Venues and Admission

Unless otherwise indicated admission is $8 general, $7 Student and Seniors (with I.D.) $4 Members.

Film Group Membership: $25 per year, includes 4 free admissions and
discounted single admissions to CF Screenings for one full year.

All screenings are located at:

Programming Coordinator: Todd Lillethun
Programming Intern: Andrew Messer

Programmers: Todd Lillethun, Amir George, Karen Johannesen, Brenda Webb, Heather McAdams.

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Special Thanks to Patrick Friel

Best International Feature - Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

"After World War II, 60 minutes of raw film, shot by the Nazis propaganda machine, was discovered in an East German archive. Depicting everyday life in the Warsaw Ghetto, the footage quickly gained traction as an important historical document. The recent discovery of a missing reel, however, reveals an elaborate ruse. Shots were staged to suggest that some Jews lived the good life - multiple takes of luxuriously dressed residents thoughtlessly stepping over the bodies of fellow Jews, for example, as well as a choreographed dinner party. Beneath the furs were the emaciated bodies of 'actors' fearful for their lives. A FILM UNFINISHED presents the entire film, carefully noting which sequences are fictionalized. Featuring firsthand accounts from residents used in the filming, an interview with the only cinematographer identified with the production, and scenes in which former residents of the Ghetto review footage, A FILM UNFINISHED is a document of enormous import: it both chronicles some of the worst horrors of our time and reveals the lengths to which the perpetrators went to cast them in a different light." - Full Frame Documentary Film Festival (Dir. Yael Hersonski, 2009, 88 min.)

Professor Richard S. Levy teaches German history and the history of the Holocaust at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He is author of THE DOWNFALL OF THE ANTI-SEMITIC POLITICAL PARTIES IN IMPERIAL GERMANY (1975), editor of ANTI-SEMITISM IN THE MODERN WORLD, An Anthology of Texts (1991), and ANTISEMITISM: HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PREJUDICE AND PERSECUTION 2 vols. (2005).

A FILM UNFINISHED opens theatrically in Chicago on October 1.

The film stock created for amateur filmmakers in 1965 has a look like no other format since: warm, detailed, grainy, luminous. The era of home movies began with 8mm film, and even after the advent of videotape, a cult following remains to this day. In 2009 many die-hard enthusiasts were dismayed when Kodak stopped making their prized color reversal Kodachrome stock, but a new color reversal stock was released earlier this year for Super-8. It seems that some old technologies can't quite be replaced. In this program we're celebrating the format with a long list of local filmmakers who have been commissioned to make a piece specifically for this show. Each will be given a roll to shoot, all editing will be done in-camera, and no one will be able to see their work prior to the screening. Confirmed filmmakers include Usama Alshaibi, Jake Barningham, Jeremy Bessoff, Kyle Canterbury, Tom Comerford, Carolyn Faber, Lori Felker, Scott Foley, James Fotopoulos, Jason Halprin, Karen Johannesen, Alex Lake, JB Mabe, Jesse McLean, Luis Sanchez Ramirez, Kate Raney, Tom Palazzolo, Ines Sommer, Bill Stamets, and Chi Jang Yin.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has refocused national attention on oil, and the environmental impact of man-made disasters. A similar drama is playing out in Alberta, where the oil-rich tar sands are the site of controversy between activists and developers. It's the site of the world's largest industrial, capital, and energy project, where the extraction methods require landscape alteration on a grand scale. There is no spill here, but the impact of drilling is similarly devastating. Filmmaker Peter Mettler sides with the activists, and for the most part lets the camera do the talking. Shot entirely from a helicopter surveying from above, PETROPOLIS (2009, 43 min.) offers a privileged perspective that is at once awesome and terrifying.

Also on the program: LA PRESA (THE DAM), by Jorge Rivero, shows how growth has returned to a flooded valley, and how the remnants of industry create a spectacle of decay and nostalgia against the lush green backdrop (2008, 16 min.).

