Filmmaker and Chicago native Robert Townsend hosted a two-day pop-up film festival downtown over the weekend, featuring film screenings, a master class and community events aimed at both entertainment and philanthropy.
Events began Saturday at Columbia College Chicago, where Townsend led a storytelling master class before screenings of The Spook Who Sat by the Door and The Five Heartbeats, followed by Q&A sessions with guests, including film executive Pemon Rami.
On Sunday at the Chicago Cultural Center, attendees saw free screenings of Townsend’s The Meteor Man and an episode of Power Book IV: Force that he directed, each followed by discussion. The weekend concluded with a comedy showcase featuring Lil Rel Howery at The Comedy Bar.
The festival served as a fundraiser for the Chicago Westside Branch NAACP and The Answer, Inc., an autism-support nonprofit. Townsend said the goal was to highlight Black art and counter negative narratives about Chicago.
