'The Area' To Be Shown At Elmhurst College

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst College will screen the documentary, “The Area,” this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. intercultural presentation, on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

“The Area” follows the five-year odyssey of a South Side Chicago neighborhood where more than 400 African-American families are being displaced by a multi-billion dollar freight company. The film tells the stories of homeowner-turned-activist Deborah Payne, who vows to be "the last house standing," and the Row Row Boys, teen friends who must start a new life across gang lines.

A panel discussion with Payne, a producer on the film, and co-producer Brian Ashby will follow the screening. You can learn more about the film at theareafilm.com.

“The Area” is a production of Scrappers Film Group. It is a 2017 IFP Documentary Labs awardee and is supported by the Graham Foundation, the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, and Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The film also was a participant in the Tribeca Film Institute/Kartemquin Films Tribeca Hacks program.

The screening of “The Area” will begin at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, in the Schaible Science Center, Illinois Hall, 190 Prospect Ave. Admission is $10 for the general public and free for Elmhurst College students, faculty, staff and alumni. Tickets are available by visiting elmhurst.edu/cultural. For more information, call (630) 617-5186.