Director and filmmaker Steven J. Walsh, founder of Omni Media and Marketing, is bringing his documentary “Southeast: a city within a city” to the Hoosier Theatre, 1335 119th St. in Whiting for a free screening at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 28.
“Steven Walsh is a storyteller, defying the stigmas of his Southeast Chicago upbringing and breaking ground in uncharted creative territory through multi-perspective storytelling,” said Hoosier Theatre owner John Katris.
“Walsh has made the climb up from rather humble beginnings, shattered stereotypes and emerged as a Johns Hopkins Graduate and two-time Emmy award-winning producer. He has made it a mission to shed light on his negatively characterized neighborhood through his documentary through education with his writing, directing and producing.”
The movie is first-time filmmaker Walsh’s examination of how his neighborhood went from a bustling industrial community to being perceived as a deindustrialized “wasteland.” Today, he describes this landscape as now being recognized for its art, resilience and environmental activism. The film depicts Walsh’s skillful way of weaving recent interviews with his grandfather, community leaders, artists and educators together with historical photographs and documents to present what he describes as “a rich tapestry of this complicated urban landscape” through the perspectives of the people who call it home.
In addition to the footage itself, the screening is interspersed with performance art and live music, offering poignant insights into this community’s struggles and opportunities of the broader Calumet Region.
“For more than a century, the Calumet region of Southeast Chicago and Northwest Indiana attracted millions of immigrants from Europe, Latin America and the American South to work in the steel mills that played a crucial role in building the United States,” Walsh said.
“When most steel mills closed precipitously in the early 1980s, multiple generations of workers and their families were devastated. But strong community ties, a heritage of innovation and concern for the environment have kept the region going and working toward a sustainable future. This film helps to tell that story.”
Released in 2021, the documentary has had other screenings in recent years around Chicago and the Midwest, including an April 2024 screening and panel discussion at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, hosted by the College of Arts, Department of History and the Institute for Latino Studies, as organized by Notre Dame Professor Emiliano Aguilar who is originally from East Chicago.
For more information about this month’s free screening in Whiting, call 219-659-0567 or visit www.hoosiertheatre.com.
‘MICHAEL’ MOVIE MATTERS
Singer-turned-actor and filmmaker Jaafar Jeremiah Jackson is going to celebrate his first Hollywood feature film debut before his 30th birthday July 25.
Jaafar is the son of singer Jermaine Jackson, 71, and the nephew of the late Michael Jackson. He is also the young talent who announced in December 2023 that he had been cast in the title role of the new Lionsgate Studios film “Michael,” portraying his late uncle for the movie, which opens April 26, distributed by Universal Pictures.
Chareice White, founder and chair of the board of the Educate Communicate Innovate Entrepreneur and Relationships (ECIER) Foundation, has arranged a special advance screening of “Michael: The Origin of an ICON” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, at Emagine Theater, 6550 American Way in Portage. The charity night is themed “Not a Movie, a Premiere: From Gary to Global” and the proceeds will benefit ECIER Foundation for the Entrepreneurial Innovative Program and scholarships. Tickets will likely range around $40 and admission will include movie tickets, popcorn and a drink, along with the opportunity for “special gifts” for those who attend dressed in “iconic attire.” For more details and tickets, call 219-334-7690 or visit www.ecier.org.
I’m told family matriarch Katherine Jackson, who turns 96 in May, “approved” of director Antoine Fuqua’s casting for the film. Besides her grandson playing her late and legendary son, Katherine herself is played by Nia Long and Colman Domingo plays the late family patriarch Joe Jackson, as the film spans the Jackson Family’s early days in Gary through the pop star’s rise to fame as an international celebrity.
In addition to Jermaine, the rest of Michael’s singing brothers Tito, Marlon and Jackie, as well as sister La Toya, are all portrayed in various scenes.
Despite her grandmother’s nod to the film, Michael’s 27-year-old daughter Paris was disgruntled about the film during an interview in December, complaining publicly that one of the film’s producers is John Branca, the entertainment lawyer who represented Michael Jackson and now serves as the controlling executor of the singer’s estate. Branca is played by actor Miles Teller in the film.
Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and radio show host on WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at PhilPotempa@gmail.com.
