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Chicago – This is an important upcoming weekend in the art evolution of Chicago’s own Jack C. Newell. The filmmaker will have a (click) World Premiere of his new documentary “The Candidate” at the Gene Siskel Film Center (8/17/24) and “turn on the glow” for an installation ten years in the making, Wabash Lights (8/15).

Part of Docs For Democracy, “The Candidate” is a verité documentary directed by Newell, as the production is embedded with progressive democrat Qasim Rashid as he battles xenophobia (as a Pakistani-American and Muslim), Covid, and corporate interests in two different congressional races against well-funded incumbents … first against a Virginia Republican in 2020, and in 2024 against an Illinois Democrat. After the August 17th World Premiere, the film will embark on a multi-city tour in the Fall.

Art & Cinema from Jack C. Newell

Photo credit: SiskelFilmCenter.org

The Wabash Lights is a plan ten years in the making, designed to...

Chicago – The names “Tj & Dave” are legion in the Chicago entertainment scene. The improvisation duo – T.J. Jagodowski and David Pasquesi – are improv performers who heighten the status of the city as a comedic destination. Now they’re featured in a indie TV pilot that will premiere at SXSW 2024 entitled “Bettendorf Talks.”

The show – produced by Shane Simmons and directed by Jack C. Newell – is a sharp and smart “show within a show” and a workplace comedy regarding the newest (and most unlikely) local talk show to come out of the titular Midwestern Quad City. Hosted by the “has been” comedy duo T.J. Jagodowski and David Pasquesi (who star as caricatures of themselves), the two attempt to mount a hit show in search of a sliver in their former glory. Other featured performers include Tim Kazurinsky, Sadieh Rifal, Brian King. Cassie Kramer, Nnamdi Ngwe, Emma Pope and Ike Reilly.

Men...

Chicago – When a locally filmed romantic Christmas movie was released last week on Hulu, the audience comfort and joy for this genre was proven once again by its Top Ten trending status on the streaming service. The merry elf director behind “Reporting for Christmas” is Chicago-based Jack C. Newell.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

It’s the Christmas season, and Mary (Tamara Feldman) is an idealistic reporter from Chicago, assigned a sponsor puff piece from her producer Hank (D.B. Sweeney). So she travels to a small Iowa town, to profile a toy manufacturer famous for their signature “Mistle-Toad” collectible. While preparing her story, she runs into Blake (Matt Trudeau), a toymaker exec who shares her idealism but is reluctant to appear on camera. It will take more that a Mistle-Toad to get these holiday sparks flying.

’Reporting for Christmas,’ Directed by Jack C. Newell

Photo credit: Hulu/Nicely Entertainment

The film is smart, funny and breezy,...

Reporting for Christmas is a light-hearted romance directed by Jack C. Newell. The film has a very Christmassy vibe, making the entire mood of the film very festive. The story involves a news reporter who has been assigned the task of making a documentary on a toy factory in Brunswick. Initially, she looks at it from a professional point of view, but the welcoming city and the handsome toymaker fill her heart with warmth, and she starts developing an emotional bond with the factory and its past legacies. The brilliant cast includes Tamara Feldman, Matt Trudeau, and others. How will Mary’s story affect her bond with Blake? Will he realize that she had no hand in commercializing the story? Let us find out!

Spoilers Ahead

What Assignment Was Given To Mary Romero?

Mary Romero, a successful news reporter, was given the assignment to make a documentary on Johnson Toys,...

Chicago – It’s five times the fun for the fifth time. Filmmaker Jack C. Newell and Rebecca Fons of the Gene Siskel Film Center will conduct their 5th “Destroy Your Art” event. The idea is a filmmaker creates a film, shows it once to the audience, and then destroys it forever. This will take place this year at the historic Music Box Theatre on Tuesday, September 26th, 2023. For more information, including tickets, click Dya.

“Destroy Your Art” will feature four filmmakers – Ariella Khan, Michael Glover Smith, Ines Sommer, and Blair St. George Wright – as they show their short films. After that One Showing, the films will be destroyed forever (last year it was a controlled blowtorch flame) never to be seen again. The concept challenges the notions of permanency, images, expression and our perception of what time/space means. Audience participants, and the filmmakers themselves, will be the only witnesses to the final products,...

