Shades of Chicago: Mezcla Film Screening + Conversation

Enjoy an evening of film and conversation with nine independent Chicago filmmakers who explore the beauty and breadth of life across the city.

In partnership with APL, Mezcla Media Collective is excited to showcase the talents of their Shades of Chicago cohort members on the Southside of Chicago. This collection of short films is a blend of narrative and documentary stories that range from the anxieties of parenting to observations on mental health to the anticipation of falling in love and beyond.

Chicago filmmakers in the Shades of Chicago cohort: Debs Oluseyifunmi Akinlade (I see myself in you), Shane Chung (CHECK PLEASE), Marissa Lichwick (MI-MI SHU-SHU), Olivia Grace Pearson (Pros & Cons), Drew Michele/Cydia Flowers (The Last Agent), Sarah Oberholtzer (We Call Each Other), Diana Quiñones Rivera (Bronzeville to Harlem, An American Story), Ashley Tyler (reverie), Erika Valenciana (Broken Flight), 

Screening will be followed by a moderated conversation with the filmmakers led by Joyy Norris, Mezcla’s Screening Coordinator, and then an audience talkback.

Shades of Chicago is a curated program created by Mezcla Media Collective, that amplifies the work of short filmmakers from across the Chicagoland area through free public exhibitions. is a community of over 800 women and nonbinary filmmakers of color in Chicago.

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