Panel Discussions on Oct. 4 and Oct. 11 to Probe Filmmaking Issues

Creating an independent film can be a near-futile exercise in beating the odds. The challenge of filmmaking is magnified for women of color who aim to tell their own stories from behind the camera. DePaul University, in partnership with the Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF), will celebrate the work of black women filmmakers who have succeeded in bringing their stories to fruition in an exhibition titled “Reel Sisters in Film.” The exhibition will be shown from Sept. 29 through Dec. 19 in the Richardson Library, 2350 N. Kenmore Ave.

Inspired by a documentary on black women filmmakers, a group of DePaul faculty and staff, along with members of CIFF’s Committee on Black Perspectives, have brought together some 25 movie poster images for “Reel Sisters in Film.” The exhibition marks a historical first collection of images from films written, directed and produced by black women.

Some of the featured artists and their films include: Maya Angelou (“Down in the Delta”), Gina Prince Blythewood (“Love and Basketball”), Julie Dash (“Daughters of the Dust”), Whoopi Goldberg (“Ruby’s Bucket of Blood”), Kasi Lemmons (“Eve’s Bayou”), Euzhan Palcy (“Sugar Cane Alley”), and Oprah Winfrey (“Beloved”). The film that sparked the idea for the exhibition, “Sisters in Cinema,” was written and produced by Yvonne Welbon, a native Chicagoan and graduate of Northwestern University’s doctoral program in radio, television and film. The exhibition also includes a video production of clips from the filmmakers’ works.

“Yvonne Welbon has demonstrated for us the need to recognize these pioneers who continue to pave the way for future filmmakers,” said Kimberly Moffitt, assistant professor of communication and curator of the exhibition. “We have an exceptional opportunity to raise a plethora of issues in this exhibition, such as financial constraints and industry politics affecting these women as they create their stories. ‘Reel Sisters in Film’ is a seminal exhibition that captures the essence and pressures of those works written, directed and produced by Black women.”

The exhibit is free and open to the public during library hours. The Richardson Library’s general hours are: Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. to midnight; Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, noon to midnight.

A panel of film experts will examine the progress and pitfalls of “Reel Sisters in Film” on Oct. 4, in the university’s School of Music, 804 W. Belden Ave., in Recital Hall on the lower level. Welbon’s film, “Sisters in Cinema,” will be shown at 10 a.m. The panel discussion and a question and answer session will run from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Panelists are: Yvonne Welbon, director; George Alexander, author and screenwriter; and Jacqueline Stewart, associate professor of English, University of Chicago. The panel will be moderated by Darrell Moore, associate professor of philosophy and acting director of the university’s African and Black Diaspora program.

A panel discussion on “The State of Black Filmmaking,” in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the Black Filmmakers Foundation, will be held Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the DePaul Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave., Room 120.

Panelists are: actor Mel Jackson, who most recently was seen in the film “Deliver Us from Eva;” Delvin Molden, a producer with Breakaway Films; Sacha Parisot, director of “Skin Deep,” a film debuting at the CIFF; and Sheryl Lee Ralph, actress and director of the Jamaican International Film Festival. The panel will be moderated by Moffitt.

“We are extremely pleased about DePaul’s collaboration with the Chicago International Film Festival,” said Moore. “We will provide a forum that will allow interested cinephiles to seriously reflect upon and discuss the evolution of black filmmaking over the past quarter century, and beyond.”

Both panel discussions are open to the public. Admission is $5 for students and $10 for the general public. The panel discussions at DePaul are a featured educational component of the 39th Chicago International Film Festival, which runs from Oct. 2 – Oct. 16. This season marks the third year that DePaul has partnered with CIFF’s Committee on Black Perspectives to provide educational film programming to the community.

For more information about “Reel Sister in Film,” the panels, or other DePaul-CIFF programs, please contact DePaul’s Office of University Collaborations at 312/362-5862.

Editors’ Note: J-peg images of movie posters are available upon request.