Producing Miracles in Detroit

Written By Derek Johnson

A walk through tour of our main set on the film!

Free to Be Fathers was my first international co-production and one of those projects where producing required equal parts planning, resourcefulness, and nerve. Working with a shoestring budget, we secured an entire floor of a downtown Detroit skyscraper and transformed it into the setting the story needed—something that still feels like a small production miracle.

Alongside producing the film, I served as Director of Photography, developing a visual approach that made the most of the location, Detroit’s character, and the resources available to us. It was a true exercise in building production value through collaboration, creative problem-solving, and thoughtful cinematography.

We’re looking forward to bringing this film to audiences worldwide in 2027.

Derek Johnson

I am a film producer, director, cinematographer, and sometimes writer.

I have a lifelong addiction to cameras, stories, and pizza. I am also known to go to unbelievable lengths to find a great cup of coffee.

I am known for creating powerful interviews that go really, really deep into storytelling and creative excellence in my cinematography. I am the founder of Kaifilms, a boutique film production company.

My first achievement in film production was documenting 9/11 in NYC, which led to 10 feature and 4 Emmy credits. I currently have several production films and an episodic true crime docuseries.

https://www.kaifilms.com
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