With his first two films, “Parietal Guidance” and “A Ferguson Story”, the Chicago native quickly earned a reputation for documenting and dramatizing lives in oppressed and marginalized communities. His work has won numerous festival prizes, honors from the Gene Siskel Film Center, a spot on Film50s list for most influential people in film and chosen as Newcity magazine’s 2016 “Filmmaker of the Year”. His short music documentary Exodus: Sounds of the Great Migration screened at the 2017 Pan African International Film Festival in Cannes, where it won awards for “Best Experimental Short Film” and “Best New Director”. His most recent short film “Periphery” (2019) was ranked amongst the top 100 short films internationally by LIFT-OFF Global in 2020. Most recently, he has taken a hiatus from filmmaking to focus on other forms of art after premiering new works for the first time at ART BASEL MIAMI 2019. He also co-created an art collective called FUTURE GALERIE, which raises money and awareness for social justice and other movements towards the betterment of humanity through art. Lonnie continues to create art that speaks to the injustices prevalently happening in America.