Yvonne Welbon Opened Sisters in Cinema Center

The nonprofit media hub now operates in Chicago to support Black women and gender-expansive filmmakers.

Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Urban

Yvonne Welbon Opened Sisters in Cinema Center

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Yvonne Welbon, who founded the digital platform in 1997, opened the Sisters in Cinema Media Arts Center in 2024. Located in Chicago, the facility serves as a dedicated space for Black women and gender-expansive creators.

Why it matters

The center provides a critical infrastructure hub for documenting and celebrating work from underrepresented filmmakers. It expands access to professional resources by offering free educational programming and screenings.

The center encompasses a 5,000-square-foot space featuring galleries, a creative lab, and a 34-seat theater. It functions as a resource hub providing free workshops, courses, and community screenings.

The players

Yvonne Welbon

She is the founder of Sisters in Cinema and a veteran filmmaker inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame.

Sisters in Cinema

This nonprofit organization is dedicated to supporting the work of Black women and gender-expansive filmmakers.

The details

Situated at 2310 E. 75th St. in Chicago, the center offers facilities including a conference room and specialized media workspaces. The organization focuses on uplifting Black women and gender-expansive filmmakers through hands-on creative support.

Yvonne Welbon founded the Sisters in Cinema website in 1997.
Welbon established the organization as a nonprofit in 2014.
Welbon was inducted into Chicago's LGBT Hall of Fame in 2016.
The Sisters in Cinema Media Arts Center opened in 2024.
A free screening of the documentary Finding Your Laughter occurs October 15.

Industry Dynamics

The opening of this center reflects a broader trend of independent filmmakers creating self-sustaining infrastructure to preserve and elevate marginalized voices. It signals a shift from purely digital content distribution to physical, community-anchored hubs for industry networking.

Residents can utilize the center's free workshops, courses, and screenings to develop their own creative projects. The 34-seat theater offers a public venue for community members to access niche documentary content.

The takeaway

Supporting nonprofit media centers can help ensure that diverse historical narratives are documented for future generations. Local creators can leverage these shared spaces to access equipment and professional training that might otherwise be cost-prohibitive.