Director
Liza Mandelup’s
teen-focused doc
that wowed
at Sundance
screens April 26
at the Music Box
CineYouth Festival, presented by Cinema/Chicago, today announced the Opening Night presentation of award-winning documentary Jawline, directed by Liza Mandelup, which had its world at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
Jawline follows 16-year-old Austyn Tester, a rising star in the live-broadcast ecosystem who built his following on wide-eyed optimism and teen girl lust, as he tries to escape a dead-end life in rural Tennessee.
Along the way, it distills complex concepts about modern-day childhood and a gold-rush teen economy into one fascinating and surprisingly moving human portrait.
The Hollywood Reporter described Jawline as “an engaging, amusing, and occasionally jaw-dropping portrait,” and Sundance honored the film’s director Liza Mandelup with the 2019 Special Jury Award for Emerging Filmmaker.
“Jawline is a perfect kick-off to CineYouth,” says Cinema/Chicago Artistic Director Mimi Plauché. “With honesty, integrity, and without judgement, the film deftly explores how, through social media, young people today use moving images to forge and communicate a sense of identity and connection.”
The Opening Night screening of the film begins at 7pm on April 26 at the Music Box Theatre (3733 N. Southport Ave.). It will be followed by an in-person discussion with Mandelup. Tickets to the event are free and available now at www.chicagofilmfestival.com/cineyouth.
CINEYOUTH 2019 FESTIVAL | TRAILER
2019 CineYouth Programming Schedule
Friday, April 26
5:30pm – CineYouth opening reception in the Music Box Theatre Lounge
7:00pm – Welcome and Opening Night film presentation Jawline with director Liza Mandelup in attendance
Saturday, April 27
2:00pm – Playtime: Animation
3:00pm – Time Regained: Documentary
4:15pm – A New Outlook: LGBTQ+
5:30pm – Up Past Bedtime: Horror
Sunday, April 28
10:00am – The Pitch (Music Box Theatre Lounge)
11:00am – Neighboring Worlds: International
12:15pm – She Persisted: Women in Cinema
1:30pm – Weight of the World: Drama
2:45pm – Young Visionaries: Experimental
4:30pm – Cinema of Chicago
6:00pm – Awards Ceremony
About CineYouth
CineYouth is a three-day film festival which presents 64 thrilling and diverse short films from 18 countries over a weekend of free screenings, discussions, and events. Held April 26-28, 2019 at the Music Box Theatre (3733 N. Southport Ave.), the festival will screen work from filmmakers ages 8-22, shining a light on new work from the ever expanding community of youth filmmakers from around the world, including many who call Chicago home. All events are free and open to the public. Tickets are available at www.chicagofilmfestival.com/cineyouth. | CineYouth is sponsored by Columbia College Chicago and Flashpoint Chicago, a Campus of Columbia College Hollywood, with additional support from WTTW, DCASE, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
