Chicago’s Music Field Theatre has plans so as to add a brand new 100-seat third display screen at its Southport Avenue location and purchase the Heights Theater in Minneapolis, Minn., in 2026.
The Music Field’s longtime owner-operators, Brody Sheldon and the Schopf Household, will companion with Ryan Oestreich to supervise the transition of the theatre.
Beneath the brand new possession, Heights Theater will shut for a brief time frame after its annual New Yr’s Day screening of “Vacation Inn.” It can reopen on Jan. 9, 2026, with Jim Jarmusch’s “Father Mom Sister Brother,” extra traditional repertory titles and new programming curated by the Music Field workforce.
The traditions that may stay at Heights Theater embrace “White Christmas” screenings, “Vacation Inn” on New Yr’s Day, the Celebration of Cinema competition and partnerships with Trylon Cinema.
New additions will function late-night screenings on Friday and Saturday evening, children’ Saturday morning cinema and a revitalized silent cinema collection with a stay organ accompaniment.
Music Field Theatre’s third display screen enlargement will debut in summer time 2026. The undertaking is funded by possession and supported by a group improvement grant from town of Chicago.
The brand new venue will permit for expanded impartial, worldwide and repertory programming alongside elevated alternatives for filmmaker occasions, festivals and prolonged runs. Extra group partnerships and particular shows may even be included.
Thursday, December 4
Doc Society’s Local weather Story Unit Broadcasts Story Fund Grants
Doc Society’s Local weather Story Unit introduced the 2025 Local weather Story Fund grantees – choosing seven visionary new initiatives from an unprecedented world pool of candidates. This 12 months, the Fund obtained
808 functions from 122 nations, submitted in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, reflecting the quickly rising worldwide demand for bold, justice-centered local weather storytelling.
The Local weather Story Unit has awarded seven new grants totaling $765,000 USD, supporting each artistic manufacturing and strategic influence initiatives.
Since its launch in 2019, the Local weather Story Unit has awarded $6.3 million on to storytellers, influence producers, and cultural allies, supporting 59 climate-themed tales throughout all mediums. The Fund supplies grants of as much as $125,000 to help each manufacturing and influence campaigns. In 2025 alone, the Fund continues to deepen this dedication with focused investments designed to scale the ambition
and attain of worldwide local weather storytelling.
Gravillis Inc. Names KaLynn Jenkins as Chief Working Officer
KaLynn Jenkins has joined Gravillis Inc. because the artistic company’s new Chief Working Officer (COO). Most not too long ago, Jenkins served as Vice President of Operations at Skydance Media.
In her new position, Jenkins will oversee a spread of operations whereas driving strategic progress initiatives, working carefully with CEO Kenny Gravillis to scale the company, broaden income streams and strengthen shopper partnerships.
“As our company strikes ahead and expands, KaLynn is the right complement to embody that progress,” stated Gravillis in an announcement. “Her expertise and power is a worthwhile asset for the way forward for the corporate, in addition to retaining our operations environment friendly and versatile for this ever-changing panorama known as ‘leisure.’”
Presently celebrating its twenty fifth anniversary, Gravillis is the company behind a number of the most memorable current campaigns together with Sinners, Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” starring Denzel Washington, “Captain America: Courageous New World,” Viola Davis’ “G20,” the Movement Image Academy and the upcoming “Again to the Future” fortieth Anniversary launch.
Tuesday, December 2
BAFTA Unveils 2025 Breakthrough US Cohort Recipients
The 2025 BAFTA Breakthrough US cohort has been unveiled, that includes 12 creatives working throughout movie, tv and video games in the USA. Apple TV will probably be this 12 months’s sponsor.
Learn the complete checklist of this 12 months’s BAFTA Breakthrough US cohort.
