EXCLUSIVE: LA’s Micheaux Film Festival will honor Lil Rel Howery, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Dianne Houston during its 6th edition, which runs October 21 – 27 at The Culver Theater.
Lil Rel Howery, a Chicago native and veteran performer now best known for his scene-stealing turn in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, will receive the festival’s Oscar Micheaux Trailblazer of Excellence Award. The festival said the award honors “Howery’s significant contributions to the entertainment industry as a comedian, actor, writer, and director, celebrating his roots and the influence he continues to have on the Chicago arts scene.”
McLendon-Covey will be recognized with the Alice Guy-Blaché Luminary Award while Dianne Houston will receive the Michael Ajakawe Jr. Pioneer of Influence Award. Both honors celebrate the pair’s “outstanding achievements in film and television, highlighting the diverse voices and talents emerging from Chicago and beyond.”
“We are thrilled to honor Lil Rel Howery, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Dianne Houston at this year’s festival,” said Noel Braham and Courtney Branch, Founders of the Micheaux Film Festival. “Their exceptional talent, creativity, and dedication to their craft exemplify the spirit of excellence that Oscar Micheaux embodied. We are proud to celebrate their contributions to the entertainment industry and their commitment to amplifying diverse voices.”
The Micheaux Film Festival was launched in 2918 by Branch and Braham to honor the legendary Oscar Micheaux, the first major Black filmmaker in the United States. Born in 1884, Micheaux directed 44 films throughout his career. Active mainly in the early 20th century, he is best remembered now for challenging negative portrayals of African Americans in cinema by depicting genuine Black life and complex characters. After moving to Chicago at 17, Micheaux took various jobs, including shining shoes and working in the meatpacking and steel industries. Eventually, he became a porter for the American railway, which provided him with the funds and connections to finance his films.
Micheaux’s first feature was the now-lost black-and-white film The Homesteader. His last surviving film is The Notorious Elinor Lee (1940), starring Robert Earl Jones and Edna Mae Harris.
Branch and Braham added: “We are truly honored to have Lil Rel Howery, a native of Chicago, grace the Micheaux Film Festival with his presence. His journey, much like that of our namesake Oscar Micheaux, who also found his footing in Chicago, exemplifies the spirit of resilience and creativity that this festival embodies. From Chicago’s streets to the silver screen, their stories inspire us all.”
