Lonnie Edwards
Named 2016 "Filmmaker of the Moment" by NEWCITY Magazine's prestigious annual FILM50 list and honored by Gene Siskel Film Center for his excellent work in film & community, Lonnie Edwards' directorial debut "Parietal Guidance" had a tremendously successful film festival run throughout 2014-15. Winning numerous awards (most notably at Chicago International Film Festival & Miami Independent Film Festival). He followed that up with his much anticipated critically-acclaimed Sophomore project "A Ferguson Story". Ferguson, went on to win 9 awards (including the Pioneer Award at Los Angeles Awareness Int'l Film Festival, Best Documentary Baltimore International Black Film Festival & Best Documentary Chicago Ethnographic Film Festival) out of its 16 film festival nods (most notably Pan African Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Fest & NYC Diaspora) throughout the 2015-16 film festival season. Lonnie immediately started 2017 with the release of his short documentary "Exodus: Sounds of the Great Migration", which won Best Experimental Film as he took home the award for Best Director (short format) at the Pan African International Film Festival du Cannes. With films such as "An Atramentous Mind", and "Periphery" set for release soon Lonnie Edwards continues his commitment to making films about the oppressed and marginalized.
I'd definitely say that 'Periphery' is an amalgamation of everything that I've experienced, every film I've ever created, every black man who's stories have spoken to me, and every piece of art I've ever conceived. Each inch of the film from the VHS distortion being connected to the 80s & 90s era that I grew up in to James Baldwin eerily echoing sentiments that Black America still struggles with to this day. I wanted this film to be an expression of me as an artist and to be an expression of the mental (and physical) battles we all face daily.
Periphery
Periphery is a unique and abstract retrospect that dissects the struggle of being black in America. Narrated by excerpts from the 1960 interview between James Baldwin & Canadian Television the dialogue perfectly accompanies the collage of visuals and stunning composition, while taking the audience on a journey through the filmmaker's mind.
This film was shot in Logan Square and Hermosa Park. There are photos of the city from the 80s of the city's South and West sides. It represents Chicago culture & depicts the beauty of the city as well as black culture.
