This festival of work by black artists from around the world continues through Thursday, August 30, at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are $9, $5 for Film Center members; for more information call 312-846-2800. Following is the schedule for August 17 through 23; a complete festival schedule is available online at chicagoreader.com.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Changing the Odds Intended as a contemporary riff on Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?, this well-meaning 2006 romantic drama by Willie E. Simmons Jr. centers on a widowed black attorney (Anthony D. Colby) whose courtship of a successful white doctor (Allison Lane) is tested by their fathers’ deep-seated prejudices. The movie’s lack of nuance makes the race relations seem even more retrograde than in the 60s movie; we’re expected to believe that heads of a major metropolitan law firm would be completely shocked by an interracial romance and that a medical crisis could instantly transform the cartoonishly racist patriarchs into models of tolerance. The romantic leads’ performances–expecially Lane’s graceful turn–inject a much-needed dose of reality. 80 min. (Reece Pendleton) Colby will attend the Saturday screening. a Sat 8/18, 6 PM, and Wed 8/22, 6:30 PM.
RThe Rise & Fall of Miss Thang An agreeable variation on the underdog theme, this locally produced video feature is an ideal vehicle for powerhouse dancer Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, the first female artist to be featured in Savion Glover’s Broadway show Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk. As a young girl the heroine sees her father drop dead onstage during a performance; later she gives up on tap and enrolls in beauty school to appease her resentful mother, a gambling addict in denial. Martin Dumas III, artistic codirector of M.A.D.D. Rhythms, plays the smitten dancer who coaxes her back into the limelight. Stacie E. Hawkins produced and directed her own script. 87 min. (AG) Hawkins will attend both screenings. a Sun 8/19, 5 PM, and Tue 8/21, 8:30 PM.
Black Harvest International TV Festival award screening a Fri 8/17, 8 PM.
