OTV | Open Television

Elated to be making our return to @mcachicago on May 28th for #OTVTonight : A Window Into Love 🪟🩷 Join us for an intimate evening filled with care and admiration for the stories that help us to cultivate a bond that is strong enough to heal, prepare, and transform unstable foundations. We’ll be premiering 4 titles interspersed with artist interviews, live DJ sets, pop-up performances and more — all hosted by OTV’s Co-Founder and Executive Diva, Elijah McKinnon❤️🔥 #OTVTonight : A Window Into Love Tuesday May 28 @ 5:30pm CST tickets + details at bit.ly/otvtonight Take a peek into our program! ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ❣️ HOW TO CARRY WATER - This punk rock fairytale doubles as a portrait of fat, queer, disabled photographer Shoog McDaniel Directed by Sasha Wortzel ❣️ MOONCAKE - A meditation on gender queerness and the blurred lines between influence, desire, and obsession. Directed by Rraine Hanson written by Zi Lu and Pangan Eggermann ❣️ WORK - Unable to move on from a breakup, Gabriela impulsively drops into an old job, where she unexpectedly runs into a friend from her past. Written and directed by April Maxey ❣️ A REAL ONE - A bright teenager learns the power of true friendship when a closely held secret is discovered. Written and directed by McKenzie Chinn . creative direction by Mac Do visuals by Candice Majors music by Erik Wallace amplified by The Chicago Community Trust

OTV’s annual Deep Focus fall showcase always features films created by Midwestern artists, and as we expand and explore more curatorial avenues, we wanted to focus on a theme for this year's Deep Focus. Which is how we landed on ‘A Prelude to Power’. Get your tickets for September 27 to experience six evocative shorts tilled in Midwest soil exploring themes of self-actualization, shifting realities, transformation, and empowerment. Included in this iconic lineup, is ‘Lee Baby’ created by Leah Raidt and Eli Sulkowski ‘Lee baby’ follows Lee, a trans man, and his wife Charlie who are smack dab in the middle of creating a family. Deep Focus: A Prelude to Power Sept. 27 at Chicago Cultural Center 5:30 - 8 PM tix @ bit.ly/deepfocus24

Our quarterly opportunity round-ups have been a great way for us to organize all the offerings that come our way, and share them with our community of artists! This round of opportunities we have grants, fellowships, and workshops, check them out!

Earlier this month, OTV hosted our first ever in-person #OTVStudyHall !! Study Hall was meant to be an in-person course in it's early inception, but we had to pivot to an online masterclass style to better suit the needs of our artist community between 2020-2023. So it feels very special to be able to see our original plans come to fruition! There is something so precious about being able to spend intentional time together physically. Being able to witness our #OTVStudio fill up with light, laughter, and learning was a true blessing! We are so grateful to our participants for coming in with so much enthusiasm & willingness to be vulnerable. Thank you to our instructors and facilitators Jess King, Makiah Green, Kiam Marcelo Junio, Jenna Anast, and Elijah McKinnon for pouring their knowledge into our community, and our crew for pulling it altogether! Our early #OTVStudyHall masterclass offerings are still available for any and all who are interested in diving into a wealth of knowledge made possible by our ever expansive #OTVMultiverse (for FREE!), check it out at weareo.tv/studyhall

Thank you Full Spectrum Features for inviting OTV | Open Television to curate the third edition of OUR RIGHT TO GAZE!! We chose the theme BITTERSWEET HEALING. In a world marked by rapid changes and ongoing challenges, these films delve into the persistent and nuanced efforts of healing within the Black community. This collection celebrates the resilience, complexity, and intersectionality of the Black-lived experience, offering an evocative look at how healing unfolds in diverse and often complicated ways. These stories illuminate the powerful narratives of perseverance and transformation. Check out the Chicago premiere of OUR RIGHT TO GAZE: September 4th 7-9 PM CST @ Harper Theater RSVP bit.ly/ORG-Premiere-2024 This year OTV has really expanded on our curatorial endeavors!! So excited to include works from some of our favs: New Hire dir. by Aquarius Ester Alegria Synopsis: In order to pay off their wife’s medical debt, Omari Stone, a recently deceased, queer Chicagoan starts their first day at Anubi, a company that hires ghosts to perform odd jobs in exchange for clearing old balances. After committing the unspeakable, Omari returns back to headquarters to complete the onboarding process and dread sets in after realizing the weight of the contract they signed. A Living Sculpture Directed dir. by Diana Ali Chire Synopsis: Francesca, a horn player and music student, is contemplating the pros and cons of continuing a relationship with artist Nick and the problematic idea of the female muse. Across, Beyond, and Over dir. by Brit Fryer Synopsis: A hybrid documentary about two trans men, who used to date in middle school, reconnecting 10 years later to develop a narrative film about their past. Brit Fryer and Noah Schamus direct “Across, Beyond, and Over,” a film made with warmth and vulnerability about the creative process and revisiting past selves. MnM dir. by Twiggy Pucci Garcon Synopsis: MnM is an exuberant portrait of chosen sisters Mermaid and Milan, two emerging runway divas in the drag ballroom community. Celebrating their joy, siblinghood, and unapologetic personas, the film explores the power and beauty of being nonbinary in a community that prizes gender ‘realness.’ LIBIAMO! dir. by Kin Marie Logline: At a bustling food spot in Auburn Gresham, regulars eagerly await their orders when a customer and their toddler enter. The customer's curiosity about the best menu item ignites a passionate debate among the patrons. Some Sweet Day dir. by Rasheed Peters Synopsis: Some Sweet Day is an intimate exploration of the question: "When flesh and heart fail, what remains?” This story follows the filmmaker and his mother, Camille, as they navigate life after the loss of a husband and father. It's a story of wrestling with tough emotions, regrets, and the lasting impact of grief. #OurRightToGaze

