Sometimes, disappointments can become our greatest gifts.

That’s the case for the origins of “Rouge,” a documentary capturing the essence of the River Rouge High School Panthers’ basketball legacy. The film debuts at the Freep Film Festival on April 10 at the Detroit Film Theatre, inside the Detroit Institute of Arts.

“Rouge” follows the lives of four Black student-athletes at a school with the most state basketball championships in Michigan history, situated in one of the state’s most economically and environmentally challenged communities.

The concept for the documentary came about in a twist of fate.

Director Hamoody Jaafar, of Dearborn, originally intended to do a short piece on Emoni Bates, now a Cleveland Cavalier who played basketball for Lincoln High School at the time. However, Jaafar was denied access to his locker room and ended up with the River Rouge team.

“I realized that Brent Darby (who was born in River Rouge and went on to play professional basketball) had a son on the team. I grew up watching his dad,” Jaafar said. “The River Rouge team went out and won that night, and so at that point, I was just completely immersed. I felt like it was very serendipitous, so I put together a filmmaking team locally to delve deeper into this story. This story was tied to my childhood.”

It was then that Jaafar knew he was on to something special.

“Being denied access to Emoni at the moment felt deflating, but in reality, it was the greatest blessing ever because it put me in that River Rouge locker room,” he said.

“Rouge” was directed by the Wayne State University graduate, whose previous films include “Detroit Diamond” (2018) and “Enter the Cavaliers” (2020). Driven by a desire to challenge cultural stereotypes and tell underrepresented stories, Jaafar — who grew up in Brownstown Township and graduated from Woodhaven High School in 2005 — realized one of those stories resided within the River Rouge community.

Jaafar soon after partnered with producer Razi Jafri, who also grew up Downriver and is now a rising Detroit-based filmmaker whose previous credits include “Hamtramck, USA” and “Three Chaplains.”

His work focuses on race, politics, and the changing cultural landscape in America and has been supported by the Sundance Institute, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), ITVS, Ford Foundation, Islamic Scholarship Fund (ISF), Doris Duke Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and the Knight Foundation.

In their first project together, they delve deeply into the River Rouge basketball legacy and the legacy of the community members who lived it.

In the 1950s, legendary high school basketball coach Lofton Greene led the recently racially integrated River Rouge High School Panthers to a record number of state championships in a league of otherwise segregated schools. Almost 70 years later, LaMonta Stone, a former Panther himself, returned to the struggling industrial town to help the Panthers chase the school’s 15th state championship.

“Rouge” encapsulates the trials and triumphs of seniors Brent Darby Jr. and Ahmoni Weston, as well as juniors Keyshawn Devlin and Legend Geeter. In addition to its primary characters, the film includes appearances by Michigan State Basketball head coach Tom Izzo, Detroit Pistons announcer George Blaha, and longtime Detroit Free Press high school sports writer Mick McCabe, among others.

The documentary tells the tale in three parts: the early years in the 50s, 60s and 70s; the late 1990s; and a recent season that follows the four players.

In addition to being chosen as the lead film at the Freep Film Festival, “Rouge” was recently selected for screening at the 2024 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival—North America’s largest documentary festival, which presents cutting-edge films from around the world.

Kathy Kieliszewski, the festival’s artistic director, said the Michigan premiere of “Rouge” at the Freep Film Festival is a testament to the festival’s commitment to spotlighting local productions that resonate with audiences. She emphasized the importance of showcasing stories like “Rouge” that encapsulate the essence of Michigan’s cultural fabric.

“Producer Razi Jafri, whose films we’ve screened before, connected me to director Hamoody Jafaar about a year ago, and Hamoody shared an earlier trailer with me. It was obvious, even from that small footage sample, that he had something special going on,” she said. “The cinematography and editing were sophisticated and nuanced, but more importantly, he had access to this story in a real and intimate way.

“When I eventually saw a fine cut of the film, I knew it was a definite fit for the festival and opening night because it fit all my criteria — an important Michigan story, expertly crafted and told. The journey Hamoody takes us on with the boys of the River Rouge basketball team will connect with Freep’s audiences in so many ways — from the team’s history to its classic coming-of-age story for this generation of ballplayers.”

Jaafar felt it was a story that had been waiting to be told.

“My hopes are that the community feels it was an authentic, honest, truthful, and noteworthy representation of the city and school district’s historic basketball program and achievements both on and off the court,” Jaafar said. “I feel like the River Rouge experience is one of the most undiscovered American stories there is, and I think everybody who’s lived and experienced River Rouge knows that. They’ve kind of been waiting for this; it’s like, who’s going to tell our story.”

Jaafar and Jafri answered that call with “Rouge.”

Tickets for the opening night (April 10) screening of “Rouge” are $15 and can be purchased at freepfilmfestival.com. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the program will begin at 7 p.m. Reservations to watch the movie on demand are also on sale. The movie, as well as many others in the Freep Film Festival, will be available for streaming beginning on Thursday, April 11, and lasting through Tuesday, April 16.

FYI

Beyond the premiere of “Rouge,” the Freep Film Festival, April 10-14, showcases an array of Michigan-connected films, each offering a unique perspective on the state’s cultural landscape. Oakland University is a sponsor. From “The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit” to “23 Mile,” the lineup exemplifies the diversity and vitality of Michigan’s storytelling tradition.

Here are a few notable documentaries to explore:

• “The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit” explores the dynamic story of the city’s innovative and influential jazz musicians.

• “23 Mile” follows the community during cataclysmic events in the swing state of Michigan throughout 2020 — including the plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — painting a portrait of a populace that defies media stereotypes.

• “A Two-Hearted Tale,” is a heartfelt look at the history of the iconic trout label adorning Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale, the Michigan-born beer that is the most popular IPA beer in America, and the label’s eccentric artist, Ladislav Hanka.

• “The Riot Report,” a PBS American Experience film, examines the violence that erupted in Black neighborhoods in scores of American cities during the summer of 1967 — Detroit notably among them. President Lyndon Johnson appointed what became known as the Kerner Commission to answer three questions: What happened? Why did it happen? And what could be done to prevent it from happening again?