Arts & Entertainment
Juneteenth Short Film Series at Music Box Theatre to Celebrate Black Chicago Filmmakers
Still from Learenna A. Reynolds’ short film “Raw Head an' Bloody Bone,” which will screen alongside the works of other Black Chicagoan filmmakers at the Music Box Theatre on June 18, 2025, in celebration of Juneteenth. (Courtesy of Learenna A. Reynolds)
Filmmaker Learenna A. Reynolds, born and raised on the South Side, has a fascination with exploring in her films the cultural influences of what she describes as “the tongue” of Black Chicagoans.
“I love being in conversations with Black Chicagoans from the West Side and South Side, hearing them talk together,” Reynolds said. “I always call Chicago ‘diet Mississippi’ because if you ask any Black Chicagoan, a lot of our family are from Mississippi. It is very country in its different kind of way.”
Those traces of Southern culture adorn Reynolds’ first short film, “Raw Head an’ Bloody Bone,” which was filmed in Chicago and will screen alongside the works of other local filmmakers at the Music Box Theatre next week in celebration of Juneteenth.
The upcoming screening, part of the ongoing short film series “Life Within the Lens,” features works from local filmmakers Sanicole, Ashley Tyler, Donald Conley, Cam Be, stella rae binion, Kin Marie and Reynolds.
“I just really want, especially for a theater like Music Box, to take the opportunity to show films that really do show Chicago — Black Chicago,” film programmer Tyler Michael Balentine said. “It’s a way for us to see ourselves and other people to see us, too.”
Balentine hosts the radio show “The Thursday Script” on Que4 Radio, where he highlights the local film landscape and filmmakers. Balentine started as a concessionaire at the Music Box and continues to work in that role in addition to film programming.
“It’s always important for people to see that representation of Black people and the Black people of the African diaspora,” Balentine said about the upcoming short films screening. “Our history, our lives represented on the screen, especially for celebratory times whether it be Black History Month, Juneteenth or any other time.”
Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved people in the U.S. learned they were free after the end of the Civil War, two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Still from Learenna A. Reynolds’ short film “Raw Head an’ Bloody Bone.” (Courtesy of Learenna A. Reynolds)
Still from Learenna A. Reynolds’ short film “Raw Head an’ Bloody Bone.” (Courtesy of Learenna A. Reynolds)
Reynolds’ “Raw Head an’ Bloody Bone” was originally inspired by and made for an exhibition to honor musical artist D’Angelo’s sophomore album, “Voodoo.” The title of the short film is a reference, Reynolds said, to African American folklore told to children during enslavement.
“‘Raw Head an’ Bloody Bone’ is its own experience,” Reynolds said. “If you love D’Angelo, if you love film, if you love things that are about spirit and about what our practice is, it’s called hoodoo, it’s definitely a film for those who are interested in what that looks like and sounds like.”
The Juneteenth installment of the short film series will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers. Tickets can be found on Music Box Theatre’s website.
More information about the short films being screened is below.
“Take 290” directed by Sanicole — A defeated artist from the West Side of Chicago finds inspiration in the common ground she discovers through a spontaneous interaction with an art curator from the South Side.
“Getcho” directed by Ashley Tyler — A tightly wound but promising Ivy League graduate has moved back in with her disappointed mother in their Section 8 apartment and is forced to babysit a peculiar and precocious child and consequently help him manage his bullies and her own.
“About Time” directed by Donald Conley —Two ex-lovers reunite and struggle to connect until an edible spurs an emotional night of dredging up past hurts and self-discoveries.
“A Film Called Black: King’s Speech” directed by Cam Be — Weaves together intimate interviews with Black fathers, the artistic process behind the creation of the song “King’s Speech,” and powerful visual storytelling. It poses central questions about Blackness, leadership and self-definition, framed through heartfelt conversations and creative collaboration. Visually anchored by striking portraits featuring custom crowns crafted by artist Simone Yael, “King’s Speech” is a poetic and rhythmic meditation on identity, community and the evolving meaning of Black kingship today.
“Freedem” directed by stella rae binion — Written and performed by jada-amina, Freedem is a visual poem. Shot on digital, handycam and Bolex, it calls forth the sweetness of liberated lands worldwide and love as a radical force, from the South Side of Chicago to the West Bank.
“Everything is Everything” directed by Kin Marie — Chicagoans reflect on history and identity during Juneteenth 2024.
“Raw Head an’ Bloody Bone” directed by Learenna A. Reynolds — An amalgamation of the beats and stories told in D’Angelo’s sophomore album, “Voodoo,” that tells the story of his life at the time. This story speaks to what had been visiting D’Angelo in this new transit of life, and fame that met him not long before. The story is based on themes of spirituality, love, sexuality, maturation and transition.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
