Winner of
national competition
will receive $10,000
and an opportunity
to screen at the
American Black
Film Festival
Last week, Gentleman Jack Double Mellowed Tennessee Whiskey partnered with Codeblack Entertainment at the Park West to showcase the creativity and talent of rising Chicago Black filmmakers.
Award-winning actor, producer and writer Omari Hardwick, who appears on STARZ’s Power series, and Malik Yoba, who is reprising his role on Dick’s Wolf’s reboot of New York Undercover, were joined by cinephiles and future filmmakers to celebrate Briana Clearly and her short film, Sum of Her Parts.
Clearly is a director, screenwriter, and self-published author. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Directing at DePaul University. Her focus as a filmmaker is to capture the nuance and complexities of social issues within the scope of personal relationships.
The second film, Training Wheels, is by director Sandrel “Sanicole” Young. She is a writer and director born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. She graduated with her film/video degree from Columbia College and has continued to be an active trailblazer in cinema by independently writing, producing, and directing.
The touching short is about a little girl who uses her telekinetic powers to bring her dad from selling dope on the corner. Watch the trailer below:
"Training Wheels" Short Film Trailer 2018 from Sanicole on Vimeo.
ALSO READ: Sanicole Young at Black Harvest Film Fest
“We’re excited to continue our work to help forge a way for multicultural filmmakers as the issue around diverse representation among movie producers and directors continues to be a topic of discussion,” says Ben Osei, Associate Brand Manager of Gentleman Jack.
Finally, Terrance Thompson and his short film Drive Slow was featured. Thompson is a writer, filmmaker and educator raised on the Southside of Chicago. A stark advocate for civil and human rights, Terrence hopes to create work that embodies intersectional ideology through the decolonization of Blackness.
His film follows a teenager from the Southside of Chicago attempting to finish his college essays. As he struggles to boil down his complex surroundings in 500 words, his friends’ disparate opinions, racist news narratives, and the threat of lingering danger only complicate the process.
Based off the pilot script of the same name, Drive Slow seeks to challenge certain stigmas surrounding Chicago communities, as well as tell the diverse stories of young people from this great city.
Drive Slow | Short Film from Endangered Peace Productions on Vimeo.
The winner of the national competition will receive $10,000 and the opportunity to screen their short film at this year’s American Black Film Festival in Miami to an exclusive audience of industry professionals.
Filmmaker Damien Smith and his 2018 winning film, Daddy’s Big Girl, will be highlighted during the 2019 Real to Reel program. The 2019 Gentleman Jack Real to Reel local screening tour will also visit: Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta and Dallas, Miami.
