Gene Siskel Film Center of The School of The Art Institute of Chicago Announces the Full Program for the 30th Annual Black Harvest Film Festival

Featuring an evening with Terence Nance; Raoul Peck's evocative documentary, ERNEST COLE: LOST AND FOUND; DIRTY 30s, a celebratory shorts program marking the festival's milestone; the Chicago premiere of Charles Burnett's stunningly restored THE ANNIHILATION OF FISH with Burnett in person; and FROM THE BLOCK, a showcase of local shorts amplifying Chicago filmmakers; plus, much more.

CHICAGO, Oct. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago proudly announces the full lineup for the 30th Annual Black Harvest Film Festival, celebrating three decades of showcasing Black cinematic voices and visions across the diaspora.

This year's festival, which takes place November 8 to November 21 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, features more than 75 Chicago premieres, with 13 feature films and 10 shorts programs from 18 different countries, including Raoul Peck's documentary ERNEST COLE: LOST AND FOUND; the Chicago premiere of the Charles Burnett's long un-seenTHE ANNIHILATION OF FISH, with Burnett in person; and an evening with visionary film and television director Terence Nance. In honor of this milestone celebration, the DIRTY 30s shorts program captures life's humor, heart, and complexities in your thirties, reflecting on the festival's journey to 30 years. Audiences will enjoy exclusive screenings, thought-provoking dialogues, and celebratory receptions as they come together to honor three decades of Black Harvest.

"As we celebrate 30 years of Black storytelling, we honor the legacy of voices and visions that have brought us to this moment. Over the past three decades, new paths of cinematic expression have continued to unfold. Each film in this year's lineup offers a powerful connection across time and space, reminding us of the stories that shaped our past and the visions that will inspire our future," said Black Harvest Film Festival Lead Curator Jada-Amina.

