Program
Chicago on the Silver Screen: Halsted Street, U.S.A.
The Chicago Architecture Center teams up with Chicago Filmmakers in Edgewater for a special presentation of Halsted Street, U.S.A.
Please Note: This screening is off-site at the Chicago Filmmakers, located at 1326 W Hollywood Ave, Chicago, IL 60660.
Whether the city is starring as the leading lady or serving as Best Supporting Actor, Chicago has a storied history on the big screen. We all know the scenes of Ferris and his friends cutting class at the Art Institute and the Bluesmobile barreling into Daley Plaza, but there countless other films that set their scenes against the backdrop of Chicago and its iconic buildings.
Join us as we explore the different angles of the city in three films at Chicago Filmmakers, Cinema Chatham and the Music Box Theatre. Travel the length of Halsted Street and discover the diverse cultures that live along its blocks, play witness to the hijinks of two streetwise Chicago cops or watch the suspense build in a classic Hitchcock film portraying a manic cross-country journey. Each screening will be complimented by a short presentation by special speakers.
Halsted Street, U.S.A. (David E. Simpson, 1999, 57 minutes)
Along the length of Chicago’s Halsted Street one can view a dozen nationalities and a thousand lifestyles. This riveting, kaleidoscopic "road movie" traces this unique thoroughfare nearly 400 miles, from its origin in the cornfields of southern Illinois up to Chicago’s far south side, then through several neighborhoods to its terminus in the heart of Lakeview. Narrated by Studs Terkel, Halsted Street, U.S.A. is a thought-provoking crash-course in American cultural geography. Filmmaker David E. Simpson will be on hand to discuss the film as it approaches its 25th anniversary.
Speaker: David E. Simpson
David E. Simpson is a documentary filmmaker. Films he has produced, directed or edited have garnered three national Emmys, a pair of Peabody awards, two DuPont-Columbia batons, an Oscar nomination and best in category at countless festivals. Simpson’s feature-length directorial debut, When Billy Broke His Head, about disability culture, won a Sundance jury award. Recent editing credits include the Oscar-nominated Abacus: Small Enough to Jail; and City So Real – awarded Outstanding Nonfiction Series at the Cinema Eye Honors.
Presenting Partner:
