Four Premieres at The Midwest Independent Film Festival
Tuesday June 7th
The Chicago Premiere of the award-winning dramatic short, CAST IN GRAY, will headline another outstanding lineup of short films as the Midwest Independent Film Festival enters the second installment of its 2005 season. On Tuesday, June 7th at 6 p.m., the screening of this “visually beautiful and thought-provoking film (Golden Film Festival)” will be hosted by Chicago’s beautiful Landmark Century Centre Cinema, 2828 North Clark.
Other program highlights include the World Premiere of the 2003 IFP Production Fund winner, APOLOGY, directed by Anthony Collamati, the World Premiere of GREATER THAN US from Thomas Lisa, a hilarious flash-animated short from director George Eckart and a rare film interview with Michael Mann, from D.P. Carlson’s doc, CHICAGO FILMMAKERS ON THE CHICAGO RIVER.
Winner of Best Narrative Short at the East Lansing and Golden Film Festivals, CAST IN GRAY comes to us from writer/director I. Michael Toth and was shot on location throughout Illinois. Stuck in a rainstorm in the middle of nowhere, a man offers shelter in his broken down car to a hitchhiker and his dog. As the hours pass and the rain continues, the man wonders if his decision to let them in was one of a series of bad choices he made in his life – or is the chance encounter with this enigmatic stranger a godsend opportunity to solve his own problems.
On Tuesday, June 7th, the pre-screening reception begins at the Landmark Theater, 2828 North Clark, at 6 pm. Then join host Mike McNamara as our program begins promptly at 7:30 pm. High definition projection provided by Resolution Digital Studios and Fletcher Chicago. Post-screening reception will be held at Monsoon, 2813 N Broadway, http://www.monsoonchicago.com.
Formerly Chicago Community Cinema, The Midwest Indie 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 http://www.midwestfilm.com.
The June lineup for The Midwest Independent Film Festival:
CHICAGO PREMIERE: CAST IN GRAY. In this sumptuously shot short film from writer-director I. Michael Toth, a disillusioned man’s chance encounter with a hitchhiker and his dog forces him to reconsider the possibilities of his life.
WORLD PREMIERE: APOLOGY. A man returns to a town to make amends for a crime he committed 17 years ago. This powerful, beautifully acted short features Chicago actors Joe Forbrich (The Watcher, Tenfold), Melissa Sienicki (And Then I Woke Up) and Mick Webber (Happy Accidents, Law and Order).
CHICAGO PREMIERE: CRAZY LOVE. This comedic short was directed by Chicago talent John Cabrera and was created in part by Instant Films (www.instantfilms.com), a company created for the solitary purpose of challenging up-and-comers of the film industry to write, shoot and edit a short film within 48 hours.
FILMMAKER INTERVIEW: MICHAEL MANN. Chicago Filmmakers on the Chicago River from D.P. Carlson reviews the careers of movie makers indigenous to Chicago. This month’s featured interview is with Chicago native Michael Mann, director of COLLATERAL, ALI and HEAT.
ANIMATED SHORT: MONSTER. When gargoyles retire. If you enjoyed THE CLAN at our May event, you will love this second flash animated short from director George Eckart, featuring Chicago improv stalwarts Paul Grondy and Peter Grosz.
WORLD PREMIERE: GREATER THAN US. Directed and composed by Chicago director Thomas Lisa.