Black Harvest Film Festival Highlights

• Opening Night, November 8: NBC Chicago entertainment reporter LeeAnn Trotter will emcee the night, presiding over a showcase of select Black Harvest Film Festival short films and the announcement of the winners of the Richard and Ellen Sandor Family Black Harvest Film Festival Prize. This year marks the seventh year that a $1,000 prize will be awarded to a short film, and the fourth year a $2,500 prize will honor a feature film. This year, the Sergio Mims Prize for Excellence in Black Filmmaking, a cash award of $5,000, will also be awarded to a local Chicago filmmaker whose work is included in the Black Harvest lineup. The winning films will be announced, as selected by the Black Harvest Film Festival jury, featuring pioneering and legendary filmmaker Julie Dash (DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST), RogerEbert.com associate editor Robert Daniels, and award-winning filmmaker Raven Jackson (ALL DIRT ROADS TASTE OF SALT). Following the program, attendees are cordially invited to a reception in the lobby.
• Special Guests: The Black Harvest Film Festival proudly welcomes more than 50 filmmakers for insightful, compelling dialogues following festival films, including:
  • An Evening with Terence Nance. Black Harvest is thrilled to welcome visionary filmmaker Terence Nance (AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF HER BEAUTY) for an intimate evening showcasing episodes four and five from season two of the acclaimed HBO series Random Acts of Flyness, where Nance delves into the richness of Black experiences. Following the screenings, Nance joins us for an expansive conversation facilitated by Black Harvest lead curator jada-amina.
  • Local Filmmaker Mixer: Ticket holders for the Monday, November 11, FROM THE BLOCK Chicago shorts program are invited to celebrate and mingle with local Black Harvest Film Festival filmmakers following the program. Tickets include a complimentary drink.
• Feature Films:
  • ERNEST COLE: LOST AND FOUND, Raoul Peck's profound documentary about South African photographer Ernest Cole, whose lens exposed the stark realities of colonial oppression in the wake of South African apartheid.
  • Chicago Premiere of THE DEBUTANTES: Focusing on the first group of Black debutantes in Canton, Ohio in a decade, this documentary follows young women as they confront the ball's legacy, redefining it and charting their own path forward.
  • Chicago Premiere of JIMMY: Shot in 16mm, JIMMY celebrates James Baldwin's journey from New York to Paris, leaving behind the oppressive backdrop of the 1940s United States to join fellow Black expats searching for liberation. Immersed in the Algerian quarters' rich cultural fabric and the Left Bank's artistic pulse, he confronts the complexities of his queerness.
• Short Film Programs. Enjoy the Chicago premieres of more than 60 dynamic shorts in this collection of 10 short film programs, including:
  • DIRTY 30s program + party: As Black Harvest enters its 30th year, the festival presents DIRTY 30s, a flirty program of six short films about navigating life in your thirties with humor, heart, and raw honesty, one laugh (or cry) at a time. The Black Harvest Community Council invites ticket holders to the Big Picture Party before the screening on Friday, November 15, starting at 5:00 p.m.
  • FROM THE BLOCK: Experience the vibrancy and diversity of Chicago and Illinois communities in this program of these eight compelling short films.
  • GRIOTS, GHOSTS, AND GUARDIANS: What's done in the dark comes to the light on the big screen with these seven short films of Black horror and haunting.
• Special Events and Presentations:
  • SONIC CONSTELLATIONS: A Deep Dive into Film Scores: Chicago-based scholar and curator Chris D. Reeder, alongside artist and theorist Nina Garibaldi, explores the essential role of sound in cinema, revealing how scores shape narratives and emotional experiences. This engaging program, using sounds from films in this year's Black Harvest Film Festival, connects Chicago's vibrant musical landscape, especially house music, to diasporic sounds in film.
  • COMMUNITY FILM WORKSHOP SHOWCASE: SOUTH SIDE SHORTS: For more than five decades, the Community Film Workshop of Chicago has supported African Americans and people of color in the film industry. This free showcase features 13 captivating short films, each highlighting and reflecting the rich tapestry of our community. Followed by a reception with light refreshments.
  • MYSTERY MOVIE MONDAY: BLACK HARVEST EDITION: Peer into the unknown, embrace the ambiguity, and show up to the Film Center for a screening that is entirely, absolutely, and completely "to be announced"—quite literally the moment the lights go down. Starting the week prior to each screening, we'll drop hints via social media and on our website.
• Closing Night, November 21: THE ANNIHILATION OF FISH, with director Charles Burnett in person. Black Harvest is honored to conclude the 30th Black Harvest Film Festival with the Chicago premiere of the 4K digital restoration of Charles Burnett's (KILLER OF SHEEP, TO SLEEP WITH ANGER) long-lost feature, THE ANNIHILATION OF FISH, starring James Earl Jones, Lynn Redgrave, and Margot Kidder. Charles Burnett will join us. For almost a quarter of a century, THE ANNIHILATION OF FISH has been unavailable on all media—it has never been distributed on 35mm, DCP, VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, television, or streaming—until now.

Tickets and Passes 

Festival passes and individual Black Harvest Film Festival tickets are available for purchase.

• Tickets are $13, with Film Center members paying only $6.50 per ticket.
• Students with a valid school ID pay $8.
• SAIC students, staff, and faculty pay $5 for regular film presentations.

Black Harvest Film Festival passes are $60 and can be redeemed for six regular film presentations (excluding Opening Night and Closing Night). Film Center members will pay only $30 for the six-film festival pass.

Opening Night tickets are $40 (general audience), $35 for students and $25 for Film Center members and SAIC staff, students and faculty.

Closing Night tickets $30 (general audiences), $20 for students and $20 for Film Center members and SAIC staff, students and faculty.

Full Program here.
Showtimes and guest appearances are subject to change.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Lori Hile
773-746-5127
[email protected] 

Laura Bissett
312-291-1099
[email protected]

SOURCE School of the Art Institute of Chicago