Friday, August 22, 8:30 p.m. | In this heated Blaxploitation flick, Black Belt Jones (Jim “Dragon” Kelly) takes on the mob to stop them from seizing the karate dojo run by his friend Pops (Scatman Crothers). Coming hot off his role alongside Bruce Lee in ENTER THE DRAGON, Kelly exudes confidence, Black power, and an indecent number of one-liners that will equip you to annoy your friends long after you leave the theater. In addition to being a great entertainer, Kelly was a trained martial artist, with at least one international karate title under his black belt before his acting debut. This slice of Blaxploitation history is not to be missed, ya dig? (Tavi Veraldi)
Technicolor Weekend | August 22–24, 2025
The Chicago Film Society returns for its third iteration of Technicolor Weekend, a series which showcases prints made using the Technicolor printing process. All of the films in this series will be projected from prints that were at one point or another saved by private collectors. They were intended to last only through their initial runs, but instead have endured hundreds of screenings, studio mergers, film exchange closures, and multiple private owners. These unlikely survivors offer us a view of what these films looked like before digital color correction and other modern restoration techniques, and are stunning examples of an incredibly complex industrial process that delighted millions. Synopses courtesy of Chicago Film Society. Learn more at chicagofilmsociety.org.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu