I’ve got 5 pairs of tickets to giveaway for the Chicago International Hip Hop Film Festival 2009, which begins tomorrow (9/11) and runs through Saturday (9/12) at the Portage Theater on 4050 N. Milwaukee. It celebrates independent hip hop filmmakers from all over, but the main focus are the works of Chi City’s own.
Here’s how to win:
Send an email to me with the Subject: Chicago Hip Hop Film Fest and answer this question (courtesy of the Head Honcho of this operation, Geoff Harkness)
How about: What classic Chicago urban film was retooled and used as the basis for the TV show “What’s Happening!!”
And here’s the full rundown of what’s in store, and how to actually PURCHASE tickets. This is going to be an extremely dope event, so please come out and support.
Chicago International Hip Hop Film Festival
A Celebration of Hip Hop on Film
September 11-12, 2009
The Portage Theater, 4050 N. Milwaukee, Chicago, IL 60641
The first annual Chicago International Hip Hop Film Festival will be held at the Portage Theater, September 11-12, 2009. The festival celebrates the works of hip hop filmmakers from Chicago and around the world. The festival aims to highlight the diversity of visual works that capture, document and give voice to various forms of hip hop culture. The 2009 festival includes 25 features, shorts, documentaries, and music videos, many of them making their big-screen debut.
Most hip hop fans have heard of Grandmaster Flash, but few recall Grandmaster Flowers. Our kickoff film, Founding Fathers, corrects for that in a compelling documentary that unearths hip hop’s hidden history. Additional works include the hilarious narrative short I Hate Hip Hop, wherein an outspoken rap music critic wakes up to find himself able to communicate only in rhymed verses. Shooting Star(s): The Rise of Hip Hop Photographer Johnny Nunez is packed with cameos from rap superstars such as Kanye West and Ne-Yo, as well as media figures such as Russell Simmons, Kimora Lee, and even the Reverend Al Sharpton.
Special programs include Hip Hop Chicago, which focuses on the work of Chicagoland filmmakers, including one-on-one sessions with Chicago hip hop filmmakers Konee Rok (Kanye West, Lil Jon) and Octavio Lopez (creator of the popular local access show Status TV). Another special program, International Perspectives features hip-hop works from around the globe, including entries from Japan, England, and Canada. Among the highlights are Inferno, a “hiphopera” set in modern London and based on Dante’s classic poem, and Nappy Heads, a short, experiemental documentary that comments wryly upon black hairstyles.
In conjunction with the Greater Chicagoland Hip-Hop Filmmakers Caucus, an array of workshops and clinics will take place on September 12, featuring a veritable who’s who of Chicago urban filmmaking. Events include a music video production workshop led by Chicago director and producer Mark Armstrong, a documentary filmmaking boot camp led by Nate Grant (Chicago State University) and Ron Pitts (Columbia College), and a scriptwriting clinic featuring renowned Chicago author and screenwriter Sam Greenlee (The Spook Who Sat By the Door).
The festival closes with the Chicago premiere of Bronx Paradise, a darkly humorous tour-de-force that has earned a cult following, and collected more than a dozen awards from festivals worldwide. Follow Wayne Gurman — among celluloid’s most unforgettable characters — as he fights his way through the mean streets of New York, losing friends, battling enemies, and struggling to keep his family intact. The screening will be followed by what is sure to be a lively Q&A from Gurman.
Day passes for the festival are $10, and all-festival passes are $15.
A complete festival lineup and schedule of events can be found at the official festival web site: www.ChicagoHipHopFilmFestival.com
Media Contact:
Geoff Harkness 773-339-9041 chicagohiphopfilmfestival@gmail.com
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