<\/p>\n
~~~~~<\/p>\n
C-U Blogfidential<\/span><\/strong> has recently written up summaries of what went down at several film events in downstate Illinois<\/strong>, from the Illinois Student Film Festival<\/strong> to the Foxtail Film Festival<\/strong> to Roger Ebert\u2019s Film Festival<\/strong>, and now the one we\u2019ve been eagerly awaiting is upon us and will conclude this informal \u201cspring cinema season\u201d in Champaign, Urbana<\/strong>, and the cities beyond. The Sidney<\/strong>-based promoter Nat Dykeman<\/strong> and his colleagues have organized the inaugural Savoy Lumi\u00e8re<\/strong> film festival and it will be held at the Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX<\/strong> theater in Savoy<\/strong><\/a><\/span> for the next five days starting tonight, Friday, May 29<\/strong>, and concluding the evening of Monday, June 2<\/strong>. A slate of 14 programs and approximately 40 films made across the United States<\/strong> and around the world, the Lumi\u00e8re is a grand and independent effort that is being produced under the aegis of the Chambana Film Society<\/strong>, which Dykeman formed a little more than a year ago as the umbrella for his efforts in public presentation and education<\/a><\/span>, and will hopefully build into something notable and unique for our area. Of course, the nature of the Lumi\u00e8re is very appealing at first glance \u2013 cross our humble efforts at the dearly departed New Art Film Festival<\/strong> with the worldly aims of our friends at the long-running Route 66 International Film Festival<\/strong> in Springfield<\/strong> and you have a good idea of what to expect \u2013 while it is distinct enough from the other cinema showcases that are staged in the immediate area to be complementary. We hope our dearest viewers will choose to show up and be enlightened by what Lumi\u00e8re has to offer, for the C-U has sorely needed a film happening like this one.<\/p>\n While there are minutiae aplenty that we could<\/em> detail in regards to the selections, we\u2019d rather encourage you to explore Lumi\u00e8re with as few preconceived notions as possible. That said, we direct you to the Lumi\u00e8re subsite at the online home of the Film Society to dig in if you wish and decide what shows might sound enticing to you<\/a><\/span>. There are no overlapping events a la<\/em> \u201cEbertfest<\/strong>\u201d so one could reasonably attend as much as is desired. We will<\/em> hint there is a wide range of material in the program \u2013 comedies, dramas, thrillers, science fiction, and documentaries are well represented \u2013 and all the titles with C-U or Bloomington-Normal<\/strong> ties that we\u2019re aware of have been marked with an asterisk in our patented schedule compilation, which you will see below and can reference throughout the weekend. Dykeman has stated in his social media publicity for Lumi\u00e8re that filmmakers will be present and discussing their work at a good amount of the screenings. Tickets for individual shows will cost $12<\/strong> and a festival pass will cost $140<\/strong>; visit this page to purchase them in advance of heading out to the Savoy 16<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n For those who might look at the options and not know where to start with a cinema smorgasbord like this, especially if one\u2019s time and funds are limited, we asked Dykeman via email for a little guidance prior to showtime. \u201cI very much try not to play favorites,\u201d he admits to CUBlog<\/span><\/strong>, so the following comments are from the perspective of attendees picking wisely for the sake of being introduced to what Lumi\u00e8re and the Film Society are all about. Dykeman describes the opening night