Chicago Park District

22/08/2024 | Press release | Archived content

Chicago Onscreen, the Only Local Film Fest Where Chicago is the Star, Returns for Its 11th Year in the Parks

This special Movies in the Parks series will feature 16 local films in parks around the city from August 26th to August 30th.

Watch the official Chicago Onscreen Trailer

The Chicago Park District is proud to present the 11th iteration of Chicago Onscreen, a local film showcase in ten parks across the city. Sixteen films were selected this year to be screened from August 26th to August 30th. This year's theme: the ways Chicago's residents, humans, and wildlife, make their lives in the city. The Showcase is free and open to the public. Screenings start promptly at 8 p.m. and are weather-dependent.

For over a decade, Chicago Onscreen has set out to present park patrons with new, independent movies featuring Chicago connections. The Showcase seeks to get more exposure for Chicago's extensive film community through one of Chicago's favorite film-based programs, Movies in the Parks. Since the Showcase began, 179 films have been screened in 60 parks allowing over 5,500 audience members to view the final works on the big screen. From humble beginnings showing one film in a single park in 2013 to a massive expansion of fifteen films in six parks in 2014, Chicago Onscreen continues to support and advocate for local filmmakers and their creative works.

Filmmakers of all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds were encouraged to submit their films for consideration in this year's showcase. The chosen submissions range from animated films, short films, feature-length films, narratives, and documentaries. These films all focus on Chicago, allowing viewers to visualize and engage with their city in a completely new way.

Chicago Onscreen is a part of the Chicago Park District's Movies in the Parks and the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks initiative. Movies in the Parks is supported by San Pellegrino®. Night Out in the Parks is a year-round event series features more than 1,200 citywide cultural and arts activities, including 160 movie screenings this summer.

Screening schedule and details are as follows:

Monday, August 26th

Winnemac Park (5100 N. Leavitt St.) - 8:00 p.m.

  • Color My World (dir. Georgina Cahill)
  • I Said, No (dir. Gabriella Wiltz)
  • Kedai Tapao: Love and a Malaysian Takeout Shop (dir. Ian Szetho)
  • No Permit Necessary
  • Treasure Haunt (dir. Carlos Lerna)
  • Twenty Five (dir. Lonnie Edwards)
  • "Viewfinder Falling For You" (dir. Grant I. Worden)

Tuesday, August 27th

Chicago Women's Park and Garden (1801 S. Indiana Ave.) - 8:00 p.m.

  • Kedai Tapao: Love and a Malaysian Takeout Shop (dir. Ian Szetho)
  • No Matter How Much (dir. Dorian Weinzimmer)
  • No Permit Necessary
  • Photosynthesis (dir. Brian Zahm)
  • This Train Is Invisible Until It Crashes (dir. Oona Taper)
  • Twenty Five (dir. Lonnie Edwards)

Montrose Harbor (400 W. Montrose Harbor Dr.) - 8:00 p.m.

  • Between Clouds and Glass (dir. Mykhailo Bogdanov)
  • Cat City (dir. Ben Kolak)

Wednesday, August 28th

Jackson Park Grove 6B (5800 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr.) - 8:00 p.m.

  • Between Clouds and Glass (dir. Mykhailo Bogdanov)
  • Cat City (dir. Ben Kolak)

Mozart Park (2036 N. Avers Ave.) - 8:00 p.m.

  • Kedai Tapao: Love and a Malaysian Takeout Shop (dir. Ian Szetho)
  • No Matter How Much (dir. Dorian Weinzimmer)
  • No Permit Necessary
  • Photosynthesis (dir. Brian Zahm)
  • This Train Is Invisible Until It Crashes (dir. Oona Taper)
  • Twenty Five (dir. Lonnie Edwards)

Thursday, August 29th

Smith Park (2526 W. Grand Ave.) - 8:00 p.m.

  • Color My World (dir. Georgina Cahill)
  • I Said, No (dir. Gabriella Wiltz)
  • Last Date (dir. Andrea Zile Bish)
  • No Permit Necessary
  • The Spaghetti Man (dir. Jerry S. Gonzalez)
  • Treasure Haunt (dir. Carlos Lerna)
  • "Viewfinder Falling For You" (dir. Grant I. Worden)

Tuley Park (501 E. 90th Pl.) - 8:00 p.m.

  • a film called black: King's Speech (dir. Cam Be)
  • Sankofa Chicago: The Untold (dir. Vanessa Page Wright)

Friday, August 30th

Ellis Park (3520 S. Cottage Grove Ave.) - 8:00 p.m.

  • a film called black: King's Speech (dir. Cam Be)
  • Sankofa Chicago: The Untold (dir. Vanessa Page Wright)

Sherman Park (1301 W. 52nd St.) - 8:00 p.m.

  • Color My World (dir. Georgina Cahill)
  • I Said, No (dir. Gabriella Wiltz)
  • Last Date (dir. Andrea Zile Bish)
  • No Permit Necessary
  • The Spaghetti Man (dir. Jerry S. Gonzalez)
  • Treasure Haunt (dir. Carlos Lerna)
  • "Viewfinder Falling For You" (dir. Grant I. Worden)

Saturday, August 31st

Humboldt Park Boathouse (1301 N. Humboldt Dr.) - 8:00 p.m.

3 short documentary selections from Choose Chicago's The 77: A City of Neighborhoods.

Embark on a journey through the diverse and complicated tapestry of Chicago's neighborhoods in "The 77: A City of Neighborhoods." Through this wide-ranging neighborhood travel show, experience the pulse of Chicago's neighborhoods like never before, delving deep into the culture, history, and vibrant communities that make Chicago so special. This evening will feature episodes showcasing Humboldt Park, Little Village, and Bronzeville.

Visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/onscreen for more information about the films and their creators, and a complete schedule of screenings.

Click here for the full Movies in the Parks 2024 schedule. Admission is free, and all movies begin at dusk, weather permitting. Patrons can call the Movies in the Parks hotline for daily listings and updated weather-related cancellations at 312-742-1134. Information is also available on the Chicago Park District: Movies in the Parks Facebook page.