Distant Planet Project
The Distant Planet Project is bringing film screenings, workshops, and discussions around exploring themes of Afrofuturism, folklore, and other diasporic art movements.
What is the Distant Planet Project?
The Capital City Film Festival is showcasing the work of Tim and Jim Fielder for the flagship community film program – Distant Planet Project.
Distant Planet Project will look like two days of film screenings exploring themes of Afrofuturism, folklore and other diasporic art movements on Friday, April 11th and Saturday, April 12th at The Robin Theatre.
The organizers of Distant Planet Project, CCFF, The Robin Theatre, and MSU Museum are collaborating to create educational programming in Michigan that aims to engage futurists and filmmakers alike with the Lansing community to develop strategies for unity and innovation.
Keep up to date with Distant Planet Project happenings on Instagram @distantplanetproject.
Infinite Futures: A Never-Ending Journey into Afrofuturism
Friday, April 4, 2025
11:00 AM | MSU Museum (The Abbott) | FREE | RSVP
Join us in an immersive workshop hosted by the MSU Museum, Capital City Film Festival, and Distant Planet Project that explores the limitless possibilities of Afrofuturistic storytelling. Participants will embark on a creative journey of blending visionary futures and speculative narratives while enjoying coffee and doughnuts. Through collaborative activities, discussions, and artistic expression, we’ll co-create an evolving tale that transcends time, culture, and technology. Don’t miss this opportunity to shape the future through the power of never-ending stories!
Refreshments provided! Sketch pads provided! Bringing personal digital devices for writing and illustrating is encouraged.
CANCELED: Distant Planet Project Presents: "Black Metropolis" and "Phlo"
Friday, April 11, 2025
We regret to inform you that the Friday evening screening and related events scheduled for April 11, 2025, at The Robin Theatre have been canceled.
We were eagerly looking forward to presenting the world premieres of “Phlo” and “Black Metropolis”, two original works by Afrofuturist trailblazer Jim Fielder.
We’ve been working closely with Jim throughout the production process, and while tremendous creative progress has been made, the films are still in the final stages of post-production and will need more time before they are ready for public screening.
However, the celebration of Afrofuturism in film continues. All scheduled shorts originally planned for Friday will instead be shown on Saturday at 1:00 PM, alongside the Michigan premiere of Move Ya Body at 3:10PM as well as dynamic conversations with filmmakers and a casual community chat hosted by us.
We’d love to see you there—and we remain deeply excited about the work being made, the stories being told, and the worldbuilding yet to come.
– Audrey and Samuela, co-founders of the Distant Planet Project at Capital City Film Festival
You can RSVP for Saturday’s programming below!
Distant Planet Project Presents: Coffee & Community
Saturday, April 12, 2025
11 AM | The Robin Theatre | FREE | RSVP
*FREE EVENT*
11:00 – 11:30 AM: Coffee Social Hour with CCFF filmmakers and artists, including Director Jay Najeeah (Hag). (Open to the public)
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: What does the future of Lansing bear for it’s creatives? Bring your ideas for an Afrofuturist community film project and engage in conversation, read pages from your unpublished manuscript or just gab about a movie you like. (Open to the public)
Coffee provided by 517 Coffee Co.
Donuts provided by Groovy Donuts.
Limited space available – please RSVP to reserve your spot (CCFF passholders included!)
Distant Planet Project Presents: Short Films & Afrofuturist Conversations
Saturday, April 12, 2025
SHOWING
1:00 PM | The Robin Theatre | FREE | RSVP
*FREE EVENT // FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE*
A curation of short films and music videos utilizing themes and storytelling devices from Afrofuturism and other speculative fiction born of the global diasporas. A panel discussion on Afrofuturism will take place immediately following the shorts.
Limited space available – please RSVP to reserve your spot (CCFF passholders included!)
Distant Planet Project Presents: Move Ya Body: The Birth of House
Saturday, April 12, 2025
SHOWING
3:10 PM | The Robin Theatre | FREE | RSVP
Presented in partnership with the MSU Museum
In the chaos of Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park, a teenage usher named Vince Lawrence witnessed the fiery backlash against disco—a sound that defined freedom and pride. Undeterred by the hostility, Vince used his earnings to buy a synthesizer, setting in motion a journey that would change music forever. Venturing into the underground sanctuary of The Warehouse, where Frankie Knuckles spun revolutionary sounds, Vince teamed up with Jesse Saunders to form Z Factor, a scrappy collective of visionaries who captured the pulse of Chicago’s underground on wax. Their track, On and On, became the first recorded house music anthem, sparking a movement that transformed a local DIY culture into a global phenomenon. From those gritty Chicago streets to festival stages worldwide, Vince’s story is an electrifying testament to how a dream, born in the ashes of rejection, ignited a genre that continues to unite and liberate people across the globe.