The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center announces the full festival schedule for its 27th Annual Black Harvest Film Festival, which will take place both virtually and in person at the Gene Siskel Film Center from November 5 through December 2.
The festival’s month-long showcase of Black stories will feature 28 feature films; 36 short films; several free panel discussions; and tributes to both Gordon Parks and Melvin Van Peebles. The festival will also feature over 25 separate in-person and virtual filmmaker and cast appearances.
Black Harvest Film Festival individual tickets and festival passes are available for purchase as of Friday, October 15 at 10am.
“After months of not gathering, and as the fight for racial equality and justice continues to be waged, Black Harvest endeavors to present portraits of joy, power, resilience and resistance, and to discover and spotlight emerging, talented storytellers. We’re excited to share these films with audiences – with over 25 feature narrative and documentaries, six short film programs and tributes to both Gordon Parks and Melvin Van Peebles, the past, present and future of Black cinema is here, now, and spectacular. This year’s Festival is a triumph through and through – let’s celebrate!” said Director of Programming Rebecca Fons.
“After a long intermission, we are beyond thrilled to be able to gather again in person to celebrate Black filmmakers, stories, and the loyal Black Harvest audience. Film is a powerful catalyst for dialogue, empathy, growth, and joy. The festival has always felt like a reunion–and after last year’s virtual festival, this return to our theaters will be more joyful than ever. The Black Harvest Film Festival is a place to champion emerging filmmakers and celebrate established storytellers, and we believe that this year’s lineup will delight our audiences as it amplifies Black voices and celebrates the full range of Black experience on screen, ” said Jean de St. Aubin, Executive Director of the Gene Siskel Film Center.
On Opening Night (Nov. 6), NBC/5 entertainment reporter LeeAnn Trotter will serve as Master of Ceremonies, presiding over our Chicago premiere screening of the acclaimed documentary, DIONNE WARWICK: DON’T MAKE ME OVER, with co-director Dave Wooley in attendance. The film provides an inspiring and vibrant portrait of Warwick’s luminous six-decade (and counting) career and activism in the Black and LGBTQIA+ communities and will be followed by a special dessert and drinks reception at the Renaissance Hotel.
Additional Festival highlights include a retrospective of the work of Gordon Parks; a screening of the 4K restoration of Wendell B. Harris Jr.’s 1990 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner CHAMELEON STREET; the Chicago theatrical premiere of Traci Curry and Stanley Nelson’s gripping documentary ATTICA; Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri’s critically acclaimed EYIMOFE (THIS IS MY DESIRE); and Alice Diop’s observational travelogue WE. Black Harvest alum Kelley Kali will return to Chicago to premiere her SXSW hit, I’M FINE (THANKS FOR ASKING), with co-director Angelique Molina.
The Festival’s halfway point will be celebrated with a special presentation of Reinaldo Marcus Green’s highly anticipated KING RICHARD, starring Will Smith as an undeterred father determined to write his daughters, Venus and Serena Williams, into history.
Black Harvest will also proudly showcase several homegrown stories, including a collection of locally-made shorts and IT’S DIFFERENT IN CHICAGO, David Weathersby’s chronicle of house and hip hop music. The festival will also present two screenings of the groundbreaking SWEET SWEETBACK’S BAADASSSSS SONG, directed by the late, great Melvin Van Peebles.
The festival will conclude on Thursday, December 2 with a special 30th anniversary Closing Night screening of Spike Lee’s provocative JUNGLE FEVER on 35mm.
Black Harvest Film Festival Tickets for regular in-person and virtual film presentations are $12, with Film Center members paying only $6 per ticket. Students with valid school ID pay $7, and SAIC students, staff, or faculty pay $5 for regular film presentations.
Black Harvest Film Festival passes cost $60 and can be redeemed for six (6) regular in-person or virtual film presentations (excluding Opening and Closing Nights). Film Center members will pay only $30 for the 6-film Black Harvest festival pass. In-person Conversations are free and first-come, first-served, with tickets available at the box office.