Back by popular demand, filmmaker and cartoonist Heather McAdams has dug deep into her vast 16mm collection and come up with her most eclectic and entertaining 16mm extravaganza to date! Editing forgotten film treasures in her signature bumper-to-bumper style, Heather will showcase ten hilarious and sexy Scopitones (musical shorts with booming magnetic striped soundtracks). Highlights include George McKelvey's "My Radiation Baby (My Teenage Fallout Queen)," Line Renaud's "Hully Gully," Brook Benton's "Father Time, Mother Nature," Dick and Dee Dee's "Where Have All The Good Times Gone?" and Joi Lansing's steamy "The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else." Also on the bill are lots of old toy and doll commercials, action-packed B-girl trailers like SWITCHBLADE SISTERS and AMAZON WOMEN, plus knock out vintage country music by The Collins Kids (as teens!), Roger Miller in his prime, Roy Clark performing one of the most hilarious songs caught on film, and many more surprises

CHRIS LIGON will open with a live performance of hilarious original songs that are sure to please all! Be there or be square.

This surprise collection of narrative shorts has been waiting for its close-up for years! Pulled from the vaults here at Chicago Filmmakers, these films scream summer fun, and are about as wild and crazy as it gets. Think pop art meets sci-fi, with a dash of comic book action and moody melodrama thrown in. A malicious clog infiltrates a suburban home; a strange epidemic renders people headless; an attempted burglary is foiled at a late night diner ... and many more tales too disturbing to reveal. All on 16mm.

It's that time again! Our popular Open Screenings feature whatever walks in the door - it could be anything: insane comedies, touching dramas, high-energy music videos, odd animation, hot topic documentaries, neighborhood portraits, or who knows what. Join us to showcase your work, or just come to watch. Maximum length per person is 20 minutes, and we will screen at least one work from everyone who brings something up to that time length. Accepted formats: 16mm, BetaSP, Mini-DV, DVD, and VHS. Nothing X-rated - sorry!

"Strange careers" is the theme of this program, highlighting the best in new short documentaries from film festivals around the country. A hypnotist, a poodle trainer, and a burlesque dancer are a few of the professionals you'll meet, each with their own unique spin on life and work. We promise this won't be just another day at the office.

Program to include:
MR. HYPNOTISM - Bradley Beesley (2009, 14 min.)
THE POODLE TRAINER - Vance Malone (2009, 9 min)
DOC ELLIS & THE LSD NO-NO - James Blagden (2009, 5 min.)
DIRTY MARTINI - Iban Del Campo (2009, 24 min.)

Chicago Filmmakers' students have been busy making work of their own, so they certainly deserve time in the spotlight. Our classes are full of talented, hard-working individuals who are beginning to explore their voice in making media, and their short films and videos are a constant source of delight. Most of the projects featured in this program are collaborations shot during class over the past year. Live script readings and independent projects will also be featured. Anyone interested in what's been going on in Chicago Filmmakers' classes should definitely take a look!

Chicago's architecture has been captured in many studio films over the years, but few films remain of the actual past. This program will attempt to reclaim a bit of it in both archival and recent works. Many of the buildings featured are familiar landmarks, while many others no longer exist. Some unheralded architects are also in our midst, and appear here to share their contributions. Discover the city as it once was in this rare trip back in time.

Program:
CHICAGO'S MODERN ARCHITECTURE - International Film Bureau (1985, 20 min.)
EQUITABLE BUILDING: TIME LAPSE - Jack Behrend (1960s, 24 min.) featuring a new original score by Renee' C. Baker, Artistic Director/Conductor of the Chicago Modern Orchestra Project.
GIRL IS A FELLOW HERE: 100 WOMEN ARCHITECTS IN THE STUDIO OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT - Beverly Willis (2009, 15 min.)
TREE STUDIOS - Adele Friedman (1989, 15 min.)
GLASS HOUSE - Chi Jang Yin (2007, 15 min.)
HALSTED STREET - Conrad O. Nelson (1934, 15 min.)

A special preview screening of this program will be held at the Chicago Architecture Foundation's Lunchtime Lecture Series on Sept. 22, 12:15 - 1pm, at 244 S. Michigan Ave. FREE!