US Breakthroughs:
Brandon Wilson, actor – “Nickel Boys” (Movie)
Brittany Shyne, director – “Seeds” (Movie, Documentary)
Chase Infiniti, actor – “Presumed Harmless” (Tv)
Erika Ishii, voice performer – “Ghost of Yotei” (Video games)
Eva Victor, author, director, actor – “Sorry, Child” (Movie)
Frida Perez, author, producer – “The Studio” (Tv)
Karla Reyes, artistic director – “Take Us North” (Video games)
Mia Cioffi Henry, cinematographer – “Sorry, Child” (Movie)
Miles Caton, actor – “Sinners” (Movie)
Min Ji (Maggie) Kang, author, director – “KPop Demon Hunters” (Movie)
Paige Bethmann, director – “Remaining Native” (Movie, Documentary)
Xalavier Nelson Jr., studio head – “I Am Your Beast” (Video games)
The BAFTA Breakthrough US cohort was chosen by a jury lead by Channing Godfrey Peoples, Davina Pardo, Jessica Hernandez, Kate Edwards, Nyasha Hatendi, Paul Rogers, Sam Enoch, Simone Ling for movie & tv and Andrew Prahlow, Arjun Yadav, Carmen Askerneese, Del Walker, Dmitri Johnson, Julia Bianco Schoeffling, Tara Voelker for video games.
Artwork Administrators Guild to Honor 4 Visionaries with Lifetime Achievement Awards
The Artwork Administrators Guild will honor 4 of its members with Lifetime Achievement Awards on the thirtieth Annual Excellence in Manufacturing Design Awards on Feb. 28, 2026.
The Awards will probably be offered to Manufacturing Designer Bo Welch, artwork decorator and set designer Jann Engel, storyboard artist and manufacturing designer Tom Southwell and scenic artist Stephen McNally for his or her distinctive careers of their respective fields.
Welch is an Oscar-nominated manufacturing designer accountable for creating the distinctive seems to be of “Beetlejuice,” “Batman Returns,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Males in Black,” “The Birdcage” and the Netflix collection “A Sequence of Unlucky Occasions.” In the meantime, Jann Engel is a two-time ADG Awards winner whose credit as an artwork director and set designer embrace “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Mars Assaults!,” “Legends of the Fall,” “Highway to Perdition,” “Addams Household Values” and several other Marvel movies together with “The Avengers,” “Avengers: Infinity Battle,” “Avengers: Endgame” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.”
Southwell’s storyboard and manufacturing design skills have created the aesthetics for “Blade Runner,” “X-Males,” “Disturbia,” “Navy Seals,” “Arachnophobia” and his fruitful collaborations with director Ron Underwood on “Metropolis Slickers,” “Coronary heart and Souls,” “Speechless” and “Mighty Joe Younger.” Lastly, McNally has supplied the scenic route for “Anna and the King,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” “What Goals Could Come,” “Flubber” and the TV present “Trauma.” He additionally builds and paints surroundings for the San Francisco Opera.
The thirtieth Annual Excellence in Manufacturing Design Awards will probably be held on the InterContinental in Downtown Los Angeles. The ceremony will probably be produced by Megan Elizabeth Bell, Michael Allen Glover and Tom Wilkins.
Monday, December 1
Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer to Obtain Harold Lloyd Honor at Lumiere Awards
“F1” director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer will obtain the Harold Lloyd Award on the sixteenth annual Lumiere Awards luncheon on Feb. 9, 2026, on the Beverly Hills Lodge.
The award celebrates their excellent achievement in cinematic storytelling and technological innovation, most not too long ago exemplified by their acclaimed collaboration on Apple Authentic Movies’ “F1.”
Following its theatrical launch on June 27, “F1” debuted because the No. 1 movie on the world field workplace and has since grossed over $630 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing authentic function of the 12 months.
Different collaborations from the duo embrace “High Gun: Maverick.” Kosinski’s directing credit function “Oblivion,” “Tron: Legacy” and “Solely The Courageous.” Bruckheimer is thought for “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “High Gun,” “Nationwide Treasure,” “Unhealthy Boys” and “Beverly Hills Cop” franchises.
