BOYZ N THE HOOD 30th Anniversary

R 1 hr 52 mins Crime

This screening is part of the Chicago Southside Film Festival and will feature a special panel discussion by Derek Dow and Lonnie Edwards.
Derek Dow – Chicago State University Professor Derek Dow is an award-winning director born in the Englewood community on the South Side of Chicago. After graduating from Kenwood Academy high school, he continued his education at Chicago State University, where he learned he held a passion for writing, directing, and filmmaking. Flash forward years later, Dow landed in Los Angeles earning an MFA in film at the prestigious University of Southern California School of Cinema Arts. He was awarded the Irvin Kershner Fund for Documentary Filmmaking, helping him to complete his documentary Beyond the Sole, which shed light on the “sneakerhead” culture and which aired on the Aspire Channel. Dow’s next film, The Big Chop, was licensed by HBO. His newest film, Growing Pains, was shot in his hometown of Chicago and was funded by The Gene Siskel Film Center. Dow has worked closely with multiple diversity programs to help shine a light on new voices, and he is currently writing multiple short-form projects across the digital space.

Lonnie Edwards – With his first two films, Parietal Guidance and A Ferguson Story, Chicago director Lonnie Edwards quickly earned a reputation for documenting and dramatizing lives in oppressed and marginalized communities. He was featured on the Film 50 list for 50 most influential people in film, and chosen as Newcity magazine’s 2016 “Filmmaker of the Year.” His short documentary Exodus: Sounds of the Great Migration screened at CIMMfest’s “Spring Fling Thing” and the Pan African International Film Festival in Cannes, where it won awards for best experimental short film and best new director. With over 20 awards on his resume, Lonnie Edwards strives to continue creating content that not only raises awareness but also pushes the film industry towards new creative heights.