Michael Glover Smith’s ‘Hekla’ Packs the Music Box for Chicago Premiere, Sets Facets Encore for June
Riding a wave of publicity rare for a microbudget independent film, Michael Glover Smith’s fifth feature, Hekla, took the historic Music Box Theatre by storm for its Chicago Premiere. Cast, crew, and a capacity crowd that included director Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies) and actress Casey Hartnett (Terrifier 2) were in full celebration mode this past Sunday, May 10th, and SCREEN has the photos to prove it.
And now the film moves to Facets for its second Chicago screening…
But first, here are some choice photos from the jubilant premiere at the Music Box, courtesy of photographer Lety Santos…
The dramedy, about a chaotic day in the life of a Chicago actress, stars Elizabeth Stam (Relative) and is narrated by Wendy Robie (Twin Peaks). It has already won acclaim at its first festival screenings, playing the 2026 editions of the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival (where Stam won the Festival Spirit award for acting in, co-writing, and co-producing the movie) and the Covellite International Film Festival (where Stam won the Big Damn Deal award for Best Performance). It will next screen at the Fort Myers Film Festival on May 23.
Enjoy the newly released official trailer for Hekla…
In the week prior to its Music Box screening, Hekla received positive reviews from the Chicago Reader, Newcity, and Cine-file, as well as a plug from former Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper, who praised it for being “a real Chicago gem” on NBC 5 Chicago News.
On June 4, Facets will host a special encore screening of the film: It will be preceded by the Chicago premiere of the John Malkovich-starring short Psychogenic Fugue by Sandro Miller (an internationally acclaimed photographer who also has a cameo as himself in Hekla), and followed by a Q&A with Smith and Stam, moderated by critic Matt Fagerholm.
Smith shared with SCREEN, “The Music Box screening was one of the highlights of my life. It was amazing to see so many Chicagoans turn out for our very Chicago-centric indie film. I know some folks weren’t able to make it because it was Mother’s Day, so I’m ecstatic we’re able to have a follow-up screening so soon at the Facets Cinematheque.“
Facets Multimedia is also a location in the movie. While Smith and Stam recently told WGN Morning News that Hekla’s exterior scenes were shot without permits, Facets was one local institution that welcomed the filmmakers with open arms: “We were shooting an exterior scene of Hekla walking up to the front door of Facets when an employee came out and asked us if he could unlock the door for us so we could get the shot we needed. Incredibly, that same employee, Matt Silcock, is the one who programmed us to play there just a few months later! I think it should be thrilling for Facets patrons to see this movie projected inside one of the locations where it was shot.”
For more news about Hekla, including future screenings and ticket info, visit Smith’s personal website.
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