Documentary

CHICAGO – Back in 2017, I had the honor to talk to one of my favorite Chicago filmmakers, absorbing his highly tuned perspective. Lonnie Edwards broke out in 2014 with the award-winning short film “Parietal Guidance,” and from there has commented on black and societal issues with his films “A Ferguson Story,” “Exodus: Sounds of the Great Migration” and his latest “Periphery.”

CHICAGO – “The show must go on … “ That became the rallying cry of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, which was physically postponed because of the Covid pandemic (it was originally scheduled from April 15-26). Despite that unexpected turn, the Festival went online, named juries and awarded honors to films on April 29th.

CHICAGO – It has almost become a sure fact of life that film documentaries have become a focused way to receive vital news/information. Documentarian Lauren Greenfield (“Generation Wealth”) exposes a revelation in “The Kingmaker” … that the Marcos family, once part of a dictatorship, is coming back to power in the Philippines.

CHICAGO – Closing Night of the 55th Chicago International Film Festival was a celebration of a great one, the legendary Blues Man Buddy Guy, who came to Chicago in 1957 and made his mark on music from then on and forever. Filmmaker Jim Farrell captures it all in “The Torch,” the Closing Night documentary.

CHICAGO – The Chicago International Film Festival is competitive, and the 55th edition presented its awards on October 25th, 2019, at CHEZ venue in Chicago. The winner of the Gold Hugo as Best International Film was “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (France), directed by Céline Sclamma.

CHICAGO – The Windy City’s greatest annual cinema celebration is upon us, and the 55th Chicago International Film Festival is about to crank up the projection machines for 11 days of amazing cinema treats, from October 16th through the 27th, 2019. How does a film buff or curious participant navigate the waters of the festival? HollywoodChicago.com is here to guide you.

CHICAGO – This week, the new documentary “Mike Wallace is Here” will release in Chicago, so who better to get a perspective on the CBS News and “60 Minutes” interviewer and reporter than Bruce DuMont, a Chicago broadcasting icon who has covered the scene since the late 1960s.

CHICAGO – In the pantheon of firsts, there are so many of them that fly under our radar. For every Rosa Parks, there are a number of women who take the challenge to make social change. In 1989, British-born Tracy Edwards became the first female skipper, guiding an all-female crew and sailboat in the prestigious Whitbread Around the World Race. Her story is told in “Maiden.”

CHICAGO – One of the exciting weekend film festivals in Chicago is DOC 10, a celebration of non-fiction filmmaking at its highest level. And no one knows that more than Steve Cohen, the co-founder – with Paula Froehle – of the festival. Cohen and Froehle not only help facilitate and curate DOC 10, but also produce documentaries through their Chicago Media Project. The Closing Night Film of DOC 10, on April 14th, 2019, is “Biggest Little Farm.” For more information and tickets, click here.

CHICAGO – One of the great predictors of Oscar worthy films is Chicago’s DOC 10 festival. The Chicago Media Project presents its fourth annual documentary fest, a weekend of 10 prominent documentaries that end up either making a national statement or nominated for awards (last year’s fest included Oscar nominees “Minding the Gap” and “RBG”). It all takes place at the Davis Theatre in the Lincoln Square neighborhood from April 11th-14th, 2019, and opens with “Knock Down the House.” For more information and tickets, click here.