The Tenth Edition Of FILM 50 is online
(And 100 pages in magazine form)
It’s the tenth edition of a survey of film as art and industry in Chicago, with fifty entries and a Hall Of Fame of established, still-vital workers. Start reading at Newcity HERE; pick up a copy at 300 outlets around the city; or order a copy HERE.
Here’s my introduction to the 15,000-word series of profiles, with portraits by Sandy Morris | Sally Blood Photo. :
Even in our moment of universal cultural and economic upheaval, film in many, many permutations, thrives in Chicago.
We don’t mean just the economic driver of high-profile production of movies and series set here—you know their names—but in the sustenance of a collaborative community of storytellers. Filmmakers, exhibitors, archivists, historians, producers, all of them unstoppable all-around artisans and, yes, enthusiasts. The studio system is escaping Los Angeles, and with it, artists and workers who can no longer afford the costly coast. Chicago and the state of Illinois remain havens for stories, and for those who look and listen to them, and for those who capture the unlikely tales that make the Midwest unique. There’s a groundswell of human-scale innovation as well as an attention to the working class that courses through these profiles.
Our tenth edition of Film 50 takes a long look at the art and industry in the city, and it’s a portrait of a rich, increasingly diverse, fresh-faced ecosystem. What began as a biennial honor roll, divided between creative and managerial roles, amounted to a Film 100. We’ve combined those lists, and also have our pantheon of players who have been part of Film 50 many times, adding up to an additional seventy-seven still-active participants.
In asking these storytellers about themselves, we learned about their work while each told compelling stories about themselves, the range of their ambition and the fruits of their labor. Chicago’s home, they say, and their irresistible reasons follow.
Links to the categories below.
Film 50 2024: Advocates, Production and Support Services
Film 50 2024: Exhibitors, Programmers, Festivals & Archivists
Film 50 2024: Writers, Directors, Producers and Crew
COVER: Detail: Curtis Anthony Bozif “Number 10 (Vespers),” 2024, oil, pigment, light, gravity, and time on canvas, 78 x 54 x 1.75” (198.12 x 137.16 x 4.445 cm). Photo: Zoe Bare/Cover Design: Dan Streeting