Chicago’s Black Harvest Film Festival Set To Celebrate 30th Anniversary With Over 75 Premieres

November's Black Harvest Film Festival will feature filmmakers across the African diaspora.

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center has announced the full schedule for the Black Harvest Film Festival, which will run from Nov. 8 to Nov. 21 at the center.

The festival will celebrate 30 years of Black filmmakers and storytelling across the African diaspora, highlighting marginalized voices and award-winning pieces.

This year’s festival will feature more than 75 first-time Chicago premieres, Reel Chicago reports.

According to the roster, this year’s Black Harvest Film Festival will have 13 feature films and 10 short programs from 18 countries.

In honor of the festival’s 30th anniversary, the event will feature a “DIRTY 30s” shorts program. The piece will reportedly capture “life’s humor, heart, and complexities in your thirties, reflecting on the festival’s journey to 30 years,” Reel Chicago reports. “Audiences will enjoy exclusive screenings, thought-provoking dialogues, and celebratory receptions as they come together to honor three decades of Black Harvest.”

“As we celebrate 30 years of Black storytelling, we honor the legacy of voices and visions that have brought us to this moment,” Black Harvest Film Festival Lead Curator Jada-Amina said. “Over the past three decades, new paths of cinematic expression have continued to unfold. Each film in this year’s lineup offers a powerful connection across time and space, reminding us of the stories that shaped our past and the visions that will inspire our future.”

Opening night will be emceed by NBC Chicago entertainment reporter LeeAnn Trotter. It will begin with a showcase of selected Black Harvest Film Festival short films and conclude with the announcement of the winners of the Richard and Ellen Sandor Family Black Harvest Film Festival and the Sergio Mims Prize for Excellence in Black Filmmaking prizes.

Throughout the event, the Black Harvest Film Festival will have over 50 filmmakers sit for discussions following the screenings. Among the films shown at the festival will be The Debutantes, Jimmy, and Ernest Cole: Lost and Found.