Arts & Entertainment
Black History Month Short Film Series Spotlight Directors Shaping Chicago’s Film Scene
A still from the short film “We Call Each Other” directed by Sarah Oberholtzer, screening at the short film series “Life Within the Lens” at Music Box Theater on Feb. 23 for Black History Month. (Courtesy of Sarah Oberholtzer)
In celebration of Black History Month, Chicago filmmakers will be showing their short films at Music Box Theater and Facets in programs presented by local film programmer Tyler Michael Balentine.
“Seeing the great amount of work that local Black filmmakers have been making in the city, I just believe that this is the best time to go ahead and show those things,” Balentine said.
The film program “Sunday’s Best” at Facets presents a collection of short films by a local filmmaker each week, along with a pre-show introduction, post-show Q&A and reception. Highlighted filmmakers are Amir George, jellystone robinson, George Ellzey Jr. and the production house Brain Studios. Screenings are every Sunday, from Feb. 8 to March 1, at 2 p.m.
The seventh edition of the local short film series “Life Within the Lens” at Music Box Theater is set for Feb. 23 at 7 p.m., featuring filmmakers Sanicole, Phil Lee, Eve Wright, Sarah Oberholtzer, Luchina Fisher, Jacob Sutton and Shiloh Tumo Washington.
Balentine was recently nominated for a Chicago Indie Critics Impact Award for his Juneteenth iteration of the “Life Within the Lens” series at Music Box. The short film series, which began in 2024, is also held during Hispanic Heritage Month, in addition to Black History Month and Juneteenth.
“I really do believe that with what I’m doing, it is strengthening the presence of Black filmmakers in the eyes of producers, in the eyes of organizers, in the eyes of people,” Balentine said.
A still from the short film “Abefele” directed by Amir George, who will be screening a collection of short films on Feb. 8 as part of the film program “Sunday’s Best” at Facets during Black History Month. (Courtesy of Amir George)
A still from the short film “Man of the People,” which is about the city’s first Black mayor Harold Washington, directed by Amir George. (Courtesy of Amir George)
To kick off the “Sunday’s Best” program at Facets, experimental filmmaker Amir George will present a variety “mixtape” of short films, he said, that cover topics such as Harold Washington, who was the city’s first Black mayor, blues music, speech and therapy, Black culture and fencing.
George, who grew up in Englewood, said he resonated with L.A. filmmaker Ben Caldwell telling him how some movies from Black filmmakers are made like African folk tales. George described his approach to filmmaking as detaching from a Westernized way of storytelling, and making movies that are nonlinear and leave room for different interpretations.
“Sometimes people say I’m making art about Black people,” George said. “But I’m thinking about making art like Black people. Like in the ways of our gestures, in the ways of our abruptness, how we live our lives, the nonlinearity of our experience throughout the diaspora.”
George will be presenting his curated short film program “Echoform” at Facets on Feb. 8 at 2 p.m., featuring titles: “Shades of Shadows,” “a strange bitter,” “Black Gold,” “Optimum Continuum 3.1,” “Abefele,” “Man of the People,” “Silence of Clarity” and “How to Pray (WIP).”
A still from the short film “We Call Each Other” directed by Sarah Oberholtzer. (Courtesy of Sarah Oberholtzer)
Among the filmmakers being showcased at the Black History Month presentation at Music Box on Feb. 23 is Sarah Oberholtzer, who will be presenting their short film, “We Call Each Other.” The short is Oberholtzer’s first narrative piece they’ve written and directed.
It is the first part of a larger short film series of the same name, following a community who looks to one another to build and reimagine public safety in the midst of an environmental crisis, Oberholtzer said.
Sistas In The Village, a farm in Englewood, was the short film’s main location.
Oberholtzer, who grew up in the L.A. area and moved to the Chicago area to attend Northwestern University, said they took a “leap of faith” in deciding to pursue filmmaking full time about five years ago. Oberholtzer said their community organizing and advocacy background is also an influence in their approach to filmmaking and film distribution.
“My work is definitely interested in using the filmmaking medium to help people imagine a life that is better for us all,” Oberholtzer said. “I’m really interested in showing examples of life that get people to believe that we are worth resources … and that it is possible to live in a better world.”
Filmmakers will also be in attendance following the Music Box screening for a post-film Q&A.
WTTW News arts coverage is supported by the JCS Arts, Health & Education Fund of the .
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
