10-18-08
Lots of Film Activity in Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Film Incentive, among the most aggressive in the nation at 25 percent of production expenses, went into effect Jan. 1, even as Illinois’ own comparatively modest 20 percent incentive expired and awaits renewal in the stymied statehouse (see page 4). Wisconsin’s year is heating up already, with several major independent features in the works. Tony Shalhoub stars in Feed The Fish; The Violinist tackles the Arab-Israeli immigrant experience in Green Bay; Charley Rivkin and Michael Nehs’ Blue World films in Milwaukee, Shoreline Entertainment’s creature feature Carnivorous wrapped production in Milwaukee and is posting at Lightning Rod in the Chain Reaction studio complex in St. Francis. Madison producer Nick Langholff completed two features, Madison and The Meredith Phillips Report. Lisa Gildehaus is in post on her documentary Cow:Beef/Pig:Pork. See www.filmwisconsin.net.
Fred Blurton and Gary Taylor’s independent feature Osso Bucco has its world premiere at the Midwest Independent Film Festival on Feb. 5. Mike Starr stars as a mobster enjoying a last meal at Vesuvio’s before he faces exile and possible death in Italy. Starr winds up trapped by a blizzard at the restaurant alongside his mob boss cousin (local Christian Stolte), the waitress he loves (Illeana Douglas) and a pair of detectives. The directors produced with Douglas Weidner and Hal Kessler, financing the reported $1 million budget through their River West Films. Taylor wrote the script. Featuring Mike Nussbaum and Michael Gillio. Blurton and Taylor and a number of cast and crew will attend the screening. Feb. 5 at Landmark’s Century Centre, 2828 N. Clark St. Doors at 6 p.m., screening at 7:30, reception afterwards at Cousin’s restaurant, 2833 N. Broadway Ave. See www.midwestfilm.com.
Ben Byer’s documentary Indestructible, about the former stage actor’s battle with the muscular degenerative disease ALS, comes off its best documentary award at the Midwest Independent Film Festival for a busy winter screening slate. Indestructible plays Jan. 24 at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; the Lake County Film Festival in Libertyville, which runs Feb. 28 to March 2; and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in Greece on March 7. The DVD is slated for release early this year. See www.indestructiblefilm.com.
Todd Kwait’s documentary Chasin’ Gus’ Ghost, about jug band pioneers Gus Cannon and the Jug Stompers and the legacy of jug band music, has its Chicago premiere in a benefit concert to purchase a gravestone for jug band musician Will Shade, who is featured in the documentary. Chasin’ Gus’ Ghost also features interviews and performances with Bob Weir, Charlie Musselwhite, David Grissman, Maria Muldaur and John Sebastian. The screening is free, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. at the Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. Free jug band jam session at 4 p.m. Musselwhite and the Carolina Chocolate Drops perform at 7 p.m. The concert is $20, $18 for members, $16 for kids. See www.chasingusghost.com.
Alex and Deborah White Plume, the subjects of Suree Towfighnia’s documentary Standing Silent Nation, suffered a house fire Dec. 21 that left the home of their large family burned to the ground. Standing Silent Nation follows the White Plumes’ battle with the DEA to grow environmentally friendly industrial hemp on their land in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Towfighnia and producer Courtney Hermann are donating all proceeds from DVD sales through February to the White Plumes’ rebuilding effort, and accepting direct donations to the family via PayPal at www.standingsilentnation.com.
Jennifer Phang of Burbank-based Fade to Blue is doing post on her Sundance-bound feature Half-Life at local NoLo Digital Film. The surreal drama about an Asian American family in northern California stars Sanoe Lake, Alexander Agate, Leonardo Nam, Julia Nickson, Ben Redgrave and Lee Marks. Co-producer Ben Berkowitz of Benzfilm Group brought the production to NoLo. Berkowitz, who moved from Chicago to L.A. in 2006, worked with NoLo on Usama Alshaibi’s personal Iraq documentary Nice Bombs. Half-Life screens Jan. 19, 22, 25 and 26 at the Sundance Film Festival. See www.half-lifemovie.com.
The Chicago Short Film Brigade celebrates its first anniversary with Best of 2007, a selection of the 52 films that played at the Brigade’s quarterly screening series at the Hideout (its incarnation in previous years was Prime Shorts). With Brett Harding’s “Oyster Puffs;” Steve Furman’s “Ride of the Mergansers;” Micah Barber’s “Winter Is Outside;” Aay Preston-Myint’s “Some Ghosts;” Christina McClelland’s “Pie Cycle;” Alex Weinress and Rob Carlton’s “Carmichael & Shane;” Carson Mell’s “Bobby Bird: The Devil In Denim;” Kim Spurlock’s “Buoi Chieu/Afternoon;” Curtis Taylor’s “Hand of Bridge;” Lisa Barcy’s :Mermaid;” Arthur Ganson’s “Massachusetts;” Signe Baumane’s “Teat Beat of Sex;” and Jeff Harms’ “The Bite.” Screening and awards presentation Jan. 24 at 8:15 p.m. Encore screening Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m. At the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. See www.filmbrigade.com.
The Gene Siskel Film Center canceled their scheduled screening of Senator Obama Goes To Africa, Bob Hercules and Keith Walker’s hour-long documentary about the Iowa primary winner’s 2006 tour of the continent, including a visit to his father’s hometown of Kisumu, Kenya. The Film Center released a statement which said in part, “As a not-for-profit organization, the Gene Siskel Film Center can not create a perceived aura of support for any political candidate. As we are in the middle of a political campaign, we feel it is in the best interest of the Gene Siskel Film Center to postpone the screening of Senator Obama Goes to Africa until after the election. Screening the film at this time could jeopardize our not-for-profit status.” The film is out on DVD from First Run Features, which released Hercules’ previous documentary Forgiving Dr. Mengele. See www.firstrunfeatures.com.
Ed M. Koziarski is in post-production on the feature film The First Breath of Tengan Rei. Email edk@homesickblues.com.