Desire: The Carl Craig Story

*DIRECTOR & SUBJECT IN ATTENDANCE*

In Spring 2026, Carl Craig is one of the MSUFCU Arts Power Up Artist-in-Residence at Michigan State University. Craig is working across disciplines to explore the intersections of music, science, and technology. In collaboration with researchers at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and hosted by the MSU Museum, Craig is translating complex scientific ideas into new creative forms while engaging students and faculty through public programs and collaborative experiences. His residency will culminate in a new exhibition at the MSU Museum in early 2027, bringing his signature approach to sound, innovation, and conceptual exploration to the MSU Museum.

This screening at CCFF is presented in partnership with MSU Department of English and Digital Humanities and Literary Cognition Lab

Desire: The Carl Craig Story

“Desire: The Carl Craig Story” is an intimate portrait of legendary techno producer, DJ and record label creator Carl Craig and an ode to his beloved city, Detroit. Raised in a middle class African American family. Carl’s parents fostered his artistic pursuits, even if that meant breaking with his family’s tradition of pursuing higher education.

With Detroit’s decline and recovery as a backdrop, “Desire: The Carl Craig Story”follows the career of a musical pioneer whose genre-defying techno music –which was inspired by a wide range of sounds, has been performed to jazz enthusiasts at the Montreux Jazz Festival and in the premier classical auditoriums around the world, including Carnegie Hall.

Thirty-five years into his music career, Carl Craig, a leading figure of the second generation of the Detroit techno artists, has now been embraced by the visual arts world, with recent exhibitions at MOCA in Los Angeles and Dia Beacon inNew York.

But at the pinnacle of his creative and deejaying success, the musician faces challenges that could ultimately force him to stay away from the dance floor.