feature, BRIM<\/strong>, as \u201ca strong, distinct film, filmed locally, mostly with local people,\u201d such as the director Keenan Dailey<\/strong> and writer Trude Namara<\/strong>, in a stylized exploration of systemic racism in American health care and across generations. He was able to schedule for Saturday night a recent festival favorite, AJ GOES TO THE DOG PARK<\/strong>, which is \u201cprobably unlike any movie you\u2019ve ever seen before,\u201d per Dykeman. \u201c[It\u2019s] a no-budget, surreal comedy from Fargo, North Dakota<\/strong> [with] a higher jokes-per-minute (JPM) than the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker<\/strong> movies [such as AIRPLANE!<\/strong>] and is more absurd than an evening of Adult Swim<\/strong> programming.\u201d Also on tap is the National Geographic<\/strong> presentation, SALLY<\/strong>. \u201cThis documentary came to me late in the process,\u201d says Dykeman, \u201cand as soon as I saw it, I knew this would make a fantastic closing to the festival\u201d in recounting the personal struggles and triumphs of the late NASA<\/strong> astronaut and physicist Sally Ride<\/strong>.<\/p>\n As we\u2019ve stated over our many years in publishing CUBlog<\/span><\/strong>, one has<\/em> to see a film for themselves to know if they will like it or get something out of it, and we trust the tastes of Dykeman to not lead attendees astray. In recent months, we\u2019ve also talked a bit about the Savoy Lumi\u00e8re founder\u2019s history in all things cinema that include his similar leadership role with the Lake County Film Festival<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, which has taken place in the north Chicago<\/strong> suburb of Grayslake<\/strong> for more than two decades, a brief run as a video store proprietor up in the Windy City proper, and occasional dabbling in movie production. We originally met as fellow jurors in 2005 at a start-up festival in St. Charles<\/strong> and I could not have foreseen our paths crossing again in this new world of Champaign-Urbana-Savoy-Rantoul<\/strong> film culture. Residents and creatives living in east central Illinois can only benefit from his experience, connections, and make-it-happen spirit, so we\u2019re doubly excited to see the Lumi\u00e8re shine bright and learn more about what comes next<\/a><\/span>. Stay tuned for a follow-up post sharing our conversation with Nat Dykeman. See you in Savoy, tra la!<\/em><\/p>\n ~ Jason Pankoke<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n 2025 Savoy Lumi\u00e8re Film Festival schedule<\/strong> Thursday, May 29<\/em> w\/shorts: Friday, May 30<\/em> feat.: 9:00 p.m. GUNMAN<\/strong> (GATILLERO<\/strong>) (2025, 80 min., Dir. Cris Tapia Marchiori, Argentina, action)<\/p>\n w\/short: Saturday, May 31<\/em> feat.: 1:30 p.m. FREE LEONARD PELTIER <\/strong>(2025, 110 min., Dir. Jesse Short Bull, David France, USA, human rights docu.)<\/p>\n 4:00 p.m. THE PREMIERE <\/strong>(2024, 81 min., Dir. Jon Silver, USA, dramedy)<\/p>\n w\/short: 6:15 p.m. AJ GOES TO THE DOG PARK <\/strong>(2024, 78 min, Dir. Toby Jones, USA, comedy)<\/p>\n w\/short: 8:30 p.m. THE OTHER PEOPLE <\/strong>(2025, 113 min., Dir. Chad McClarnon, USA, thriller)<\/p>\n Sunday, June 1<\/em> w\/shorts: 1:15 p.m. PAPER MARRIAGE <\/strong>(2024, 90 min., Dir. Jeff Man, USA, comedy)<\/p>\n 3:15 p.m. Short Films, \u201cChambana to Chicago\u201d<\/p>\n feat.: 5:30 p.m. NEVER NOT YOURS <\/strong>(2024, 81 min., Dir. John Klein, Stephen Kniss, USA, drama)<\/p>\n w\/short: 7:30 p.m. INBETWEENING <\/strong>(2024, 118 min., Dir. Mel House, USA, dramedy)<\/p>\n Monday, June 2<\/em> w\/short: Publicity still from BRIM is courtesy <\/em>Visage Entertainment <\/strong>via Chambana Film Society<\/em>. | Publicity still from GATILLERO is courtesy <\/em>Dukkah Producciones<\/strong> via Chambana Film Society<\/em>. | Other artwork is courtesy Chambana Film Society and illustrated by <\/em>Kat Jacobsen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n The Chambana Film Society is introducing a new annual event to Champaign County this weekend with the first Savoy Lumi\u00e8re at the Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX in Savoy, IL, from May 29 to June 2. Read our preview!