For our annual Fall/Winter showcase, also known as DEEP FOCUS, we are highlighting the importance of stepping into your power. Join us September 27 at the Chicago Cultural Center for Deep Focus: A Prelude to Power Sept. 27 at the Claudia Cassidy Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center 5:30 - 8 PM CST RSVP @ bit.ly/deepfocus24 longtime #OTVCommunity members know that when OTV was in beta, we had a residency at the Chicago Cultural Center , so returning here for our fall/winter showcase a few months shy of our 10 year anniversary feels VERY much like a homecoming for us! Coupled with the fact that we'll be highlighting and sharing titles tilled here in the Midwest soil, really makes this a special event that we can't wait to share with everyone!! This fab lineup includes: Lee Baby by Leah Raidt & Eli Sulkowski A Sweetness of Lapse by Bashir Aden America 1979 by Lila Yomtoob Places of Worship by Bridget Francis Harris EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING by Kin Marie Whole by Monty Cole

Congrats to our 2023 #OTVFellow and $10k #pitchplease winner Robert Cunningham for being a part of The Orchard Project 2024 Episodic Lab!! We can't wait to see the development in Robert's project, 'Laurels' !!! Logline: A serialized half-hour comedy about a washed up, former child star who uses his con-artist younger cousin and a ragtag group of Chicago community college performers to help reignite his career Read the press release here: https://lnkd.in/gQq9Q-ng

Congratulations to our 2023 #OTVFellow Khaleb Brooks on being part of the Sundance Institute 2024 Trans Possibilities Intensive Fellowship!!! These fellows were selected through a nominations-based application, and OTV is proud to say that we nominated Khaleb and his project 'May the Road Rise Up to Meet You' ☺️ Log line: A married woman and a transgender man navigate their desperation to love and be loved at a bus stop in London. Khaleb Brooks is a filmmaker and visual artist centering ancestral memory and archival research. He has worked as a filmmaker with the UN, screened his short Black Boys Can Swim across the U.K., and most recently was an Open Television Fellow. read the press release here: https://lnkd.in/g6HSusCq

We're so excited to announce that on Friday, September 27, OTV will be making our return to the Chicago Cultural Center for our annual Fall/Winter showcase - DEEP FOCUS for a cinematic journey through the heart of the Midwest! This event will showcase a selection of films that highlight the beauty, diversity, and talent of the region. From heartwarming dramas to thrilling documentaries, these Midwest gems are sure to captivate and inspire.🌟 🌾 Don't miss this unique opportunity to experience the magic of the Midwest on the big screen of the Claudia Cassidy Theater!! Follow us on Instagram @weareotv for updates! Lineup reveal coming soon!

Meet our Instructors + facilitators for this year's #OTVStudyHall offering - a one day retreat that will build on 5 years of providing unconventional, educational opportunities to intersectional storytellers that are hungry to expand their knowledge and learn from professionals that share their commitment to inclusivity, accessibility and diversity! JESS KING, Screenwriting Instructor Study Hall Session w/ Jess King: Crafting Culturally Specific Worlds Makiah Green , Pitch Instructor Study Hall Session w/ Makiah Green: Crafting A Pitch That Lands Kiam Marcelo Junio, Creative Wellness Instructor Study Hall Session w/ Kiam Marcelo Junio: Creative Wellness Kit: tools for the body, mind, emotions, and spirit The #OTVStudyHall 2024 Retreat will be co-facilitated by our fav, Jenna Anast and OTV's Executive Diva, Elijah McKinnon Hosted at the OTV Studio located in Chicago, Illinois, the #OTVStudyHall Retreat is designed to provide space for the cultivation of generative reflection, radical learning and authentic connection. Our 12 selected participants will not only receive feedback on their scripts, pitch development resources and peer mentorship that is typically only available through our annual fellowship curriculum; they will also leave with inspirational strategies anchored in strengthening their creative practice through a lens of care and rest. You can check out our previous #OTVStudyHall offerings at watch.weareo.tv/studyhall for FREE! Just sign up for our free OTV Community registration to view! bit.ly/otvcommunity