FILMMAKER FOCUS
Is Wolf Hound one of the most ambitious independent films ever made? It’s a question worth asking. This death-defying thriller from director Michael Chait, alongside the VFX expertise of Turncoat…
Submissions for Chicago’s beloved Patrick Lives On film festival will run from December 1 to February 15, 2023. Open to anyone from the Chicago film community, entries can represent any…
Estefania Bonilla Hernandez and Craig Whitney are on the brink of what could be one the most impactful films of the decade. After spending the past six years documenting the…
Quad Cities filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films will premiere their new documentary An Infantryman from Hero Street during Veterans Day weekend, Saturday, November 12 on the…
Michael Giacchino is already widely acclaimed as the composer behind numerous Oscar-, Emmy-, and Grammy-winning scores for a growing number of feature film and television masterpieces, including eight Pixar movies….
Coming off a prestigious win at a film festival in New York and a high-profile Los Angeles premiere, a Chicago indie will continue to add more screening dates at fests and…
“The most hopeful film I’ve done.” So declares Oscar Nominated director Darren Aronofsky as he spoke with SCREEN’s Dan Patton in an exclusive interview. Aronofsky was in Chicago to present…
Chicago native Haroula Rose burst onto the independent film world with her debut feature and festival darling Once Upon a River, and she has now wrapped production in Chicago on…
The Blacklight is a suspenseful thriller that combines murder and magic with a large dose of the supernatural. It’s also funny as hell. Filmed partially throughout Northern Illinois, the low-budget indie…
Fourteen years ago, Michael Cook had an inspiration about escaping. The Illinois-based artist, writer and director felt that many Americans, including himself, could make good use out of a break…
The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA), the Chicago-area print, online and broadcast critics group that celebrates the art of film and film criticism, released their roster for 2022-2023 today, announcing the…
Passion, Planes and Pyrotechnics with ‘Wolf Hound’ Director Michael B. Chait and VFX Guru Ryan Urban
A Hollywood action thriller on an indie budget. That was the ambitious mission accomplished by director Michael B. Chait, VFX guru Ryan Urban, and their talented cast and crew. Wolf…
Chicago Filmmakers is pleased to announce that the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund (CDMPF) has awarded cash grants ranging from $3,000 to $20,000 to seven Chicago artists for the production…
OneChicago and Breaking Bad fans will see some familiar faces in the latest feature film from Chicago-based Lakefront Pictures. Chicago Fire star Christian Stolte and Breaking Bad mainstay RJ Mitte…
![Chicago Screenwriter Brett Neveu Teaming Up with Oscar Nom Michael Shannon for 'Eric LaRue' [Exclusive Interview]](https://screenmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Brett-Neveu-Michael_Shannon-200x300.jpeg)
Two Chicago powerhouses will be teaming up for a promising project this August. Two-time Academy Award Nominee Michael Shannon and Joseph Jefferson Award winning playwright Brett Neveu will be collaborating…
There is a slasher flick in the works in the Chicago and Illinois suburbs this month. Writer-director Clinton J. Phillips and his production company Three Feathers Films are bringing the…
Filmscape Chicago is here. The mantra for this year is “New Dates, New Venue, Same Mission,” and it’s a must-attend for anyone in the Midwest production community this weekend, June…
Chicago Film Project has announced the expansion of writer/director Michael Glover Smith’s (pictured here with his father at the theatrical premiere) fourth feature film, Relative, into suburban Woodridge and Wilmette…
![Tribeca World Premiere for Illinois Indie; Interview with Director Alex Heller and Producer Eugene Sun Park [Exclusive]](https://screenmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/full_theYearBetween-Still001-1920x1080-1-200x300.png)
A very personal story for an up-and-coming director is about make a very public World Premiere. The Year Between will debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City…
Oak Park residents Adria Dawn and David Tarleton, of Tarleton/Dawn Productions, are making their mark through their films for social change. On May 24th, Dawn’s birthday, the filmmaking partnership and…
Full Spectrum Features presents the Chicagoland Shorts Vol. 8 premiere at the Gene Siskel Film Center today, May 26 at 7pm with a post-screening Q&A. Click here to purchase your passes for tonight’s festivities. This…
The eight-episode Max Original limited series “The Staircase” debuted this month on HBO Max. Inspired by a true story, “The Staircase” explores the life of Michael Peterson (Colin Firth), his…
A Chicago filmmaker has a new pilot, it’s winning awards, and it’s here for you to watch right now. SCREEN brings you an exclusive chat with Sonny Kruger, creator of…
Newcity/Chicago Film Project has announced the World Theatrical Premiere of Michael Glover Smith’s fourth feature film RELATIVE in Chicago in June.
