Film festival takes spotlight at Cantigny

The inaugural Tylerman Film Festival is coming to Wheaton's Cantigny Park and will feature more than 30 films, many promoting social awareness and change.

The fest on Sunday, Aug. 25, will screen in multiple venues at the park, including the historic Gold Theatre inside the Robert R. McCormick House.

The festival begins at noon with a red-carpet event for filmmakers and closes at 8 p.m. with awards. General admission tickets are $15 or $10 for students, and may be purchased in advance at Eventbrite.com and Groupon.com. Parking is $10.

Andrew Tyler, founder of Tylerman Films LLC, created the festival as a means for filmmakers to "showcase their skills without filter in support of social awareness" and tell their stories to a wider audience.

Some of the films, which will include shorts and full-length features, will be followed by a Q&A with their creators.

One of two featured films is "Making the Five Heartbeats," a documentary by Robert Townsend about the making of his 1991 film "The Five Heartbeats." After the film, actor Hawthorne James, who had a starring role in Townsend's original film, will answer questions.

The second featured film is NAACP Image Award winner "Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland." Bland's mother and sister will take questions after the screening.

More information, including film previews, is available at www.tylermanfilms.com.