Reely Excited

Every year, the Junior Board for Cinema|Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival puts on a spring fundraiser. The night raises funds for the outreach education program, which gives Chicago Public School students the chance to see an independent/international film and meet with cast from the film. Last year we did the Film Noir event and this year, we’re raising the stakes.

We’re holding “The Reely Teeny Weeny Film Festival Spectacular” and asking anyone in the Chicago area to submit a 60-second film that either recreates a favorite scene or sums up the whole movie in the 60 seconds. Our Junior Board will select 15 films to screen and show at the event, allowing partygoers to vote on the winning entry. The event will take place atop the Dana Hotel at Vertigo Sky Lounge (so fingers crossed for unseasonably warm April weather).

The winning entry will be shown during the Junior Board Night at the 48th Chicago International Film Festival this October. Pique your interest? Know of someone who would be perfect for the event? Head here for more information.

I can’t remember the last time I was this excited for April.

Silence is Golden

Exciting news! I’ve been selected to contribute write-ups for The 47th Chicago International Film Festival! I’ll be watching films billed for the festival and writing synopses and summaries for the schedule (what the public reads to determine what film they’ll see) and for the program guidebook (a 200-page book with a deeper summary of the films).

While this is quite exciting, it’s extremely daunting to take on while working full-time, seeing as you have to watch the films. And I’m going to have to take a break from the blogging world to devote to the films. Which is proving difficult seeing as I want to shout from the rooftops about the latest film I just wrote up and how much I loved it and the music and the actors and the script. Sigh.

Epic posts towards the end of September with my preview guide. Until then, my silence is golden. I’ll occasionally post about life and what not, but just a heads up for you loyal readers, it’ll be a quiet end to summer and beginning to fall.