Join us from November 8 to 21 at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for the 30th Annual Black Harvest Film Festival. We’ll proudly showcase over 75 Chicago premieres, including 13 feature films and 10 short programs representing 18 countries. This year’s festival promises an exciting lineup of films and special guest appearances from visionary directors, including Terence Nance and Charles Burnett. Enjoy exclusive screenings, thought-provoking dialogues, and celebratory receptions as we honor three decades of Black Harvest.
Festival passes and tickets are now on sale. Please take a look at the full lineup here.
Black Harvest Film Festival Highlights
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Opening Night, November 8: Join us for our Opening Night celebration, a lively presentation of select Black Harvest Film Festival short films and the announcement of the winners of the Richard and Ellen Sandor Family Black Harvest Film Festival Prize and the Sergio Mims Prize for Excellence in Black Filmmaking. Followed by a celebratory reception in our lobby.
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Chicago Premiere of THE DEBUTANTES: Focusing on the first group of Black debutantes in Canton, Ohio, in a decade, this documentary follows the young women as they confront the ball’s legacy, redefine it, and chart their own path forward.
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Chicago Premiere of JIMMY: Shot in 16mm, JIMMY celebrates James Baldwin’s journey from New York to Paris, leaving behind the oppressive backdrop of the 1940s United States to join fellow Black expats searching for liberation.
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FROM THE BLOCK: Experience the vibrancy and diversity of Chicago and Illinois communities in this program of these eight compelling short films, with select filmmakers in attendance.
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DIRTY 30s Big Picture Party: As Black Harvest enters our 30th year, we present DIRTY 30s, a flirty program of six short films about navigating life in your thirties with humor, heart, and raw honesty, one laugh (or cry) at a time. Our Black Harvest Community Council invites ticket holders to our Big Picture Party before the screening on Friday, November 15, to celebrate Black Harvest’s 30th birthday!
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Special Guests: The Black Harvest Film Festival proudly welcomes more than 50 filmmakers for insightful and compelling dialogues following festival films, including:
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An Evening with Terence Nance: We’re thrilled to welcome visionary filmmaker Terence Nance (AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF HER BEAUTY) for an intimate evening showcasing episodes four and five from season two of the acclaimed HBO series Random Acts of Flyness.
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SONIC CONSTELLATIONS: A Deep Dive Into Film Scores: Chicago-based scholar and curator chris d. reeder, alongside artist and theorist Nina Garibaldi, uses sounds from films in this year’s Black Harvest Film Festival to explore the essential role of sound in cinema and how scores shape narratives and emotional experiences.
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Closing Night, November 21: THE ANNIHILATION OF FISH, with director Charles Burnett in person: We’re honored to conclude the 30th Black Harvest Film Festival with the Chicago premiere of the 4K digital restoration of Charles Burnett’s (KILLER OF SHEEP, TO SLEEP WITH ANGER) long-lost feature, THE ANNIHILATION OF FISH (1999, USA, 108 min. In English), starring James Earl Jones, Lynn Redgrave, and Margot Kidder.
Tickets and Passes
Black Harvest Film Festival festival passes and tickets are now available.
With a Black Harvest Film Festival pass, you can see six Black Harvest films (excluding Opening Night and Closing Night) for only $60, a savings of $18. Black Harvest Film Festival passes are only $30 for Film Center members.
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