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R.A.W. TUBA To Receive The 2nd Annual Richard And Ellen Sandor Family Black Harvest Film Festival Prize At The Gene Siskel Film Center

On Saturday, August 17 at 1:00 pm, the Richard and Ellen Sandor Family Black Harvest Film Festival Prize will be presented to the winner of the best short film in the 25th Annual Black Harvest Film Festival, R.A.W. TUBA. Directed by David Larson and Darren Durlach, the initials R.A.W. stand for Richard Antoine White, and this documentary traces his inspiring journey from homelessness to symphony orchestra virtuosity.

Chosen by a prestigious jury, the prize will be presented by last year’s inaugural winner, Kelley Kali. Kali’s winning film LALO’S HOUSE will be shown. After LALO’S HOUSE won the Sandor Prize in 2018, it went on to win the 24th DGA (Directors Guild of America) Student Film Award and a Student Academy Award at the 45th Student Academy Awards.

Following the screening of LALO’S HOUSE, there will be short videos from directors Larsen and Durlach and then R.A.W. TUBA will be shown. Following the screening of R.A.W. TUBA, there will be a video from the documentary’s subject, Richard Antoine Wright.

Admission is free but tickets are required and available in-person at the Film Center box office or online at:  http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/richardandellensandorfamilyblackharvestfilmfestivalprize

Named for and generously underwritten by Gene Siskel Film Center Advisory Board Chair Ellen Sandor and her husband Richard, the $1,000 prize is awarded annually to a director of a Black Harvest Film Festival short film

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Black Harvest Film Festival is Midwest’s largest- and longest- running Black film festival and the Gene Siskel Film Center’s most vibrant annual showcase featuring provocative films that tell stories, spark lively discussions, and address issues relating to the experiences from the African diaspora. Black Harvest features Chicago premieres, filmmaker appearances, panel discussions, and special events. Presented are a combined total of over 50 features, documentaries, and shorts, including a number connected to Chicago, affirming the city’s role as a vital center for independent filmmaking. Black Harvest supports the Film Center’s ongoing mission to present inclusive and insightful programming. www.siskelfilmcenter.org/bhff25

Sponsors this year are Ebert Co., BMO Harris Bank, Allstate, Southwest Airlines, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, NBC 5 Chicago, WBEZ91.5 / Vocalo91.1, Chicago Reader, The Richard and Ellen Sandor Family Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, Illinois Arts Council Agency, The Joyce Foundation, and The Illinois Film Office. Special Thanks to Eleva Singleton and Diane and Victor Hoskins. Festival Partners this year are Akasuba, Chicago Symphony Orchestra—African American Network, Creative Cypher, Gallery Guichard, Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, Museum of Contemporary Photography, The Richard E. Driehaus Museum, 3rd Annual Silver Room Block Party Film Fest, South Shore Current, The Triibe, Truth B told, and What U Need Is…

This screening is at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, located at 164 N. State St.

Tickets are required but free to this event. All tickets may be purchased at the Film Center Box Office. Both general admission and Film Center member tickets are available through the Gene Siskel Film Center’s website www.siskelfilmcenter.org/content/tickets or through the individual films’ weblinks on www.siskelfilmcenter.org. There is a surcharge of $1.50 per ticket. The Film Center and its box office are open 5:00 to 8:30 pm, Monday through Thursday; 1:00 to 8:30 pm, Friday; 2:00 to 8:30 pm, Saturday; and 2:00 to 5:30 pm, Sunday.

BLACK HARVEST FESTIVAL PASS

Black Harvest Festival Passes are available—$55/general admission and $30/Film Center members—for six films and six small popcorns. Festival Passes may be purchased in-person at the Film Center at the Main Office (Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00pm) and at the box office (for hours, see above). Festival Passes may also be purchased online at www.siskelfilmcenter.org/bhff25

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A Gene Siskel Film Center membership is a year-round ticket to great movies for only $6 per screening! Memberships are $50 (Individual) and $80 (Dual). For more information, call 312-846-2600 or visit www.siskelfilmcenter.org/content/membership.

Discounted parking is available for $19 for 24 hours at the InterPark SELF-PARK at 20 E. Randolph St. A rebate ticket can be obtained from the Film Center Box Office.

The Film Center is located near CTA trains and buses. Nearest CTA L stations are Lake (Red line); State/Lake (Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple lines); and Washington (Blue line). CTA bus lines serving State St.: 2, 6, 10, 29, 36, 62, 144, and 146.

For more information about the Film Center, call 312-846-2800 (24-hour movie hotline) or 312-846-2600 (general information, 9:00 am-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday), or visit www.siskelfilmcenter.org.

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About the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Since 1972, the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago has presented cutting edge cinema to an annual audience that has grown to over 100,000. The Film Center’s programming includes annual film festivals that celebrate diverse voices and international cultures, premieres of trailblazing work by today’s independent filmmakers, restorations and revivals of essential films from cinema history, and insightful provocative discussions with filmmakers and media artists. Altogether, the Film Center hosts over 1,500 screenings and 200 filmmaker appearances every year. The Film Center was renamed the Gene Siskel Film Center in 2000 after the late, nationally celebrated film critic, Gene Siskel. Visit www.siskelfilmcenter.org to learn more and find out what’s playing today.

About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

For 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers, and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program ranked number two by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, on-campus galleries, and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman. Learn more at saic.edu.

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