Do you believe art drives social change? Venita Griffin does, and as director of marking and communications for the Community Renewal Society, she found herself in a position to act on this belief. CRS publishes the Chicago Reporter, which this year sponsored the first ever John A. McDermott Documentary Film Competition. It was her idea.
On October 14 Beyondmedia Education, a production house that focuses on marginalized women, got an e-mail from Griffin that began, “Congratulations.” Turning a Corner, a Beyondmedia documentary on prostitution in Chicago, had won the McDermott. There’d be a screening and panel discussion October 19 at the Cultural Center and other screenings at “several venues” to be determined.
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On October 26, Venita Griffin e-mailed Beyondmedia to let them know that an upcoming screening of Turning a Corner at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen had been canceled.
Eddie Griffin is new in his job. Venita Griffin originally negotiated WTTW’s role with his predecessor. But Annie Porter and Eddie Griffin both say Image Union would never have committed itself to the judges’ choice. “The jury selected Turning a Corner and we selected No Half Steppin,” Eddie Griffin told me. “We reserve the right to make our own decision.”
In other words, Beyondmedia isn’t mad at the Reporter for meaning well but making some mistakes. It’s mad at WTTW for stiffing their film. Chasnoff made it clear to me that she likes the Reporter. She regularly reads the Reporter. Last year the Reporter ran a long interview with her on the making of Turning a Corner.
