4TH ANNUAL CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL CHANGE FILM FESTIVAL: FILMS INSPIRING CHANGE
Moleska Smith
Published: September 16, 2015
To effect change, one must take action. That action can take many forms. But few forms have more potential for creating change, educating, and bringing awareness to a variety of issues than film. On September 18 -20, 2015, The Chicago International Social Change Film Festival will showcase films that are created to inspire change.
In 2011, Todd Belcore and Emile Cambry, Jr. founded the Chicago International Social Change Film Festival (CISCFF). Devoted to the pursuit of social change, Belcore, a lawyer, and Cambry, an entrepreneur, are passionate about showcasing global struggles using CISCFF as a platform to create change. “The idea of the film festival was to provide a vehicle for people from all over the world, from different walks of life, to see different struggles, to become educated and uniquely inspired to want to do something about the issues,” explains Belcore.
Since its inception, the CISCFF has received more than 600 film submissions from filmmakers from more than 30 countries around the world. Previous films have addressed issues such as domestic, sexual and community violence; human-trafficking; different models for economic development; veterans, LGBTQ, elder, immigration and human rights issues; homelessness and foreclosure; disabilities; activism; bullying; feminism; education, and the criminal justice system. “We believe in the power of our youth…we believe in the power of our communities…we believe in our film festival to tell the stories that need to be told,” states Cambry.
The films this year look at education and social change, criminal justice and stereotypes, apartheid, social justice, health and awareness, environment/chemical and prisons. The films include the opening-night film A Ferguson Story (a group of Chicagoans banded together to launch the #LetUsBreathe initiative to bring donations of supplies to Ferguson protesters whose peaceful demands are being met with police aggression), Finding the Gold Within (six young Black men from Akron, Ohio, enter college, determined to redefine society's images and low expectations), Social Innovators of South Africa (this film tracks community-minded entrepreneurs who are empowering the nation’s youth), Stink! (a father's journey to find out what kinds of chemicals are hidden in a pair of his kid's pajamas - and why no one will tell him what they are), and Inside Peace (three criminal offenders marked by generations of violence, addiction and poor social conditions attend the Peace Class in a Texas prison, where they struggle to discover their humanity, improve their outlook on life, and rebuild their lives from the inside out) and more.
In addition to the inspirational films, there will be lively post-film discussions with expert panelist and filmmakers. There will also be informal networking and brainstorming sessions with business, community, and industry leaders.
The Chicago International Social Change Film Festival is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit whose mission is to expose, educate, and inspire attendees to act regarding the injustices others face every day and to connect the newly inspired with organizations and individuals working to address the issues so that they can be part of any existing or help create movements for change.
The Chicago International Social Change Film Festival runs from September 18 – 20, 2015 at Showplace Icon Theaters, 150 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60605. September 18 opening night red carpet glitz and glamour begins at 6:00 pm. For more information regarding the festival and the organization, visit www.chicagosocialchange.org