CHICAGO (AP) — The first film festival in Chicago's
downtrodden Englewood neighborhood is being considered a success by area
filmmakers and neighborhood residents.
About 250 people attended the closing documentary
screening Saturday of the two-day event. It featured five independent films.
Chicago filmmaker Mark Harris put on the festival
in hopes of taking steps toward changing the neighborhood where he grew up.
Englewood currently has Chicago's most violent
crime incidents and has been hit hard by the economic downturn.
There were a few technical glitches. The picture
went out a few times during films and some attendees complained the sound was
low.
Forty-year-old Keesha Beasley brought her two
daughters, including one who wants to be a producer. Beasley was happy to
attend the event, saying there aren't enough cultural events in the
neighborhood.
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
