Bumper crop

For the last 11 years, the Gene Siskel Film Center’s Black Harvest International Festival of Film and Video has carved out a niche by screening indie and locally made movies by and about African-Americans, but this year’s installment features not one, but two, Hollywood premieres. The big catch is Idlewild (Aug 24), which stars OutKast’s Andre Benjamin and Antwan Patton, along with Terrence Howard and Patti LaBelle, in an original musical set in a ’30s speakeasy. “We started last year with John Singleton’s Four Brothers, which was a huge success for us, and this year we aggressively went out for Idlewild,” programmer Sergio Mims says.

An even larger surprise was the last-minute addition of Half Nelson (Aug 30), a critically acclaimed drama about a teacher (Ryan Gosling) trying to hide his life of addiction from a perceptive student. “The fact that we got these films proves that Black Harvest is recognized as one of the major film festivals in the country,” Mims says. As for appearances by the filmmakers or actors, he adds, “At this point, we don’t know if any guests are coming for either screening, but you never know. There could be a surprise or two.”

Not that the arrival of big stars and budgets has changed Black Harvest that much. Its focus is still on smaller films from up-and-coming directors. When asked what’s new this year, Mims responds, “More movies!” Forty-nine Chicago premieres, including 19 feature-length films, make this one of the largest African-American festivals in the country.

Other highlights include Premium (Sat 5 and Aug 10), a charming romantic comedy about an actor chasing his true love before she gets married, and Miles from Home (Aug 18 and 22), an unusual and powerful drama about a young man living on the streets. Mims is especially enthusiastic about King Leopold’s Ghost (Aug 26), a documentary about the Congo narrated by Don Cheadle and Alfre Woodard.The festival still makes a point of highlighting work by Chicago directors. This year that includes Ytasha Womack’s The Engagement (Aug 18 and 23) and Martin Whitehead’s The Promise Keeper (Aug 25 and 29). Talking about black filmmaking in Chicago, Mims notes that it’s “stepping up to the next level” in both budget and ambition, a development in which the fest has played a significant role.

A hallmark of Black Harvest is the number of directors and actors who show up for postfilm discussions. More than 30 personal appearances are already confirmed for this year’s fest. “It gives both the filmmakers and the audience a deeper experience, and believe me, sometimes those Q&A sessions can get pretty heated,” Mims says. The festival is also holding its annual panel discussion, “How to Get a Movie Made,” on August 13. “People are very curious about the whole process of filmmaking, and in fact, we’ve screened short films made by people who have attended the panel and were inspired by it.”—J. Robert Parks

The fest runs Thursday 3 to August 24. See Indie & revival and the full lineup at www.siskelfilmcenter.org.