Chicago is known for its breathtaking architecture, delicious food, unforgivable winters, and the best summers of any metropolitan city. When you visit the Windy City, you are guaranteed to enjoy yourself and want to come back for more. Other than the attractions and activities that Chicago offers; it is also the home of several notable industry stars that still unapologetically represent the neighborhoods of Chi-town. Celebrities like Common, Jason Weaver, Shonda Rhimes, Robert Townsend, Larenz Tate, and the legendary Oscar Devereaux Micheaux have accomplished impressive careers starting from the city. Similar to cities like Los Angeles and New York, Chicago has proven itself to have the potential to be a place full of creativity, authenticity, and entertainment.
Despite the negative narrative depicted of the city that has swept the nation, like in Spike Lee’s film Chi-Raq, the Midwest gem has way more to offer about the Black experience. While plenty of great movies and TV shows are shot in Chicago, there is an opportunity to showcase new-age talent and reshape the narrative of Chicago to be a profitable film hub.
Troy Pryor, a film producer and founder of Creative Cypher, is creating a movement to highlight more creatives from the city and is proving to the country that Black creatives can still be found here with incredible work to show for it. Creative Cypher is an entertainment ecosystem for creatives to produce content and network with different partners without feeling the need to ask permission from the masses. With Creative Cypher, Pryor created the XL Film Festival and Summit. The XL Film Fest is an annual event where industry professionals, aspiring creatives, and local talent can engage in an immersive experience around the art of storytelling. Pryor believes that this event will fill the void of the lack of recognition Chicago has by birthing fantastic talent and making it a place that the entertainment industry should keep its eye on.
“One of the dope things that I really appreciate is that so many dope people come from Chicago. Some have moved away for one reason or another, and this [XL Film Fest] is providing them a vehicle to come back. When I thought about the idea, I knew that there needed to be some opportunity. There needed to be an authentic experience for the creators we were supporting in our ecosystem. We were already helping them bring their projects to life, and then we would help them get placed at other festivals. But it felt like outside of a project being screened in the movie theater, the rest of the experience just didn't have the type of programming that we thought was consistent with what we were all about,” Pryor stated.
He continued, "We said, if we're going to support these creators, support their journey and their process, then we want to be a part of it on the festival side as well, where we're helping them showcase their work. Instead of just putting something into the theater, what about things like mixers, round tables, and all the stuff that we know is dope? We didn't see that at these other places. So, the only way to do that was to launch our own festival versus asking for permission at someone else's.”
The XL Film Fest is a three-day event hosted in the Hyde Park Chicago south side neighborhood with a mission to accelerate excellence in storytelling. Attendees can view exclusive film screenings, participate in panel discussions, attend workshops, and support local participating Black-owned restaurants with discounted delicious meals. During the event, festivalgoers can hear from directors like Quincy LeNear and Deondray Gossfield of the TV series “The Chi” and our very own Condra Magee for the TV game show “The Receipts,” actors like Lamorne Morris and Jason Weaver, producers like Brenda Gilbert, and so much more.
“The first year, we kicked it off with Robert Townsend and Louis Carr. We were very grateful they were a part of it, and we had two venues. For our second year, we have 10 venues and brands like Disney reaching out to contract with us. We will produce a double screening of Hulu’s series ‘Reasonable Doubt’ and Kerry Washington’s show ‘Unprisoned,’” shared Pryor.
Not only does Pryor plan to evolve the XL Film Fest into something bigger, but he is also doing it with others. The 2nd annual XL Film Fest headliners were none other than the Chicago greats, the Tate brothers. Larenz Tate, LaRon Tate, and Lahmard Tate are working towards making Chicago a global destination and the next film capital and community of Hollywood.
People know Larenz for his iconic roles in Theodore Witcher’s film Love Jones and the STARZ drama series “Power” and Lahmard for his comedic talents in the 1996 comedy Don’t Be A Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood and Barbershop starring Ice Cube. However, all the Tate brothers have launched TateMen Entertainment. TateMen Entertainment is a multimedia company that offers quality content for film, television, and digital platforms. With over 25 years of experience in the industry, the Tate brothers understand the importance of events like XL Film Fest and hope to be part of the revolution.
“Troy Pryor has done an incredible and extraordinary job with putting people together to network where there are a lot of creatives, storytellers, and business folk. We are here to amplify what is already happening in the great city of Chicago. We want to encourage people that it’s okay to go to Atlanta, Los Angeles, or New York; there is nothing wrong with those cities. But Chicago is the destination place for all things entertainment and business,” Larenz expressed.
He continued, “It is important for us to tell our own stories. We have to do it. We have to be accountable and responsible, and we do not need to ask permission from anyone, especially those who are outside of our community. We have to trust each other and know that we can see greatness in ourselves. We see so many of our stories being capitalized in Hollywood. So, we have to make sure that we [Black people] have a stake in that. So, having these incredible festivals where we can communicate and work together will help us create road maps to achieve those creative goals.”
Lahmard added, “The bottom line is this: we are the culture, we are the creators, and they always want to emulate what we do.”
According to a research study by McKinsey & Company, less than six percent of writers, directors, and producers of US-produced films are of Black/African American descent. It also states that when Black talent is involved in a U.S.-produced cinema, a Black director or producer is more likely involved. This alone shows that when we are put in higher positions to make decisions, we make sure to support and advocate for others in our community to create a quality project. Because this is an unfortunate reality in Hollywood, events like XL Film Fest are more important than people may realize. Knowing this, Pryor believes that this is only the beginning of what XL Film Fest can become for Chicagoans and others in the future.
“I would say that XL Fest is moving into more of a SXSW space than a Sundance. We built it as a film festival because that's the world I come from, but it was always about being more of a storytelling experience than just a film festival. There are going to be more activations, still connecting with talent, music showcases, displayed artwork, and stuff like that. It is going to be a powerful place for Black voices and all genres of storytelling,” explained Pryor.
He concluded, “We can bring everybody here in one spot and just give more of a lens of Chicago talent overall. When you see people and find out they’re from Chicago, their brand is way bigger than Chicago. It is just that the Chicago connection has provided an opportunity for me and so many others to attract the right people to support what we are doing. It probably would not have worked if I was doing this somewhere else.”