C-U Biz-en-scène: 02.04.2011
“C-U Biz-en-scène” appears every Thursday/Friday on C-U Blogfidential to give our readers a succinct snapshot of the cinema activity in and near Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA. Please support the artists and their work, attend screenings and events, and otherwise become active in our esoteric little world!
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MFHQ & YOU:
You’re In It to Help Us Print It … Right?
We’d love to think the C-U Blogfidential faithful caught our Tuesday announcement regarding advertising sales for the next issue of C-U Confidential, which will street the same week Roger Ebert’s Film Festival returns to downtown Champaign. We’d love even more to believe all the C-U peeps whose activities involve video, music, and performance arts will consider claiming ad space in CUZine no.5. Among other perks, we’ve dropped our prices a bit and intend to add eight pages as well as a full color pull-out section marking five years of CUBlog action! Please commit your message to the cause by following this link to the ad rate page, from which you can download detailed PDF forms that will help you decide what’s right for you. Since we tend to thank clients profusely and publicly from the bottom of our hearts, we’ll do it again right now to honor last issue’s saviors: The Art Theater, Bachelor Pad Magazine, Central Illinois Film Commission, Champaign Movie Makers, Illini Film & Video, Jason Lindsey Photography, Kill Vampire Lincoln Productions, Michael Wiese Productions, Parasol, Predestined Arts & Entertainment, Roselawn Productions, Route 66 International Film Festival, Shatterglass Studios, Sleepy Creek Vineyards, and That’s Rentertainment. Operators are standing by at the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters to add you to our “hip list” this year – even though we’re simply waiting for your e-mail inquiries, to be honest – so don’t delay!
MERCH
Low-budget filmmaker Sasan Shabrou of Sidney alerted CUBlog that his SIU-Carbondale thesis film, THE LAST RIDE, will be available shortly on DVD through Lulu.com and can also be viewed right now on the streaming site BigStar.tv. The drama features Shabrou and Ian Brandon as American Muslim teenagers recruited by London-based terrorists to enact a mission on United States soil, questioning the task during the last moments of their lives. Shabrou’s Gladius Arts banner also recently released a new DOGHOUSE twofer, featuring the horrific shorts CREVICE (directed by Shabrou and written by Colin Price) and PRODIGAL (written and directed by Thomas Nicol), which can be purchased on disc through his Web site or at Exile on Main Street in downtown Champaign. Finally, Shabrou tells CUBlog that details on the upcoming Buttered Corn on the Cob Film Festival in Urbana will be coming shortly!
SUBMISSIONS
We have two opportunities for you this Biz, one relatively nearby and another somewhat farther away. Our friend Robin Murray from Eastern Illinois University let us know their Central Illinois Feminist Film Festival is accepting entries from now until Tuesday, March 1, and there is no fee. Films should be no longer than 60 minutes and meet at least two of these requirements: they are “created with an emphasis on gender and/or social justice issues,” they “link local and global issues,” they are “created by people underrepresented in the media field (women, people of color, queer/transgendered, the disabled),” or they are “made by people from the central Illinois area.” A cover letter and DVD copy can be sent to: Central Illinois Feminist Film Festival, Women’s Studies Program, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL 61920, Attn: Robin Murray. Feel free to write rlmurray [at] eiu [dot] edu for more information or read the CIFFF description at this link. The event will take place Wednesday, March 23, on the EIU campus.
Through the B-Independent forum and Yahoo! Group run by long-time MICRO-FILM friend Allen Richards, we also learned entries were being accepted for the Underground Horror Fest Part II until Monday, February 20. It will take place Saturday, March 5, at the Rose Bowl Event Center in Tulsa, OK, located on the original U.S. Route 66. This screening/merchant event is co-sponsored by Tulsa’s Art Sunday Artist Agency and Seattle’s CultCuts Magazine, the latter of which both Richards and your humble editor assumed had folded years ago; apparently, personnel health issues forced CultCuts to go on hiatus before reemerging in 2009. Two DVD copies and a press kit for horror films completed in 2010 and running more than 68 minutes can be sent to: CultCuts Magazine, Underground Horror Fest Entry, Attn: Mark Engle, 13734 – 12th Ave. S.W. Suite #71, Seattle, WA 98166. Look for more details here.