Opening Night tickets are $50 (general audience), with Film Center member and student tickets on sale for $30. Tickets include the screening, Q&A, and special reception.
New for 2021: Virtual Black Harvest Film Festival
- In addition to select in-person screenings, all shorts programs will be available for streaming for the entire duration of the festival
- Select features will be available virtually beginning the day after they conclude their theatrical screenings
- Virtual films will be available to stream throughout the entire U.S. (unless noted)
For the fourth year, The Richard and Ellen Sandor Family Black Harvest Film Festival Prize, will be awarded to a short filmmaker, and – for the first time – a feature documentary or narrative filmmaker, for quality in storytelling, creativity, and filmmaking.
The Film Center’s 2021 Black Harvest Film Festival Legacy Award:
Dawoud Bey
Presented in person on Sunday, November 14 at 6pm
The Film Center’s Legacy Award is presented each year to an individual with an exemplary history of contributing to the arts in Chicago, and whose contributions have had a substantial impact on the Black community. This year’s Legacy Award will be presented to photographer Dawoud Bey, Professor of Art and a former Distinguished College Artist at Columbia College Chicago, where he has taught since 1998. Among numerous honors, Bey is a recipient of the McArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellowship, and his work has been the subject of exhibitions and retrospectives at museums and galleries worldwide. Bey holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University School of Art.
COVID-19 Protocols
The Film Center requires a valid photo ID and proof of full vaccination or a negative result on a COVID PCR test for all screenings and events at the Film Center. ???? Masks are also required at all times. Please visit “COVID-19 Protocols” on our website for updates and full details. Protocols are subject to change.
More information and updates about this year’s Black Harvest Film Festival can be found here
The following is a list of the complete Black Harvest Film Festival line-up, with in-person/theatrical showtimes listed in black and virtual screenings noted in green. Please note showtimes and guest appearances are subject to change.
FEATURE FILMS:
OPENING NIGHT: DIONNE WARWICK: DON’T MAKE ME OVER
Friday, November 5 – 7:00pm
2021, Dave Wooley, David Heilbroner / USA, 95 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Co-director, writer and producer Dave Wooley scheduled to attend.
NBC5’s entertainment reporter LeeAnn Trotter will serve as the Opening Night Master of Ceremonies
Artist. Activist. Legend. For six-decades and counting, Dionne Warwick’s voice – rich, singular, expressive and elegant – has been a soundtrack for generations. In Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner’s engaging documentary, Ms. Warwick’s upbringing, life, and career – both as a music icon and an impassioned activist for the Black and LGBTQIA+ communities – is chronicled, providing a portrait of a woman who has influenced many artists, touched countless lives, and entertained millions.
The screening will be followed by a special dessert and drinks reception at the Renaissance Hotel! Opening Night tickets are $50 (general audience), with Film Center member and student tickets on sale for $30. Tickets include the screening, Q&A, and special reception.
TAHARA
Saturday, November 6 – 4:30pm & Wednesday, November 10 – 8:00pm
Available virtually Thursday, November 11 through Thursday, December 2 – IL audiences only.
2021, Olivia Peace / USA, 77 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Carrie and Hannah have always been inseparable. When their classmate commits suicide, the girls go to the “Teen Talk-back” session to help them to understand grief through their Jewish faith. After an innocent kissing exercise turns Carrie’s world inside out, the friends are distracted by lust, social status, and wavering faith.
Saturday, November 6 – 7:00pm & Saturday, November 27 – 3:00pm
2021, Traci Curry, Stanley Nelson / USA, 120 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Fifty years ago, inmates at the Attica Correctional Facility seized part of the prison and demanded better conditions. Through revelatory interviews with prisoners, family members of hostages, and journalists who became part of the story, ATTICA captures the personalities, politics, and emotions that exploded in a wake-up call about prison reform.
