Chicago filmmaker, actor, and poet, McKenzie Chinn joins Alex Pissios, the visionary behind Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, as the Event Honorees at the IFA Magic Hour on December 1.
Chinn will be the recipient of the Breakthrough Voice Award.
McKenzie Chinn is the writer, producer, and lead actor of Olympia, which premiered at the 2018 LA Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the 2019 Bentonville Film Festival, and is a 2021 Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Lab Fellow with her next feature A Real One, currently in late development.
As an actor, her on-camera credits include guest star roles on the FOX series The Big Leap, ABC’s forthcoming Will Trent, CBS’s The Red Line, and others. Onstage she has worked with Steppenwolf and Goodman Theatres, The Second City, Woolly Mammoth, and others.
Her poetry has been nominated for multiple awards including a Pushcart Prize. She is part of Growing Concerns Poetry Collective which released its second studio album BIG DARK BRIGHT FUTURES in 2020.
Her recently completed short film A Real One – the stand-alone proof-of-concept for the feature – was made possible when she became the recipient of the inaugural NBCUniversal Grant through the Bentonville Film Foundation.
As previously announced, Chicago native Alexander “Alex” Pissios will be awarded the inaugural IFA Visionary Leadership Award and Hometown Hero Award as the visionary behind Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, the largest film and television production soundstage in North America.
Magic Hour Info:
Thursday December 1, 2022
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM CST
Wildman Boiler & Tank Co.
3022 W Carroll Ave, Chicago, IL
For more information and TICKETS, visit HERE.
The Independent Film Alliance Chicago provides the community and resources needed to build a diverse and sustainable industry of independent content creators & filmmakers. The inaugural fundraiser gala, titled MAGIC HOUR, will help IFA continue their mission and also celebrate the recent growth of the film industry in Chicago.
It should be a night to remember – bringing together Chicago’s creative and civic leaders to support Chicago’s independent filmmakers and storytellers.
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