Cost: $10 per day, $15 for a festival pass

What to expect: This first-annual fest at the Portage Theater will include 25 features, shorts, documentaries and music videos (many making their big-screen debuts) highlighting the diversity of hip-hop culture.

Why to go: Hip Hop Chicago focuses on the work of local filmmakers like Konee Rok and Octavio Lopez. Other highlights include an International Perspectives program and a documentary about Johnny Nunez, a hip-hop photographer (with cameos from the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West and Tyra Banks), and the feature film "Bronx Paradise."

Additional info: There will also be a variety of workshops throughout the weekend, inclding a music video production workshop led by local director/producer Mark Armstrong, a documentary filmmaking boot camp led by Nate Grant (Chicago State University) and Ron Pitts (Columbia Colege),and a scriptwriting clinic led by writer Sam Greenlee ("The Spook Who Sat By The Door"). Check the website for the schedule.