PRISM
Sunday, November 7 – 1:00pm & Wednesday, November 10 – 6:00pm
Available virtually Thursday, November 11 through Thursday, December 2
2021, Eléonore Yameogo, An van. Dienderen, and Rosine Mbakam / Belgium, 78 min.
In English and French with English subtitles / Format: Digital
Is the technology of motion pictures inherently racist? Three filmmakers consider how the differences in their skin color, and experiences as artists, serve as points-of-departure to explore this provocative question. PRISM takes what some see as technical problems, and explores their insidious personal, cultural, and historical ramifications.
WE
Thursday, November 11 – 5:30pm & Saturday, November 20 – 1:30pm
2021, Alice Diop / France, 115 min.
In French with English subtitles / Format: Digital
Multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker Alice Diop boards the RER B, a train that crosses Paris and its outskirts from north to south. A journey and testament to the importance of filming as a process of remembering, WE is as much a portrait of a place as it is of a people.
THE WOODSTOCK OF HOUSE
Thursday, November 11 – 8:00pm & Friday, November 12 – 8:00pm
Available virtually Saturday, November 13 through Thursday, December 2
2021, Rodrick F. Wimberly, Senuwell Smith / USA, 98 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Deemed the “Woodstock of House,” the Chosen Few Music Festival brings 50,000 people of different races, ages and sexual orientations together in unity, peace and love in Chicago, one of the most violent cities in America, serving as an island of love in a sea of conflict.
Producer, co-director and writer Rodrick F. Wimberly, and producer Tressa Epps scheduled to attend.
Friday, November 12 – 5:45pm & Saturday, November 20 – 7:00pm
Available virtually Sunday, November 21 through Thursday, December 2
2020, Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri / Nigeria, 116 min.
In English / Format: Digital
A triumph at the Berlin Film Festival, this revelatory debut is a heartrending portrait of everyday human endurance in Lagos, Nigeria. Shot on 16mm film, EYIMOFE traces the journeys of two distantly connected strangers as they bump up against the economic realities of a world in which every interaction is a transaction.
Saturday, November 13 – 5:30pm & Monday, November 15 – 5:45pm
2021, Udi Aloni / USA, 102 min.
In English / Format: Digital
WHY IS WE AMERICANS? is an in-depth, cinematic exploration of the legendary Amiri Baraka and his family. Spanning decades of social activism, poetry, music, art, and politics, this kaleidoscopic saga is an inspiring call to arms in the fight for class and racial justice.
Saturday, November 13 – 3:00pm & Sunday, November 14 – 6:00pm
Available virtually Monday, November 15 through Thursday, December 2
2020, Nicole Sylvester / USA, 105 min
In English / Format: Digital
Maya, stifled by complicated memories of her overbearing father and on the verge of becoming a recluse, begins a sexual relationship with a much younger man whose dark side impedes his journey as he navigates his way as a Black Man in America.
Director Nicole Sylvester scheduled to attend.
WHO IS GATSBY RANDOLPH
Saturday, November 13 – 8:00pm & Sunday, November – 3:00pm
Available virtually Monday, November 15 through Thursday, December 2
2020, Kobie Randolph/ USA, 90 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Kobie Randolph has a goal: to make it in Hollywood – but how? Enter Gatsby Randolph, party-crashing alter ego. In this hilarious documentary, Randolph charts his hustle to make Gatsby a household name, and how he was able to get close to Hollywood’s elite, including Beyoncé, Jay Z, Stevie Wonder and more.
Gatsby Randolph scheduled to attend.
THICKER THAN BLOOD
Tuesday, November 16 – 8:00pm & Thursday, November 18 – 8:00pm
Available virtually Friday, November 19 through Thursday, December 2
2019, Anthony Williams / USA, 75 min.
