A showcase of the winning feature film from 2022.
SANKOFA CHICAGO, 68min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Vanessa Page Wright
A documentary that reflects upon the importance of learning black history in order to shape a better future for our young black citizens, starting with Chicago.
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Project Links
News & Reviews
- “Film Review: “Sankofa Chicago’ Explores Black Past, Present and Future”UrbFashhttps://www.urbfash.com/2021/01/film-review-sankofa-chicago-explores.html
- “Cannes World Film Festival Interview”https://www.cannesworldfilmfestival.com/post/an-interview-with-vanessa-page-wright-director-producer-of-sankofa-chicago
- “Vanessa Wright tells the stories of Black leaders who are often overlooked”Rolling Out Magazinehttps://rollingout.com/2021/12/09/vanessa-wright-is-telling-the-stories-of-black-leaders-who-are-often-overlooked/
- “WGN-TV”People to People segmenthttps://youtu.be/OImjaXYIadw
Director Biography – Vanessa Page Wright
Vanessa Page Wright, M.A. is a former Talent Agent turned Filmmaker with a lifelong vision to create documentaries that preserve Black legacies via multifaceted historical storytelling. Through an empathetic, candid lens, she also aims to critically analyze race, culture, and identity within the Black community. Currently, she serves as the Founding Director of Tellers Untold and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia College Chicago.
Vanessa’s most recent creative venture is the award-winning documentary SANKOFA CHICAGO, which was sponsored by the Illinois Arts Council. Since its debut, this film has already received numerous awards, including “Best Educational Film” from Cannes World Film Festival (June 2021), the “Outstanding Achievement Award” from the Black Swan International Film Festival, and “Best Educational Film” from Druk International Film Festival (October 2021). This quickly earned success inspired her to turn SANKOFA CHICAGO into a full-blown docuseries.
Presently in the pre-production stage, SANKOFA CHICAGO: THE UNTOLD sheds light on curriculum-based education for the Social Sciences and History in the Chicago Public School District as well as their integration of Black history and other ethnic group’s histories.
When it comes to giving back to the Black community and serving as role model for the youth (her two sons especially), Vanessa’s determination is boundless. That being said, she is also the behind-the-scenes Creator, Director, Writer, and Cinematographer of a web-series called Your Kid Professors that provides children with a fun and engaging way to learn more about Black history.
Prior to that, Vanessa Page Wright was the Director of a documentary thesis project called Big Ten Athletes. Another multi-award-winning film that also aired on an ABC affiliate station, it featured prominent former NFL and NBA athletes from The Ohio State University.
Chicago FEEDBACK Film Festival 
