Via Zoom: Jack C. Newell on ‘How (Not) to Build a School in Haiti’
CHICAGO– Putting together a documentary, especially as it involves a step-by-step process, can take a bit of time. Filmmaker Jack C. Newell has spent 10 years putting together “How (Not) to Build a...
View ArticlePodtalk: Mark Schilling, Japan Cinema World Expert, at Asian Pop-Up Cinema,...
CHICAGO– It’s Japan’s turn at the Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC), and the guest emcee is Mark Schilling, an American from Tokyo who in the 1980s began his journey as a world expert in Japanese cinema. For...
View ArticlePodtalk: Season 15 Asian Pop-Up Cinema Focus on South Korea, Sept. 24-Oct. 2,...
CHICAGO– South Korea takes the spotlight at the 15th Season Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC) film fest, from September 24th through October 2nd, 2022. HollywoodChicago.com caught up with Sophia Wong Boccio …...
View ArticleVia Zoom: Filmmaker Nicholas Eliopoulos on Colin Higgins Doc at REELING40,...
CHICAGO– Mention the name Colin Higgins and it might draw a blank. But mention the film “Harold and Maude” (1971) and any cinema room will light up with passion. Higgins took his Grad Thesis screenplay...
View ArticleVia Zoom: Writer/Director Todd Flaherty’s “Chrissy Judy” at REELING40, Sept....
CHICAGO– With drag in its spotlight, but relationships at its core, the comedy “Chrissy Judy” screens on the first weekend of Chicago’s iconic REELING40LGBTQ+ International Film Festival on Sunday,...
View ArticlePodtalk: FACETS Chicago Honors Chaz Ebert on Sept. 28, 2022
CHICAGO– Chaz Ebert carries on. The standard bearer for representing Chicago’s film world also continues her advocation for the community beyond film, since the passing of her husband Roger Ebert in...
View ArticleVia Zoom: ‘Two Eyes’ Screens at REELING40 on Sept. 29, 2022
CHICAGO– The spiritual film “Two Eyes” is in the spotlight at the REELING40LGBTQ+ International Film Festival on Thursday, September 29th, 2022 (7p). Producer Steve Kozlowski will appear on behalf of...
View ArticleVia Zoom: Director Mary Wall’s ‘The Fan Connection’ at Wilmette Theatre, Oct....
CHICAGO– A fascinating documentary on the essence of ardent hockey fanatics is in “The Fan Connection’ by Mary Wall, her debut film. Wall is originally from the Buffalo, New York, area and observed the...
View ArticleVia Zoom: Steve James’ ‘A Compassionate Spy’ Opens the 58th Chicago...
CHICAGO– The 58th Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) is here, and opens Wednesday, October 12th, 2022, at Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre with “A Compassionate Spy,” from master...
View ArticleVia Zoom: Raul Benitez on ‘After Dark’ at 58th Chicago Intl. Film Fest,...
CHICAGO– One of the more popular series at the 58th Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) – with Opening Night on October 12th, 2022 – is the After Dark series. The title screams horror films, but...
View ArticleVia Zoom: Alex Heller’s ‘The Year Between’ at 58th Chicago Intl. Film Fest,...
CHICAGO– A filmmaker’s feature debut is a special moment, made more special when the debut takes place in the filmmaker’s Chicagoland roots. Ms. Alex Heller screens “The Year Between” at the 58th...
View ArticlePreview: Alex Thompson’s ‘Rounding’ at 58th Chicago Intl. Film Fest. Oct. 15...
CHICAGO– Filmmaker Alex Thompson makes a triumphant return to the Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) with his second feature, “Rounding,” screening on October 15th & 17th. CLICKALEX T for...
View ArticlePodtalk: Film Fest Founder Michael Kutza to Sign His New Book ‘Starstruck’ on...
CHICAGO– Chicago International Film Festival Founder Michael Kutza will sign his new book – “Starstruck: How I Magically Transformed Chicago into Hollywood for More than 50 Years” – during the current...
View ArticlePodtalk: Chinonye Chukwu & Danielle Deadwyler for ‘Till’
CHICAGO– The film “Till” is the story of Emmett Till, a black Chicago boy who was murdered in 1955 while visiting relatives in the American South. Instead of hiding the killing, Till’s mother Mamie...
View ArticleVia Zoom: Jewell Wilson Bridges as Orson Welles in ‘Voodoo MacBeth’
CHICAGO– One of the greatest challenges of any actor is the portrayal of a person in history that is familiar to most of the culture. Orson Welles is such a man, and Jewell Wilson Bridges took on his...
View ArticleVia Zoom: Soprano Group Tres Belle to Perform at Davenports in Chicago, Oct....
CHICAGO– In this spooky season of Halloween, why not get “Bewitched” by three women Sopranos, under the group name Tres Belle. Marisa Buchheit, Kimberly Jones and Kirsten Leslie will perform an...
View ArticlePodtalk: Sacha Jenkins Directs ‘Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues’
CHICAGO– One of the most prominent Americans musicians in the 20th Century, if not one of the greatest, was Louis Armstrong. The memorable black trumpeter, vocalist and outsized personality found...
View ArticlePodtalk: Director Lila Neugebauer on the ‘Causeway’ Effect
CHICAGO– Lila Neugebauer has made her transition complete. The well-known stage director morphed into a behind-the-camera director, beginning with TV and culminating in her recent Apple TV+ film debut...
View ArticleVia Zoom: Introducing Karen Cardarelli, Exec Director of FACETS
CHICAGO– Karen Cardarelli has a plan. She was named Executive Director of Chicago’s FACETS Multi-Media in February of 2020, and during that time she has overseen its evolution. Currently, the Chicago...
View ArticlePodtalk: Director David Siev for His Doc on Hometown ‘Bad Axe’
CHICAGO– The combination of the divisive Donald Trump election and the pandemic affected many U.S. communities. David Siev, an American filmmaker from a Cambodian-origin family, turned on his camera to...
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