Barghouti’s family, longing for him, speak as though he will find release. The more profound point here, present in all the films of this Festival, is that as they watch the Occupiers seize their towns, their homes, and their bodies, the Palestinians cannot help but persist. His resistance, whether from a rooftop speech or torture in … Read more
SING SING Director: Greg Kwedar | 105 mins Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other men who are incarcerated, including wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin), in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, … Read more
I was delighted to attend the event at the Music Box in Chicago this week promoting the new book, Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras: A History of Blaxploitation Cinema, by our former Film Critic Odie Henderson, who is now the head critic at The Boston Globe. Odie is one of the people who never fails to make me laugh out loud at … Read more
Chicago Harry, the live groundhog, will emerge from his tree stump to reveal if he sees his shadow, meaning 6 more weeks of winter is expected, while Chicago Alderman Brendan Reilly will close out the ceremony by reading a City of Chicago proclamation declaring it Harold Ramis Day in Chicago. Harry Caray’s Tavern will transform … Read more
He was born Myron G. Nussbaum on December 29, 1923 and grew up in the Albany Park section of Chicago’s Northwest Side. He served in the armed forces during World War II at the Allied Expeditionary Force under the command of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and in that capacity became the one charged with cabling … Read more
The full list of winners is below: BEST PICTURE: “Killers of the Flower Moon”BEST DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”BEST ACTOR: Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers”BEST ACTRESS: Emma Stone, “Poor Things”BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Charles Melton, “May December”BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: “May December” by Samy BurchBEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: “Killers of the Flower Moon” … Read more
On a day like this one, I ask myself what is one of the most loving acts we can do for each other, and the answer (perhaps because I am from a big family) is to feed another. I hope you will also consider making a donation here or by sending a check payable to Greater Chicago Food Depository to … Read more
Your previous film was “Under Siege,” the Steven Seagal action epic that was a big hit for Warner Brothers in the fall of 1992. Had you already agreed to make “The Fugitive” before that one came out, or did the offer come afterward? At the premiere of “Under Siege,” Arnold Kopelson, who was one of … Read more
According to the festival’s press release, the Inspire Award is “given to a filmmaker who influences and inspires filmmakers to create empowering and positive messages for young audiences. Cherry’s Oscar-winning project, ‘Hair Love,’ about an African American father attempting to do his daughter’s hair for the first time, won the 2020 Academy Award for Best … Read more
Your goal of championing diversity in filmmaking makes the selection of Geena Davis to deliver the keynote speech at “A Decade of Docs” all the more fitting. PF: She’s really an icon for going against the grain. Her non-profit, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, requires the town and the industry she works … Read more