Cinema 53

01/17/2022

Today! Virtual MLK Day celebration of South Side filmmaking, activism and arts, starting at 3pm.

On this MLK Day, APL encourages you to attend An Unapologetic Dream: A MLK Day Celebration–films, poetry and discussion with South Side artists and activists, presented by Hyde Park Art Center in collaboration with South Side Community Art Center and Arts + Public Life.

This free virtual screening of the award-winning documentary Unapologetic, by Chicago filmmaker Ashley O'Shay, offers a deeper look into the Movement for Black Lives in Chicago, from the police murder of Rekia Boyd to the election of mayor Lori Lightfoot, through the lens of fierce abolitionist leaders Janaé Bonsu and Bella Bahhs.

The program will open with two short films by Chicago filmmakers: Martin Luther King's Unsung Heroes in Chicago (excerpt) by Cathleen Campbell, and shorts from The Black Archive Project: Chicago Uprisings 2020 by Resita Cox, followed by a poetry reading by Leslé Honoré Poetry.

The poetry and films will be followed by a live public conversation with filmmakers Ashley O’Shay, Resita Cox, and Cathleen Campbell, and activists Janaé Bonsu and Bella Bahhs.

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An Unapologetic Dream: A MLK Day Celebration
Monday, January 17 | 4–7pm
Register for free: http://ow.ly/Ru2n50Hw6m5

01/07/2022

The first Black performer to win the Academy Award for best actor, for “Lilies of the Field,” he once said he felt “as if I were representing 15, 18 million people with every move I made.”

12/02/2021

"Do you remember the first time that you watched Boyz N The Hood? I remember! I had just turned 17. It was the summer between high school and college. I saw it at the Harper Theater in Hyde Park with friends. It really affected me. Ricky's tragic death seemed all too real and personal - like I knew him somehow. The breadth and complexity of the female characters made a mark on me, and gave me a new perspective on the struggles of the women in my family.
If you love Boyz N The Hood as much as I do, please join me on Sunday December 5th at Cinema Chatham in Chicago for a 30th Anniversary Screening." - Michelle Kennedy, director, The Chicago South Side Film Festival
SUNDAY, DEC 5, noon - 2:30pm

10/22/2021

Tomorrow! Join Arts + Public Life and Sisters in Cinema for an afternoon screening and conversation about "Change the Name," a short documentary following student activists and educators from Village Leadership Academy on their three-year campaign to change the name of a park in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood from a known slaveholder to abolitionists Anna Murray and Frederick Douglass.

Followed by conversation on activating advocacy and organizing among youth, with Change the Name activists Raniya, Zahir and Zari, and director Cai Thomas and instructor Bianca Jones.
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Change the Name: Short Documentary Screening + Conversation
Saturday, October 23 | 3–4pm

A screening and conversation with youth activists Raniya, Zahir and Zari, director Cai Thomas, and co-director/instructor Bianca Jones

10/15/2021

"A chorus of experts and fans—from Chuck D to Melvin van Peebles—weighs in on the incredible legacy of a man that cinema scholar Jacqueline Stewart describes as “the most important Black filmmaker who ever lived. Period.”"

Come out to Chicago International Film Festival this Sunday to see "Oscar Micheaux – The Superhero of Black Filmmaking" in a theater with people! Use this discount code for $3 off the 10/17 screening: MICHEAUX_C53

"The most successful African American director of the first half of the 20th century, Oscar Micheaux wrote, directed, and produced more than 44 films and six novels before his death in 1951. Charting his incredible artistic journey, Zippel’s revealing documentary pays tribute to the extraordinary accomplishments of a resolute storyteller (and Illinois native) whose work served as a powerful rebuke to the ubiquitous racism of the times."

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The most successful African American director of the first half of the 20th century, Oscar Micheaux wrote, directed, and produced more than 44 films and six novels before his death […]

09/30/2021

We're thrilled to share that Jacqueline Stewart, Cinema 53 director and leading film scholar known for her work on silent films and African American cinema, has been awarded a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship. Congrats, Jackie!

“Everyone in my family liked to tell stories,” she said Monday. “And my aunts and uncles and cousins had stories, great stories, for the photos and home movies that we saw. That is what really inspired my life’s work.”

Given each year by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the prestigious grants recognize individuals from across disciplines who “show exceptional creativity in their work.”

Read more in the Chicago Tribune:

Announcing the 25 members of this year’s class of MacArthur Fellows, each receiving $625,000 paid over five years from the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

03/15/2021

Join us next week to watch the South Side Short Film Series! Reel Black Filmmakers and Community Film Workshop of Chicago present this free Zoom event featuring short films about Gender and Sexuality by filmmakers from the South Side of Chicago. Filmmakers will participate in a post-screening discussion to shed light on their films. See link below.

02/24/2021

Calling South Side filmmakers!
Check out the Digital Storytelling Initiative’s 2021 Production Institute, a summer intensive program aimed at providing intermediate filmmakers on Chicago’s South Side with invaluable digital media resources and training. Our team at the Jonathan Logan Media Center has partnered with the Community Film Workshop of Chicago to bring high quality programming that we hope Chicago creatives will take advantage of.

Visit the website for details, eligibility requirements, updates on program dates, registration links, and application info.

About the Digital Storytelling Initiative With an endowment from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation Media Center serves as a sponsor of media arts training, a presenter of new artistic work, and a creative hub for University- and community-based practitioners....