Y Arts Detroit

05/26/2026

Looking for a technical theatre professional to join our team!

Find your next adventure

05/07/2026

Spending an inspiring day of networking and learning with

05/07/2026

Spending a wonderful day of networking and learning with Youth Development Resource Center - Detroit

05/01/2026

It's a bit delayed since the festival already happened, but here's a delightful interview Margaret Edwartowski and our board chair Nick Cucinella did on WDET 101.9FM The Metro. We're so thankful for the opportunity and the great chat!

In the Detroit Teen Truth Festival, teens from Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties create 15 second long films.

05/01/2026

And the winner is...

We're thrilled to share the grand prize winning film from our 2026 Detroit Teen Truth Film Festival. This year's theme was "My Mental Health, Myself".

The winning film was made by the talented trio Isha Ummadi, River Scott, and Ava Singleton.

Congrats to our winners! Stay tuned to see our runner up, hidden gem, and audience prize winners.

A million thanks to all who submitted, as well as our sponsors, funders, staff, and volunteers. And a special shout out to the parents and teachers of all of the amazing youth who participated!

YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit

Detroit Teen Truth Film Festival 2026 - Grand Prize Derek Dandridge Media Excellence Award Winner

04/27/2026

Another amazing Detroit Teen Truth Film Festival is in the books! HUGE thanks to all the young people who submitted, all the staff and volunteers who supported this program (special shoutout to Rebecca Berdy and Jessica Cooper).

We're loading the winners onto YouTube today so we can share the incredible work. In the meanwhile, here are a few pics.

We love this program and are so excited for how it grew this year!

04/24/2026

Free tickets to this year's Detroit Teen Truth Film Festival are officially SOLD OUT!

We have just under ten donation (you choose the amount) tickets left. Grab them while you can!

Join us as we celebrate youth voice and award prizes for teen-produced films on this year's theme "My Mental Health, Myself"

04/24/2026

We're so excited to have the 2025 Detroit Teen Truth Film Festival grand prize winner as one of our judges this year!

Johan Calderon is glad to be a part of this year's judging and can’t wait to see what is in store. Johan loves film and has been involved with it since he was 11 years old. He's currently in college, majoring in Film and Theatre, and hopes to expand his knowledge and become known worldwide one day.
YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit

04/24/2026

This year, we've been fortunate to have one of our previous film festival winners both as a judge and featured in our video encouraging youth to submit their films.

Kenndall Wallace won the 2020 Detroit Teen Truth Film Festival in the middle of lockdown. We're in no way surprised that she's gone on to have an amazing career in the arts. She's super talented!

Kenndall is an award-winning playwright, producer, and multi-hyphenate from Detroit, MI. Works have been produced & developed across the country-- including the Lynn F. Angelson Theatre, George Washington Carver Museum, and others. Published by 1319 Press, Kenndall is also the recent AD of a theatre and film incubator in Detroit MI, an inaugural fellow at Plowshares Theatre Company, and an artistic organizer in the city. https://kwallaceplays.com/
YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit

04/23/2026

Returning for his second year as a judge for the Detroit Teen Truth Film Festival, Y Arts is thrilled to welcome gifted local artist, Maurizio Dominguez.

Maurizio is a Mexican-American actor and filmmaker. He got his start in acting and film working with Matrix Theatre in Southwest Detroit, and graduated from Henry Ford College and the Specs Howard School of Media Arts. Maurizio's passion is visual storytelling and video editing. In 2023, he directed and produced the award-winning short film Un Día Normal, which is based on a true story and was filmed in Southwest Detroit. Most recently, Maurizio joined the Detroit VOCES Southwest Oral History Project, a community-led initiative that is working to document and preserve the history and legacy of Latinos in Detroit.

YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit