Fri, June 21 @ 6:30 pm Screening followed by Q&A with director Juney Smith Chicago Premiere
Actors Danny Glover and Ben Guillory have been friends for over 50 years. They share with the audience the extraordinary story of that friendship, some of their life’s journey, their artistic journey and their shared admiration of Paul Robeson, which led them to the creation of the Robey Theatre Company in Los Angeles, California. Directed by Juney Smith, USA, 90 minutes, 2018, Documentary, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
ALI'S COMEBACK: THE UNTOLD STORY
Fri, June 21 @ 9:00 pm
OPENING NIGHT Chicago Premiere VIP Reception @ 8:00pm - 9:00pm Screening & Q&A with director Art Jones @ 9:00pm
Opening Night film, Ali’s Comeback: The Untold Story by Art Jones, is a fascinating documentary that recounts the unsung saga that broke the boxing’s blacklist status of Muhammad Ali, the champion who said “no” to war and racism. An unusual group of people came together in the most unlikely location to end Muhammad Ali’s exile from boxing. The year is 1970. It has been three and a half years since Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title. Convicted of draft evasion. Threatened with imprisonment. Banned In all 50 states, he is unable to work in the field for which he had no equal. The wide door on his illustrious career seems to be closing. But in Atlanta, Georgia, an astute white businessman, a visionary black senator, and a progressive Jewish mayor came together to make it possible for Ali to resume his amazing boxing career. Directed by Art Jones, 76mins, 2018, USA, Documentary, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2019
Windrush: Spotlight on the Black Experience in the UK
BURNING AN ILLUSION Sat, June 22 @ 2:00 pm
The illusions being burnt are those of Pat Williams (Cassie McFarlane), an attractive 22-year old Black girl with a steady clerical job, her own little flat in West London, and the aim of settling down to a comfortable lower-middle class married life with Mr. Right.Directed by Menelik Shabaz, UK, 107 mins, 198, Drama, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
HANGING OUT: YOUTH CULTURE THEN AND NOW Sat, June 22 @ 4:00 pm Chicago Premiere
Hanging Out is a 50-minute documentary about diversity in youth culture in London in the 1950s, 1960s and today. It features a multi-cultural view on how youth culture has manifested itself in the London boroughs of Lambeth, Brent, Camden & the City of London during the 1950s, 1960s and now. Both native Londoners and ethnic minorities share their memories and experiences of growing up over this time. They talk about music, fashion, film, sport and entertainment richly illustrated with archive film, photographs and iconic posters. Directed by Lorna Holder, UK, 55 mins 2012, Yvonne Deutschman, Documentary, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
NO SHADE Sat, June 22 @ 5:30 pm Chicago Premiere
WINNER, ADIFF 2018 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR THE BEST FILM DIRECTED BY A WOMAN OF COLOR! Told through the prism of love, relationships, dating and marriage, No Shade provides a raw perspective on the issue of colourism and what happens when looking for love in the right place, goes wrong. No Shade explores the hardships of the modern dating world through the dysmorphic presence of colorism as well as the fetishization of black women in a way that is tactful and honest.
Jade is both effervescent and relatable as a 28 year old single woman of dark complexion who just “can’t seem to get it right,” let alone liberate herself from her unrequited love for the repressive and colorist Danny. The world through her eyes is both a quirky and tumultuous obstacle course of courtship catastrophes and heart-gripping silences. Despite Jade’s line up of Tinder flops and her challenges in the friend-zone, she is easy to engage with and adorable. Jade’s charisma, quirk, beauty, vulnerability and perseverance throughout the film make her a thoughtful heroine with a twist of comedic spunk in the end. Directed by Clare Anyiam-Osigwe, UK, 104 Mins, Romantic Comedy, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
PARDONS OF INNOCENCE: THE WILMINGTON TEN
Sat, June 22 @ 8:00 pm CENTERPIECE SCREENING Reception - 7:00pm - 8:00pm Screening& Q&A @ 8:00pm Chicago Premiere
The documentary recounts the turbulent history surrounding the troubled desegregation of New Hanover County Public School System in North Carolina during the late 1960s through 1971, and the violence that led up to the false prosecution and convictions of eight black male students, a white female community organizer, and fiery civil rights activist, Rev. Benjamin Chavis, for protesting racial injustice. The case of the Wilmington Ten made national and international headlines, resulting in a huge national, and even international movement to free them after Amnesty International formally declared them “political prisoners.” Directed by Cash Michaels, USA, 90 Mins, 2018, Documentary, English. Click HERE for details & Tickets
SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2019 CARIBBEAN LEADERS
CATCH A FIRE Sun, June 23 @ 2:00 pm Catch a Fire tells the story of Deacon Paul Bogle, often described as a 19th century Malcom X. 30 years after the end of slavery in Jamaica, the Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865 provoked outrage in Victorian Britain shaping race and land attitudes. The story is constructed using extensive interviews with Paul Bogle’s grand son as well as archive material. Directed by Menelik Shabazz, docu-drama, 30 minutes, Jamaica and UK, 1995, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
BARROW: FREEDOM FIGHTER Sun, June 23 @ 2:30 pm Chicago Premiere WINNER, ADIFF 2017 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR THE BEST FILM DIRECTED BY A WOMAN OF COLOR! Narrated by former United States Attorney General Eric Holder whose father is from Barbados, the Errol Barrow docudrama, BARROW: FREEDOM FIGHTER tells the story of The Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow who successfully led Barbados to independence on November 30th, 1966 after more than 300 years as a British colony. BARROW: FREEDOM FIGHTER, is a passionate story about the courage of one man who relentlessly preached a gospel of economic self-reliance and self-respect to the people of his native country Barbados and beyond. He defied the status quo, confronted racism and classicism, fought colonial oppression and selflessly led his people to political and economic freedom. Directed by Marcia Weekes, dock-drama, 84 minutes, Barbados, 2017, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
