Sighted Eyes, Feeling Heart is one of many suggested films to stream.
The Chicago International Film Festival acknowledges the critical moment we are in as a city, society, and nation – and as such, feels it important that we let our community know where we stand.
We stand in solidarity with the family of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Tony McDade and all of the too often unnamed others, who have suffered at the hands of systemic racism. We stand with the millions of Americans that are appalled by George Floyd’s death and are seeking justice. We support the peaceful protests across our nation, because we believe that the power of language (and its many expressions) has the ability to empower the people and inspire change.
In a world that divides, film unites. And because of this, film and film festivals are more important than ever. With this in mind and with immediate action, we are reaffirming and strengthening our commitment to promoting and modeling equity and justice in our organization and programming.
We commit to our Black Perspectives program, which highlights the excellence and diversity of African American cinema and films by the African diaspora, which has a long and rich history of amplifying stories of Black life and creating awareness around the Black experience.
And in the spirit of empathy and understanding our role, the role we play in contributing to a better world; we would also like to share suggested films that celebrate the lives and accomplishments of people of color and speak to this critical moment as we strive for a more just society.
The Chicago International Film Festival leadership, staff and Board of Directors
Just Mercy (2019)
Winner of the Audience Award for Best Feature at the 55th Chicago International Film Festival, Just Mercy is the true story of young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) and his history-making battles for justice in Alabama.
Education Study Guide Resource (PDF)
Streaming Details:
Free to rent for the month of June on YouTube.
Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland (2018)
Dirs. Kate Davis, David Heilbroner
In 2015, Sandra Bland, a politically active black woman from Chicago, was arrested for a traffic violation in a small Texas town. Three days later, Sandra was found hanging from a noose in a jail cell. Combining Bland’s video blogs with extraordinary access to her family’s testimony and their legal team, Say Her Name is both an engrossing murder mystery and a disturbing account of systemic racism and neglect.
Education Study Guide Resource (PDF)
Streaming Details:
Streaming now on HBO and available for digital purchase.
The Hate U Give (2018)
Dir. George Tillman Jr.
The Hate U Give tells the story of Starr Carter, a young woman who is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.
Education Study Guide Resource (PDF)
Streaming Details:
Available to stream on CineMax Go and for digital rental.
For Ahkeem (2017)
Dirs. Jeremy S. Levine, Landon Van Soest
Daje Shelton, a 17-year-old girl from St. Louis, just wants to do the right thing. But growing up in a tough neighborhood, she just can’t catch a break: she’s struggling in school; she’s distracted by cute boys; and her friends are getting murdered. While told against the backdrop of the police killing of Michael Brown, Jr, For Akheem is less about issues and more a masterfully crafted and intimate portrait of working-class urban life.
Education Study Guide Resource
Streaming Details:
Available to stream on Amazon Prime and for digital rental.
Marshall (2017)
Dir: Reginald Hudlin
Directed by Reginald Hudlin and starring Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Dan Stevens, Sterling K. Brown and James Cromwell, Marshall is based on a true incident in the life of Thurgood Marshall, when he was a young lawyer, long before his appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. As the nation teeters on the brink of World War II, a nearly bankrupt NAACP sends Marshall to conservative Connecticut to defend a black chauffeur against his wealthy socialite employer in a sexual assault and attempted murder trial that quickly became tabloid fodder. In need of a high profile victory but muzzled by a segregationist court, Marshall is partnered with Samuel Friedman, a young Jewish lawyer who has never tried a case. Marshall and Friedman struggle against a hostile storm of fear and prejudice, driven to discover the truth in the sensationalized trial which helped set the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement to come.
Streaming Details:
Available to stream on Amazon Prime and for digital rental.
Sighted Eyes, Feeling Heart (2017)
Dir. Tracy Heather Strain
The title of her posthumous autobiography, To Be Young, Gifted and Black, only partly sums up the trailblazing life of Southside Chicago playwright Lorraine Hansberry. Although best known for her landmark 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry forged an expansive path as an African-American female artist and activist—while also wrestling with self-doubt and questions about her sexual identity. This powerful documentary reveals the many layers and challenges of Hansberry’s all-too-brief life.
Streaming Details:
Available to rent on Amazon.
Do Not Resist (2016)
Dir. Craig Atkinson
This urgent documentary explores the militarization of local police departments—in their tactics, training, and acquisition of equipment—since 9/11. Starting on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, as the community grapples with the death of Michael Brown, filmmaker Craig Atkinson, the son of a SWAT team member, has crafted an eye-popping look at the changing face of law enforcement in America.
Streaming Details:
Available for digital rental.
I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
Dir. Raoul Peck
Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 52nd Chicago International Film Festival and nominated for an Academy Award, this incendiary documentary, by master filmmaker Raoul Peck, envisions a book James Baldwin never finished–a personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin’s original words and flood of rich archival material.
Streaming Details:
Available to stream on Amazon Prime and for digital rental.
Two Trains Runnin’ (2016)
Dir. Sam Pollard
The venerable Sam Pollard (Eyes on the Prize) and his narrator Common bring us this inspiring story of the blues, and its connections to the Civil Rights revolution. Through its vividly edited mix of animated reenactments, historical footage, and absorbing interviews, Two Trains Runnin’ chronicles kindred stories of young music fans in search of the lost titans of Mississippi blues. Both converge on a single, summer day to ignite a monumental spark during America’s moment of change.
Streaming Details:
Available to stream on Hulu and for digital rental.
Dear White People (2014)
Dir. Justin Simien
With tongue planted firmly in cheek, Simien’s breakthrough racial satire explores racial identity in ‘post-racial’ America through its interwoven tapestry of characters, from handsome big-man-on-campus Troy (Brandon Bell) to Troy’s ex-girlfriend, the militant activist Samantha (Tessa Thompson) to Lionel Higgins, a gay student (Tyler James Williams), who defies easy categorization. Higgins becomes a walking embodiment of the film’s notion that black identity isn’t fixed along lines of “Jigaboos” vs. “Wannabes”–to quote Spike Lee’s School Daze, an obvious reference point–but rather, is far more fluid and complex.
Streaming Details:
Available for digital rental.
Short Films
Watch Here:
Liberty (2019)
Dir. Faren Humes
Winner of the Live Action Short Film Competition at the 55th Festival, Liberty chronicles the story of two friends struggling to maintain their relationship as they cope with a tragic event and the looming threat of gentrification.
Streaming Details:
Available to stream on Vimeo.
Watch Here:
Easter Snap (2019)
Dir. RaMell Ross
Winner of the Documentary Short Film Competition at the 55th Festival, Easter Snap documents a homestead hog processing ritual with a keen eye for hidden meanings and powerful symbols.
Streaming Details:
Available to stream on YouTube.
Watch Here:
Rebirth is Necessary (2018)
Dir. Jenn Nkiru
Rebirth is Necessary is an archival exploration of the magic and dynamism of blackness in a world where time and space are altered.
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