Chicago – Putting together a documentary, especially as it involves a step-by-step process, can take a bit of time. Filmmaker Jack C. Newell has spent 10 years putting together “How (Not) to Build a School in Haiti.” The Premiere of the film is Friday, September 16th at Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center. Click Haiti for info and tickets.

After hearing an NPR podcast in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, semi-retired construction worker Tim Myers is so moved he decides to build a school in the rural Hatian community of Villard. He meets his counterpart Anselm Saimplice, who readily accepts Tim’s vision for a new school. Very quickly, things spiral out of control. Trying to teach Haitian laborers new skills, Tim imposes his style of construction and values, which he finds clashes with the way things are done in Haiti.

How (Not) to Build a School in Haiti

Photo credit: Zaxie

Jack C.

Chicago – It’s been three years, there is definitely a need to get together and destroy something. So in the spirit of this urge, power couple filmmaker Jack C. Newell and Rebecca Fons of the Gene Siskel Film Center, will conduct their 4th “Destroy Your Art” event, back from its last incarnation in 2019. The idea is a filmmaker creates a film, shows it once to the audience, and then destroys it forever. This will take place this year at the historic Music Box Theatre on August 25th, 2022. For more information, including tickets, click here.

“Destroy Your Art” will feature four filmmakers – Dinesh Das Sabu, Lena Emeligy, Christopher Rejano and Yanyl Xie – as they show their short films. After that One Showing, the films will be destroyed forever (the technique is explained in the Podtalk) never to be seen again. The concept challenges the notions of permanency, images, expression and our...

Chicago – To stand out in the crowded “Christmas Romance” TV movie genre, it starts with a strong script (by Rebecca Weaver) and the right lead actor. “Christmas with Felicity,” now available on the AMC+ app, features Sarah Brooks (“Chicago Med”) as the title character, a burnt-out city dweller looking to find solace back in her small Wisconsin home town.

The film has familiar tropes in the genre. Felicity (Brooks) is a “city mouse’ gal from Chicago whose fiancé left her, and at the same time she has lost her bakery business. On to snowy Wisconsin she goes, to escape the situation and rest at her parent’s home. Unfortunately for her, it’s the holiday season, and she’s not in the mood. Enter James (Herb Porter), a holiday-loving optimist who also happens to be a Christmas tree and dairy farmer. Will the sparks fly?

Felicity (Sarah Brooks) Finds Her...

Chicago – The challenge of creating a “Christmas Romance” TV movie, in a field that is saturated with contenders, would perplex even Orson Welles. But Chicago-based director Jack C. Newell was up to the task, as he took a script from Rebecca Weaver and put his spin on the holiday rom-com “Christmas with Felicity,” now available on the AMC+ app.

The film has familiar tropes in the genre. Felicity (Sarah Brooks of “Chicago Med”) is a “city mouse’ gal from Chicago whose fiancé has left her and her bakery business has failed. On to snowy Wisconsin she goes, to escape the situation and rest at her parent’s home. Unfortunately for her, it’s the holiday season, and she’s not in the mood. Enter James (Herb Porter), a Christmas loving optimist who also happens also to be a Christmas tree/dairy farmer. Will the sparks fly?

’Christmas with Felicity,’ Directed by Jack C.

Chicago – A cinema treasure, the Gene Siskel Film Center, reopens in-theater screenings on Friday, August 6th, 2021, the first since the pandemic closure in March of 2020. During the closure, they also named a new Director of Programming, Rebecca Fons.

Fons was named the Director in February of 2021, and continued the virtual/online programming that the Siskel Center had been offering since the closure. To celebrate films in their theaters again, the film “Annette” – the opening film of the Cannes Film Festival – will be the main feature, along with a retrospect on the films of Federico Fellini. Click Gene Siskel Film Center for more info.

Rebecca Fons, Director of Programming, Gene Siskel Film Center

Photo credit: Gene Siskel Film Center

Rebecca Fons was a natural choice for the Siskel Center programmer, having the experience in the industry, the local bold-faced titles – she was the Education Manager for the Chicago International Film Festival...

