Detroit Diamond

Diamond, a young single mother consumed by heroin addiction, battles to keep her child out of the hands of the state.

  • Hamoody Jaafar
    Director
  • M.R. Flores
    Writer
  • Dave Maxwell
    Producer
  • Dave Tappan
    Producer
  • Hamoody Jaafar
    Producer
  • Joe Vinson
    Producer
  • Laura Finlay
    Key Cast
  • Miz Korona
    Key Cast
  • Darlene Strickland
    Key Cast
  • Nina Kircher
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    22 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 1, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    25,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital (Arri Alexa Mini)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Hamoody Jaafar

Hamoody Jaafar is known for his obsession with immersing himself & his crew into the worlds that they are attempting to recreate. Having a method acting background, you really feel the authenticity of the visual language in his films. His honest & genuine approach is something that he takes great pride in executing on. The oldest son of Lebanese immigrants, his father is a retired assembly line worker from Ford Motor Company which is where Hamoody attributes his hard work ethic comes from. As a minority that grew up in a diverse environment outside of Detroit, his upbringing helped shape his well rounded views on the world which are evident in his work.

His biggest inspiration creatively comes from the Duplass brothers, Josh Mond, Gus Van Sant, Alejandro Inarritu & Martin Scorsese. His business partner & Executive Producer Joe Vinson, grew up with Hamoody through grade school, high school, and graduated college together from Wayne State University in Detroit. This is their third short film together.

An advocate of Middle Eastern & Detroit filmmakers, Hamoody hopes to give inspiration to those in his community that might feel like the odds are stacked against them.

Hamoody intends to continue making films that offer a "slice of life" of contemporary social issues & help shed light on people rather than stereotypes.

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Director Statement

When I first read 'Detroit Diamond' I was immediately connected to the story. I saw that this script was something that maintained its authenticity, yet was told in a way that could allow the masses to relate to it. Heroin addiction is a topic that is generally painted in a demonized light and isn't usually humanized. As are impoverished areas and landscapes. Growing up in the ‘downriver’ area of Detroit, I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of these worlds. I’ve always wanted to tell a story about heroin addiction that I thought did the topic justice. Taking ourselves to a place where we could ‘understand’ rather than ‘judge’ was my main goal with bringing this story to life.

It's also a completely female driven story, and as an aspiring Muslim filmmaker, at a time where my community is painted in an extremely negative light, I thought this would be an excellent challenge to truly push social norms.

As someone who has been personally affected by the rigors of heroin addiction, my hope was to open up people's perspectives on this incredibly challenging issue. We knew this needed to be gritty, uncomfortable, and brutally honest in nature. 'Detroit Diamond' is a world of an addict, one that reaches the depths of poverty and hopelessness. This is an existence that is barely livable and recreating that was imperative to doing the story justice.

This very much inspired the vision and look of the film. Cinematographer Tommy Daguanno and I discussed how to pass that feeling along visually. Matte colors that were apathetic, lethargic, pale and idle.

We filmed at authentic locations on the East Side of Detroit which exuded the mood and palette innately, something the producers and I mulled over endlessly. If you're familiar with Detroit, you'll know that these areas have seen better days. At times it was uncomfortable to be there, but it was worth it.

We immersed ourselves in this world. This is what you see.