XL Film Fest Creates Ecosystem For Artists’ Success

The XL Film Fest will take place from Aug. 14-23, with the goal to expand opportunities for local artists and creators. Photo provided by Creative Cypher.
The XL Film Fest will take place from Aug. 14-23, with the goal to expand opportunities for local artists and creators. Photo provided by Creative Cypher.

XL Film Fest Creates Ecosystem For Artists’ Success

By Tia Carol Jones


Troy Pryor has been in the entertainment industry since 2004. Pryor began as an extra on a movie that was filming in Atlanta. Entertainment was really something he was invested in. He was in college at the University of Illinois and playing football.

When he realized that he wasn’t going to pursue a career as a professional athlete, he looked to the entertainment industry and began as a voice actor. From there, he signed as a model doing runway and print. It enabled him to learn the language of the industry and empowered him to speak to artists in many different spaces. He parlayed his knowledge and experience and created the XL Film Fest.

The XL Film Fest will take place from Aug. 14th to 23rd. This is the third year for XL Film Fest, which was a byproduct of existing programming. Throughout the years, Pryor and Creative Cypher had been supporting storytellers for a number of years through screening events and panel discussions, as well as supporting and consulting other festivals.

Aware of the gaps in the marketplace, Pryor created XL Film Fest as a way to align Creative Cypher’s content lab program and things that he believed would make film festivals more beneficial to its attendees. With the content lab program, Chicago Film Accelerator, grant dollars were distributed to rising storytellers, while giving them access to executives and showrunners.

Pryor launched his media company Creative Cypher 12 years ago, after receiving requests from content creators for help in the digital space. Pryor is the second vice president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) Chicago Chapter. He wanted to create something that had a tangible byproduct.

“It’s one thing to get everybody in the room, but it’s another to mobilize them to be in community with one another, and that was my main goal,” he said. He added that he wanted them to engage with one another.

Pryor has seen tangible growth of Creative Cypher over the years. As the ecosystem of Creative Cypher has grown, so have the resources, on both sides of the camera. Out of that ecosystem, films, comedy shows, and music videos have been produced. All of the facets are interconnected to ensure people are mobilized to collaborate.

Pryor said that people who attend the XL Film Fest will be able to participate in conversations and connect with other artists in a way that feels like a reunion. He said that the artists who have signed on to participate -- Vivica Fox, Mekhi Phifer and Director Malcolm D. Lee, as well as Larenz, Lahmard and Laron Tate – are open to connecting with attendees. He said he wanted to ensure the festival didn’t just have attendees stuck in a theater, so events will be located throughout Hyde Park and Bronzeville, as well as other parts of the city.

The festival will include a celebration of ‘Soul Food’, with cast members from the movie and television show, and rapper Chuck D. Pryor said that at its core, XL Film Fest is a celebration of rising filmmakers, and attendees will be able to see some amazing content and projects.

The XL Film Fest has become a marketplace where networks like AMC have licensed projects directly from the festival. AMC will do a panel discussion on distribution, Starz will do a panel on development, Kickstarter will do a panel on funding projects.

“So, if you’re a storyteller or creator or just an entrepreneur, you’re going to get all of these elements that play a pivotal role in your creative entrepreneurship, or whatever your endeavor is,” he said.

Pryor said that Chicago has always had a lot of talent and creators and with this festival he wants to see an ecosystem and infrastructure that not only attracts new opportunities to Chicago but also supports and amplifies that talent that already exists in the city. The proceeds from the festival ticket sales go towards the content lab grants.

For more information about the XL Film Fest and to purchase tickets, visit XLFest.org. For more information about Creative Cypher, visit creativecypher.org.

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