The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the names of the mediamakers selected for the new Humanities Sustainability Fellowship, a year-long program providing 20 U.S.-based under-resourced nonfiction mediamakers whose work and livelihood…
Illinois Production Alliance Executive Director Christine Dudley, Chicago Media Angels Executive Director Ted Reilly to discuss the expanded Illinois State Film Tax Incentive.
It’s been a busy year for cinematographer Christopher Rejano, and he is just getting started. This week marks the worldwide premiere of the highly anticipated horror feature Night’s End, which…
Many Chicagoans have been heading back to school of late, to either move up the ladder in their field or to pursue a new profession altogether. If you are looking…
Fact: On March 30, 1282, as the bells of Palermo, Sicily, tolled for Vespers, a Sicilian woman crying “Death to the Angevins!” led a people’s uprising against the French garrison…
A new colorist collective is off to an auspicious start. Matt McClain, Thrive Colour Founder/Colorist, announces the completion of the company’s work on three new feature films: A Day to…
It’s time for a fresh and honest take on the world of professional sports, and this scripted Chicago-made drama might be getting its call to the field. The pilot Devonte…
It’s always great to open your festival run with a win. And Michael Glover Smith’s fourth film, Relative, did just that. The dramatic feature, which was shot in Chicago last…
Back in 1996, Wayne Brejcha, current Co-Owner/Creative Director of Calabash, was just beginning his animation career at the Chicago-based studio when the first Space Jam movie entered his life. Directed…
Directors Steve Conry and Christian Schultz recently released this heartfelt documentary that celebrates the 10 year anniversary of world famous music festival, Electric Forest. Electric Forest is co-produced by Madison…
Two OneChicago fan favorites will be reuniting, though it won’t be in Chicago. Miranda Rae Mayo is reteaming with her former Chicago Fire co-star Yuriy Sardarov on Daddy, a dark…
Dave Wooley did not mind that Dionne Warwick hesitated to let him do a movie about her when he mentioned the idea five years ago. “When Dionne says she’s really…
Racial identity and female-driven storytelling are at the heart of the profound and elegant psychological drama, Passing. Vicky Cristina Barcelona actor Rebecca Hall makes her directorial debut with this feature,…
As The Matrix Resurrections trailer continues to break the internet, with well over 50 million views worldwide, the film has also shined a light on a highly touted VFX artist…
With “The Suicide Squad,” writer/director James Gunn and Warner Bros. Pictures have earned worldwide acclaim for creating what many consider to be the best DC Universe film of all time….
