RogerEbert.com teams up with the Chicago Urban League and Columbia College journalism program to give voice to aspiring film critics

Students to review four documentaries during Black History Month Film Festival

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Jan 28, 2015, 04:23 ET

CHICAGO, Jan. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second straight year, Chaz Ebert, president of Ebert Digital and wife of beloved film critic Roger Ebert, has teamed up with the Chicago Urban League and Columbia College to give aspiring film critics a chance to review films by or about African Americans, and to have their reviews posted on RogerEbert.com, the premier movie review site.

A select group of students participating in the Columbia Links journalism program and those taking part in the Chicago Urban League's youth initiatives will be eligible to submit reviews of films being screened during the Urban League's Black History Month Film Festival. This year's lineup includes four feature-length documentaries that deal with racial stereotypes, mental illness, the impact of gun violence on urban communities, and homeless teens. One film per week will be shown in February at Urban League headquarters, 4510 S. Michigan Ave. Each will be followed by a panel discussion with community thought leaders and some of the filmmakers and producers themselves.

Editors at RogerEbert.com will work with Columbia Links Executive Director Brenda Butler to edit reviews written by students, who also will be encouraged to comment on the panel discussions following the films as part of their essay.

Mrs. Ebert carries on the legacy she and her husband, Roger, committed to before he died to diversify the pool of film critics around the world. The Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation recently funded the second annual Indiewire/Sundance Institute Ebert Fellowship for Film Criticism that enabled four young critics to attend and cover the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Ebert will also conduct a panel that she developed to examine the future of film criticism in the digital age at the SXSW film conference in March in Austin, Texas.

"It's been wonderful to watch the film world open up to embrace diverse filmmakers like Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) and Ava DuVernay (Selma). But film criticism still remains largely a white male bastion," said Chaz Ebert. "There is a generation of talented writers who deserve to have their voices heard. The Chicago Urban League Black History Month Film Festival is offering a great lineup of films that deal with topics of critical importance to African Americans. I look forward to reading reviews written by those who live closest to these issues."

The film festival opens Tuesday, February 3. The complete lineup and schedule is listed below.

Established in 2012, the Chicago Urban League's Black History Month Film Festival is presented annually as a forum to engage the community in honoring the achievements of African Americans, examining current community challenges and exploring strategic solutions that can lead to an empowered future.

"I believe that art has the power to educate and inspire the type of critical thinking and engagement that leads to lasting change," said Andrea Zopp, president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League. "I want to thank Chaz Ebert for supporting our film festival and for opening the doors of opportunity to the next generation of film critics."

Here is the full lineup and schedule for the 2015 Black History Month Film Festival:

Tuesday, February 3, 2015 6:00 PM	*The "N" Word-Divided We Stand* explores the etymology of the word "nigger" while looking at African-American culture from a non-colorblind lens. Celebrities including Quincy Jones, Russell Simmons, George Carlin, Damon Dash and Bryant Gumbel give their takes on one of the most inflammatory words in the English language. In its long and complex history, the word "nigger" has gone from a cutting racial slur to a term of endearment among African-American youth. Despite this, the word still enrages when taken out of this context. In 86 minutes, filmmaker Todd Williams breaks the taboo of language to reveal a society constantly trying to make sense of a dark past while attempting to build a brighter future. The N Word
Thursday, February 12, 2015 6:00 PM	*Afraid of Dark* is an insightful and entertaining, yet remarkably serious, documentary that aims to destroy the misconceptions and stereotypes that have often cost Black men their lives. "Afraid of Dark" offers a genuine look at Black men through the eyes of Brooklyn, N.Y., filmmaker and Chicago native Mya B., revealing the beauty in diversified strength, leadership and challenges — a reality that has often been distorted. Why is the world so afraid of dark? Afraid of Dark
Tuesday, February 17, 2015 6:00 PM	*Smile* is an independently funded documentary that chronicles the story of a Chicago family who has endured unbelievable violence and turmoil in an inner-city community where murder has risen to epidemic levels. The film, by Marquis Daisy, examines the stark realities of mental illness and apathy, diseases that allow for senseless violence to numb the psyches of those who live with it. "Smile" centers largely on the Newtons, a Black family from the South Side of Chicago. Smile
Tuesday, February 24, 2015 6:00 PM	In The Homestretch, three homeless teens brave Chicago winters, the pressures of high school and life alone on the streets to build a brighter future. These kids defy stereotypes as they create new, surprising definitions of home in the film by Kirsten Kelly and Anne de Mare. Can they recover from the traumas of abandonment and homelessness and build the future of their dreams? Homestretch