In English / Format: Digital
The first in a three-part series, THICKER THAN BLOOD follows the youngest of two sons who returns home to celebrate his brother’s promotion. During what should be a joyous afternoon of family and friends, things are said that can’t be unsaid, and a tight-knit family must pick up the pieces.
Director Anthony Williams scheduled to attend.
Friday, November 19 – 6:30pm & Saturday, November 20 – 4:00pm
Available virtually Sunday, November 21 through Thursday, December 2
2021, Kelley Kali, Angelique Molina / USA, 90 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Braiding hair and making deliveries, Danny is barely able to make ends meet. Having convinced her daughter that they are ‘camping out’ for fun, she manages to secure enough money for an apartment. When she comes up short, Danny does everything she can to save the day.
Inaugural Sandor Prize winner director Kelley Kali, and co-director Angelique Molina scheduled to attend.
Sunday, November 21 – 1:00pm & Wednesday, November 24 – 5:30pm
Available virtually Thursday, November 25 through Thursday, December 2
2021, Fredrick Leach / USA, 86 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Jordan is an affluent, Black high school senior counting down the days until college. He’s constantly bullied and lacks the confidence to stand up for himself. When his cousin is humiliated, Jordan recruits students to play a vengeful prank. When it goes bad, Jordan is forced to confront the painful consequences.
Director Fredrick Leach scheduled to attend Sunday, November 21.
IT’S DIFFERENT IN CHICAGO
Sunday, November 21 – 6:00pm & Tuesday, November 23 – 8:00pm
Available virtually Wednesday, November 24 through Thursday, December 2
2021, David Weathersby / USA, 91 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Director David Weathersby (BHFF alum and director of 2019’s THEE DEBAUCHERY BALL) chronicles the history of house and hip hop music in Chicago, and how the two styles complemented and competed with each other, leading to revelations and evolution within the city’s Black community.
Director David Weathersby scheduled to attend.
Monday, November 22 – 5:30pm & Tuesday, November 23 – 5:30pm
Available virtually Wednesday, November 24 through Thursday, December 2
2021, Annette Galloway / USA, 77 min.
In English / Format: Digital
When a ladies man falls for a beautiful law student he is unable to put aside his womanizing ways for love and she refuses to be another notch on his belt. Against all odds, they forge a lasting friendship challenged by the jealousy of new partners – and their own hidden desires.
Director Annette Galloway scheduled to attend.
MEMOIRS OF A BLACK GIRL
Friday, November 26 – 5:45pm & Tuesday, November 30 – 7:30pm
Available virtually Wednesday, December 1 through Thursday, December 2
2020, Thato Mwosa / USA, 76 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Aisha epitomizes “Black girl magic”. A finalist for a prestigious college scholarship, Aisha must outperform the other candidates. But when her focus is challenged after she reports on the school’s “it girls,” for smoking weed, Aisha must navigate the challenging obstacles to survive, while keeping her eyes on the prize.
Director Thato Mwosa scheduled to attend Friday, November 26.
Friday, November 26 – 8:00pm & Saturday, November 27 – 6:00pm
Available virtually Sunday, November 28 through Thursday, December 2
2021, Dr. Artel Great / USA, 90 min.
In English / Format: Digital
In this second installment of Dr. Artel Grant’s THE LOVE CYCLE film series, (part one, LOVE LIKE WINTER premiered at BHFF 2021) a potentially perfect couple comes together imperfectly, when two hopeful romantics, both in unhappy long-term relationships with other people, form an emotional connection.
Director Dr. Artel Great scheduled to attend.
RAYMOND LEWIS: L.A. LEGEND
Sunday, November 28 – 6:00pm & Monday, November 29 – 5:30pm
Available virtually Tuesday, November 30 through Thursday, December 2
2021, Ryan Polomski / USA, 92 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Following an ugly contract dispute, Raymond Lewis was blackballed from the NBA in the 70s. Part historical recovery, part deep personal excavation, RAYMOND LEWIS: L.A. LEGEND is a moving ride through the heartbreaking tale of a once-in-a-generation talent who was shunned by a game he was destined to dominate.
