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Film Thu Jan 16 2014
"Stills for Sisters in Cinema": Black Women and the Big Screen
For Brittany Williams, when it comes to visibility and positive images of black women on the big screen, in many areas, there is still room for improvement. "Even as more African American filmmakers have risen to prominence in the present day, the presence of black women in film--or lack thereof--has left something to be desired," said Williams.
This sentiment has led to "Stills for Sisters in Cinema: African American Women Filmmakers," now running Thursdays through March at the University of Chicago's Max Palevsky Cinema, 1212 E. 59th St. Curated by Williams and held under the university's film society, DocFilms, "Stills" is a cinematic series that includes films that tell diverse stories about black women, that feature black women in lead roles, and that were directed by black women like Julie Dash, Kasi Lemmons, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Ava DuVernay, and others.
The series kicked off last week with Prince-Bythewood's Love and Basketball, which stars actress Sanaa Lathan as an athlete who is often torn between the two loves of her life: boyfriend Quincy, played by Omar Epps, and of course, the game of basketball.
Screening tonight, the next film in the series is Alile Sharon Larkin's A Different Image, a story of a young black woman who humorously combats racism and sexism, as she fights against the "sexpot" image. In addition, A Different Image will be preceded by a viewing of Larkin's half-hour film, Your Children Come Back to You.
Subsequent screenings include Pariah, Dee Rees' award-winning, critically-acclaimed film about a young black woman learning to embrace her sexual identity; Lemmons' Eve's Bayou; and DuVernay's Middle of Nowhere, a story of a woman who deals with the ramifications of her husband's incarceration.
All films are shown at 7pm; for a full series schedule and other information, visit DocFilms or call 773-702-8575.
