The 56th Chicago International Film Festival has announced the winner of The Pitch at the 6th edition of Industry Days: Go to the Body, written and directed by Kyra Jones (co-creator of The Right Swipe) and produced by Angellic Ross.
The film follows Sanaa, a rising racial justice organizer who is sexually assaulted by a fellow activist and tries to push past her trauma and return to her normal life. The only thing standing in the way is her fiancé, Kendrick, an overprotective boxer who has his own idea of justice.
The project will receive an awards package of in-kind goods and services worth tens of thousands of dollars. Contributors include a camera package from Keslow Camera, a free day of shooting on The Story Stage @ Cinespace Chicago, post-production services from Light Iron, free consultations with the Chicago Media Angels and entertainment law firm Ramo Law PC, and advanced stage application into the Sundance Institute Lab program.
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This year’s jury included Bronwyn Cornelius, producer of Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner Clemency; Ilyse McKimmie, Deputy Director for Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program; and Yvonne Huff Lee, co-CEO of Lagralane Group.
Held virtually on Oct. 18, 2020 and hosted by IFA-Chicago Executive Director Angie Gaffney, The Pitch at Industry Days has established itself as a leading industry showcase, spotlighting bold, original work from the Chicago region. Past projects from The Pitch at Industry Days have gone onto completion, including Jennifer Reeder’s Signature Move and Haroula Rose’s Once Upon a River.
This year’s Pitch projects represented a diversity of voices that continue to reinforce the breadth and vitality of Chicago-area filmmakers and projects: from a sci-fi comedy horror film set in the suburbs to a drama set along the Mexico-American border, to the deeply nuanced story of a sexual assault to an estranged daughter in an Iraqi-American family who impersonates her recently deceased father.
“We are so proud of all of this year’s projects, but we’d like to give a big congratulations to Kyra and Angellic,” said Chicago International Film Festival and Industry Days Senior Programmer Anthony Kaufman. “Go to the Body is a sensitive look at the complex dynamics of race and sexuality within a Chicago Black community that is both emotionally resonant and completely of-the-moment.”
