Podtalk: That’s a Wrap! Filmmaker Michael Glover Smith on ‘Relative'

Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 19, 2021 - 8:24pm

CHICAGO – Local filmmaker Michael Glover Smith broke through the after-the-pandemic ceiling with his recently completed fourth feature film, “Relative.” The ten day production, shot primarily in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, follows the adventures of a family negotiating the youngest son’s graduation gathering.

Smith is also an author and film studies instructor (at Oakton Community College and elsewhere), and is based in Chicago. His first feature film, “Cool Apocalypse,” premiered in 2015, the same release year as his first book, “Flickering Empire: How Chicago Invented the U.S. Film Industry.” His next two films were “Mercury in Retrograde” in 2017, and “Rendezvous in Chicago” in 2018. He planned to shoot “Relative” in 2020, but like the rest of the world it was delayed.

Olivia Aquilina (Cinematographer), Actors Melissa DuPrey, Arielle Gonzalez, Clare Cooney & Michael Glover Smith of ‘Relative’
Photo credit: Michael Glover Smith

In a comprehensive two-part Podtalk, Michael Glover Smith talks all things “Relative,” plus other insights in his cinema adventures …

Part One: Regarding “Relative” …

Part Two: Rogers Park and the Filmmaker’s Journey …

A BONUS YouTube of MGS’s personal “Mount Rushmore” of filmmaker influences …

”Relative” is scheduled for a 2022 release. Written and directed by Michael Glover Smith. “Mercury in Retrograde” and “Rendezvous in Chicago” are available for rental on Amazon Prime Video.