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,1922,2144,114,13],"tags":[2997,2780,2995,196,1751,1740,1723,2744,2998,905,1944,2996],"class_list":["post-16508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-area-festivals","category-chicago-stories","category-documentary","category-happy-places","category-public-events","tag-aj-goes-to-the-dog-park","tag-brim","tag-chambana-film-society","tag-film-festivals","tag-independent-cinema","tag-keenan-dailey","tag-local-film","tag-nat-dykeman","tag-sally","tag-savoy-16-theatres","tag-savoy-il","tag-savoy-lumiere"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16508"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16520,"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16508\/revisions\/16520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n6:00 p.m. BRIM<\/strong>* (2025, 105 min., Dir. Keenan Dailey, USA, drama)<\/p>\n
\nCONTAGIOUS SWAGGER<\/strong> (2023, 12 min., USA, comedy)
\n THE ALLY<\/strong> (2023, 11 min., USA, comedy)
\nA MIND OF ITS OWN<\/strong> (2023, 12 min., USA, comedy)
\nROCK ISLAND PRISON 1864<\/strong>* (2025, 7 min., USA, drama)<\/p>\n
\n6:45 p.m. Short Films, \u201cScience Fiction\u201d<\/p>\n
\nFIGMENT<\/strong> (2024, 20 min., NZ, drama)
\nTSKACKAPHIS<\/strong> (2023, 7 min., USA, comedy)
\nHOMEPLANET<\/strong> (2025, 26 min., USA, drama)
\n SWEET DREAMING<\/strong>* (2024, 12 min., USA, drama)
\nAS EASY AS CLOSING YOUR EYES<\/strong>* (2024, 22 min., USA, drama)<\/p>\n
\nLOOSE CHANGE<\/strong> (2024, 15 min., USA, drama)<\/p>\n
\n11:00 a.m. Short Films, \u201cAnimated\u201d + \u201cShorts with Kids\u201d<\/p>\n
\nQUEM SALVA<\/strong> (2023, 7 min., France, action)
\nLEARNING TO FLY<\/strong> (2024, 3 min., USA, action)
\nAUTOPHAGY<\/strong> (2024, 11 min., UK, drama)
\nFAMILY PORTRAIT OF THE BLACK EARTH<\/strong> (2024, 10 min., Bulgaria, drama)
\nPLUNGE<\/strong> (2024, 8 min., UK, docu.)
\nBIRD DRONE<\/strong> (2023, 9 min., Australia, drama)
\nHANG<\/strong> (2025, 3 min., USA, music video)
\n~~~
\nCALICO<\/strong> (2024, 15 min., UK, drama)
\nRUBY<\/strong> (2024, 13 min., USA, comedy)
\nWOLF<\/strong> (2024, 16 min., UK, drama)<\/p>\n
\nCABARET SPECTACULAR<\/strong> (2024, 12 min., USA, comedy)<\/p>\n
\n THE DAY KEEPER<\/strong> (2024, 8 min., USA, mockumentary)<\/p>\n
\n11:00 a.m. CATCHING BULLETS <\/strong>(2024, 85 min., Dir. Ben Scholle, USA, inner city life docu.)<\/p>\n
\nSAVIOR<\/strong> (2024, 4 min., USA, immigration docu.)
\nIT\u2019S TIME<\/strong>* (2024, 4 min., nature docu.)<\/p>\n
\nHIGH STANDARDS<\/strong>* (2024, 14 min., USA, comedy)
\n AN AFFAIR AT THE END OF TIME<\/strong>* (2025, 15 min., USA, drama)
\nKAL-HAVEN<\/strong>* (2025, 12 min., USA, horror)
\n~~~
\nANHEDONIA<\/strong> (2025, 8 min., USA, horror)
\n FRAGMENTS OF A CRIME<\/strong> (2025, 8 min., USA, thriller)
\nTHE CANCER CARD<\/strong> (2025, 14 min., USA, dramedy)
\nCAPTAIN OF INDUSTRY<\/strong> (2020, 18 min., USA, satire)
\nHAIR<\/strong> (2024, 6 min., USA, dramedy)<\/p>\n
\n WHEN EVERYTHING WENT BLUE<\/strong> (2024, 14 min., USA, drama)<\/p>\n
\n7:00 p.m. SALLY <\/strong>(2025, 103 min. Dir. Christina Costantini, USA, biography docu.)<\/p>\n
\nAS LONG AS WE CAN<\/strong> (2024, 11 min., USA, health docu.)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"