Ascension

CHICAGO – Happy Oscar Day! The 94th Academy Awards takes place on March 27th, and Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com conducted two major interviews connected to nominees. Actor David Dastmalchian for “Dune” (Best Picture) and Director Jessica Kingdon for “Ascension” (Best Documentary).

CHICAGO – Are we there yet? Another pandemic year, 2021, somewhat affected the cinema world, but many films that had been delayed finally saw the light of screen, and one true blockbuster was had for the industry (kudos to Spidey). Around mid-year, the critics and public went back to the theaters, and this 10 BEST list is a hybrid of in-person and online viewings.

CHICAGO – China sits across the sea as a country of sprawling expansion … economically, socially and governmentally. There is a new documentary that tries to understand all this proliferation and at the same time is a work of film art. “Ascension” is created and directed by Jessica Kingdon.

CHICAGO – Season 13 of Chicago’s Asian Pop Up Cinema (APUC) is about to launch on Wednesday, September 15th, 2021, at the AMC River East in Chicago. The Opening Night film is “Ascension” – directed by Jessica Kingdon – an artistically cinematic documentary on the new Chinese Dream. For ticket information, click here.

CHICAGO – Going both ways … in-person screenings in New York City and virtual/online for at-home enjoyment proved a success for the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. The 20th Fest announced their Jury Competition Award Winners on June 17th, with honorees that included Games and Podcasts for the first time.