Two New Projects for Hulu / Kartemquin Accelerator Program for Filmmakers of Color
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It’s a green light for two Chicago filmmakers, with backing from two cornerstones of the film world. Kartemquin Films announces the two projects that will participate in the second year of the Hulu / Kartemquin Accelerator: Freedom Hill by director Resita Cox and Still Searching by director Latoya Flowers. The Accelerator program offers two alumni of Kartemquin’s acclaimed Filmmaker Development Programs $20,000 each towards production,... Read More
New Home for Director Daniel Brown
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B-Reel has signed Daniel Brown to their directorial roster. Having received much acclaim for his art film Color TV, No Vacancy, Seattle-based Daniel Brown is an artist whose exceptional proficiency and versatility allows him to move seamlessly from one field of storytelling to another. In Brown’s productions, each and every shot is made for impact — his commercial work has a snappy and clear narrative rhythm, and his strong... Read More
Smash Success for Chicagoan O’Neil and the Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival
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Live and in-person film festivals are back! Located in a quaint Victorian town in the Pocono Mountains of Eastern Pennsylvania, The Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival (JTIFF) recently wrapped its 4th annual event at the historic Mauch Chunk Opera House. Following CDC guidelines, the founders, Todd Morris & Jocelyn O’Neil, held a live and in-person only festival after being shut down last year due to... Read More
Duplass Brothers, HBO Bring Series to Illinois
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HBO has a new comedy series, and all signs point to filming in Illinois this summer. But no, not in Chicago. In the small town of Lockport, Illinois, 30 miles outside of the city. Last July, HBO gave a series order to SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE, a comedy starring and executive produced by PATTI CAKE$ star Bridget Everett. Production was delayed due to the national pandemic, but... Read More
Spielberg Funds New Film Foundation
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Jewish Story Partners (JSP), a new Los Angeles-based film foundation, has launched with an ambitious vision with $2,000,000 in funding, and will soon announce its first round of grantees. Jewish Story Partners stimulates and supports the highest caliber independent films that utilize fresh, nuanced perspectives to tell stories about a diverse spectrum of Jewish experiences, histories, and cultures. Jewish Story Partners responds to the glaring gap... Read More
IFA’s monthly program, MovieClub
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IFA’s monthly program, MovieClub is chatting with Emmy-winning writer and director, Andrew Cohn, (bio attached) about his film, The Last Shift (2020), a 2020 Sundance Film Festival film! | Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at 6 p.m. CDT. Register join the conversation. About MovieClub For this monthly program, IFA encourages attendees to sit back, pop their corn, and channel their inner Ebert! Every month, IFA gathers together over Zoom to... Read More
CW Series Chooses Chicago
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A cult sci-fi series is making a comeback, and it will be shooting in Chicago. The CW has given a straight-to-series order to THE 4400, a reimagining of the 2004 USA Network drama. It hails from RIVERDALE co-executive producer Ariana Jackson and Anna Fricke, who successfully rebooted WALKER, TEXAS RANGER for the CW. Sources tell SCREEN the series is expected to film in the Chicagoland... Read More
Super Bowl Picks and Pans with Producer Mary Kay Cook
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Independent films produced by Mary Kay Cook have premiered at the most prestigious film festivals on the planet, from Sundance to South By Southwest. So what did Mary Kay think of the storytelling taking place during Sunday’s Super Bowl extravaganza? Let’s find out! SCREEN: What was your favorite spot of the night? MARY KAY: The first Rocket Mortgage “Certain Is Better” spot of Super Bowl... Read More
Best and Worst Ads of the 2021 Super Bowl? Top Creatives and Execs Make Their Picks!
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In the advertising world, Super Bowl Sunday is about anything but football. It's about the commercials! Ad agency pros from throughout Chicago chatted with Screen about highlights and lowlights from the epic event...
Independent Spirit Award Nomination for SAINT FRANCES
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The 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards are just under three months away, the nominations for the 2021 ceremony have arrived, and a Chicago-made gem has nabbed a coveted nomination among the star-studded crowd. The John Cassavetes Award is given to the best feature made for under $500,000, and the Chicago-made festival darling SAINT FRANCES has landed among the five nominees. Here is the trailer for the... Read More
