Black Harvest Film Festival to honor Chadwick Boseman at virtual event; full lineup announced

Bryan Tyree Henry and Sonequa Martin-Green star in “The Outside Story,” which will have its Chicago premiere at the 2020 Black Harvest Film Festival. | Courtesy Gene Siskel Film Center

The 26th annual Black Harvest Film Festival will be a virtual event, it was announced Tuesday.

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center will present the online event Nov. 6-30, featuring the Chicago premieres of 10 feature films and more than 30 short films from Black filmmakers, a program showcasing work from Chicago youth, a workshop, and three panel discussions with industry insiders all streaming at siskelfilmcenter.org.

In addition, the festival will include a closing-night celebration honoring the late “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman, with a screening of his 2012 film “The Killing Hole,” directed by Mischa Webley (the film made its Chicago premiere at the festival that year).

Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and first lady Amy Eshleman will serve as the honorary co-chairs of the festival.

“If these past seven months have shown us anything, it’s that, during trying times, we can turn to the arts and storytelling to find meaning and understanding. Events such as the Black Harvest Film Festival are what make Chicago a thriving, multicultural city, and as the honorary co-chairs, we invite you to join us to discover new talent, gain a better understanding of the world, and just simply be entertained,” Lightfoot said in a statement.

The Black Harvest Film Festival will include a stream of the 2012 film “The Killing Hole,” as a tribute to its star, the late Chadwick Boseman.

Opening the festival is at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 is “A Black Harvest Feast,” a 63-minute stream featuring the work of various directors via five short films.

“The Outside Story,” (2020, Casmir Nozkowski, USA, 85 min.), starring Bryan Tyree Henry and Sonequa Martin-Green. will be the festival’s first feature film to be streamed, at 3 p.m. Nov. 7.

Individual tickets (feature and short films programs) are $10; Film Center members, $5. Festival passes, $50 ($30 for Film Center members), include 7 feature films or shorts; $100 passes include unlimited access to all festival programming.

For the first time, Black Harvest is making available for purchase various film festival merchandise, including masks, water bottles, hats, coffee mugs, hoodies and totes designed by Black artist Rachel S. Gadson, founder of ILA Creative Studio, LLC, with a percentage of the proceeds benefiting an organization advancing racial justice, Tuesday’s announcement stated.

The festival is the longest-running Black film festival in the Midwest.

“The Black Harvest Film Festival not only nurtures and showcases the talent of Black filmmakers and actors in Chicago and around the world but also presents a diversity of stories and perspectives on the Black experience. We believe film is a powerful catalyst for dialogue, empathy and growth and that this spotlight on and amplification of Black voices has never been more important,” said Jean de St. Aubin, executive director of the Gene Siskel Film Center.

The complete lineup, tickets and more information is available at https://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/BHFF2020.