“Motion picture poetry. Floating like a bubble, knowing this moment is fleeting, every scene transports the audience to a mythological state of mind.” - Cortlyn Kelly, Chicago Reader
“Walter Thompson-Hernández and his ensemble get the details of a hopeful and thwarted childhood just right.” - Lisa Kennedy, The New York Times
“The lyrical narrative is defined by a bracing sense of wonder and an evocatively delivered humanism that, initially, is an ode to Charles Burnett’s thoughtful social realist dramas.” - Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com
Walter Thompson-Hernández was awarded the 2026 Black Harvest Film Festival Visionary Award for his second feature film, IF I GO WILL THEY MISS ME. Its striking style and clever distribution strategy made it one of the highest-grossing independent films of the year. Set in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, the film follows a young Black father and his imaginative son as they navigate grief, housing precarity, and the enduring bonds of community. Twelve-year-old Lil Ant (Bodhi Dell) struggles to connect with a father he barely knows after Big Ant (J. Alphonse Nicholson) is released from prison and returns home. Weaving magical realism into the rhythms of everyday life, Thompson-Hernández crafts a deeply compassionate portrait of love, resilience, and possibility.
Awards & Nominations
2026 Sundance Film Festival - Official Selection
Be Kind, Rewind | December 11–31, 2026
Join us as we rewind the best and biggest films of 2026—from favorite titles that graced the Siskel Film Center’s screens to movies that thrilled audiences across the country. A mini-reflection on the cinematic year that was, BE KIND, REWIND surveys breakout features, new epics from established masters, barnstorming documentaries, and one highly anticipated restoration. As the final days of 2026 slip away, the Siskel Film Center invites you to consider what these films reveal not just about the movies of the year but about 2026 itself.
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