First Tuesdays with The Midwest Independent Film Festival…

Casting About Premieres February 7th

 

The Chicago Premiere of the critically acclaimed film Casting About (www.castingaboutmovie.com) will be presented by The Midwest Independent Film Festival (www.midwestfilm.com) on Tuesday, February 7^th.  Chicago's beautiful Landmark Century Centre Cinema, 2828 North Clark, will host the festivities, beginning at 6:00 pm CST.  Director and Cleveland native Barry J. Hershey and producer Lewis D. Wheeler will be in attendance to present the film (screened on 35mm film) and field questions from the audience.

 

Casting About is a lyrical documentary that explores the experience of casting for a dramatic film, weaving together footage from auditions with 350 actresses in Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, and Los Angeles (with 39 actresses who auditioned in Chicago appearing in the film).  Janice Page of The Boston Globe calls Casting About "superb… an artful compilation of actress auditions with more entertainment value than most jobs they'll ever land."  Richard Kuipers of Variety adds: "The acting process is joyously celebrated in Casting About, a captivating documentary shot entirely in audition rooms during the search for three actresses for a feature film… [Casting About] pays uplifting tribute to acting traditions and female spirit in equal measure."  And the Boston Phoenix calls the film “unsettling and eloquent… it reveals the mystery, the vulnerability, and the power of acting.”  To date, the film has been screened at 18 film festivals, both in the US and internationally.

 

On Tuesday, February 7^th, the “pre-show social” begins at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema, 2828 North Clark, at 6:00 pm.  Then join host Mike McNamara as the film program starts promptly at 7:30 pm.  The post-screening reception will be hosted by Sausalito, 543 West Diversey (www.sausalitorestaurant.com).

 

THE STORY BEHIND CASTING ABOUT:

 

In late 2000, filmmaker Barry J. Hershey set out to cast actresses for a dramatic film that he had co-written and intended to direct.  The plan was to incorporate some of the casting footage into the fiction film, an idea arising from Hershey’s first experience with casting at film school more than 20 years earlier.  After reviewing the more than 70 hours of casting tapes, a decision was made to shape this rich material into a film of its own.

 

The viewer sits in the filmmaker’s seat, watching the actors at work and learning about their lives, vulnerabilities, fears and dreams.  The film explores the boundaries between fiction and reality – and the dialectic between voyeurism and intimacy.

 

The film presents footage of 184 actresses – and includes selected monologues from the works of renowned contemporary playwrights such as Eric Bogosian, David Hare, Richard LaGravenese, Susan Miller, Keith Reddin, Nina Shengold, and Alfred Uhry.

 

CASTING ABOUT explores the casting process while also celebrating the demanding craft of acting.

 

WHAT IS THE MIDWEST INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL?

 

The Midwest Independent Film Festival is a monthly film event dedicated to showcasing emerging directors, powerful artistic visions and strong cinematic stories from the eight-state Midwest region.  Every first Tuesday of the month, these exceptional films combine with an exciting social atmosphere and state-of-the-art screening venue to create one of the premier festivals in the Midwest.

 

For more information, please visit www.midwestfilm.com.

 

NEXT MONTH!  Our shorts program will include the Chicago Premiere of The Man Who Invented the Moon.  Please be at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema Tuesday, March 7^th for this evening of filmmaking excellence and excitement.  Visit www.midwestfilm.com for more information.