THE CHICAGO FILM SYMPOSIUM
UPLIFTING BLACK AND BROWN FILMMAKERS IN CHICAGO
Join us at the Green Line Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 at 2pm for film screenings, panel discussions, local vendors, and a mixer!
→ More info here
→ Get tickets below:
Our 2025 theme for the Chicago Film Symposium is “Poetic Just-Us” A celebration of stories that time-travel, galaxy-hop, and root us in the power of just us.
Presented with support from Arts + Public Life at the University of Chicago.
Our mission is to amplify diverse stories from Chicago’s Black and brown filmmakers through impactful films, insightful panels, and community connections that foster inspiration and meaningful dialogue.
Impact
-
Alumni of the Chicago Film Symposium have gone on to screen at major festivals, including XL Fest, Black Harvest Film Festival, and NewFest, demonstrating the growing pipeline from Chicago’s independent film scene to national platforms.
Who We Are
A collaboration between Black Women Directors x Black Film Club Chicago
Black Women Directors was founded in 2015 by Danielle A. Scruggs as a digital archive to highlight and celebrate the work of Black women and nonbinary filmmakers.
Black Film Club Chicago was founded in 2020 by Troy Martin and Chinyere “Chi” Achebe to provide a safe space for showcasing and amplifying work, contributing to community-building experiences for Black storytellers, and fostering meaningful connections with diverse audiences.
What People Are Saying
“It’s exciting to see all of this come together and to have a space where we can all see each other’s work and ask each other questions.”
— Filmmaker Ahlaam Delange
“I just feel like there’s so much untapped potential [in Chicago], and I just refuse to believe that you have to build in California or New York.”
— Filmmaker Regina Hoyles
Press
*
Press *
THANK YOU TO OUR 2025 DONORS
This symposium is made possible through the generosity of our community supporters.