Chicago – The evolution of the “local filmmaker” always seems to be defined through where that person is. Jack C. Newell appears to not be measured by time and place, but as a filmmaker of artistic vision with a basis in love. His latest film, “Monuments,” opens June 4th, 2021, through the Gene Siskel Film Center virtual cinema.

Written and directed by Newell, “Monuments” is a comedy about grief with a dash of hopeless romance and a sprinkling of adventure, this melange is a quintessential indie road movie, featuring expansive cinematography and an unexpected musical score by acclaimed Takénobu. Filmed on location partly in Chicago, “Monuments” brings together an eclectic cast led by David Sullivan and Marguerite Moreau as a devoted couple whose love cannot be diminished by death. The family of Moreau’s character has other plans, and the comic element of the film comes from that conflict.

’Monuments,’ Written and Directed by Jack C.

It’s oddly appropriate that grief-stricken widower Ted (David Sullivan) spends most of Jack C. Newell’s “Monuments” schlepping his wife’s ashes around the geographical midpoint of the continental U.S.A. This dippily surreal existential comedy — imagine Quentin Dupieux engineering a head-on collision between “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia” and “Little Miss Sunshine” — feels like it’s born of the exact middle ground between the big-budget escapist mainstream and the hardcore arthouse “coasts” of American cinematic output. It’s in a flyover state of mind.

Any other year, no big deal — there has traditionally been no shortage of Sundance-y, SXSW-y low-budget American filmmaking to which the awful adjective “quirky” can be applied. But right now “Monuments” — which at least has no smirk in its quirk — getting a theatrical release makes a hopeful, daffy case for the U.S. indie still having a role to play in the polarized post-pandemic movie landscape.

"It was never about tombs or gods or monuments... Happiness for us was uncomplicated." Row House has released an official trailer for an indie drama titled Monuments, which originally premiered at last year's Nashville Film Festival in the fall. A grieving widower decides to travel across the country in a stolen pick-up truck, determined to scatter his wife's ashes in Chicago. Ted attempts to sidestep more grief, loss, and familial dysfunction when he steals his wife's ashes and sets off on an impulsive odyssey through America's heartland to find something he'd lost long before her death. The film stars Marguerite Moreau as Laura, David Sullivan as Ted, Javier Muñoz as Howl, and Shunori Ramanathan as Amber. This looks good, the dark comedy makes it better. Along with the strange musical song in the background of this trailer. Huh. Here's the new official trailer (+ poster) for Jack C. Newell's Monuments,...

Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to Meander, a horror thriller written and directed by Mathieu Turi. It will now get a July 9, 2021 release date in theaters and on on-demand platforms.

The film stars Gaïa Weiss, Peter Franzen and Romane Libert. Weiss plays Lisa, who after getting a car ride from an unknown man wakes up in a tube. On her arm is strapped a bracelet with a countdown. She quickly understands that every 10 minutes, fire burns an occupied section. She has no choice but to crawl into safe sections to survive. To know why she’s there and how to get out, she will have to face the memories of her dead daughter.

“Gravitas is thrilled to be able to present audiences with one of the best new additions to the sci-fi and horror genres in the past decade,” said Brett Rogalsky, Gravitas Ventures’ acquisitions manager. “What Mathieu...

Chicago – Reviving a film from local cinema treasure Michael Glover Smith is always welcome at any time, but especially now. The Gene Siskel Film Center is enhancing their “From Your Sofa” download-from-home film series with Smith’s seminal release, “Mercury in Retrograde” through April 23rd.

The Gangs All Here in a Scene from ‘Mercury in Retrograde’

Photo credit: SiskelFilmCenter.org

The partnership between the film and the Film Center – 50% of the ticket price goes toward the Siskel during the pandemic closure – is a natural one, as Smith’s films have played at the venue frequently in different runs. For more details about the screening, including a live Q&a on April 17th, click here.

“Mercury in Retrograde” involves three Chicago couples, Golda and Jack (Alana Arenas and Jack C. Newell), Richard and Isabelle (Kevin Wehby and Roxane Mesquida ), plus Wyatt and Peggy (Shane Simmons and Najarra Townsend) … they are together...

Chicago – In what has become an annual happening, Chicago arts power couple Rebecca Fons and Jack C. Newell bring back “Destroy Your Art,” an event in which a filmmaker creates a film, shows it once to the audience, and then destroys it forever. Destroy Your Art takes place on August 10th, 2019, at Inside Town Space in the West Town neighborhood, Chicago. For more information, including tickets, click here.

“Destroy Your Art” will feature five filmmakers – Amir George, Jim Vendiola, Kaitlin Martin, Juliette Strangio and Molly Hewitt – as they show their seven minute or less short films. After that One Showing, the films will be destroyed forever (via blow torch) never to be seen again. The concept challenges the notions of permanency, images, expression and our perception of what time/space means. Audience participants, and the filmmakers themselves, will be the only witnesses to the final products, before they are never shown again.

“Hamilton” actor Javier Munoz, David Sullivan, and Marguerite Moreau will star in the independent comedy “Monuments,” which has started shooting, Variety has learned exclusively.

David Pasquesi, Joel Murray, and Shunori Ramanathan round out the cast.

The movie marks Munoz’s first film role since departing the Broadway production of “Hamilton.” He stepped into the title role following Lin-Manuel Miranda’s exit and played Alexander Hamilton from mid 2016 until early 2018.

Jack C. Newell is directing “Monuments” from his own script about a separated couple, played by Sullivan and Moreau, whose relationship is getting back on track, when she’s killed in a freak accident in Colorado. Determined to scatter her ashes in the place where they first fell in love, he steals her urn and hits the road back to the Midwest with her family and relentless ex-boyfriend, portrayed by Munoz, in hot pursuit.

The production company is Chicago-based Zaxie and...

Chicago – The topic of cancer is rarely heroic, and as we know mostly concludes tragically. But the new teen comedy “Hope Springs Eternal” turns the Big C on its ear, and features up-and-coming young actor Mia Rose Frampton to take it on. The film is light and breezy, with nods to John Hughes, absurdist teen indoctrinations and the celebration of music in life.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Written with a nice light balance by Stephanie Mickus (her debut) and directed by Chicagoan Jack C. Newell, “Hope Springs Eternal” is tight storytelling and brisk comedy. Frampton keeps it alive with her expressive optimism in the main role, and is able to handle both the light and darkness of the “C” without being maudlin. The cast is top drawer and seems to be having a good time… the highlight being a Hughes-like “mean girl” coterie who have a habit of dressing alike. This is a great cheer-us-up film,...

Chicago – The happening is lovelier, the second time around. Chicago film power couple Rebecca Fons and Jack C. Newell bring back “Destroy Your Art,” an event in which a filmmaker creates a film, shows it once to the audience, and then destroys it forever. Destroy Your Art takes place on August 10th, 2018, at Silent Funny Gallery in Chicago. For more information, including tickets, click here.

“Destroy Your Art” will feature five filmmakers – Lydia Fu, Vincent Singleton, Deja Harrell, Jacquelyn Jamjoom, and Andrew Stasiulis – as they show their seven minute or less short films. After that One Showing, the films will be destroyed forever, never to be seen again. The concept challenges the notions of permanency, images, expression and our perception of what time means. Audience participants, and the filmmakers themselves, will be the only witnesses to the final products, before they are gone forever.

Rebecca Fons and Jack C. Newell...

"Who cares if you're sorry, you have to do something about it." Samuel Goldwyn Films has debuted the official trailer for a dramatic comedy for teens titled Hope Springs Eternal, from a screenplay written by Stephanie Mickus. The film hasn't premiered at any major festivals before as far as we know, but it will be hitting theaters next month for those who might be interested. Hope Springs Eternal is about a "girl dying of cancer" who maintains this identity to get her the life she wants, until one day she learns she's cured but doesn't know how to admit the truth to everyone and move on. Young actress Mia Rose Frampton stars, with Stony Blyden, Juliette Angelo, Beau Brooks, Beth Lacke, and Pej Vahdat. This PG-rated film has all the usual cliche high school moments. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Jack C. Newell's Hope Springs Eternal, direct from...