MEDIA LINKS
Once again, not much doing in the Internet vein although we’ve singled out a few items to keep you occupied that stray somewhat from the journalistic reports we typically highlight. The most substantial linkage involves an audio interview with Art Theater owner Sanford Hess as part of last week’s SmilePolitely Radio Podcast conducted at the WEFT 90.1 FM studios with hosts John Steinbacher and Jason Brown; discussion covers Hess’ first full year on the job, the difficulty booking films based on studio whims, and upcoming special events including the New Art Film Festival which you all should attend on April 8. We also received a recommendation from comrade Mike Boedicker to sift through the eclectic indie and art house video catalogue of Olive Films, based in the far west Chicago suburb of St. Charles; of interest is a schedule of limited-release contemporary foreign films intermixed with obscure American features and documentaries. The main man Bill Kephart twisted his rabbit ears just right and located Web documentation that outlines in base language what one must do in order to obtain formal permission to photograph or record the University of Illinois campus and anything on it; the angle mainly addresses commercial reproduction and trademark licensing, but is somewhat unclear about how stringent UIUC might be towards lo- and no-budget artistic work or student films. Last but certainly not least, our favorite source for on-line horror DreadCentral.com reposted a sepia-toned blast from the past, the 35-minute 16mm zombie chiller DRAG which was filmed in south Chicago suburb Lockport by filmmaker Mark Pavia (THE NIGHT FLIER) way back in 1993 while attending Columbia College in the city; your humble editor first saw DRAG later the same year at a Fangoria convention and it holds up very well today. Enjoy!
PLAYING THIS WEEK
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL: ANOTHER YEAR (2/4 on), HOUSE (2/4, 2/5, 2/10, 10:30 p.m.), Rigoletto from Mantua (2/4, 2/5, 12 p.m., opera)
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL: THE WAY BACK, THE RITE, 127 HOURS (2/4 on)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL: HOWL (2/3-2/6, 7 p.m.)
@ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL: THE RITE, THE GREEN HORNET (2/4 on)
@ Gemini Cinemas, Villa Grove, IL: THE GREEN HORNET, MORNING GLORY (2/4 on)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL: THE GREEN HORNET (2/4-2/6, 2/9, 7 p.m.)
@ That’s Rentertainment, Champaign, IL: LET ME IN, CONVICTION, MONSTERS, NEVER LET ME GO, WELCOME TO THE RILEYS, THE TILLMAN STORY, NIGHT CATCHES US, more! (2/1 on)
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Locally produced movies and events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Go see ‘em!
COMING SOON
2/12: THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
@ The Canopy Club, Urbana, IL, Midnight
2/18-2/27: Big Muddy Film Festival
@ Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
2/27: PROBABILITY OF POSSIBILTIES* dance film (Premiere)
@ Krannert Art Museum, UIUC, Champaign, IL, 3 p.m.
2/27: Central Illinois Film Commission “Red Carpet Party”
@ TBD, 5:30 p.m.
3/10: THE LINGUISTS w/filmmakers
@ Doudna Fine Arts Center, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, 7 p.m.
3/11: DVD release: PRESS START 2 CONTINUE*
+ Dark Maze Studios, Champaign, IL
3/22-3/27: Ann Arbor Film Festival, Ann Arbor, MI
3/30-4/1: Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI
4/8: The New Art Film Festival at Boneyard Arts Festival
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL
4/27-5/1: Roger Ebert’s Film Festival
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
6/23-6/26: Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival, Chicago, IL
9/16-9/18: Route 66 International Film Festival
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL
COMMUNITY FILM SERIES
“Real Vs. Reel” Movie Series
@ Danville Public Library, Danville, IL, 6:30 p.m.
