Chicago in the Spotlight: A Retrospective with the Cast and Crew

Chicago mayor Richard J. “Boss” Daley had a lofty vision for Chicago’s downtown. Over the course of his 21 years in office, Daley’s ambitious urban renewal initiatives were the foundation of the city’s infrastructure and at the same time displaced the poor and people of color while perpetuating racial segregation. Audio-narrated descriptions are available.

In the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968, chaos erupted on Chicago’s West Side. Grief turned into anger as protests, riots, looting, and fires consumed some neighborhoods. Audio-narrated descriptions of key visual elements are available.

This Rose will forever be Chicago Red.

An anti-littering public service announcement from the Chicago Park District

Amidst the ivy-draped remnants of once-notorious public housing projects, FOR THOSE THAT LIVED THERE weaves a visual tapestry, navigating the poignant impacts of gentrification, the displacement of Black legacies, and the emergent migrant narratives. Against Chicago's ever-evolving skyline, this evocative exploration immerses audiences into the soul of a neighborhood transformed.

In an age before online commerce and Amazon, the catalog was king – and two Chicago mail order giants were responsible for making goods and services accessible to the masses. Chicago Stories traces the histories of Sears, Roebuck and Montgomery Ward and the rivalry between the two bold innovators who founded them and forever changed the way we shop. Audio-narrated descriptions are available.

House music is a genre that connects, uplifts, and unites people. It resonates globally and is prevalent on the world’s biggest music stages. Born in Chicago, this sound developed during the turbulent 1970s when a group of predominantly gay Black artists, who faced constant harassment, pioneered a new type of dance music at underground venues. House music became the anthem of safe spaces, free from the racism and homophobia of the outside world, ultimately igniting a cultural and musical revolution.

Chicago Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) introduces tenant management into Chicago Public Housing at Cabrini Green, Ida B Wells developments. Bertha Gilkey worked with tenets. Seen nationally on PBS.

This documentary short profiles John Carruthers' Crust Fund Pizza project, which slings alley pizzas for the benefit of the people who make Chicago a better place to live. Benefiting a variety of local nonprofits, since August 2020 Crust Fund Pizza has raised more than $115,000–fueled by word of mouth, social media FOMO, and Chicagoans’ obsession with all things pizza.

Separated by just a few stops on the green line, nine miles west of the bustling financial epicenter of the Chicago Loop is Austin, one of the most impoverished and underserved neighborhoods in the city. Surrounded by violence, gangs, guns and drugs in his daily life, a graduating high school senior reflects on his experience growing up in this neighborhood and how the traumas associated with it shaped his life.

Because of his salacious language, late-night radio advice-show host Leon Phelps, along with his sweet and loyal producer Julie, is fired from his Chicago gig. Leon gets a letter from a former lover promising a life of wealth, but he doesn't know who she is. Can Leon find his secret sugar-mama? What about Julie?

In a time of political turmoil, a striking factory worker struggles to find sexual satisfaction. As unrest turns to violence, his desire takes him down an unexpected path.

A dance instructor is sentenced to community service teaching the elderly to dance at a church, where he also falls for a rich parishioner’s daughter.

The Prom King goes on a journey of self discovery.

Joe Keery’s band Djo perform their highly anticipated set at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago, in front of thousands. He performed thirteen songs within an hour, including his highly popular hit, ‘End of Beginning’ bringing together the voices of the audience for the song. His voice, stage presence, and backing bandmates meld together magically in this captivating performance.

Three queer friends launch a half-witted heist to steal back a sweater from one of their exes. But recovering from heartbreak isn't quite the slick-lit, neon-noir adventure one of them imagines.

A drifting young high school dropout gets himself employed at a suburban fish store, where he decides to steal a rare and valuable pufferfish that will help him start his life afresh. In his efforts to sell the precious item to a wealthy collector, the scheme begins to deteriorate into paranoia, dangerous situations, and unhealthy relationships. When faced with the results of his dishonesty, he must confront himself and understand the true consequences of his actions.

Recorded live at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago, IL on on September 1, 2024. 06:05 Robot Stop 15:12 Big Fig Wasp 19:46 Gamma Knife 24:32 People-Vultures 31:23 Mr. Beat 38:25 Sad Pilot 42:59 Rats In The Sky 46:53 Daily Blues 55:41 Cut Throat Boogie 1:00:58 You Can Be Your Silhouette 1:06:59 Iron Lung 1:18:28 Crumbling Castle 1:27:15 The Fourth Colour 1:35:10 Hell 1:38:36 Predator X 1:43:58 Dragon 1:54:45 Flamethrower 2:00:17 All Is Known 2:04:30 Straws In The Wind 2:16:00 Welcome To An Altered Future 2:16:52 Digital Black 2:19:39 Han-Tyumi The Confused Cyborg 2:22:00 Soy Protein Munt Machine 2:22:26 Vomit Coffin 2:24:42 Murder of The Universe 2:30:16 Swan Song 2:44:28 Set 3:04:06 Head On/Pill

Everyone in the town of Yuletide, Arizona celebrates Christmas year-round. Everyone, that is, except town scrooge Penelope Roche Duplossier. But when a freak coconut bonking accident on New Year’s Eve wipes Penelope’s memory of Christmas, a local reporter helps her discover the true magic of the season.

When an underachieving writer spontaneously hosts his former best friend on a layover, he is forced to grapple with their complicated past and confront the faults in his own relationship.