Samuel Goldwyn Films has taken U.S. and Latin American rights to Jack C. Newell’s teen drama Hope Springs Eternal for a day and date release of Aug. 10.

The deal was negotiated by Miles Fineburg, Director of Acquisitions & Theatrical sales at Samuel Goldwyn Films, and Jack Campbell, President of Octane Entertainment, on behalf of the filmmakers.

One of the debut title for production company Glyden Entertainment, pic follows Hope Gracin who is known as “the girl dying of cancer” and she’s fully embraced this identity which has made her popular among friends in school. But then her tests show that she is cured, and she decides to hide the truth from those around her. But as what happens with most secrets, the truth comes out.

Pic stars Mia Rose Frampton (Bridesmaids), Pej Vahdat (Bones), Beth Lacke (Frequency), Stony Blyden (Hunter Street), Juliette Angelo (NCIS), Beau Brooks, Lauren Giraldo...

Octane Entertainment represents international rights.

Samuel Goldwyn Films has picked up Us and Latin American rights from Octane Entertainment to Gylden Entertainment’s comedy-drama Hope Springs Eternal.

The film stars Mia Rose Frampton from Bridesmaids, Pej Vahdat (Bones), Beth Lacke (Frequency), Stony Blyden (Hunter Street), Juliette Angelo (NCIS), Beau Brooks, Lauren Giraldo (Fml), and the Cimorelli sisters.

Samuel Goldwyn Films has set an August 10 day-and-date release on the story of a cancer patient who established a following on YouTube and hides the truth when tests reveal she is cancer-free.

Jack C. Newell directed from a screenplay by Stephnie Mickus. Producers are Andrew Eriksen Nold,...

Chicago – At this point in our civilization, the food culture is at its peak. “Foodies” devote themselves to TV networks, celebrity chefs and the latest taste sensations. Director Jack C. Newell explores a portion of this culture in his new documentary profile of Chef Jake Bickelhaupt, as he attempts to build the Chicago eatery ’42 Grams.’

The film is a document of pursuits… Chef Jake and his wife Alexa Walsh pursue the right venue for his culinary talents, the chef himself channels his ultra-obsessive personal traits toward food masterpieces, and his customers long for the ultimate taste. These elements come together like a treasured recipe, as Jake and Alexa founded their restaurant “42 Grams” in Chicago, and director Newell creates a sympathetic and visceral portrayal of a food slinger on the verge of destiny. The film is an absorbing treat, as Jake’s sheer will results in both in miracles and tribulation.

While Chicago is known to host large Hollywood productions, if one peers deeper into its filmmaking scene, there is no shortage of independent riches. We recently named Stephen Cone’s Princess Cyd one of 2017’s best films, and now another promising drama from the area is around the corner. Michael Glover Smith’s Mercury in Retrograde tells the story of a trio of couples who venture out of Chicago for a weekend getaway in remote Michigan cabin. Ahead of a theatrical premiere at the Siskel Center starting February 16, we’re pleased to premiere the trailer, which previews these relationships in flux and shows off the striking cinematography by Jason Chiu (Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party).

“In Mercury in Retrograde, I wanted to explore how men and women communicate (and miscommunicate) with each other in the modern world,” says the director. “In this respect, it continues and deepens the themes of my previous feature Cool Apocalypse,...

Chicago – In one of the more intriguing “happenings” in the Chicago scene, the husband and wife team of Rebecca Fons and Jack C. Newell are hosting “Destroy Your Art” in Chicago, on August 25th, 2017, at Lost Arts in the Goose Island neighborhood (details below). The evening promises a one-of-a-kind event.

“Destroy Your Art” will feature five filmmakers – Nick Alonzo, Shayna Connelly, Lonnie Edwards, Matt Hyland and Aemilia Scott – as they show their seven minute or less short films. After that One Showing, the films will be destroyed forever, never to be seen again. The concept challenges the notions of permanency, images, expression and our perception of what time means. Audience participants, and the filmmakers themselves, will be the only witnesses to the final products, before they are gone forever.

Friday, August 25th, 2017, in Chicago

Photo credit: DestroyYourArt.com

Rebecca Fons and Jack C. Newell are one of the most prominent...

