DePaul University will sponsor two Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) panel discussions on black filmmaking on Oct. 6 and Oct. 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Conference Services Suite, Room 8005.

The Oct. 6 panel discussion on “Black Filmmaking in the 21st Century” will be moderated by Michael Eric Dyson, DePaul’s Ida B.Wells Barnett University Professor, author and cultural critic. The following panelists will participate: Jacqueline Stewart, assistant professor of English, cinema and media studies, the University of Chicago; Ice T, rapper and actor appearing in the CIFF premiere “R-Xmas”; Clement Virgo, director of “Love Come Down,” a new independent film that will premiere at the CIFF; and Tonya Lee Williams, who plays Dr. Olivia Barber on the daytime television drama “The Young and the Restless” and founder of the Toronto Reel World Film Festival.

The panel discussion will highlight the financial power of black films, which have grossed more than $100 million at the box offices in the past two years, the role of black film festivals or international film festivals with a black film focus, the impact of black film distributors in Hollywood, and the future of black filmmaking.

The panel discussion topic for Oct. 13 is “Black Women in Film,” paying homage to great women of the screen and stage – from Chicago’s own Etta Moten Barnett to Hollywood’s stunning and versatile Halle Berry. Barnett, who will turn 100 in November, is a singer and performer best known for her performance as Bess in George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.” Berry is this year’s CIFF Career Achievement honoree and will be saluted Oct. 12 in an evening of film clips and examination of her work. The panel discussion will focus on the gains black women have made in the film industry and the limitations and challenges that remain.

Panelists for the discussion on “Black Women in Film” are Paula Estrada Jones, president, Black Women in the Media Arts; Alisa Starks, chair of the CIFF Black Perspectives Committee and owner of Inner City Entertainment, Inc.; and Christine Swanson, director of “All About You,” a 2001 CIFF premiere film. Ntozake Shange, performance artist and award-winning author of the choreopoem “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow was Enuf,” will serve as moderator of the panel. Shange is a visiting professor in DePaul’s Theatre School.

Admission to the DePaul-sponsored Chicago International Film Festival panel discussions is $5. Early attendance is advised, as seating is limited.