Two award-winning short films produced through Chicago State University’s CSU CINEMA program will begin streaming on Tubi on February 1, offering national visibility for emerging Chicago filmmakers.
The films are Whole, co-directed by Ericka Henderson, Ryonn Gloster and Evelio Zavala and written and produced by Gloster, and Contentment, directed by Skyy Dade and written and produced by LaToya Johnson.
The placement on Tubi grew out of a new partnership between the HBCU First Look Film Festival and the streaming platform. Festival director Shannon Henderson encouraged Tubi to expand its slate of short films by Black filmmakers, opening the door for selected student projects to reach a wider audience.
CSU CINEMA operates within Chicago State University’s Department of Communications, Media Arts and Theatre and produces original student films through a structured sequence of courses in screenwriting, production, post-production and distribution. According to executive producer and faculty lead Christine List, students work with professional-grade tools including the Arri Alexa 35, Sound Devices 833 and newly built movie sets inside the university’s production studio. The department also recently received $1.6 million in funding to further equip its film labs and facilities, allowing students to train on the same technology they will encounter in professional environments.
The program is also one of the few in the city to maintain a formal relationship with Cinespace Studios. Graduates of CSU CINEMA may be recommended for Cinecares, Cinespace’s paid internship program, creating a direct pathway from classroom to industry.
Whole is a thriller examining the impact of honor culture and female genital mutilation. The film received Best Student Film at the Collected Voices Film Festival and has screened internationally with festival selections in London, Harlem and Nairobi. Chicago based Full Spectrum Features also selected the film for its annual emerging filmmakers showcase at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
Contentment takes a lighter approach as a dramedy that follows a Black man searching for purpose. The short features a mix of student and professional actors and has screened at multiple festivals including the Silver Room Block Party Film Festival, Berlin Indie Film Festival, Kwanzaa Film Festival, Orlando Urban Film Festival and the Chicago Southland Film Festival.
For young filmmakers, the Tubi launch represents more than a streaming debut. It reflects the growing presence of Chicago rooted voices in national distribution spaces and highlights the role local education programs continue to play in shaping the next generation of storytellers.
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