Robert Townsend to Host Pop-Up Film Festival in Chicago to Support Local NAACP, Autism Awareness Nonprofit

Famed actor, director, and comedian Robert Townsend will return to his hometown this December to host a two-day pop-up film festival aimed at raising funds for the Westside Branch NAACP and Hillside-based The Answer, Inc., an autism awareness and support agency.

The festival, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6–7, will take place at various locations across the city, with sites between Columbia College and the Chicago Cultural Center under consideration. Organizers said final details are expected in the coming days.

The event will feature screenings of some of Townsend’s own films as well as a few of his favorites, along with question-and-answer sessions, comedy showcases, and even a bid whist tournament where attendees can play alongside the Hollywood veteran himself.

Organizers are seeking volunteers to help coordinate and staff the festival, providing services ranging from security to catering and transportation.

“All volunteers will also get a free screening of a movie during the festival,” said Janeicia Williams, a member of the organizing team.

Townsend, who attended Austin High School, is best known for directing Hollywood Shuffle (1987), Eddie Murphy Raw (1987), and The Five Heartbeats (1991). He also created and starred in The Parent ’Hood, a sitcom that ran on The WB network from 1995 to 1999.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Cooley High (1975), the Chicago-set coming-of-age classic in which Townsend made his first film appearance.

The planned pop-up festival follows a milestone year for the Chicago Westside Branch NAACP, which recently revived its long-dormant Freedom Fund fundraiser. The September event at the Kehrein Center for the Arts in Austin drew over $70,000 in profit — the most in the branch’s history, said Branch member Sacella Smith, who chaired the Freedom Fund event.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Westside NAACP Branch member Perriyana Clay at (773) 491-2292.