Englewood Filmmaker Mark Harris’ ‘Black Coffee’ Aims to Inspire

Some critics panned the movie for having an over-the-top message without enough character-driven drama.

Harris isn’t worried about that.

“Making a film like Black Coffee was about showing people that even in tough economic times you can stop looking at your job as your identity and look within yourself to find hope through entrepreneurship whether it’s opening a café or working online,” Harris said. “I hope that people watch the movie and leave asking themselves what is my purpose in life and then go out and pursue it.”

After all, that’s what Harris, a Tilden High School graduate, has done his entire career.

He taught himself how to make movies, figured out how to sell them and has dedicated his professional career to encouraging other aspiring Chicago filmmakers to do the same.

“As a filmmaker I could go off and write something that’s not about what’s happening in our society just to make more money,” he said. “But I want to use my talent to help touch people in some kid of way.”

In 2011, Harris, 41, started the Englewood International Festival — or as I originally dubbed it, “The Most Dangerous Film Festival in the World.”

Each year has been better than the last. In 2013, “each screening was in a theater with 300 seats and we were at 80 percent capacity,” Harris said. “It was our best year, triple what we’ve done in the past.”

Harris says he’s already looking ahead to his next film, “I Used To Love Her,” which will be released on DVD on Jan. 21 — and projects in development.

“I’m having fun doing what I’m doing. This is my passion,” he said. “Sure, I wish it was easier to get money to make films, but either way I’m going to continue to make films that inspire people and make us think. I wouldn’t change that for anything.”

Article Appeared @http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140114/englewood/englewood-filmmaker-mark-harris-black-coffee-aims-inspire

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