OUT OF CHAOS, AN ARTIST'S JOURNEY IN HAITI Sun, June 23 @ 4:30 pm Screening followed by Q&A and reception Sponsored by Dusable Heritage Association and in partnership with the Haitian American Museum of Chicago Chicago Premiere Invited by the Ghetto Biennale of Port au Prince, the multimedia artist Pascal Giacomini spends a month in the community of Grand Rue. He works there a month, using only what he can find and recycle to create three large sculptures, exhibited at the end of the festival with local artists. He takes advantage of the experience to show the daily life of the ghetto. He interviews artists, locals and others; and tries to show the source of the amazing Haitian creative energy, which mixes the country’s revolutionary history, voodoo, and the traumatic experience of the earthquake. What prompted artists to turn the gravas into art. It is the happy tale of an indestructible spirit. With the participation of : Eugene André, David Boyer, Jean-Herard Céleur, Don Cosentino, Edwige Danticat, Philppe Dodard, Edouard Duval Carrié, Pascal Giacomini, Jean Baptiste Jean-Joseph, Michèle Manuel, Pascale Monnin, and the Community of the Grand Rue and the Ghetto Biennial. Directed by Pascal Giacomini, USA, 70 Mins, 2018, Documentary, English, Creole and French with English subtitles. Click HERE for details & Tickets
BLACK MEXICANS Sun, June 23 @ 6:30 PM
Black Mexicans” (La Negrada) is the first Mexican feature film about the Afro-Mexican community, filmed entirely with people from different towns around the Costa Chica in Oaxaca. Neri, a fisherman, splits his time between two women: his wife Juanita with whom he has a daughter and his lover Magdalena, mother of three additional children. Things are about to change for Neri as Juanita falls gravely ill and Magdalena prepares to take her place. Shot entirely in the beautiful beaches of Corralera in Oaxaca and featuring a cast of non-professional actors from the nearby communities, “Black Mexicans” explores the social mores of and the discrimination faced by Mexico’s unacknowledged black community. Directed by Jorge Perez Solano, Mexico, 100 minutes, 2018, Drama, Spanish w English subtitles Click HERE for details & Tickets
MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2019 KINSHASA MAKAMBO Mon, June 24 @ 6:30 PM Chicago Premiere
In January 2015, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, sought a constitutional amendment that would allow him to be elected president for a third time. This film documents the resulting demonstrations and follows three protagonists of the resistance. Ben, who lives in exile in New York, takes the advice of his fellow countrymen in exile and decides to join the struggle in the Congo. Jean Marie, who has just been released from prison, continues his public campaign for his country’s freedom and is persecuted by the secret service. Christian fights unperturbed in the streets of Kinshasa, even after former Prime Minister Etienne Tshisekedi, on whom the opposition had pinned their hopes, dies and the movement against Kabila’s extension of his time in office seems paralysed. Should one resist in exile, or fight on the ground in the Congo? Should resistance be non-violent or should force be used if required? Filmed throughout with a handheld camera that stays very close to the protagonists, even in precarious conditions, Dieudo Hamadi explores the pros and cons of different forms of resistance. Directed by Dieudo Hamadi, DRC/Switzerland/France/Germany, 75 mins, 2018, Documentary, French/Lingala w English subtitles Click HERE for details & Tickets
TAZZEKA Mon, June 24 @ 8:00 PM Chicago Premiere
Growing up in the Moroccan village of Tazzeka, Elias learned the secrets of traditional Moroccan cuisine from his grandmother who raised him. Years later, meeting a top Paris chef and a young woman named Salma inspires him to leave home. In Paris, Elias faces unstable work and financial hardship as an undocumented immigrant. But he also finds friendship with Souleymane, who helps revive his passion for cooking. Directed by Jean Phillipe Gaud, Morocco/France, 95 minutes, comedy/drama, French, Arabic with English subtitles Click HERE for details & Tickets
TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2019 BARROW: FREEDOM FIGHTER Tues, June 25 @ 6:30 pm Chicago Premiere WINNER, ADIFF 2017 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR THE BEST FILM DIRECTED BY A WOMAN OF COLOR! Narrated by former United States Attorney General Eric Holder whose father is from Barbados, the Errol Barrow docudrama, BARROW: FREEDOM FIGHTER tells the story of The Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow who successfully led Barbados to independence on November 30th, 1966 after more than 300 years as a British colony. BARROW: FREEDOM FIGHTER, is a passionate story about the courage of one man who relentlessly preached a gospel of economic self-reliance and self-respect to the people of his native country Barbados and beyond. He defied the status quo, confronted racism and classicism, fought colonial oppression and selflessly led his people to political and economic freedom. Directed by Marcia Weekes, dock-drama, 84 minutes, Barbados, 2017, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
NO SHADE
Tue, June 25 @ 8:30 pm WINNER, ADIFF 2018 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR THE BEST FILM DIRECTED BY A WOMAN OF COLOR! Chicago Premiere
Told through the prism of love, relationships, dating and marriage, No Shade provides a raw perspective on the issue of colourism and what happens when looking for love in the right place, goes wrong. No Shade explores the hardships of the modern dating world through the dysmorphic presence of colorism as well as the fetishization of black women in a way that is tactful and honest.
