For more than 100 years, the hub of the American automobile industry has been Detroit. And a look back at a century of the motorcar reveals a history of invention and achievement in the city that enthusiasts think of wherever the word car is spoken. Every year, Detroit is host to the famed Woodward Dream Cruise. Now, the inaugural AutoMoto Detroit International Film & Arts Festival offers car lovers another vantage point—the theater seat—to gather, share stories, and learn.

From May 28 through 30, three…