ENGLEWOOD — Several independent movies will be shown at the fourth annual Englewood International Film Festival including one film written by a Bronzeville resident and starring comedians Damon Williams, Adele Givens and Jamie Campbell.
"Sex Ain't Love," a romantic comedy, is the fifth independent film written and produced by Will Adams, 40, who grew up in Englewood. Adams said the movie will be shown at 8 p.m. Oct. 25 at Studio Movie Grill-Chatham, 210 W. 87th St.
"The film festival is an opportunity to change the negative perception people have about Englewood and to show people that good things do come out this neighborhood," Adams said.
This year's festival runs from Oct. 23-26 and kicks off with a reception from 7-9 p.m. at Kusanya Cafe, 825 W. 69th St., attended by Mark Harris, the Englewood native and Hollywood writer, director and producer who co-founded the festival, said Alisa Inez, co-founder of the festival.
Harris said the purpose of the annual event is to uplift, inspire and encourage residents to think big and be proud of their community.
"All movies will be shown at the Chatham Theaters and our free workshops will be held at Team Englewood High School," Inez said. "A Career Day will also be part of the festival as well."
She added that final details are being worked out but movie tickets, which can be bought online or at the door, will be $8 and a weekend pass will be no more than $35.
All workshops are free and will run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Oct. 25 at Team Englewood Academy, 6201 S. Stewart Ave. Panelists have not been finalized but Inez said topics to be discussed are how to balance an entertainment career and family, the cinematography industry, the role of makeup artists and breaking into the entertainment industry.
The Resident Association of Greater Englewood has worked with the festival the last few years promoting it and participating last year in a panel discussion. This year the neighborhood group will assist with the career day component, which will be held at various schools in the Englewood area, according to Asiaha Butler, president of the association.
"RAGE will be there to serve as the local organization that students can connect with once the festival is over in case they have any follow-up questions or need a pathway to additional resources," Butler said. "One of our action areas is youth development and during career day we hope that students will be exposed to a variety of different careers in entertainment."
For more festival information, call Inez at 312-972-9662.
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