Chicago native George Ellzey Jr. is a Chicago-based director and screenwriter who is making a name for himself in independent film, after his successful short film titled “SWITCHIN,” which premiered at the 2021 Black Harvest Film Festival.
The film demonstrates the art of ‘code-switching’, using Black and white couples reciting the same words, but with different inflections.
I wrote about Ellzey at that time, and some of the same issues are still prevalent this Black History Month.
Then, Ellzey said:
“Although our society has progressed, our country has more work to do to rectify the past and present injustices of non-white people in America, so code-switching, unfortunately, will be necessary until our country finds a way to heal and unbiasedly implement the sentiment of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness for every person in America.”
As Ellzey anticipates his latest film “Cottage Grove” screening during February, he is again excited.
The film garnered praise at several prestigious film festivals and will screen at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre’s Black History Month series, “Melanin, Roots & Culture Life Within the Lens.” The screenings are February 19 and 25 at 7:30 p.m., 3733 N. Southport Ave.
“We are thrilled that ‘Cottage Grove’ will be screening at the Music Box Theatre. I want to thank Tyler Balentine, Rebecca Lyon and the Theatre for selecting our film,” Ellzey said. “This is a personal film with universal themes of Black masculinity, family, truth and forgiveness.”
“Cottage Grove” follows Emmanuel (Patrick Agada), a mild-mannered, rule-following paralegal (and a ticking time bomb of anger, who finds peace in his daydreams), and his estranged father, Senior (Sean Blake), once a charismatic go-getter but due to a recent relapse, has had a stroke. He only can say five words and moves with a limp.
It is set in the summertime in a grocery store parking lot on the South Side of Chicago.
There is tension at first, but music softens the mood.
In an interview with the Chicago Crusader, Ellzey said that the music was intentional. “The meeting was uncomfortable, and I felt that a way to break through the tension was through music.”
The two exchange cross words, but the simple beauty of a father-son reconciliation is found unintentionally through halting words, meaningful looks, flights of fantasy and ultimately love.
This scenario could be echoed across the country with any number of fathers and sons seeking to smooth over differences.
Ellzey explained the impetus for “Cottage Grove.”
He attended Hales Franciscan High School, and his grandmother used to live right across the street. “Cottage Grove Avenue and the Hyde Park area have figured significantly in molding me to who I am today.”
He added that the actual event that inspired the story happened on Cottage Grove Avenue. “During that meeting, we didn’t talk that much, and afterward I thought about things that I wanted to say to my dad.”
Ellzey said he wants to encourage others who may have trying relationships with their fathers. “I think it was the first time that we saw each other for who we were instead of who we wanted each other to be. Sometimes we want to reshape our parents to who we think they are, and we should allow them to be who they are.”
Ellzey dropped other gems: “When people need acceptance of healing, they want it their way. Through ‘Cottage Grove,’ you get the perspective from both people—no one is the villain, and all are living life the way they see for themselves.”
He continued: “The film is about the unspoken issues in families, forgiveness and choices we make in life. It is for every Black boy who needs their dad, every brown girl that wants mutual understanding with their mom and every human being who needs an apology from their parent to heal.”
Later this year, Ellzey will start filming “Closed Mouths,” a film about a Black screenwriter who is writing a competition-worthy script in one night, while dealing with his depression.
Take a look at the movie trailer linked here: https://youtu.be/qvsP9dtuFn8
Ellzey is pleased that he is independent. “I am so encouraged that I can make my own way. I don’t have to wait for the ‘industry.’ God has given me my own green light.”
He also expresses gratitude to his community, family, friends, and the people of Bronzeville and the city for their unwavering support since 2021. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”
Ellzey’s thesis film at DePaul University was “Cottage Grove,” and it won Best Editing and Best in Illinois at the 2024 Blue Whiskey Film Festival, and his work has been showcased at the Athens International Film Festival and the Chicago Black Harvest Film Festival. His storytelling explores the complexities of being Black while promoting mental and emotional well-being.
For tickets for “Cottage Grove” at Music Box Theatre; visit https://musicboxtheatre.com/films-and-events/life-within-the-lens
Follow George’s film journey on Instagram: @cottagegroveproductions.