Young Chicago Filmmakers Receive Grant for Doc on Hoda Katebi’s Co-op Blue Tin Production
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Chicago natives Jonah Ocuto and Amaya Benbow are the recipients of local video production company Lightswitch Video’s inaugural film grant. The Full STEM Ahead Filmmaker’s Initiative is a first-year initiative designed to not only encourage STEM education and careers in STEM but to also cultivate the filmmakers of tomorrow in the process. Ocuto and Benbow were chosen to receive a $5,000 grant to produce a...
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Grand Jury Award for Chicago Indie ‘Relative’ and ‘Walking Dead’ Star Roberts
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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 summer and produced by Brian and Jan Hieggelke’s Chicago Film Project, had its World Premiere at the 15th Annual Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, March 12. Cameron Scott Roberts, who plays...
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9th Annual Chicago Critics Film Festival Announces First Seven Films
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The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA), the Chicago-area print, online and broadcast critics group that celebrates the art of film and film criticism, announces today the first seven films selected for the 2022 Chicago Critics Film Festival. First titles include highly anticipated films like the Chicago premiere of Cooper Raiff’s CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH (pictured below), starring Raiff and Dakota Johnson. Passes are now on...
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Smash Virtual Opening Production Stage in Downtown Chicago
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Beginning this May, Smash Virtual is opening a permanent, state-of-the-art virtual production stage in downtown Chicago, bringing the cutting-edge of filmmaking to the Midwest film industry. By merging large LED video walls, live camera tracking, and realtime 3D systems like Unreal Engine, virtual production offers an alternative to location shooting that is faster, easier, and safer–all while increasing creative control. To provide this technology to...
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World Premiere Announced for Michael Glover Smith Feature ‘Relative’
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Michael Glover Smith‘s fourth feature, Relative, which was shot in Chicago last summer and produced by Brian and Jan Hieggelke’s Chicago Film Project, will have its world premiere at the 15th annual Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, March 12. The dramedy, about a family whose members come together for a college-graduation party on the far-north side of the city, features a...
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Cinematographer Chris Rejano Talks Super Bowl Picks and Pans
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What were your favorite spots from the advertising extravaganza that is the Super Bowl? How about your least favorite? Let’s see how your answers line up with what acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Rejano had to say about the great and not-so-great offerings from Sunday night… SCREEN: What was your favorite spot of the night? CHRIS: I’m going to say the Chevrolet Silverado ‘Sopranos’ opening credits reboot...
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Abigail Disney Doc Marks Chicago Media Project’s Sixth Sundance Film
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The Sundance Film Festival is underway, virtually so, with filmlovers (and hopefully filmbuyers) experiencing world premiere cinema from the small screens in their respective living rooms. The festival has marked a terrific festival for Chicago Media Project (CMP), founded by Paula Froehle and Steve Cohen. SCREEN initially reported the Windy City collective of independent film investors and philanthropists was bringing a whopping five scintillating premieres...
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PHOTO BOOTH: Rise and Shine Hosted by IFA Chicago, Mezcla Media Collective and Sisters in Cinema
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Calling all womxn and nonbinary professionals in film! This week, IFA Chicago changed it up with their regular brunch series by making it a happy hour event. The not-for-profit proudly co-hosted this event with their friends from Mezcla Media Collective and Sisters in Cinema. Filmmakers assembled at Thursday, December 16th at IFA Chicago’s headquarters on the Cinespace Film Studios campus. Networking, short film watching, and...
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Elevated Films Chicago Expands Youth Filmmaking Program
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It’s always encouraging if not inspiring to see today’s filmmakers making profound efforts to blaze a path for the filmmakers of tomorrow. Elevated Films Chicago is ramping up its mission to raise awareness for independent film and create opportunities for the next generation of filmmakers as it will be partnering with the Become a Filmmaker program. The program, in its seventh year and run by...
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PHOTO BOOTH: The 28th Annual Chicago Underground Film Festival
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This year’s collaborative re-envisioning of the 28th Annual Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF) – the world’s longest-running underground film festival – was a stellar success. CUFF and its founder Bryan Wendorf welcomed Full Spectrum Features (FSF) as the official presenter of CUFF this year to program more diversity, equity, and inclusion to represent a wider range of artists and voices, including women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+...
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