Chicago – When Rebecca Fons, the former Education Manager of the Chicago International Film Festival, was getting married to Jack C. Newell – a prominent Chicago film director – her mother Marianne told her something that would change the course of their lives. Fons’ hometown movie theater, the “Iowa,” was about to offered for sale. In the equivalent of the recent Matt Damon family film favorite, Rebecca and Marianne Fons was about to star in their version of “We Bought a Movie Theater.”

Rebecca Fons has been a mover and shaker within the Chicago cinema scene. She was the Education Manager for the Chicago International Film Festival for nine years, and participates in a number of screening committees for film festivals across the country. She received her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Columbia College here, and serves in various capacities with the Steppenwolf Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center and the Junior League of Chicago.

Sometimes a good meal is the perfect setting for love stories. Shot on location in some of the top restaurants in Chicago (Longman & Eagle and Publican) and Paris (Bistrot Paul Bert and Au Bon Accueil), the new film “Open Tables” explores true love over the course of delicious main courses.

Read More: ‘You’re the Worst’ Season 3: Edgar’s Ptsd & ‘Loaded’ Love Language Take Center Stage

The film follows couple Sam and Kate (Keith Kupferer and Kate Duffy), who host a group of friends for dinner in the hopes that sparks will fly between Kate’s younger sister Cassie (Caroline Neff) and their friend Ryan (writer/director Jack C. Newell). They’re joined by seemingly perfect couple Jon (Desmin Borges) and Dana (Colleen Doyle) and soon the conversation opens up about love, loss and regret. The film also co-stars David Pasquesi (“Veep”) and Joel Murray (“Mad Men”). Watch an...

Chicago – Local filmmaking has always gotten a boost through director Jack C. Newell. His 2015 film “Open Tables,” shot in Chicago and Paris, will get it’s digital release on Tuesday, December 6th, 2016, on iTunes and Video-On-Demand. This coincides with his art project “The Wabash Lights,” and his continued production work.

“Open Tables” features couples and groups meeting in restaurants, talking about their lives and relationships. Although the centerpiece is food, the meal is the conversation, including a story about a sojourn into Paris – shot in black and white. Newell directed the film in the improvisation style rooted in the Chicago comedy scene, much like his first narrative film, “Close Quarters,” which featured many local improvisation artists. He also takes on the lead role as Ryan, who defines himself through the adventure in Paris. The film explores and provides perspective on the elusiveness of relationships.

Jack C. Newell in a Scene...

Chicago – Jack C. Newell will ride his bike when he meets you for an interview in Chicago, naturally. The locally based director is a welcome original, with credits in both documentary and narrative films. His latest feature, “Open Tables,” will screen at the 51st Chicago International Film Festival on October 20th, 2015.

“Open Tables” is operating within the “Taste of Cinema” theme at the film festival, and features couples and groups meeting in restaurants, talking about their lives and relationships. Although the centerpiece is food, the meal is the conversation, including a story about a sojourn into Paris – shot in black and white. Newell directed the film in the improvisation style rooted in the Chicago comedy scene, much like his first narrative film, “Close Quarters,” which featured many local legends in the art of improv. He also takes on the leadrole as Ryan, who defines himself through the adventure in Paris.

Currently in production is a documentary from director/producer Jack C. Newell, titled How to Build a School in Haiti, which chronicles the struggles of an American trying to build a school in a country nicknamed "The Republic of NGOs." This documentary centers on Tim Myers, a well-intentioned construction manager and his attempt to completely fund and construct a school in rural Haiti - Villard. The film was shot over more than three years, following Myers' efforts as a case study in international economic development and a portrait of the impact this kind of work has on the recipients and agents of international aid programs. I'm certainly curious given the angle the...

Chicago – You know you’re on a Jack C. Newell film set when his producer, Steve Tobiasz, offers you the best empanada you’ve ever eaten, from the Gourmet Food Truck that is crucial to the upcoming scene. “Open Tables” is director Jack C. Newell’s second feature film, coming in right after 2012’s “Close Quarters.”

