Deep Dive: Digging deep into stories that matter
In the four-part miniseries City So Real, Oscar®-nominated documentarian Steve James delivers a fascinating and complex portrait of Chicago, the USA’s third-largest metropolis and his longtime hometown. The series begins in the haze of midsummer, as Mayor Rahm Emanuel, embroiled in accusations of a coverup related to the police shooting of a Black teenager, shocks the city by announcing he won’t seek re-election. An unprecedented 21 candidates emerge in a diverse and crowded field as they engage in a no-holds-barred battle for a chance to shape the city’s uncertain future. In candid interviews with residents throughout the city, from South Side barber shops to luxurious Lake Shore Drive highrises, James, producer Zak Piper and their team capture Chicago’s indomitable spirit as well as its seemingly insurmountable challenges. City So Real is a gritty and loving depiction of a quintessentially American city that is at once fiercely unique and a microcosm of the nation as a whole.
This film includes a pre-recorded Q&A.
City So Real and Q&A presented with support from U.S. Consulate General of Toronto

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