Chicago born and raised, Amir George is an award-winning filmmaker, curator, and programmer at True/False Film Fest and Chicago International Film Festival, and co-founder of the touring film series Black Radical Imagination. He was the first programmer in residence at Black Cinema House, created in 2012 by Theaster Gates’ Rebuild Foundation on Chicago’s south side, and co-created the PRISM filmmaking lab, an initiative supporting filmmakers from underserved communities who are evolving the language of creative nonfiction. He was a contributor at this year’s dok.incubator workshop in Prague. Amir serves on the board of Chicago Filmmakers.
Known locally, nationally, and internationally for his work as a filmmaker, mentor, community builder, and curator, Amir has cultivated broad connections to community partners, festivals, industry leaders, distributors, and sales agents.
He is respected for his innovative and experimental filmmaking, pushing the form forward with a passion for creativity and storytelling. As a filmmaker, one of his greatest strengths is knowing how to pick his team. Filmmakers describe Amir as being extremely open to collaboration while also knowing what he wants and not being afraid to express his creative vision.
As a mentor, Amir embraces an openness to new ideas and mediums. He works closely with artists to make sure their vision is respected and approaches his role as a mentor from a place of respect, integrity and directness, allowing the artist he works with the safety to take risks and chances.
As an artist, George creates spiritual stories, juxtaposing sound and image into an experience of non-linear perception. George’s films have screened at institutions and film festivals including Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Institute of Contemporary Arts (London), Anthology Film Archives, Glasgow School of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Trinidad and Tobago International Film Festival, BlackStar Film Festival, and Camden International Film Festival, among others.