IN CINEMA
OUR RIGHT TO GAZE: BITTERSWEET HEALING
Friday, February 28th at 7PM
Tickets: FREE
Presented with Full Spectrum Features
The third edition of OUR RIGHT TO GAZE explores the theme: BITTERSWEET HEALING. In a world marked by rapid changes and ongoing challenges, these films delve into the persistent and nuanced efforts of healing within the Black community. This collection celebrates the resilience, complexity, and intersectionality of the Black-lived experience, offering an evocative look at how healing unfolds in diverse and often complicated ways. These stories illuminate the powerful narratives of perseverance and transformation.
Curated by Open Television (OTV)
Program:
MnM
Twiggy Pucci Garcon, 14:48 min.
MnM is an exuberant portrait of chosen sisters Mermaid and Milan, two emerging runway divas in the drag ballroom community. Celebrating their joy, siblinghood, and unapologetic personas, the film explores the power and beauty of being nonbinary in a community that prizes gender ‘realness.’
NEW HIRE
Aquarius Ester Alegria, 9:40 min.
In order to pay off their wife's medical debt, Omari Stone, a recently deceased, queer Chicagoan starts their first day at Anubi, a company that hires ghosts to perform odd jobs in exchange for clearing old balances. After committing the unspeakable, Omari returns back to headquarters to complete the onboarding process and dread sets in after realizing the weight of the contract they signed.
SOME SWEET DAY
Rasheed Peters, 19:36 min.
SOME SWEET DAY is an intimate exploration of the question: "When flesh and heart fail, what remains?” This story follows the filmmaker and his mother, Camille, as they navigate life after the loss of a husband and father. It's a story of wrestling with tough emotions, regrets, and the lasting impact of grief.
ACROSS, BEYOND, & OVER
Brit Fryer, 11:34 min.
A hybrid documentary about two trans men, who used to date in middle school, reconnecting 10 years later to develop a narrative film about their past. Brit Fryer and Noah Schamus direct ACROSS, BEYOND, & OVER a film made with warmth and vulnerability about the creative process and revisiting past selves.
A LIVING SCULPTURE DIRECTED
Diana Ali Chire, 8:21 min.
Francesca, a horn player and music student, is contemplating the pros and cons of continuing a relationship with artist Nick and the problematic idea of the female muse.
LIBIAMO!
Kin Marie, 3:12 min.
At a bustling food spot in Auburn Gresham, regulars eagerly await their orders when a customer and their toddler enter. The customer's curiosity about the best menu item ignites a passionate debate among the patrons.
Post-screening discussion with filmmakers!
Open Television (OTV) is a non-profit streaming platform and media incubator for intersectional storytelling, with artists and their creative visions at the center. OTV’s mission is to transform the way film, television and entertainment industries support independent artists and communities marginalized by their race, gender, sexuality, class, disability or nationality. Through intentional artist development and holistic community development the award-winning platform provides a network of care to identify, activate and mobilize the next generation of storytellers. https://www.weareo.tv/.
Full Spectrum Features NFP is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to driving equity in the independent film industry by producing, exhibiting, and supporting the work of women, BIPOC, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ filmmakers. Feature film and series credits include Desire Lines, The Year Between, All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, Signature Move, Knives & Skin, Brujos, and the T. In addition to programming and producing, they also produce digital humanities projects that combine narrative cinema with interactive educational tools designed by leading scholars and curriculum specialists. Learn more at www.fullspectrumfeatures.com.