Director Ryan Polomski and producer Kamaila Lewis scheduled to attend.
100 YEARS FROM MISSISSIPPI
Sunday, November 28 – 1:00pm & Tuesday, November 30 – 5:30pm
Available virtually Friday, November 19 through Thursday, December 2
2020, Tarabu Betserai Kirkland / USA, 60 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Mamie Lang Kirkland was seven when she fled Mississippi, vowing she would never return, until her son urged her to confront her childhood trauma. At 107 she journeys to connect her story to America’s legacy of racial violence. In a time of division, 100 YEARS FROM MISSISSIPPI gives us wisdom of an ordinary woman’s extraordinary life.
Executive producer and narrator Barry Shabaka Henley scheduled to attend Sunday, November 28; Director Tarabu Betserai Kirkland scheduled to attend Tuesday, November 30.
MOMENTS WITHOUT PROPER NAMES
Monday, November 22 – 8:00pm
1987, Gordon Parks / USA, 60 min.
In English / Format: Digital
In his final film as director, Parks turned the camera upon himself with this poetic self-portrait, blending his photographs, compositions, and personal reminiscences performed by esteemed actors Avery Brooks, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Joe Seneca. MOMENTS WITHOUT PROPER NAMES offers a penetrating gaze into the mind of this celebrated artist. Preceded by FLAVIO (1964, 12 min.)
Gordon Parks Retrospective
During his decades-long career, Gordon Parks (1912-2006) masterfully documented American life. This four-part retrospective honors Parks with a selection of critical works from his filmography, and concludes with the documentary inspired by Gordon Parks. This retrospective is presented with support by The Gordon Parks Foundation, Anthology Film Archives and Chicago Film Archives.
THE LEARNING TREE
Monday, November 8 – 7:45pm
1969, Gordon Parks / USA, 107 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Based on Parks’s own semi-autobiographical novel, THE LEARNING TREE follows the journey of Newt Winger, a teenager growing up in rural Kansas in the 1920s, as he experiences the flowering of first love, finds his relationship with a close friend tested, and navigates the injustices embedded within a racist educational system.
LEADBELLY
Monday, November 15 – 7:45pm
1976, Gordon Parks / USA, 126 min.
In English / Format: 35mm
In this energetic biopic, Parks chronicles the life of trouble-prone blues singer Huddie Ledbetter, better known as “Leadbelly”, as he works on chain gangs, travels with fellow blues man Blind Lemon Jefferson, and seeks to find a personal peace within his musical talent.
SHAFT
Monday, November 29 – 8:00pm
1971, Gordon Parks / USA, 100 min.
In English / Format: 35mm
Richard Roundtree stars as New York City private detective John Shaft. He’s cool, tough and won’t back down to anybody. When the Mafia kidnaps local crime lord Bumpy Jonas’ daughter, he hires the one man tough enough to get her back – John Shaft.
A CHOICE OF WEAPONS: INSPIRED BY GORDON PARKS
Wednesday, December 1 – 8:15pm
2021, John Maggio / USA, 89 min.
In English / Format: Digital
A CHOICE OF WEAPONS: INSPIRED BY GORDON PARKS explores the power of images in advancing racial, economic, and social equality as seen through the lens of one of America’s most trailblazing artists, and the generation of young photographers, filmmakers, and activists he inspired.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
At the midway point of he Black Harvest Film Festival we present three films that celebrate both the future of Black stories on the big screen and the trailblazing, boundary pushing, radical storytellers of the past. We celebrate the conclusion of Black Harvest with a 30th anniversary screening of Spike Lee’s daring and provocative exploration of race, relationships, gender and sex. Special presentations only screen once but are the same price as our regular film presentations.