Jade is both effervescent and relatable as a 28 year old single woman of dark complexion who just “can’t seem to get it right,” let alone liberate herself from her unrequited love for the repressive and colorist Danny. The world through her eyes is both a quirky and tumultuous obstacle course of courtship catastrophes and heart-gripping silences. Despite Jade’s line up of Tinder flops and her challenges in the friend-zone, she is easy to engage with and adorable. Jade’s charisma, quirk, beauty, vulnerability and perseverance throughout the film make her a thoughtful heroine with a twist of comedic spunk in the end. Directed by Clare Anyiam-Osigwe, UK, 104 Mins, Romantic Comedy, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2019
ALI'S COMEBACK: THE UNTOLD STORY
Wed, June 26 @ 6:30 pm Chicago Premiere
Ali’s Comeback: The Untold Story by Art Jones, is a fascinating documentary that recounts the unsung saga that broke the boxing’s blacklist status of Muhammad Ali, the champion who said “no” to war and racism. An unusual group of people came together in the most unlikely location to end Muhammad Ali’s exile from boxing. The year is 1970. It has been three and a half years since Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title. Convicted of draft evasion. Threatened with imprisonment. Banned In all 50 states, he is unable to work in the field for which he had no equal. The wide door on his illustrious career seems to be closing. But in Atlanta, Georgia, an astute white businessman, a visionary black senator, and a progressive Jewish mayor came together to make it possible for Ali to resume his amazing boxing career. Directed by Art Jones, 76mins, 2018, USA, Documentary, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
RATTLESNAKES
Wed June 26 @ 8:00 PM Chicago PremiereBased on Graham Farrow’s acclaimed stage-play, Rattlesnakes by award-winning writer/director Julius Amedume is a Neo Noir psychological thriller that tells the story of healer Robert McQueen. A typical day takes a turn for the worst when he’s ambushed by three masked men who accuse him of sleeping with their wives. He pleads his innocence, but what he does reveal will not only change all of their lives forever – but will it be enough to save his? Directed by Julius Amedume, USA/UK, 105 Mins, 2019, Thriller, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2019
THE ROBESON EFFECT
Thur, June 27 @ 6:30 pm Chicago Premiere
Actors Danny Glover and Ben Guillory have been friends for over 50 years. They share with the audience the extraordinary story of that friendship, some of their life’s journey, their artistic journey and their shared admiration of Paul Robeson, which led them to the creation of the Robey Theatre Company in Los Angeles, California. Directed by Juney Smith, USA, 90 minutes, 2018, Documentary, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
CLOSING NIGHT Reception @ 7:30pm - 8:30pm
MADE IN HIS IMAGE
Thurs, June 27 @ 8:30 pm Screening followed by Q&A
A true story of a young black girl who experiences bullying from her classmates. Hurt and confused, she later finds strength from her mother’s story.Directed by Anah Ambuchi, USA, 12 Mins, 2019, Drama, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
followed by
THICKER THAN BLOOD
Thurs, June 27 @ 8:45 pm Chicago Premiere
Screening & Q&A @ 8:45pmThicker Than Blood tells the story of Jordan, the youngest of two sons, who returns home for the first time in three years to celebrate his older brother’s promotion to partner in his law firm. During what’s supposed to be a joyous afternoon of family, friends, and food, secrets are revealed, masks are uncovered, and some things are said that can’t be taken back. A once tight-knit family is left broken and faced with the task of trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces and put them back together before losing each other forever. Directed by Anthony L. Williams, USA, 75 mins, 2017, Drama, English Click HERE for details & Tickets
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