When Karen Toering heard that a biopic of Michael Jackson was in the works, a lightbulb went off in her head.
Could the film be shown in Gary, the city where Jackson’s story began?
“It’s easier to carry optimism than it is to carry doubt and anxiety,” Toering said.
After months of organizing and outreach, that effort has paid off. Gary will host an early screening of the highly anticipated Michael Jackson biopic next week, a rare moment for a city without a movie theater and a symbolic return for one of its most famous sons.
Michael will be shown at West Side Leadership Academy on April 13 at 6 p.m.
Toering, founder of the Gary International Black Film Festival, has spent 15 years bringing Black and African stories from across the diaspora to Gary.
As chatter about the movie started to spark, Toni Simpson, the boots-on-ground organizer for the festival, brought up the idea of hosting events to highlight Jackson’s connection to his hometown.
“We [Gary] were the beginning,” Simpson said as she played the trailer for the movie at the community storytelling event held in March. “We know the real story.”
The journey
In October, the festival team began communicating with movie distributor Lionsgate to explore securing a screening.
They had worked with the company before, including a 2022 screening tied to the festival, and hoped that relationship would help open the door. Early conversations did not lead to a commitment. Organizers were told to follow up months later as plans for the film were still taking shape.
When they reached out again and did not receive a response, they shifted their approach. Instead of waiting, they focused on building momentum locally.
“I want to say relentless, but professional,” Toering joked, on them reaching out every few weeks to speak with the company. “In the meantime, we kept planning and putting things together.”
Organizers connected with community institutions, including the Gary Public Library and the Gary Arts Council, to build momentum leading up to the film. The effort grew into a broader campaign that included a storytelling event and a community talent showcase scheduled for April 10.
“The end goal was to bring Michael home,” Simpson said. “The people in the city of Gary should be able to sit in their community and enjoy a film. And with this film, it only made sense they should be able to sit at home and enjoy their native family.”
Building the case
Eventually, the effort paid off. Lionsgate gave the green light for a screening in Gary before the film’s wider release.
But another challenge quickly emerged.
“We’re a tiny organization, and a film of this magnitude and presence to screen in a city where there are no working theaters, that’s a big lift,” Toering said.
Originally, the company offered the opportunity to host screenings at theaters surrounding the Gary community. What might seem easier in hindsight didn’t convey the message the organization was trying to uphold: bringing Michael Jackson back to where it all started.
“It’s about us reclaiming our stories,” Simpson said. “We were adamant about it being, not only here in Gary, but being in Gary first before the world got to see it.”
Toering said they had to explain why Gary lacks a movie theater, pointing to decades of disinvestment, population loss and shifting economic conditions. Bringing the film to a neighboring city, they argued, would repeat those patterns.
“We had to explain that if they brought this film to any one of the surrounding communities that they felt comfortable with, they would be repeating that disinvestment,” Toering said.
And so the team brought in the city to help bring that plan to the finish line.
Bring Michael Home
Mayor Eddie Melton said the screening reflects a broader effort to honor Gary’s cultural legacy while investing in the next generation.
“Michael Jackson’s legacy is woven into the very fabric of our city and our world,” Melton said. “From humble beginnings at 2300 Jackson Street to the global stage, his journey started right here in Gary, Indiana.”
Attendees at the April 13 screening are expected to include filmmakers, cast members, and members of the Jackson family. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning April 8 after 10 a.m. The event is limited to Gary residents, with a maximum of two tickets per household.
Tickets can be picked up at West Side Leadership Academy, the YWCA of Gary, the Urban League of Northwest Indiana and Beautiful Things Boutique.
“We are especially grateful to Lionsgate for bringing this extraordinary film to Gary, where the story of the Jackson family first began,” said Mark Spencer, director of performing arts at West Side. “This moment is more than a screening; it is a powerful homecoming. There is no more fitting place to experience this story than in the very community that helped shape a global legacy.”
“Hosting this exclusive screening is a profound honor for our community, allowing us to celebrate our most famous son while investing directly in the next generation of Gary’s creative and athletic talent,” Melton said.