Wednesday, November 17 – 7:00pm
2021, Reinaldo Marcus Green / USA, 138 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Richard Williams (Will Smith) is determined to write his daughters, Venus and Serena, into history. Training on Compton’s abandoned tennis courts – rain or shine – the girls are shaped by their father’s unyielding commitment and their mother’s balanced perspective, defying the seemingly insurmountable odds and prevailing expectations laid before them.
Thursday, November 18 – 6:00pm
1990, Wendell B. Harris Jr. / USA, 94 min.
In English / Format: Digital 4K restoration
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, CHAMELEON STREET recounts the true story of con man Douglas Street, who impersonated his way up the ladder by posing as an Ivy League student, a respected surgeon, and a corporate lawyer, pinning a lens on race, class and performance in American identity.
SWEET SWEETBACK’S BAADASSSSS SONG
Friday, November 19 & Saturday, November 20 – 9:30pm
1971, Melvin Van Peebles / USA, 97 min.
In English / Format: 35mm
Part of our Fringe Benefits series
The late Melvin Van Peebles’s second feature film was a landmark of Black and American independent cinema that would send shockwaves through the culture, and created the prototype for what Hollywood would eventually co-opt and make into the Blaxploitation hero. SWEET SWEETBACK’S BAADASSSSS SONG’s incendiary politics are matched by it’s revolutionary style, in which jump cuts, kaleidoscopic superimpositions, and psychedelic sound design come together in a sustained howl of rage and defiance. Restored by The Museum of Modern Art with support from The Film Foundation and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM: JUNGLE FEVER
Thursday, December 2 – 7:00pm
1991, Spike Lee / USA, 132 min.
In English / Format: 35mm
When the news leaks that Flipper (Wesley Snipes), a Black, married lawyer is having an affair with Angie (Annabella Sciorra), his white secretary, Flipper’s wife (Lonette McKee) kicks him out of the house. As Flipper and Angie continue their affair, their interracial relationship sparks debate and dissaproval among their families, friends and strangers. Additional event information to be announced.
SHORTS PROGRAMS:
Shorts Program: Coming of Age
Sunday, November 7 – 3:00pm
Available virtually Friday, November 5 through Thursday, December 2
2019-2021, various directors / USA, Canada, 96 min.
In English / Format: Digital
“Love is a battle. Love is a war. Love is growing up.” – James Baldwin. These six films explore what it means to grow up, and find out who you are: FUFU (Omolola Ajao), ECHOES OF A WINTER SUNSHINE (Oniffe White), CHERRY LEMONADE (Aisha Ford), MAKE IT HAPPEN. (Aaron Sterling), BOBERT (Oluseyi Olatujoye), LOTUS (Samuel Lee Fudge).
Select filmmakers in attendance in person.
Shorts program: Made in Chicago
Monday, November 8 – 5:30pm & Tuesday, November 16 – 5:30pm
Available virtually Friday, November 5 through Thursday, December 2
2020-2021, various directors / USA, 73 min.
In English / Format: Digital
Stories born and raised right here at home, these local films exemplify all the talent that Chicagoland has to offer. PATOIS (Andre Muir & Danielle Alston), THE UNTOLD STORY OF MILD SAUCE (Anton Deshawn), THE “N” WORD (Maurice D. Walls), FLOWERS AND BIKES (Daniel Kayamba), HARLEM75 (John Wright), WHAT THE AFROFUTURE SAY (David Boykin), SWITCHIN’ (George Ellzey Jr.), LUCKY NUMBER 7 (Shaquille Roberts).
Select filmmakers in attendance in person.
Shorts Program: Diving Deep
Tuesday, November 9 – 6:00pm
Available virtually Friday, November 5 through Thursday, December 2
2020-2021, various directors / USA, Canada, UK, Nigeria, 70 min.
In English / Format: Digital
COVID, redlining, farflung sunsets and more are explored in this set of dramatic shorts from across the globe: THE CATCH-UP (Annabel Grace), THE HOUSE ON CARTER ROAD (Shawn Gerrard), THE PARK (Frantzy Moreau), SUNSET IN MAKOKO (Allen Onyige), PIECE (Frantzy Moreau), MURIKA (Fedna Jacquet & Marchánt Davis).
