Misty Copeland

courtesy of 

TBTNEWS BOX OFFICE

Gene Siskel Showcase Black Harvest Presents

The Art Institute of Chicago along with the Gene Siskel Film Center showcase black cinema year-round with Black Harvest Presents.

Gene Siskel celebrates the award season with Oscar nominations panel on January 14 and on February 28. you don't wanna miss these special occasions of great films and informative communication.

The annual series Stranger Than Fiction, documentary premieres (January 2-February 3) showcases the new and unusual in documentary filmmaking, including Sembene! (January 15 and 21), a portrait of Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembene, the father of African cinema. http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/strangerthanfiction2016.

Back by popular demand! A Ballerina’s Tale (January 2-7), the story of Misty Copeland, whose accomplishments have been compared to those of Jackie Robinson, as she became the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre in 2015. http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/aballerinastale.

Rosenwald (January 2-7), the story of Jewish philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, long forgotten except in the African American community and how his fortune running Sears, Roebuck & Co. ingeniously financed Rosenwald Schools, providing an unprecedented opportunity for black children in rural communities. The Gene Siskel Film Center Movie Club (January 6) explores Rosenwald with Peter Ascoli, biographer of Julius Rosenwald, as facilitator of the post-show discussion at Virgin Hotels Chicago (203 N. Wabash). http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/rosenwald.

First Chicago run! My friend Victoria (January 8-14), based on the Doris Lessing story Victoria and the Staveneys but relocated from London to Paris, concerns a young African French woman bedazzled by the life of a French affluent white family. http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/myfriendvictoria.

First Chicago run! Horse Money (January 8-13), by Portuguese director Pedro Costa, looks at protagonist Ventura’s eerie journey as he looks back on his life and how his memories coalesce with Portugal’s troubling colonial past. http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/horsemoney.

Back by popular demand! 70 Acres in Chicago: Cabrini Green (January 29-31), a documentary 20 years in the making that celebrates the housing development as a unique community and mourns its destruction. http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/70acresinchicagocabrinigreen.

Awards Season is Here! Oscar Nominations Panel (January 14; free admission) features local film critics as they weigh in on predictions for the 88th Annual Academy Awards. http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/oscarnoms2016.

Chicago’s longest-running awards-viewing benefit, Hollywood on State: Where You’re the Star (February 28), is a memorable evening filled with glamour, gourmet food and libations, and the live Oscar telecast in two state-of-the-art theaters with Tommy Walton, MasterChef star, designer, and SAIC instructor, and Kate Pankoke, Project Runway designer, as the red carpet co-hosts. http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/hollywoodonstate2016.

All screenings and events are at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, located at 164 N. State St. To learn more about Black Harvest Presents, visit: http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/blackharvestpresents. All tickets may be purchased at the Film Center Box Office.

For more information about the Film Center, call 312-846-2800 or visit www.siskelfilmcenter.org. For details about black harvest film seriesKaren Durham at 312-846-2074 or kdurham@saic.edu or Lori Hile at 312-846-2077 or lhile@saic.edu.