XL FILM FESTIVAL & SUMMIT LINE UP ANNOUNCED

CHICAGO– Creative Cypher’s XL Film Fest has released its official lineup for the three day festival beginning August 17th until August 20th. Founder Troy Pryor has created a unique opportunity for Chicago’s first Black-owned and operated film festival that will operate throughout the entire year.“After working for years as a talent, starting with background work on a Tyler Perry project, I knew my path would lead towards building infrastructure. The festival was a natural progression in a much larger ecosystem that we’ve established and provides creatives a level of access, previously not seen in Chicago.

This is now even more valuable due to state of our creative industry ” said Pryor, Founder.On Friday, August 18, the XL Film Festival will feature panels and films at Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship, located at 1452 E 53rd St. The day kicks off with a lunch at 11:00 a.m. followed by panels that weekend with speakers including Robert Townsend, Louis Carr, Jackie Taylor, George Daniels, Dana Gills (Monkeypaw Productions), Dave Jeff (Phli), Diallo Riddle (South Side), Brenda Gilbert (BRON Studios), Korporate and more.Friday, August 18, day one of the XL festival, kicks off with a conversation with the legend Louis Carr hosted by Rufus Sims. The event will be held at the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center at 9:00 am CST. Tickets for the public are available at this link:

https://events.eventnoire.com/e/xl-film-festival-2023.Saturday, August 19, the festival will feature a conversation between legendary filmmaker and producer, Robert Townsend, hosted by radio personality Leon Rogers. Tickets for the event at the Polsky Center is available at this link: https://events.eventnoire.com/e/xl-film-festival-2023.

On Sunday, August 20, the festival will feature The Making of the 5 Heartbeats with Robert Townsend & Rooftop Cinema x The TRiiBE at Emily Hotel, located at 311 N Morgan St.

 ”XL Fest is showcasing the beautiful history and importance of black creativity that is being birthed, cultivated and persevered from Chicago,” said Edwin Michuex , Creative Director.The festival is part of a larger effort to empower BIPOC ownership in media, and being included in a doc series with BRON Studios. Highlighting Chicago’s rich history, the festival will occur in Bronzeville, Hyde Park, with pop-up events happening throughout the city during the year. “In this time of artificial intelligence, cancel culture, book banning, industry strikes, and black history being distorted and removed from school, this is a time of change. Creative Cypher and the XL film festival represents an opportunity to forge a new direction for an entertainment industry in flux. Their focus on collaborations and partnership will assist upcoming filmmaker and industry professionals in merging together to create a sustainable future,” said Pemon Rami, Honorary Co-Chair.This festival is powered by a team of partners including, Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship, Black McDonald’s Operators Association, Field Foundation, National Association of Black Journalists, The Triibe, Eventnoire, OBE Studios, Rooftop Cinema Club, & Cinespace Studios Chicago.