Virtual Q&A to be announced.
Shorts program: Innovation in Motion
Sunday, November 21 – 3:30pm
Available virtually Friday, November 5 through Thursday, December 2
2019-2021, various directors / USA, France, Bahamas, 87 min.
In English and French with English subtitles / Format: Digital
This mix of films celebrates the hilarious, the visionary, the righteous, and the revolutionary, representing the eclectic voice of Black filmmakers today: BLACK (Tamika R. Guishard), MINE (Randall Dottin & Luisa Dantas), THE ORANGE CHILD (Alexandre Desane), WOULD YOU KILL GOD TOO? (WJ Lofton & Natalie Lauren), REOPENING (Caralene Robinson), THE STRONG BOX (Hassan El-Amin), 180 SECONDS (Perry Strong), THE GOLDEN RECORD (Brandon C. Thomas & Kyle Ferguson).
Select filmmakers in attendance in person, virtual Q&A to be announced.
Shorts Program: A Family Affair
Wednesday, November 24 – 7:30pm
Available virtually Friday, November 5 through Thursday, December 2
2020-2021, various directors / USA, Canada, Jamaica, 99 min.
In English and Patois with English subtitles / Format: Digital
Family is what you make it, in these five films that explore the bonds, and breaks of those we hold close: BABY (Cole Swanson), PARDONED SOULS (Calvin Standifer), MADA (MOTHER) (Joseph Douglas Elmhirst), THE DELIBERATE DEATH OF MY FATHER (Rose Katché), THE TREES REMEMBER series (Angela Tucker).
Select filmmakers in attendance in person.
Shorts program: In Mem’ry
Sunday, November 28 – 3:30pm
Available virtually Friday, November 5 through Thursday, December 2
2020-2021, various directors / USA, Canada, Spain, Cuba, Brazil, 65 min.
In English and Spanish with English subtitles / Format: Digital
Black history, and present – the painful, the poetic and the powerful – is considered in these four moving short films: UNMARKED (Brad Bennett & Chris Haley), AIR VOLTA (Jeremy Watson), GUILLERMA (Aida Esther Bueno Sarduy), I LOVE Y’ALL (Ismail Salahuddin). Select filmmakers in attendance in person, virtual Q&A to be announced.
FILM CONVERSATIONS:
Into the Archive: A Conversation with Black Film Archive Creator Maya Cade
Monday, November 15 – 6:00pm / Live at facebook.com/siskelfilmcenter
Virtual
In August Maya Cade, audience strategist at the Criterion Collection, launched the Black Film Archive, an online resource providing history to 200+ currently streaming Black films made 1915-1979. The site is researched and written by Cade, who has created a vital resource for cinephiles and historians. In this virtual conversation, learn about her inspiration for the achievement and her hopes for the future of the resource.
Concerned Black Image Makers: Pushing for Movement in Black Independent Cinema
Sunday, November 14 – 1pm / at the Film Center
Concerned Black Image Makers co-founder L’Soft, Chicago South Side Film festival founder Michelle Kennedy, and multidisciplinary artist Derrick Woods Morrow discuss the need for an honest and tenacious push towards building infrastructure and more collective action in assisting Black filmmakers. Free admission, tickets available at box office. Seating first come, first served.
New Trends and Strategies in Filmmaking
Sunday, November 27 – 1pm / at the Film Center
Black Harvest consultant Sergio Mims, David Weathersby (IT’S DIFFERENT IN CHICAGO) and Dr. Artel Great (LOVE WALKS IN) discuss current production, distribution and exhibition landscapes, and what trends filmmakers are seeing as they share their talent and stories with funders and film lovers. Additional participants to be announced. Free admission, tickets available at box office. Seating first come, first served.
