grand Rapids is heading to Sundance Film Festival with the movie To Live and Die and Live that was made in Michigan.
Jash'd Kambui Belcher says the film is thought-provoking, showing the audience a man's journey through grief, mental health and the family he has to support him.
"It is the equivalent of the Super Bowl. So it's a Super Bowl for (independent) filmmaking," Belcher says.
In just a few weeks, this will be Belcher's third trip to the independent film festival.
"It's based upon a true story of a filmmaker who travels home after losing a family member, and all the trials and tribulations that come when you deal with burying a loved one, and the family dynamics and all the behind the scenes things that happen," he says.
Belcher says the movie has something everyone can relate to.
"It was all filmed in Detroit, with a lot of the cast and crew were from Grand Rapids and Detroit. So it's a full Michigan made type of production. So I have great honor and joy in knowing that we did this here," he says.
And that's important for Belcher, as a West Michigan native himself.
"I grew up in the special time of Grand Rapids in the early 90s. I attended Ottawa Hills and Creston. I had a very great childhood in Grand Rapids," he says. "Coming from Grand Rapids, and having that pedigree of going to Ottawa Hills, you know how to make things happen no matter what. And I think that Grand Rapids really helped build me to have a 'I'm never gonna give up' type of mentality."
Belcher says he's excited for the film to premiere at Sundance, and for the important conversations that follow.
"The last few films that I've had, we've had the opportunity to create these community conversations around them, where we have people come down to Studio Park to watch the film. And then we have ongoing conversations about the themes that are in the film," he says. "This film touches on mental health, addiction, as well as health negligence and breast cancer. So I think this is an opportunity for us to be able to utilize art to to foster common listening to conversations that were impacted our society, and I'm most excited about that."
At Sundance, the film will have the opportunity for a distributor to buy the rights to it, and from there, it would come out next summer or fall.
It can also be seen during the actual festival, in-person or virtually from Jan. 24 through Jan. 29.