2/14: HOOSIERS; 3/14: A PLACE IN THE SUN; 4/11: THE FUGITIVE
Springfield Art Association 20th Annual Film Festival
@ AMC Parkway 8, Springfield, IL, 1 & 4 p.m. (Sun.), 7 p.m. (Tues.)
2/13, 2/15: MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON; 2/27, 3/1: UNDERTOW; 3/13, 3/15: MOTHER AND CHILD; 3/27, 3/29: MADE IN DAGENHAM; 4/10, 4/12: MY DOG TULIP
The News-Gazette Film Series 2011
@ The Virginia Theater, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
2/5: SOME LIKE IT HOT; 3/12: THE MATRIX; 4/23: TOY STORY; 5/14: REAR WINDOW; 6/4: MOULIN ROUGE!; 7/23: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S; 8/6: ARSENIC AND OLD LACE; 9/10: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT; 10/8: THE EXORCIST; 11/5: THE GODFATHER; 12/3: THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
WILL-TV/Independent Lens “Community Cinema” series
@ Champaign Public Library, Champaign, IL, 6:30 p.m.
2/24: ME FACING LIFE; 3/17: PUSHING THE ELEPHANT; TBA: BHUTTO, WELCOME TO SHELBYVILLE, TWO SPIRITS
UNIVERSITY FILM SERIES
NEW! IPRH Film Series Spring 2011
@ Room 62, Krannert Art Museum, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 5:30 p.m.
2/3: REAR WINDOW; 3/3: AFTER HOURS; 3/31: AVALON
OUTRO
Print has always been “in” at MFHQ so it should be to no one’s surprise that we have been tinkering with several ideas about increasing C-U Confidential frequency, from simply adding more issues per year to launching satellite series hinging on unique angles and directed towards the die-heard film fans, knowing movie makers, armchair historians, and comprehensive collectors in the audience. We’re in the earliest stages of deciding which efforts might come first, so keep a close eye on us to catch the scoops and learn how you might become a factor in our overall success. Please remember that it still all boils down to how well we maintain with CUZine itself, so make sure to place your ad now and share its wealth in April!
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That’s it for the “business of our scene” this week!
If you have relevant news, opportunities, dates, or promotions that you would like included in CUBiz, please forward the who, what, where, when, and how much to cuconfidential [at] gmail [dot] com.
Compiled by Jason Pankoke
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MF FIRE SALE!
We ask that you consider purchasing back issues of MICRO-FILM and C-U Confidential to help erase our outstanding print bill before we return to the printer with files for not only CUZine no.5 but our delayed special issues, C-U Confidential ’99 and MICRO-FILM 2000. You can order by using the “Donate” PayPal button here or sending cash/check/money order/cashier’s check to: Jason Pankoke, Editor, MICRO-FILM, 401 N. Prairie, Suite 3D, Champaign, IL, 61820. Documents should be made payable to “Jason Pankoke” and personal/business checks will have to sit 4-6 weeks to clear. The sale is good for MICRO-FILM issues 1-7 (do not use the old PayPal buttons if you want sale prices) and C-U Confidential issues 1-4 until further notice. For any single order: 1st copy MF, $5 ppd; 2nd copy MF, $4 ppd, 3rd copy MF, $3 ppd; 4th+ copy MF, $2 ppd each; 1st copy CUZine, $4 ppd; 2nd copy CUZine, $3 ppd, 3rd+ copy CUZine, $1 ppd each. If you have trouble figuring out a total price, simply write us at cuconfidential [at] gmail [dot] com for help. We need to nail this by Friday, April 1, 2011, or nefarious decisions will have to be made in the bowels of the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters. Thanks in advance for your support!
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“C-U Biz-en-scène” no.28 © 2011 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential.