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It has been apparent the staff of the Art Theater<\/strong>, led by interim programmer Dora Valkanova<\/strong> since the departure a few months ago of general manager Austin McCann<\/strong>, has a few new ideas to try out on their clientele. We\u2019ve already seen films of a similar milieu pitted against one another, late night choices finally reflecting late night tastes<\/a><\/span>, and a handful of big studio previews take up space on the schedule opposite the expected first-run selections, but you can imagine how their newest concept might grab our attention a few blocks down at the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters<\/strong>. Once a month for the next four months beginning tonight, Tuesday, May 22, 7:30 p.m.<\/strong>, the Art will introduce a current Illinois<\/strong>-produced work for viewing and discussion under the banner \u201cStories from the City, Stories from the State<\/strong>.\u201d This evening, first-time feature filmmaker Kelly Richmond Pope<\/strong> will appear to discuss issues underlying the story told by her documentary ALL THE QUEEN\u2019S HORSES<\/strong>, recounting a massive embezzlement scheme that was undertaken by Rita Crundwell<\/strong>, a former city official in the small town of Dixon, Illinois<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, allowing her to lead an extravagant lifestyle and horse-breeding business that went unchecked for two decades. In an interview between Pope and Nicole Anderson Cobb<\/strong> published yesterday<\/span><\/a> on Smile Politely<\/span><\/strong>, she stresses the need for its audience to look past the sensational aspects and realize that all citizens are accountable to a degree for managing the behavior and actions of their elected leaders.<\/p>\n After repeats of HORSES<\/strong> on Saturday, May 26<\/strong>, and Sunday, May 27<\/strong>, the series will continue on June 26<\/strong> with ROGERS PARK<\/strong>, the only narrative selection, and then on July 16<\/strong> with the shorter pieces GADGET GIRLS<\/strong> and \u201963 BOYCOTT<\/strong> before wrapping it up on August 8<\/strong> with the acclaimed MINDING THE GAP<\/strong>. Click on the titles in the press release below to access descriptions of these films and biographies of guests who will visit the Art in support of their work; it will be quickly apparent that all the non-fiction choices are associated with the great civic-minded Chicago<\/strong> production house, Kartemquin Films<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, and everything is anchored on people, places, and occurrences in far northern Illinois \u2013 Dixon in HORSES<\/strong>, Rockford<\/strong> in MINDING THE GAP<\/strong>, Chicago in the rest \u2013 hence the word choice of our headline. We vote for this particular program to succeed so the Art is encouraged to come up with future installments, the planning of which needs to cast a net wider than what can be caught off the shoreline of Lake Michigan<\/strong>. However, a good-to-great film is a good-to-great film, no matter its origin, so we put our trust in their hands to make smart and compelling selections.<\/p>\n ~ Jason Pankoke<\/p>\n p.s.<\/em> ROGERS PARK<\/strong> and MINDING THE GAP<\/strong> have also figured in a pilot program called \u201cIllinois Film Tour<\/strong>,\u201d a partnership between IFP Chicago<\/strong> and Full Spectrum Features<\/strong> with support from Illinois Humanities<\/strong>. The former played Springfield<\/strong> in January, the latter played Galesburg<\/strong> last week<\/span><\/a>, and future visits to additional cities are presumably in the works.<\/p>\n p.s.2<\/em> Both of the above ventures feel more in line with a kind of film outreach we might have wanted to see in the past. During our sporadically ranty days on C-U Blogfidential<\/span><\/strong>, we groused about the Hollywood<\/strong> tendency<\/a><\/span> to place its production focus on Chicagoland. This tack will make a demure return in a fresh Confidential Almanac<\/strong> entry set to appear in this week\u2019s Calendar<\/strong>.<\/p>\n p.s.3<\/em> Since we regularly put our (non-existent) money where our mouths are<\/span><\/a>, we have no problem with stressing the disparity of Chicago v. Rest of Illinois<\/span> in film business and culture that persists to this day. Maybe that\u2019s the only way we\u2019ll ever know.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n From May 7, 2018:<\/em><\/p>\n FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n STORIES FROM THE CITY, STORIES FROM THE STATE: AN ILLINOIS FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT<\/strong><\/p>\n CHAMPAIGN, IL (May 7, 2018):<\/strong> The Art Theater<\/strong> is excited to announce its new series, \u201cStories from the City, Stories from the State: An Illinois Filmmaker Showcase<\/strong>,\u201d which spotlights five films made in Illinois<\/strong> and their directors. Each screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director who will be in town for the screening. For more information about each film, click on the film titles below to read further at the Art\u2019s Web site.<\/p>\n The series starts with the critically-acclaimed documentary, ALL THE QUEEN\u2019S HORSES<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, which tells the story of Rita Crundwell<\/strong>, city comptroller and treasurer of Dixon, Illinois<\/strong>, who gained notoriety as the mastermind behind one of the largest cases of municipal fraud in U.S. history. The second title, ROGERS PARK<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, is a feature film that follows the lives of two couples in Chicago<\/strong>\u2019s progressive neighborhood by the same name. The film recently received recognition as a New York Times<\/span><\/strong> \u201cCritic\u2019s Pick.\u201d In July, we welcome the artistic director and co-founder of Kartemquin Films<\/strong>, Gordon Quinn<\/strong>, with his latest film \u201963 BOYCOTT<\/strong>, which documents the Chicago boycotts against school segregation of the same year. Mr. Quinn will be joined by Ris\u00e9 Sanders-Weir<\/strong>, whose short film GADGET GIRLS<\/strong> will precede <\/span>\u201963 BOYCOTT<\/span><\/strong><\/a>. Last but not least, MINDING THE GAP<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, an outstanding new documentary from Kartemquin Films and winner of the \u201cU.S. Documentary Competition Jury Award for Breakthrough Filmmaking\u201d at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival<\/strong>, tells the story of three childhood friends as they navigate the murky waters to adulthood and confront their personal demons and histories of abuse.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n