The shot-in-Chicago movies are provocative in Newell’s style of direction. They both feature top Chicago improvisation talent – including T.J. Jagodowski, Dave Pasquesi, Susan Messing and in “Open Tables,” Joel Murray – and they both use the style of interpretive improv rather than a fixed dialogue script. Newell began his film career in 2004 with his directorial short film debut, “When Sara Looks Up,” and made TV movies and six other shorts before completing “Close Quarters” in 2012.

On Set with Director Jack C. Newell (right) for ‘Open Tables’

Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

Newell...

Chicago – When putting on an awards show in Chicago, getting local talent to hand out awards was as easy as calling the production of “Chicago Fire,” currently filming here. The 2012 Best of the Midwest Awards in December had “Cf” cast members David Eigenberg and Christian Stolte to present accolades, and comedy improvisor Susan Messing won Best Actress at the event.

The Best of the Midwest Awards (BMAs) are the annual celebration that honors the films and performances at The Midwest Independent Film Festival during 2012. The festival is an ongoing film event that meets every first Tuesday throughout the year, and will resume February 5th with the film “Be Good.” All three actors spoke to HollywoodChicago.com at the BMAs, offering humor, insight and perspective on performing in Chicago.

David Eigenberg, Portrays Christopher in “Chicago Fire”

David Eigenberg is currently not portraying Steve Brady from “Sex and the City,” he wants you to know that,...

Chicago – The Midwest Independent Film Festival, which convenes every first Tuesday of the month, is fast becoming an institution in Chicago and an influential barometer for the local and Midwestern film scene. On Tuesday, December 4th, 2012, their annual “Best of the Midwest” Awards will be handed out. Hosting the event is the co-founder of the Midwest Indie, Mike McNamara. Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com serves on the Awards Committee.

The ‘Best of the Midwest’ Awards, December 4th, 2012

Photo Credit: www.MidwestFilm.com

The following films and performances are nominated for the “Best of the Midwest” Awards…

Best Music Video

“Moonbeams,” directed by Sam Macon

“Everything Will Be Fine,” directed by Nate DuFort

“War Again,” directed by Paul Griswold

“Are You Gonna Break My Heart,” directed by Will Meyers

“Villain,” directed by Logan Hall

Best Short Film

“The Promise,” directed by Bill Roach and Joel Edwards

“Advantage: Weinberg,” directed by David Singer

“Wednesday’s Child,...

Chicago – Director Jack C. Newell ended up meeting one of his great collaborators while taking classes at Columbia College Chicago. His future filmmaking partner turned out to not be a fellow peer, but his teacher, Ron Falzone. Together, they made the acclaimed short, “Typing,” about two Hollywood screenwriters whose brainstorming session draws inspiration from the clacking of typewriter keys in the next room.

Newell and Falzone’s first feature effort is “Close Quarters,” an endearing and insightful collection of parallel vignettes set in a Chicago coffee shop. Baristas Abby (Erica Unger) and Barry (Seth Unger) flirt with the possibility of long-term romance while observing the dysfunctional relationships of their customers. Two friends, Patrick (Tj Jagodowski) and Olivia (Kate Duffy), chat upstairs while their respective partners, Dina (Holly Laurent) and Cary (Dave Pasquesi), make love in the downstairs bathroom. An estranged couple (Susan Messing and Jim Carlson) argue over Skype while...

Chicago – The short film, once considered the lesser cousin of features, and seen mostly in obscurity, has had a major revival and influence in the age of YouTube. At the 2010 Chicago International Film Festival, the Illinois Short Filmmaker night brought out the best of locally produced film shorts on October 11th.

HollywoodChicago.com caught up with seven of the participating filmmakers that night, as they spoke about their particular film shorts.

Illinois Short Filmmakers at the Chicago International Film Festival, October 11th, 2010

Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

Wenhwa Ts’ao, Director of “Arithmetic Lessons”

Arithmetic Lessons is a devastating study of a Chinese family in crisis, as the mother is dying and her daughter is trapped in an abuse situation with her female caregiver.

‘Arithmetic Lessons,’ Directed by Wenhwa Ts’ao

Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival

HollywoodChicago.com: Typically, the Chinese culture is seen as a somewhat repressed patriarchal society,...