Director Curtis Matzke’s five-minute short, The Orchestra, premiered this month at filmshortage.com. A one-act thriller with virtually no dialogue, the film transforms a student music rehearsal into a crescendo of…
Are you a filmmaker, cinematographer, producer, editor, key grip, gaffer, or content creator or any genre or community? If so, your weekend plans are set. Filmscape is excited to announce…
Director John Mossman knows a thing or two about the good-guy-with-a-gun theory. A lifelong hunter and target shooter, he has witnessed its ability to upset liberals and thrill conservatives, to…
Capturing a single complete scene in one shot is quite an achievement. Capturing an entire feature length film in one shot is nothing short of historic. A single 91-minute take…
The new season of hit comedy Ted Lasso is off and running, and audiences are once again in love with the charming and uplifting show, led by Chicago comedy scene…
Is there anything better than a film that can make you laugh and scream at the same time? So it goes with the new horror comedy Werewolves Within, now in…
The best trips are never planned. When a straight-laced high school student has a regrettable first sexual encounter, she and her and slacker best friend have 24 hours to hunt…
An epic journey for a Marine veteran, and a very special event here at Screen. The gripping documentary Bastards’ Road brought home the coveted Audience Award at Slamdance as well as…
A buddy comedy set in the world of ladies arm wrestling? Yes indeed! Female-driven sports films are few and far-between, but today a fresh, funny, and critically acclaimed one is…
Triple Threat is leaping from its world premiere at the Cinequest Film & VR Festival to a rigorous festival run. But before the film begins its prolific roadtrip, writer-director Stacey…
SCREEN’s Joanna Kay talks with powerhouse female filmmaker Iram Parveen Bilal about her critically acclaimed new film I’LL MEET YOU THERE. Enjoy the uplifting interview below then click here to…
Writing, producing, and shooting a feature film in less than a month is quite a feat. But that’s exactly what happened. “We wanted to do something silly and we wanted…
God literally forbids she turn off a vibrator gone rogue, so an Orthodox Jew sets out on a quest to find someone who can. Screen’s Joanna Kay chats with director…
Who is THE FIXER? This short-form crime thriller is set to premiere at the Oscar-qualifying #HollyShorts Festival and stars the inimitable Danny Trejo. Screen’s Joanna Kay is chatting with Michael…
Dating ain’t what it used to be. Hilarious comedy SHIRi is set to premiere at the Oscar-qualifying #HollyShorts and Screen’s Joanna Kay is chatting with Director Micah Coate, Writer and…
The Oscar-qualifying short film showcase HollyShorts is bigger and better than ever, and this year, it’s virtual. Enjoy some of the best and brightest short form filmmakers from across the…
HollyShorts 2020 is here! Screen Magazine’s Joanna Kay is bringing you exclusive interviews with filmmakers from the short film spectacular, and today, Joanna takes a walk with THE PRIEST, a…
HollyShorts is here and one of the filmmakers starring in front as well as behind the camera is Andrea Rosen. Today in Filmmaker Focus, Andrea chats with SCREEN’s Joanna Kay…
Ever had a tornado hit your film set and crush your production van? Well, that is one of several remarkable stories from the making of the new critically acclaimed indie…
What is Tony Hawk’s favorite Tom Cruise movie? What was going through his mind when he hit that 900? And what about this new documentary of his that just released?…
What is Tony Hawk’s favorite Tom Cruise movie? What was going through his mind when he hit that 900? And what about this new documentary of his that just released?…
The explosive and controversial documentary IMMIGRATION NATION is now on Netflix and rattling viewers on both sides of this national debate. Screen Correspondent Joanna Kay sat down with co-directors Christina…
In turns disturbing, insightful, and moving, ASK NO QUESTIONS was described at its Slamdance premiere as a real-life version of BLACK MIRROR. Directed by Jason Loftus and Eric Pedicelli, the…
“Quietly magnificient and deeply resonant” raves Richard Roeper, as the story of a life-long factory worker who searches for purpose after his plant closes, WORKING MAN becomes available at an…
While the rest of us were sitting at home complaining about canned soup and network reruns, documentary producer extraordinaire, Emmy winner, and Kartemquin Films co-founder Gordon Quinn was in the…
These weeks in quarantine can be a catalyst of creativity for some filmmakers, and that is the case with Chicago independent filmmaker and advertising director Larry Ziegelman. Larry has a…
There’s a lot that has changed in the film world. One of the most exciting times for a filmmaker is getting into festivals and reading critics’ reviews of their films….
Nearly 20 years after the scandal, the story is finally out about the $24 million McDonald’s Monopoly fraud. “We’re just happy somebody told the story,” an FBI spokesman said, at…
