Podcast

CHICAGO – The Windy City is on the move, as new creative energy in the film development arena has emerged to expand the network of possibilities.

CHICAGO – Chicago writer/director Rus Blemker has created a short film that resides within an emerging cinematic form. The “screen life” genre presents a story through the viewpoint of a computer screen, phone or pad – like 2018’s independent success ”Searching.” Rus Blemker’s contribution is entitled “Book of Faces.”

CHICAGO – Occasionally our reality needs a super sizing, and what better media than the movies to deliver that expansion. The historic Music Box Theatre of Chicago presents its annual 70MM Film Festival – now through March 19th, 2020 – celebrating movies that were rendered, historically and now, in the large format screen size.

CHICAGO – Season Ten for Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema will kick off on March 10th, 2020, with (click on title for tickets and info) ”I’m Livin’ It,” which begins a week highlighting Hong Kong films. ”A Witness Out of the Blue” is on March 11th.

CHICAGO – The Peter Pan mythos is as well known as any legend, ever since J.M. Barrie invented the character in 1904. Through nearly a hundred versions in virtually all media, the theme remains the same … what happens if we never grow up. Benh Zeitlin adds his spin in “Wendy,” the follow-up to his Oscar nominated “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (2012).

CHICAGO – Facing extinction, the Midwest Independent Film Festival was resurrected through the efforts of new Executive Director Erica Duffy, who will introduce the rebooted “Midwest Film Festival” to Chicago on February 22nd, 2020.

CHICAGO – “High Fidelity” is back! The iconic 2000 film, which was set in Chicago, is being rebooted as a Hulu series featuring Zoë Kravitz.

CHICAGO – One of the hottest films from the first half 2019 festival season was an emotional story about family, and scored the Best Picture at the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 8th. “The Farewell” is a breakout for both the lead actor Awkwafina (“Crazy Rich Asians”), Zhao Shuzhen (who won the Indie Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress) and their director Lulu Wang. Wang’s story of her grandmother became a universal spirit about our relative connections.

CHICAGO – Gratefully, we live in a post-Weinstein environment of #metoo, and one of the first films to comment upon it is “The Assistant,” written and directed by Kitty Green. Coming off its run at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, the film explores a low level female production assistant (PA) as she navigates an office overwhelmed by a successful-but-abusive bossman.

CHICAGO – When we last talked to Kevin Pollack, Chicago’s answer to the Sultan of Swing, he was embarking on his once-a-month song reveal for the fall of 2019. The whole thing culminated in the release of “Holiday,” a feeling-the-vibe celebration of taking a break.